I did enjoy the gameplay of Dead by Daylight, even if I lost a lot, but I did notice some common elements between it and the lore of Ravenloft. A dark entity trapping individuals in mist and fog, endless torments, paths of corruption, etc. So I decided to try making a cluster inspired by the various killers and their backstories.
This is the first, inspired by The Trapper. If people show interest, I'll keep making more.
Captionem
The mists part and reveal forest with numerous mining pits, mining equipment, a coal tower, stacked wood, and a foundry all decorating an expansive space. The moon hangs above, hiding the rust coating so much of the equipment. The air seems almost blue as a light mist hangs over so much cracked earth, rusted equipment, and hides the blunted bear traps hidden in the tall grass…
This is the land known as Captionem. A domain of extensive minding which is slowly expanding to engulf the land. This is the largest source of precious metals in the cluster, making it a large trade source for the other domains. Despite the wealth from such trade, the one controlling the trade refuses to spend more than he absolutely has to keep operations going.
Culture Level: 8 (Chivalric)
Religion: Forfarian Pantheon
Terrain: Forests and hills similar to scottish highlands
Government: Despotism
Ruler: Eacharn MacPhaic
Darklord: Eacharn MacPhaic
Eacharn was born to the heir of the MacPhaic mining dynasty, son of Aonghas MacPhaic. It was indeed a wealthy household to be born into, but hardly one which someone could claim to be happy to be part of.
Aonghas MacPhaic was a harsh and cruel man who was only concerned with strength, money, and the power which both could bring. He was harsh to his workers, considering them to be maggots since they were not rich or strong enough to make something of themselves. Thus, he had the right to do just about anything he wanted to them.
What Aonghas struggled to hide though was a degenerative disease which slowly ate away at his mind. It appeared early one after his brother died due to a bear attack. Aonghas told tales of how he killed the bear and carried his brother’s body back home...after he cut the bear open to get his brother’s head out. He always retold the story, moreso as he got older, but he never quite told it the same way twice…
Aonghas was harsh and often got creative in keeping his authority. He worked his miners to the bone and grew more obsessed with his wealth and power. To the point where he put a fence around his property and had guards patrol it, forbidding his workers from ever leaving without permission, considering them as nothing more than beasts of burden. When people complained, they often disappeared after a meeting in the foundry. People outside complained, widows wept, but Aonghas was the landowner of the area and his word was law. Any higher authority only showed deaf ears as the money in taxes and revenue filled many coffers.
Eacharn, in the beginning, was of kinder stock. He saw the workers as men, saw them rally and wanted to be part of that movement. He tried to undermine his father’s harsh policies, but the same degeneration in Aonghas was passed through his son. Eacharn didn’t mind using violence, didn’t mind being brutal when the situation had an option for it. Still, Eacharn remained civil, being held back by his inspiration of the workers trying to form a proper guild and make something from themselves.
As he grew, Eacharn found a strange fascination with hunting, trapping, and killing the quarry. A fascination which his father encouraged with his own obsession with bear traps. However, Eacharn soon began to resent his father, often believing him a murderer, likely having killed his own brother and perhaps Evan’s mother whom he was told died after giving birth to him.
Eacharn was torn as he grew into manhood. He idolized his father for being so strong and commanding so much. But he hated him as well for being so brutal and cruel for absolutely no reason beyond giving the mine owner some amusement. He often entertained thoughts of what it would be like to be free of his father and idly wondered how to get rid of him. Hunting accident, mining accident...there were so many possibilities. Still, these only remained thoughts as Eacharn still aimed to keep the workers safe and help them finally form their guild and get the rights they deserved.
Sadly, this ended when a worker sold Eacharn out for better privileges. The guild attempt was squelched and Eacharn was given a beating of a lifetime by his father, supposedly to teach him a lesson of trusting maggots. Eacharn came back changed, no longer kind to the workers and perhaps now fixated on his father’s might. The kind boy was gone and only Aonghas’s spawn remained.
Eacharn became as cruel as his father, running operations with brass knuckles as opposed to an iron fist. Workers disappeared when they got uppity and dissension and weakness was harshly punished. Evan was just as much a monster as his father was now.
As he grew into manhood, Eacharn focused more on hunting, proving his strength above anyone else. Still, he grew bored hunting bears and wolves despite the praise it earned from his father. They were becoming too easy to track, too easy to predict, too easy to kill. It was not until a worker, bumbling through the woods one night got caught in one of his forgotten bear traps and bled to death did Eocharn suddenly grow inspired.
Donning a different set of clothes and a cobbled mask made from what scraps he found at the time, Eacharn began going on the hunt in the forests again. This time, he began hunting for the workers who would wander the forests at night in their brief reprieve from their terrible working conditions. As they wandered, they wound find themselves hunted by the scrap-mask killer who knew the forests like the back of his hand, sending them panicking into hidden bear traps, making them easy prey for the scrap metal cleaver Eacharn had made.
Eacharn found himself enjoying himself deeply during the nights, finding a different sort of challenge in hunting the workers. Some fought back, some tried to be tricky, and some just fled like rabbits. All of them gave a new thrill for Eacharn and his hunts. So much, the workers began whispering tales of a killer called The Trapper, hunting the woods. A threat which terrified the workers, but none of the people in authority cared to investigate, leaving Eacharn to hunt unimpeded.
This had drawn the eye of the Dark Powers, but one final push was needed.
Aonghas’s madness consumed him and he began to truly degenerate into his madness. He grew weaker, and the hate Eacharn held for his father only grew despite the admiration for him. Eacharn began fighting his father's battles to keep what they earned, to keep their strong and powerful image. All the while his hate for his father grew for becoming so weak, stifling any admiration that he held for the man.
Finally, Eacharn decided his father was no longer strong and could only be a maggot. He concocted a plan to utterly destroy his father and abandon him for the dogs while he took command of their land.
The workers had gotten brave again with Aonghan’s diminishing health and tried to get better working conditions. Eacharn saw this as a chance to get rid of the weak maggot, which used to be his father, eliminate dissenters, and cement his own authority.
First Eacharn took his father and locked him away in a basement, left to starve like the maggot he was, but left clues that the workers revolted and did the deed. He then collected a hundred workers, the ones still wanting a guild and those who agreed to them. He lured them into the mine to discuss finally getting their rights. Instead, Eacharn lit hidden explosives and caused an blast which buried the men inside. Any that survived the blast suffocated from the air being cut off.
Eacharn’s plan was to have the explosion be blamed on the dissenters who were rioting and would claim his father had gone missing in the chaos. As weak and mad as Aonghan was, he would not last long without constant care. With him dead, and an easy culprit in sight, conveniently dead as well, no one would question the claims. Eacharn, confident the power and authority would now belong to him, began heading back to his clan home as the mists of Ravenloft enveloped him.
In the Mists…
When the mists drew back, Eacharn suddenly realized he was not where he had been before. It was not anything obvious at first. It was his hunter’s instinct which told him that something was...different. Still, the people showed him proper deference and they worked. The name of the land suddenly becoming Captionem did catch his concern. Something wasn’t right.
Current Sketch
Eacharn did take control of his clan’s holdings and proved just as tough and cruel as his father, who had disappeared. He is considered the highest authority in the land. The workers mine, process ore, and repeat for the measly pay. Eacharn intends to keep his empire going, planning to enjoy the power and authority.
Eacharn hunts at night as The Trapper when he feels like relaxing after dealing with the workers or believes they are starting to rally for better working conditions and more pay. When The Trapper makes a few hunts, the workers get back to work, remembering that it is the guards and Eacharn’s influence which keeps The Trapper from slipping into the camp.
Darklord of Captionem
Eacharn’s power as a Darklord manifests in his Trapper persona. He has a photographic memory for every inch of the forests surrounding the mines. His actual power comes as he is able to manifest bear traps anywhere he likes and can see them as if they glow in the dark. His strength is truly monstrous, able to cleave people with a swing of his homemade cleaver. He is both the highest authority and the scariest monster in the entire domain.
Eacharn’s curse as a Darklord is to suffer the same sickness which destroyed his father. Each day, Eacharn feels or thinks he feels, more weakness coming from his body slowly decaying. It might be treatable, but Eacharn’s obsession with strength and his powerful image prevents him from even attempting to find a healer to help him. Every day, he looks for ways to prove he is as strong and powerful as ever, or feels the symptoms of his illness grow worse.
Unlike many Darklords, Eacharn is aware that he is not only not in his original world anymore, but that someone put him there. He tries to find ways to break the leash he knows someone put on him, but each attempt to cross the borders leaves him with crippling weakness, sometimes leaving him injured from the attempt. Rather than make him docile, Eacharn seethes and looks for his next opportunity to try again. He has no idea it was a greater entity like the Dark Powers that did it but instead blames enemies of his clan who he believes hides beyond Captionem’s borders.
So here is the first entry into the Crimson Roads Cluster. If people show interest, I'll keep going. Always happy for criticisms since once completed, I hope to spring this on my group.
The Crimson Roads Cluster: Inspired by Dead By Daylight
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HyperionSol
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The Crimson Roads Cluster: Inspired by Dead By Daylight
Last edited by HyperionSol on Mon Jul 19, 2021 11:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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HyperionSol
- Agent of the Fraternity
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- Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:29 pm
Re: The Crimson Roads Cluster: Inspired by Dead By Daylight
The second entry into the Crimson Roads Cluster. It is focused on a single mountain and some surrounding snowy hills. It would be smaller than many of the other domains due to the conflicting nature of the Darklords and their weaker sense of self.
Frigoria
The mists part and reveal the tall mountain known as the Hopeless Rise in the middle of the Fractured Hills. Snow and trees blanket everything in constant chill and a serene-looking coating of white. Dotting the hills are lodges, cabins, and even one bustling town at the base of the greatest peak, showing life continues in this land.
This is the domain of Frigoria. It is considered a place of beauty and many with the means seek to travel here to enjoy luxury and fun in the snow during the more agreeable months of the year. Hidden in the shadows though is a following of dark minds who are fractured and feuding.
Culture Level: 9 (Renaissance)
Religion: Church of Ezra, Divinity of Mankind
Terrain: Mountains, hills, snow, and forests of winter resorts
Government: Landed Democracy
Ruler: Mayor Solomon Thorp
Darklord: Francis Montagu, Janet Hurst, Sybil Edwards, Jack Garret
The story begins with Francis Montagu, a young man who came from nowhere and became a terror to the place he ended up. An orphan who was pushed between relatives and then distant relatives, Francis learned he only had himself to rely on and bucked rules when he could, finding many of them oppressive and cumbersome.
His latest home was in a snowy town of Hearthhome, a town which catered to rich travellers and the rich or nobles who owned property in the hills. His newest parent was a local laborer who wanted an apprentice to help in his business, treating Francis like an employee rather than a son. A state stipend which was supposed to aid in allowing Francis education or food and belongings was instead spent on ale, gambling, and other vices.
Francis chafed at living in Hearthome. He saw the rich and affluent living easy life while lower class people had to live by the rules of those in power and toil for little more than coppers and scraps. So sickened by it, Francis tried to collect the means to simply leave although his efforts were impeded by his ‘father’ stealing what funds he collected so as to fill his belly with ale or lose it all yet again in a bad hand of cards.
Francis’ fortunes soon changed when he met Janet Hurst. She was a local beauty and was often treated like a local princess by many in the town. Still, Janet chafed under her life in Hearthome. Her life was pushed towards being one of those who catered to the rich and noble who were only in Hearthome for a few months of the year. She saw herself as deserving so much more than being a maid or homemaker and saw Francis as his means of escaping from this fate of servitude.
Through his new relationship with Janet, Francis soon discovered others who were just as disenfranchised and bitter with the town as he was. There was Jack Garret who often had to suffer the sneering looks of spoiled aristocrats and often acted out to show they were not so impressive. There was also Sybi Edwards, a shy young woman who had been relentlessly bullied by aristocrats in her younger years.
The four proved to be a perfect storm of personalities. Francis was more versed in the harshness of the world than the other three and had an innate charisma which let him become the leader of the group. They were first voicing complaints of the aristocrats and wealthy who seemed to control the town even though they were only present for three months of the year at most. The conversations soon turned to dares, trespassing on properties of the rich while they weren’t home. Seeing no one was around to stop them, the group soon upped their game to vandalising the properties, and then breaking inside to rob it and have fun.
The threw parties most youths could only dream of in settings they always desired. Some were decadent, others perhaps hedonistic, but all of them were fun. It created quite a following of the four and it became an unspoken secret in the young adult community of Hearthhome which had the estates and cabins of the elite become the grounds of their parties or targets of their dissatisfaction.
Naturally when the aristocrats came back to their winter vacation homes, they were furious that their homes had been robbed and vandalized. They demanded someone be punished for the crimes of abusing their property and stealing their belongings. The young adult community remained silent and kept their heads down and the scandal passed. Once the aristocrats left, the robberies and break ins continued.
This proved to be extremely detrimental to Hearthome. Much of the income was made during the vital months where the wealthy and aristocrats would come to town. They would spend money on food, supplies, and other services. After the first year, several rich folk decided not to come back, putting a sudden strain on the local economy. The youths did not care at first, the Legion, as the new gang called themselves, only saw themselves getting back at the aristocrats who thought they could just roll over on them whenever they wanted.
The crimes continued and with the solidarity the gang had, not many clues leading to them. Francis was never in the social scene, Sybil too shy for such crimes, Janet was the town sweetheart, and many considered Jack too impulsive to do such crimes and not spill the beans. Still, this affected the local economy as some aristocrats did not return while others began bringing their own supplies or added security, hindering the Legion’s attempts at their vandalism.
This strangling of the local economy had many of the members of the Legion suddenly feel the crunch and lose the lifestyles they had. They were not luxurious, but they were comfortable. Realizing what they were doing, many members of the gang began to distance themselves from their cause. Eventually, it was just down to the first four members. Still, the Legion would not be denied what they felt was their freedom from the rules and aristocratic snobbery. Finding one estate they thought was unguarded, they slipped inside and broke in to make a message and show they would not be cowed by aristocrats and their money.
As they got inside, it was not long before they found themselves caught by the elderly owner of the house, tired of having his property broken into multiple times. He yelled and berated the four for their actions, calling them a number of names and talking down on them, clearly considering them no better than gutter trash.
Hearing the aristocrat talk to him in such a way, something in Francis snapped. He pulled out a hunting knife he brought with him to help break in and stabbed the man. The man went down and was swiftly dying from the vital blow. He then ordered the others to each stab him so they would not betray each other. Janet, utterly devoted to Francis, did so. Jack, impulsive in the moment did the same. Sybil, mortified, had to be forced to do such, but the act was done. The man was dead and all four now had a hand in it.
Picking up the body, the four began to haul it outside towards the hills to find an isolated spot to bury the man. As they dashed into the falling snow, mist rose and engulfed each of them.
In the Mists…
Francis, Janet, Sybil, and Jack each suddenly found themselves along in the snow and the body had disappeared. They called for their friends and their vision blacked out before they could hear the voices of their friends whispering in their ears.
Current Sketch
The land of Frigoria is trapped in a tense economic situation. For Hearthhome to continue, it needs to heavily entice the aristocrats to buy property and supplies in their land so to keep infusing gold into the economy. At the same time, the town suffers from the actions of the Legion gang often vandalizing or robbing such properties in an anti-aristocratic movement. Authorities manage to arrest some of the members, but the gang shows an unusual amount of loyalty to their members and do not speak under interrogation, making trying to find the four leaders of the gang difficult to say the least.
Darklords of Frigoria
The four have prominence as the leaders of the gangs collectively called the Legion. Their bond is still strong, which they found the most meaning. They each have a strong following of bitter youths who see the aristocrats as intruders and seek to drive them out. Still, the hills of Frigoria are like a siren call to many of the rich and affluent who constantly show up from other domains like Borca, Paridon, and Dementlieu to buy property and build or inhabit cosy mountain cabins or estates.
As their powers as Darklords, the four who make up the leadership of the Legion have powerful charisma and can help create their following and increase the numbers of their gang just by speaking to people within a certain age range. The members are devoted to the cause and silently wait for orders to deal with the enemy gang members.
The curse of Francis, Janet, Jack, and Sybil is that they inhabit one body. Each day, one member has control of their body, taking their lives back for that day. Once midnight comes around, the body swaps control to another member of the four. Rarely do they get to have two days in a row. This removal from their lives and missing out on the things they enjoyed before has made the four bitter with each other. Francis stews at the unfairness, Janet constantly complains of what she is missing, Jack constantly loses his temper, and Sybil constantly wallows in guilt over what they do. They can hear the words of the others and it has made the four bitter and despise each other. This has had the four try to lead their gang to different goals, usually contrary to the goals of the others. This has split the gang into four different groups who hide out in four different abandoned lodges on the Hopeless Rise.
The only thing the four can agree on is how much they hate aristocrats and wealthy folk who have a stranglehold on their home. They don’t, or won’t, realize they do the greatest damage to their home rather than the aristocrats by constantly threatening to cripple or even collapse the economy by trying to drive out the aristocrats who constantly bring new money into it.
Dread Possibility: The only time the four have their own bodies back is the day they murdered the aristocrat in his home. When this happens, the four try to lead their respective gangs to eliminate the others. The only way to break the curse the four suffer under is to find and put to rest the aristocrat they killed, although it will open the domain to open gang wars for more than one day of the year.
So this domain was inspired by the Legion. Part of the theme is class vs class conflict and the results of it. Also the theme of a following of the impressionable to a charismatic leader and how they can be led astray. It does include elements of Dominic d'Honaire and Davion, but I hope it makes things different enough to make them stand out.
Frigoria
The mists part and reveal the tall mountain known as the Hopeless Rise in the middle of the Fractured Hills. Snow and trees blanket everything in constant chill and a serene-looking coating of white. Dotting the hills are lodges, cabins, and even one bustling town at the base of the greatest peak, showing life continues in this land.
This is the domain of Frigoria. It is considered a place of beauty and many with the means seek to travel here to enjoy luxury and fun in the snow during the more agreeable months of the year. Hidden in the shadows though is a following of dark minds who are fractured and feuding.
Culture Level: 9 (Renaissance)
Religion: Church of Ezra, Divinity of Mankind
Terrain: Mountains, hills, snow, and forests of winter resorts
Government: Landed Democracy
Ruler: Mayor Solomon Thorp
Darklord: Francis Montagu, Janet Hurst, Sybil Edwards, Jack Garret
The story begins with Francis Montagu, a young man who came from nowhere and became a terror to the place he ended up. An orphan who was pushed between relatives and then distant relatives, Francis learned he only had himself to rely on and bucked rules when he could, finding many of them oppressive and cumbersome.
His latest home was in a snowy town of Hearthhome, a town which catered to rich travellers and the rich or nobles who owned property in the hills. His newest parent was a local laborer who wanted an apprentice to help in his business, treating Francis like an employee rather than a son. A state stipend which was supposed to aid in allowing Francis education or food and belongings was instead spent on ale, gambling, and other vices.
Francis chafed at living in Hearthome. He saw the rich and affluent living easy life while lower class people had to live by the rules of those in power and toil for little more than coppers and scraps. So sickened by it, Francis tried to collect the means to simply leave although his efforts were impeded by his ‘father’ stealing what funds he collected so as to fill his belly with ale or lose it all yet again in a bad hand of cards.
Francis’ fortunes soon changed when he met Janet Hurst. She was a local beauty and was often treated like a local princess by many in the town. Still, Janet chafed under her life in Hearthome. Her life was pushed towards being one of those who catered to the rich and noble who were only in Hearthome for a few months of the year. She saw herself as deserving so much more than being a maid or homemaker and saw Francis as his means of escaping from this fate of servitude.
Through his new relationship with Janet, Francis soon discovered others who were just as disenfranchised and bitter with the town as he was. There was Jack Garret who often had to suffer the sneering looks of spoiled aristocrats and often acted out to show they were not so impressive. There was also Sybi Edwards, a shy young woman who had been relentlessly bullied by aristocrats in her younger years.
The four proved to be a perfect storm of personalities. Francis was more versed in the harshness of the world than the other three and had an innate charisma which let him become the leader of the group. They were first voicing complaints of the aristocrats and wealthy who seemed to control the town even though they were only present for three months of the year at most. The conversations soon turned to dares, trespassing on properties of the rich while they weren’t home. Seeing no one was around to stop them, the group soon upped their game to vandalising the properties, and then breaking inside to rob it and have fun.
The threw parties most youths could only dream of in settings they always desired. Some were decadent, others perhaps hedonistic, but all of them were fun. It created quite a following of the four and it became an unspoken secret in the young adult community of Hearthhome which had the estates and cabins of the elite become the grounds of their parties or targets of their dissatisfaction.
Naturally when the aristocrats came back to their winter vacation homes, they were furious that their homes had been robbed and vandalized. They demanded someone be punished for the crimes of abusing their property and stealing their belongings. The young adult community remained silent and kept their heads down and the scandal passed. Once the aristocrats left, the robberies and break ins continued.
This proved to be extremely detrimental to Hearthome. Much of the income was made during the vital months where the wealthy and aristocrats would come to town. They would spend money on food, supplies, and other services. After the first year, several rich folk decided not to come back, putting a sudden strain on the local economy. The youths did not care at first, the Legion, as the new gang called themselves, only saw themselves getting back at the aristocrats who thought they could just roll over on them whenever they wanted.
The crimes continued and with the solidarity the gang had, not many clues leading to them. Francis was never in the social scene, Sybil too shy for such crimes, Janet was the town sweetheart, and many considered Jack too impulsive to do such crimes and not spill the beans. Still, this affected the local economy as some aristocrats did not return while others began bringing their own supplies or added security, hindering the Legion’s attempts at their vandalism.
This strangling of the local economy had many of the members of the Legion suddenly feel the crunch and lose the lifestyles they had. They were not luxurious, but they were comfortable. Realizing what they were doing, many members of the gang began to distance themselves from their cause. Eventually, it was just down to the first four members. Still, the Legion would not be denied what they felt was their freedom from the rules and aristocratic snobbery. Finding one estate they thought was unguarded, they slipped inside and broke in to make a message and show they would not be cowed by aristocrats and their money.
As they got inside, it was not long before they found themselves caught by the elderly owner of the house, tired of having his property broken into multiple times. He yelled and berated the four for their actions, calling them a number of names and talking down on them, clearly considering them no better than gutter trash.
Hearing the aristocrat talk to him in such a way, something in Francis snapped. He pulled out a hunting knife he brought with him to help break in and stabbed the man. The man went down and was swiftly dying from the vital blow. He then ordered the others to each stab him so they would not betray each other. Janet, utterly devoted to Francis, did so. Jack, impulsive in the moment did the same. Sybil, mortified, had to be forced to do such, but the act was done. The man was dead and all four now had a hand in it.
Picking up the body, the four began to haul it outside towards the hills to find an isolated spot to bury the man. As they dashed into the falling snow, mist rose and engulfed each of them.
In the Mists…
Francis, Janet, Sybil, and Jack each suddenly found themselves along in the snow and the body had disappeared. They called for their friends and their vision blacked out before they could hear the voices of their friends whispering in their ears.
Current Sketch
The land of Frigoria is trapped in a tense economic situation. For Hearthhome to continue, it needs to heavily entice the aristocrats to buy property and supplies in their land so to keep infusing gold into the economy. At the same time, the town suffers from the actions of the Legion gang often vandalizing or robbing such properties in an anti-aristocratic movement. Authorities manage to arrest some of the members, but the gang shows an unusual amount of loyalty to their members and do not speak under interrogation, making trying to find the four leaders of the gang difficult to say the least.
Darklords of Frigoria
The four have prominence as the leaders of the gangs collectively called the Legion. Their bond is still strong, which they found the most meaning. They each have a strong following of bitter youths who see the aristocrats as intruders and seek to drive them out. Still, the hills of Frigoria are like a siren call to many of the rich and affluent who constantly show up from other domains like Borca, Paridon, and Dementlieu to buy property and build or inhabit cosy mountain cabins or estates.
As their powers as Darklords, the four who make up the leadership of the Legion have powerful charisma and can help create their following and increase the numbers of their gang just by speaking to people within a certain age range. The members are devoted to the cause and silently wait for orders to deal with the enemy gang members.
The curse of Francis, Janet, Jack, and Sybil is that they inhabit one body. Each day, one member has control of their body, taking their lives back for that day. Once midnight comes around, the body swaps control to another member of the four. Rarely do they get to have two days in a row. This removal from their lives and missing out on the things they enjoyed before has made the four bitter with each other. Francis stews at the unfairness, Janet constantly complains of what she is missing, Jack constantly loses his temper, and Sybil constantly wallows in guilt over what they do. They can hear the words of the others and it has made the four bitter and despise each other. This has had the four try to lead their gang to different goals, usually contrary to the goals of the others. This has split the gang into four different groups who hide out in four different abandoned lodges on the Hopeless Rise.
The only thing the four can agree on is how much they hate aristocrats and wealthy folk who have a stranglehold on their home. They don’t, or won’t, realize they do the greatest damage to their home rather than the aristocrats by constantly threatening to cripple or even collapse the economy by trying to drive out the aristocrats who constantly bring new money into it.
Dread Possibility: The only time the four have their own bodies back is the day they murdered the aristocrat in his home. When this happens, the four try to lead their respective gangs to eliminate the others. The only way to break the curse the four suffer under is to find and put to rest the aristocrat they killed, although it will open the domain to open gang wars for more than one day of the year.
So this domain was inspired by the Legion. Part of the theme is class vs class conflict and the results of it. Also the theme of a following of the impressionable to a charismatic leader and how they can be led astray. It does include elements of Dominic d'Honaire and Davion, but I hope it makes things different enough to make them stand out.
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HyperionSol
- Agent of the Fraternity
- Posts: 99
- Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:29 pm
Re: The Crimson Roads Cluster: Inspired by Dead By Daylight
The third entry into the Crimson Roads. This one is inspired by The Plague of DBD. This land would be sizable and green at the edges, but would grow more into a desert as they get closer to the capital, showing a sign of the diseased center of the domain.
Langumorbis
The mists part once more, revealing almost untouched lands of plains, trees, and encircled by mountains. It is a land of myth, legend, and lore where history and legend intermingle. It may look like a simpler place, but in the settlements, the true horrors appear.
This is the domain of Langumorbis, a domain gripped in desperation and fear for their lives. All of them pray desperately for salvation from the vicious plague, looking to their high priestess in hopes that their withering bodies will one day be cured.
Cultural Level: 3 (Iron Age)
Religion: Mesopotamian Pantheon A.K.A. Langumorbian Pantheon
Terrain: Arid Landscapes
Government: Theocracy
Ruler: Arahunaa
Darklord: Arahunaa
Once a long time ago, the land was a more prosperous nation. The gods were good to the land and the people were pious and paid proper respects to the gods.
In the city of this land was a simple acolyte named Arahunaa. She was a new initiate to the temple and sought to rise in the ranks. A simple girl who came from a family who did not stand girl, she chose her own future. She was ambitious and joined the temple to avoid being given away in a marriage to an allied family and make a better life for herself in the service of the gods. She did revere the gods as everyone else did, but she believed her own faith and dedication would have her live the fine and easy lives she saw the other priests live among the people.
Arahunaa began at the bottom of the ranks, simply cleaning the temple and studying the sacred texts while tending to the worshippers while they waited for the priests. It was a humbling task, one meant to teach patience and empathy for the fellow worshippers who came to plead the gods for help or search for signs to their intent. Arahunaa did these tasks as was expected of her, but she felt like it was a waste. Why help one or two people at a time when she could be doing her part to help everyone?
As she came of age, Arahunaa was finally given more responsibilities in the temple. She aided more in the ceremonies and felt the satisfaction of being able to truly help the people and lead them through the plans of the gods. Her dedication to her duties got the attention of the higher priests and she was soon trusted with more responsibilities as she rose in prestige.
One day, a disease began to inflict the people of the city. People took ill, coughing up phlegm and blood and were afflicted with painful sores. The clerics and the acolytes soon did their duties and tried to heal the people of the plague. They were able to heal the wounds and prolong the lives of people as they fought the disease, but the disease itself proved resilient and could not be eliminated entirely. With each healing, the disease soon returned slightly more resilient than before. Those who used natural remedies to combat the disease saw it’s resurgence less, but due to close proximity with others who were sick, they quickly caught it again. Everyone went to the temple and pleaded to have the gods heal them quickly so they might suffer less.
The nature of the plague was partially magical in nature, although the people were not aware of it. The people had relied on magic to solve so many of their woes, nature adapted all the way from the animals to the germs until the plague grew. It resisted the effects of magic and could not be entirely eliminated by it. Natural remedies were more effective, but few of the people would rely on such methods, but would take longer. People in the city much preferred to use magic to solve their problems immediately or plead to the gods to solve their problems for them.
With the sick constantly coming in, acolytes took sick and had to take to bed in order to try and recover. Even the head priest took ill and with their advanced age, the disease soon took them from their mortal coil. The temple was in chaos then, wondering who would lead them as the next high priest. Many of the elder priests soon began conducting rituals to try and find a sign from the gods as to who the next high priest would be.
Arahunaa saw her chance to try and claim higher authority. She quickly tried to find her own sign from the gods that would prove she was most suited to the position of high priest. In the panic of the times, any sign from the gods would be adhered to. As she conducted her own ritual, Arahunaa saw a glimmer in the low light behind what was a false door. Prying it open, she discovered a crypt of a former high priestess with ornate statuary adorned in jewels, fine robes, and ceremonial objects. It was a beautiful sight and seeing a female high priest in the crypt being found by herself, Arahunaa saw it as a sign that she would be the one to be the next high priestess despite only being a novice.
Arahunaa shared her discovery, believing the sign from the gods had been discovered. She was quickly admonished for disturbing the rest of a former priest. The elder members of the clergy dismissed her claim, not considering the words of a novice priestess would ever receive the favor of the gods. They had good reason to believe as Arahunaa hadn’t even performed the rituals before she found the crypt. If she had, perhaps they may have taken her claim more seriously. Instead, she was admonished and sent away to tend to her proper duties.
Seething from the humiliation and punishment, Arahunaa decided if the other priests would not follow the gods’ will and ordain her as the high priestess, she would punish them and take her proper place herself. In the night, she went to the sick acolytes and collected phlegm and bile from the sick acolytes. She then tainted the food and drink of the other priests and allowed them to be infected, putting them into the same painful sickness they were trying to purge from their land. Several died and others were left in agony as they repeatedly tried to heal themselves only for the disease to return stronger than before.
With no one else to deny her claims, Arahunaa took the robes, jewels, and religious items from the crypt. She adorned them imperiously and once she was ready, she ordered the remaining acolytes to open the doors of the temple for the first cleansing rituals of the day.
Before the people, the mists of Ravenloft poured into the temple.
In the Mists…
The people wandered in, sick and writhing from the disease. More than just the phlegm and boils of the disease before, the people soon began suffering from sores, black sludge, and necrosis. Disgusted, but undaunted, Arahunaa began to cast her spells to cure the plague which victimized her followers.
Current Sketch
Arahunaa leads the temple and is the de facto leader of Langumorbis since any royal family fell victim to the plague and other political leaders look for her guidance before anything else. Daily, Arahunaa casts numerous healing spells with her acolytes and other priests to heal the people of their sickness. The damage the disease does is healed, but the disease is never cured. It returns, disfiguring the people all over again and putting them through the pains. No one realizes the disease is magic-resistant since the people are used to having magic or the gods deal with most problems for them.
The capital of Langumorbis is a cesspit of disease and disfigured people. Everything from the animals, people, and plants within the city are infected to various degrees of the disease. Although the buildings and architecture remain beautiful, as the people hope to please the gods and receive a cure, there is filth and disgust in the streets so those who can try to live above the streets so may try to get away from the infection or slow its progress.
In the settlements out from the capital, the effects of the plague become less and less as the use of magic becomes rarer. Arahunaa had ordered all clerics and other magical healers to travel to the capital to take part in helping the people become cured of the plague. Many of the outermost settlements that must rely on herbs and natural remedies to deal with the plague are finding better success in curing the plague and some have been untouched by it.
Arahunaa has developed a narcissistic messiah complex in her position and hearing anyone relying on other methods to cure the plague outside of prayer and worship has her brand them as heretics and sends infected soldiers to raze the settlement or infect it to prove their methods don’t work. She firmly believes that only deep devotion to the gods, with her as the conduit to them, will finally cure the plague.
Oddly, the plague loses its potency if anyone leaves Langumorbis while infected with it. It can be treated with regular methods and can be cured with regular methods and medicinal techniques. The wounds and sores it creates can also be easily healed by magic with no backlash so long as it is cast outside of Langumordis. This has also had Arahunaa forbid leaving the ‘holy lands’ of Langumordis, although she will close the borders if she thinks people are entering or leaving, hoping the plague will end them and prevent people from turning away from her.
Darklord of Langumordis
As her power as the Darklord of Langumorbis, Arahunaa has become a high-level cleric, matching the power of more experienced clerics despite her young age. This has allowed her to cast high-level healing spells and even resurrection spells for those who have died from the plague. These ‘miracles’ continue to cement the people’s faith in her and the gods, but also keep feeding her messiah complex.
Her curse as a darklord is that she is the source of this new dread variant of the Langumorbian Plague. She had been infected while she was collecting the means to poison the priests who denounced her. Her body is wracked with pain and she suffers the disfiguring sores and blisters constantly. She abhors her reflection, faced with the truth that she is the source of everyone’s suffering. So she wears covering robes and regalia to hide her disfiguring signs of sickness. In many ways, she is in denial of her flaws and the woes she causes her people. If she left and isolated herself, the plague might eventually blow over, but her constant need for praise and adoration as a savior has her remain where she is.
Langumorbis
The mists part once more, revealing almost untouched lands of plains, trees, and encircled by mountains. It is a land of myth, legend, and lore where history and legend intermingle. It may look like a simpler place, but in the settlements, the true horrors appear.
This is the domain of Langumorbis, a domain gripped in desperation and fear for their lives. All of them pray desperately for salvation from the vicious plague, looking to their high priestess in hopes that their withering bodies will one day be cured.
Cultural Level: 3 (Iron Age)
Religion: Mesopotamian Pantheon A.K.A. Langumorbian Pantheon
Terrain: Arid Landscapes
Government: Theocracy
Ruler: Arahunaa
Darklord: Arahunaa
Once a long time ago, the land was a more prosperous nation. The gods were good to the land and the people were pious and paid proper respects to the gods.
In the city of this land was a simple acolyte named Arahunaa. She was a new initiate to the temple and sought to rise in the ranks. A simple girl who came from a family who did not stand girl, she chose her own future. She was ambitious and joined the temple to avoid being given away in a marriage to an allied family and make a better life for herself in the service of the gods. She did revere the gods as everyone else did, but she believed her own faith and dedication would have her live the fine and easy lives she saw the other priests live among the people.
Arahunaa began at the bottom of the ranks, simply cleaning the temple and studying the sacred texts while tending to the worshippers while they waited for the priests. It was a humbling task, one meant to teach patience and empathy for the fellow worshippers who came to plead the gods for help or search for signs to their intent. Arahunaa did these tasks as was expected of her, but she felt like it was a waste. Why help one or two people at a time when she could be doing her part to help everyone?
As she came of age, Arahunaa was finally given more responsibilities in the temple. She aided more in the ceremonies and felt the satisfaction of being able to truly help the people and lead them through the plans of the gods. Her dedication to her duties got the attention of the higher priests and she was soon trusted with more responsibilities as she rose in prestige.
One day, a disease began to inflict the people of the city. People took ill, coughing up phlegm and blood and were afflicted with painful sores. The clerics and the acolytes soon did their duties and tried to heal the people of the plague. They were able to heal the wounds and prolong the lives of people as they fought the disease, but the disease itself proved resilient and could not be eliminated entirely. With each healing, the disease soon returned slightly more resilient than before. Those who used natural remedies to combat the disease saw it’s resurgence less, but due to close proximity with others who were sick, they quickly caught it again. Everyone went to the temple and pleaded to have the gods heal them quickly so they might suffer less.
The nature of the plague was partially magical in nature, although the people were not aware of it. The people had relied on magic to solve so many of their woes, nature adapted all the way from the animals to the germs until the plague grew. It resisted the effects of magic and could not be entirely eliminated by it. Natural remedies were more effective, but few of the people would rely on such methods, but would take longer. People in the city much preferred to use magic to solve their problems immediately or plead to the gods to solve their problems for them.
With the sick constantly coming in, acolytes took sick and had to take to bed in order to try and recover. Even the head priest took ill and with their advanced age, the disease soon took them from their mortal coil. The temple was in chaos then, wondering who would lead them as the next high priest. Many of the elder priests soon began conducting rituals to try and find a sign from the gods as to who the next high priest would be.
Arahunaa saw her chance to try and claim higher authority. She quickly tried to find her own sign from the gods that would prove she was most suited to the position of high priest. In the panic of the times, any sign from the gods would be adhered to. As she conducted her own ritual, Arahunaa saw a glimmer in the low light behind what was a false door. Prying it open, she discovered a crypt of a former high priestess with ornate statuary adorned in jewels, fine robes, and ceremonial objects. It was a beautiful sight and seeing a female high priest in the crypt being found by herself, Arahunaa saw it as a sign that she would be the one to be the next high priestess despite only being a novice.
Arahunaa shared her discovery, believing the sign from the gods had been discovered. She was quickly admonished for disturbing the rest of a former priest. The elder members of the clergy dismissed her claim, not considering the words of a novice priestess would ever receive the favor of the gods. They had good reason to believe as Arahunaa hadn’t even performed the rituals before she found the crypt. If she had, perhaps they may have taken her claim more seriously. Instead, she was admonished and sent away to tend to her proper duties.
Seething from the humiliation and punishment, Arahunaa decided if the other priests would not follow the gods’ will and ordain her as the high priestess, she would punish them and take her proper place herself. In the night, she went to the sick acolytes and collected phlegm and bile from the sick acolytes. She then tainted the food and drink of the other priests and allowed them to be infected, putting them into the same painful sickness they were trying to purge from their land. Several died and others were left in agony as they repeatedly tried to heal themselves only for the disease to return stronger than before.
With no one else to deny her claims, Arahunaa took the robes, jewels, and religious items from the crypt. She adorned them imperiously and once she was ready, she ordered the remaining acolytes to open the doors of the temple for the first cleansing rituals of the day.
Before the people, the mists of Ravenloft poured into the temple.
In the Mists…
The people wandered in, sick and writhing from the disease. More than just the phlegm and boils of the disease before, the people soon began suffering from sores, black sludge, and necrosis. Disgusted, but undaunted, Arahunaa began to cast her spells to cure the plague which victimized her followers.
Current Sketch
Arahunaa leads the temple and is the de facto leader of Langumorbis since any royal family fell victim to the plague and other political leaders look for her guidance before anything else. Daily, Arahunaa casts numerous healing spells with her acolytes and other priests to heal the people of their sickness. The damage the disease does is healed, but the disease is never cured. It returns, disfiguring the people all over again and putting them through the pains. No one realizes the disease is magic-resistant since the people are used to having magic or the gods deal with most problems for them.
The capital of Langumorbis is a cesspit of disease and disfigured people. Everything from the animals, people, and plants within the city are infected to various degrees of the disease. Although the buildings and architecture remain beautiful, as the people hope to please the gods and receive a cure, there is filth and disgust in the streets so those who can try to live above the streets so may try to get away from the infection or slow its progress.
In the settlements out from the capital, the effects of the plague become less and less as the use of magic becomes rarer. Arahunaa had ordered all clerics and other magical healers to travel to the capital to take part in helping the people become cured of the plague. Many of the outermost settlements that must rely on herbs and natural remedies to deal with the plague are finding better success in curing the plague and some have been untouched by it.
Arahunaa has developed a narcissistic messiah complex in her position and hearing anyone relying on other methods to cure the plague outside of prayer and worship has her brand them as heretics and sends infected soldiers to raze the settlement or infect it to prove their methods don’t work. She firmly believes that only deep devotion to the gods, with her as the conduit to them, will finally cure the plague.
Oddly, the plague loses its potency if anyone leaves Langumorbis while infected with it. It can be treated with regular methods and can be cured with regular methods and medicinal techniques. The wounds and sores it creates can also be easily healed by magic with no backlash so long as it is cast outside of Langumordis. This has also had Arahunaa forbid leaving the ‘holy lands’ of Langumordis, although she will close the borders if she thinks people are entering or leaving, hoping the plague will end them and prevent people from turning away from her.
Darklord of Langumordis
As her power as the Darklord of Langumorbis, Arahunaa has become a high-level cleric, matching the power of more experienced clerics despite her young age. This has allowed her to cast high-level healing spells and even resurrection spells for those who have died from the plague. These ‘miracles’ continue to cement the people’s faith in her and the gods, but also keep feeding her messiah complex.
Her curse as a darklord is that she is the source of this new dread variant of the Langumorbian Plague. She had been infected while she was collecting the means to poison the priests who denounced her. Her body is wracked with pain and she suffers the disfiguring sores and blisters constantly. She abhors her reflection, faced with the truth that she is the source of everyone’s suffering. So she wears covering robes and regalia to hide her disfiguring signs of sickness. In many ways, she is in denial of her flaws and the woes she causes her people. If she left and isolated herself, the plague might eventually blow over, but her constant need for praise and adoration as a savior has her remain where she is.
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Mistmaster
- Evil Genius
- Posts: 1142
- Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2016 5:27 pm
Re: The Crimson Roads Cluster: Inspired by Dead By Daylight
Interesting; in Frigoria, thought, I would rule Francis as being the Darklord and his cohorts as being his curse.
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HyperionSol
- Agent of the Fraternity
- Posts: 99
- Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:29 pm
Re: The Crimson Roads Cluster: Inspired by Dead By Daylight
Hm, not a bad thought. I had been aiming for the idea that since all four of them took part in the murder, all four are punished equally. On the other hand, Francis is the one who was the leader and instigated it. So perhaps he has to constantly hear the complaints, anger, and guilt of the others, but never being able to find them since their solidarity and 'family' as leaders of the gang was his greatest desire.Mistmaster wrote:Interesting; in Frigoria, thought, I would rule Francis as being the Darklord and his cohorts as being his curse.
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HyperionSol
- Agent of the Fraternity
- Posts: 99
- Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:29 pm
Re: The Crimson Roads Cluster: Inspired by Dead By Daylight
Sombreaux
These mists drift away and the land revealed is a slightly dreary landscape fit for a medieval landscape. Huts and simple farms dot the landscape. The land is showing an odd symmetry as many things come in pairs.
This is the land of Sombeaux, a land of twins and unity. The people of this land show a unique form of solidarity. In fact, the solidarity is so strong the people tend to be united in more ways than one…
Cultural Level: 6 (Early Medieval)
Religion: Church of Belenus
Terrain: Temperate forests inspired by medieval France
Government: Aristocratic or theocratic independent settlements
Ruler: Landowners or religious leaders depending on the settlement
Darklord: Felicite Dufour
Felicite was born in Tepest to a typical tepestani household who prayed to Belenus and followed the edicts of the church to avoid persecution of the church and the predations of the Fey. As she was born though, she immediately became a target by the church. Felicite was born as a conjoined twin. Her brother was small, attached to her side as a tiny baby to her regular-sized form, unable to be separated. Just at birth, the women who were tending to her mother recoiled in horror and began screaming about fey corruption and wicked things.
Felicite and her brother as well as their parents were thoroughly investigated by the church. Fortunately this was before the fanaticism of the Tepestani Inquisition. It was quickly discerned that the birth of the twins was an unfortunate circumstance, perhaps caused by Fey meddling, but nothing to show fraternizing with the fey themselves. So the twins, and their parents, were allowed to keep their lives and their home.
Some would call that a mercy. Felicite would not.
As she grew up, Felicite and her brother Florian would be treated with harsh persecution by the people of Viktal. Many adults considered them tainted by the fey and would warn their children to not go near them. More children would mock the twins, calling them monsters and taunt them to go run off with the fey where they belonged.
Felicite would grow angry and would fight back. She learned quickly that a well-placed punch or a thrown rock could shut up anyone who dared taunt her or her brother. She could have done worse, but Florian would be a calming influence on her, just as cognizant and aware as she was despite his diminutive size. Still, Felicite would seethe with anger against those who would treat her like a monster simply because she was born different from them. Florian helped her keep her temper, but she would not forget the mistreatment from the others.
Felicite and Florian grew up together on the family farm. Felicitie grew strong from the labor, as her parents were afraid to try to have any more children in case whatever magic the fey afflicted them with continued. Felicitie proved powerful in her arms and body, able to handle the heavy work of the farm life easily. Florian proved to have very nimble and dexterous hands, taking care of the delicate work with assembling tools, mending clothes, or other such things. Their unique form of life proved to be a boon.
Things took a turn when the Tepestani Inquisition began to take hold. A Crusade was begun against the fey and many people all over Tepest were accused of consorting with the fey or being fey in disguise. There was much chaos and fear as the people realized that fey had possibly infiltrated their communities.
Naturally, thanks to their births, Felecite and Florian were accused of being fey by one of the numerous families who considered them tainted. The twins were captured and their parents detained. Felecite was enraged by the act and attacked her would-be accusers, battering many into bloody heaps before she was detained and brought to the court. Again, to the twins fortune, it was Wyan himself who presided over the trial. Using actual evidence, previous church records, and credible witness testimonies, he declares the twins innocent and releases them from imprisonment. No one is relieved as many still believe the twins are fey and simply managed to escape the noose.
Felecite saw her chance for revenge come as the Tepestani Inquisition soon began to get out of control. The most chaotic time came when Wyan’s own daughter was revealed to be consorting with fey to get rid of a woman who was about to marry a man she wanted. It marked when things were truly getting out of hand. People are being accused through fanatic zealotry or devious manipulations to achieve power or get revenge. Felecite saw her chance to get revenge on her accusers, although Florian was quick to argue against it and try to lead her to a less evil path.
Although Felecite would pretend to agree with her brother, she simply waited until he slept before she began her manipulations. Writing anonymous letters, she began making accusations against her would-be accusers. Being accused of being a fey so often, and knowing the zealots who often made trouble for her family, Felecite knew exactly how to write her letters to make the accusations sound credible and to rile up the zealots who were currently in charge of the inquisition.
Her ploy worked and many of the people who once accused her of consorting with fey now found themselves accused of the same. The zealots were not nearly as thorough as Wyan was with his investigations and saw what they wanted to see, especially if they had reason to dislike the people accused. In the times, many people disliked or were suspicious of their neighbours. Many were sent to be burned at the stake and Felecite watched in glee as her accusers suffered.
Florian was no fool though and quickly pieced together what his sister was doing. Pretending to sleep, he witnessed his sister writing the fake accusations and muttering about who she would get revenge against. Her latest target was a girl who Florian had developed an affection for despite his physical stature and whose brother had been one to accuse Felecite of being a fey while throwing rocks at her during their trial. Accusing the boy was natural for Felecite, but she also accused the girl who did nothing wrong to her besides being nice to Florian, making the suspicious twin believe she was trying to torment her brother with promises of kindness.
The trial of the two began and the zealous priests were quick and shoddy with their investigation as some of the inquisitors did not like their parents and one had been spurned by the girl as a potential spouse. All of it went according to Felecite’s plan and she waited with excited glee for the pair to be burned.
Seeing what was about to happen, Florian could take no more. In the middle of the court proceedings, he loudly shouted that the accusation was false, that his sister had written it to manipulate the court into killing people she hated.
People gasped and cried out in outrage. The inquisitors immediately moved to detain Felecite and question her about her activities. She was quick to flee and hurt many inquisitors, especially when she managed to grab a sickle from a nearby shop as she fled from Viktal.
She raced for the borders of Tepest, knowing that nowhere within its borders was safe. All the while, she raged and argued with her brother for the first time in her life. Florian accused her of letting her bitterness and hatred consume her while Felecite snapped back that he was naive and no one could be trusted since they were disfigured freaks to them.
As they got closer to the borders, Felecite was overcome with rage at her brother’s betrayal. Consumed with her rage, she lifted her sickle and swung down at herself where she and her brother were joined.
Before the blade struck, the mists rose at the border and swallowed the pair.
In the Mists…
Felecite found the mist draw back and she was alone. Florian was no longer attached to her, although there was a mass of scar tissue on her side where he had been connected to her. Not a drop of blood or scrap of flesh to be found.
Confused, Felecite continued walking away from Tepest. As she journeyed, she discovered a hamlet where she was welcomed by the people as an inquisitor...and many people who were conjoined twins as she used to be.
Current Sketch
Felecite is considered an inquisitor for the Tepestani Inquisition, although it is merely called the Inquisition by the Sombreans. Her strength of arms and influence among other inquisitors make her seem to be a hero to many, but a scourge to others.
Sombreaux first began like Tepest with the Inquisition, but the people do not simply lay back and let the Inquisition do as it pleases. As part of her bitterness, Felecite ordered all conjoined twins be separated, even if it kills one or both of them, claiming it is a sign of fey corruption. Twins who could be safely separated complied with the proclamation, seeing nothing risky about it. Ones who risk their lives, or will die if it is attempted to separate them, rebel and fight back, leaving many settlements refusing to obey the Inquisition. This has left Sombreaux possibly on the brink of civil war, if the settlements were not so varied in size and so separate from each other, leaving the ability to raise anything more than raiding parties to be extremely difficult.
Darklord of Sombreaux
Felecite enjoys power and authority as the hero of the Inquisition. Many in Tepest who hear of her don’t draw the conclusion that she was the one who falsely accused so many and some of the more fervent attempt to travel to Sombreaux to fulfill the purpose of the inquisition since Wyan’s return.
Felecite has also gained a powerful gift of fire magic. She uses it to cow her supporters and also satisfy her feelings for revenge against the people who speak out against her. She will set fire to homesteads or stakes, reveling in the power and authority she now has, which has nearly become an addiction for her.
Her curse though is a nearly crippling loneliness she feels when she is not burning something. With Florian gone, she feels like half the person she used to be and she has an almost desperate need to be in physical contact with someone, anyone to stave off the loneliness. This is the reason why she demands conjoined twins be separated, so she does not have to be reminded of her own circumstances and her lost brother.
Florian is still alive, although now separated from his sister. Often mistaken for a gnome due to his size, he could be anywhere. If he and his sister are reunited, it may bring an end to the burnings and violence, but the siblings would have to reconcile from their first and only argument in order for that be be any sort of guarantee.
These mists drift away and the land revealed is a slightly dreary landscape fit for a medieval landscape. Huts and simple farms dot the landscape. The land is showing an odd symmetry as many things come in pairs.
This is the land of Sombeaux, a land of twins and unity. The people of this land show a unique form of solidarity. In fact, the solidarity is so strong the people tend to be united in more ways than one…
Cultural Level: 6 (Early Medieval)
Religion: Church of Belenus
Terrain: Temperate forests inspired by medieval France
Government: Aristocratic or theocratic independent settlements
Ruler: Landowners or religious leaders depending on the settlement
Darklord: Felicite Dufour
Felicite was born in Tepest to a typical tepestani household who prayed to Belenus and followed the edicts of the church to avoid persecution of the church and the predations of the Fey. As she was born though, she immediately became a target by the church. Felicite was born as a conjoined twin. Her brother was small, attached to her side as a tiny baby to her regular-sized form, unable to be separated. Just at birth, the women who were tending to her mother recoiled in horror and began screaming about fey corruption and wicked things.
Felicite and her brother as well as their parents were thoroughly investigated by the church. Fortunately this was before the fanaticism of the Tepestani Inquisition. It was quickly discerned that the birth of the twins was an unfortunate circumstance, perhaps caused by Fey meddling, but nothing to show fraternizing with the fey themselves. So the twins, and their parents, were allowed to keep their lives and their home.
Some would call that a mercy. Felicite would not.
As she grew up, Felicite and her brother Florian would be treated with harsh persecution by the people of Viktal. Many adults considered them tainted by the fey and would warn their children to not go near them. More children would mock the twins, calling them monsters and taunt them to go run off with the fey where they belonged.
Felicite would grow angry and would fight back. She learned quickly that a well-placed punch or a thrown rock could shut up anyone who dared taunt her or her brother. She could have done worse, but Florian would be a calming influence on her, just as cognizant and aware as she was despite his diminutive size. Still, Felicite would seethe with anger against those who would treat her like a monster simply because she was born different from them. Florian helped her keep her temper, but she would not forget the mistreatment from the others.
Felicite and Florian grew up together on the family farm. Felicitie grew strong from the labor, as her parents were afraid to try to have any more children in case whatever magic the fey afflicted them with continued. Felicitie proved powerful in her arms and body, able to handle the heavy work of the farm life easily. Florian proved to have very nimble and dexterous hands, taking care of the delicate work with assembling tools, mending clothes, or other such things. Their unique form of life proved to be a boon.
Things took a turn when the Tepestani Inquisition began to take hold. A Crusade was begun against the fey and many people all over Tepest were accused of consorting with the fey or being fey in disguise. There was much chaos and fear as the people realized that fey had possibly infiltrated their communities.
Naturally, thanks to their births, Felecite and Florian were accused of being fey by one of the numerous families who considered them tainted. The twins were captured and their parents detained. Felecite was enraged by the act and attacked her would-be accusers, battering many into bloody heaps before she was detained and brought to the court. Again, to the twins fortune, it was Wyan himself who presided over the trial. Using actual evidence, previous church records, and credible witness testimonies, he declares the twins innocent and releases them from imprisonment. No one is relieved as many still believe the twins are fey and simply managed to escape the noose.
Felecite saw her chance for revenge come as the Tepestani Inquisition soon began to get out of control. The most chaotic time came when Wyan’s own daughter was revealed to be consorting with fey to get rid of a woman who was about to marry a man she wanted. It marked when things were truly getting out of hand. People are being accused through fanatic zealotry or devious manipulations to achieve power or get revenge. Felecite saw her chance to get revenge on her accusers, although Florian was quick to argue against it and try to lead her to a less evil path.
Although Felecite would pretend to agree with her brother, she simply waited until he slept before she began her manipulations. Writing anonymous letters, she began making accusations against her would-be accusers. Being accused of being a fey so often, and knowing the zealots who often made trouble for her family, Felecite knew exactly how to write her letters to make the accusations sound credible and to rile up the zealots who were currently in charge of the inquisition.
Her ploy worked and many of the people who once accused her of consorting with fey now found themselves accused of the same. The zealots were not nearly as thorough as Wyan was with his investigations and saw what they wanted to see, especially if they had reason to dislike the people accused. In the times, many people disliked or were suspicious of their neighbours. Many were sent to be burned at the stake and Felecite watched in glee as her accusers suffered.
Florian was no fool though and quickly pieced together what his sister was doing. Pretending to sleep, he witnessed his sister writing the fake accusations and muttering about who she would get revenge against. Her latest target was a girl who Florian had developed an affection for despite his physical stature and whose brother had been one to accuse Felecite of being a fey while throwing rocks at her during their trial. Accusing the boy was natural for Felecite, but she also accused the girl who did nothing wrong to her besides being nice to Florian, making the suspicious twin believe she was trying to torment her brother with promises of kindness.
The trial of the two began and the zealous priests were quick and shoddy with their investigation as some of the inquisitors did not like their parents and one had been spurned by the girl as a potential spouse. All of it went according to Felecite’s plan and she waited with excited glee for the pair to be burned.
Seeing what was about to happen, Florian could take no more. In the middle of the court proceedings, he loudly shouted that the accusation was false, that his sister had written it to manipulate the court into killing people she hated.
People gasped and cried out in outrage. The inquisitors immediately moved to detain Felecite and question her about her activities. She was quick to flee and hurt many inquisitors, especially when she managed to grab a sickle from a nearby shop as she fled from Viktal.
She raced for the borders of Tepest, knowing that nowhere within its borders was safe. All the while, she raged and argued with her brother for the first time in her life. Florian accused her of letting her bitterness and hatred consume her while Felecite snapped back that he was naive and no one could be trusted since they were disfigured freaks to them.
As they got closer to the borders, Felecite was overcome with rage at her brother’s betrayal. Consumed with her rage, she lifted her sickle and swung down at herself where she and her brother were joined.
Before the blade struck, the mists rose at the border and swallowed the pair.
In the Mists…
Felecite found the mist draw back and she was alone. Florian was no longer attached to her, although there was a mass of scar tissue on her side where he had been connected to her. Not a drop of blood or scrap of flesh to be found.
Confused, Felecite continued walking away from Tepest. As she journeyed, she discovered a hamlet where she was welcomed by the people as an inquisitor...and many people who were conjoined twins as she used to be.
Current Sketch
Felecite is considered an inquisitor for the Tepestani Inquisition, although it is merely called the Inquisition by the Sombreans. Her strength of arms and influence among other inquisitors make her seem to be a hero to many, but a scourge to others.
Sombreaux first began like Tepest with the Inquisition, but the people do not simply lay back and let the Inquisition do as it pleases. As part of her bitterness, Felecite ordered all conjoined twins be separated, even if it kills one or both of them, claiming it is a sign of fey corruption. Twins who could be safely separated complied with the proclamation, seeing nothing risky about it. Ones who risk their lives, or will die if it is attempted to separate them, rebel and fight back, leaving many settlements refusing to obey the Inquisition. This has left Sombreaux possibly on the brink of civil war, if the settlements were not so varied in size and so separate from each other, leaving the ability to raise anything more than raiding parties to be extremely difficult.
Darklord of Sombreaux
Felecite enjoys power and authority as the hero of the Inquisition. Many in Tepest who hear of her don’t draw the conclusion that she was the one who falsely accused so many and some of the more fervent attempt to travel to Sombreaux to fulfill the purpose of the inquisition since Wyan’s return.
Felecite has also gained a powerful gift of fire magic. She uses it to cow her supporters and also satisfy her feelings for revenge against the people who speak out against her. She will set fire to homesteads or stakes, reveling in the power and authority she now has, which has nearly become an addiction for her.
Her curse though is a nearly crippling loneliness she feels when she is not burning something. With Florian gone, she feels like half the person she used to be and she has an almost desperate need to be in physical contact with someone, anyone to stave off the loneliness. This is the reason why she demands conjoined twins be separated, so she does not have to be reminded of her own circumstances and her lost brother.
Florian is still alive, although now separated from his sister. Often mistaken for a gnome due to his size, he could be anywhere. If he and his sister are reunited, it may bring an end to the burnings and violence, but the siblings would have to reconcile from their first and only argument in order for that be be any sort of guarantee.
Re: The Crimson Roads Cluster: Inspired by Dead By Daylight
i really like this and i hope you do all the killers.
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brothersale
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Re: The Crimson Roads Cluster: Inspired by Dead By Daylight
Not being imediately familiar with dead by daylight, i had to do some research before i could comment, but i like what i have seen so far.
However out of the remaining original killers in the series, i would suggest Talbot Grimes aka The Blight, Kazan Yamaoka aka The Oni, Herman Carter aka The Doctor are good fits for darklordship with minimum effort.
Anna aka The Huntress, Caleb Quinn aka The Deathslinger, Max Thompson Jr. aka The Hillbilly, Kenneth Chase alias Jeffrey Hawk aka The Clown and Sally Smithson aka The Nurse, all show potential but possibly need tweaking to confirm their damnation.
Ji-Woon Hak aka The Trickster would require a fair bit of rework to fit as so much of his background is based on modern technology and music culture.
I personally would avoid using Philip Ojomo aka The Wraith, Lisa Sherwood aka The Hag and Rin Yamaoka aka The Spirit as while they are killers, their background lends them more to dangerous villians/foes than Darklords especially Rin Yamaoka given her background and connection to her ancestor, the Oni.
As for the licenced characters i would just leave them be as most have either too much background to import them (freddy & myers) or to little to make them interesting (demogorgon, Nemesis, Pyramid Head & Leatherface - he is a similar enough to the Hillbilly that i don't think he would be a good fit if the Hillbilly is present).
However out of the remaining original killers in the series, i would suggest Talbot Grimes aka The Blight, Kazan Yamaoka aka The Oni, Herman Carter aka The Doctor are good fits for darklordship with minimum effort.
Anna aka The Huntress, Caleb Quinn aka The Deathslinger, Max Thompson Jr. aka The Hillbilly, Kenneth Chase alias Jeffrey Hawk aka The Clown and Sally Smithson aka The Nurse, all show potential but possibly need tweaking to confirm their damnation.
Ji-Woon Hak aka The Trickster would require a fair bit of rework to fit as so much of his background is based on modern technology and music culture.
I personally would avoid using Philip Ojomo aka The Wraith, Lisa Sherwood aka The Hag and Rin Yamaoka aka The Spirit as while they are killers, their background lends them more to dangerous villians/foes than Darklords especially Rin Yamaoka given her background and connection to her ancestor, the Oni.
As for the licenced characters i would just leave them be as most have either too much background to import them (freddy & myers) or to little to make them interesting (demogorgon, Nemesis, Pyramid Head & Leatherface - he is a similar enough to the Hillbilly that i don't think he would be a good fit if the Hillbilly is present).
All great movements require a few martyrs... -Moebius (soulreaver 2)
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HyperionSol
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Re: The Crimson Roads Cluster: Inspired by Dead By Daylight
Considering The Spirit's background, I wouldn't make her a Darklord, but perhaps part of the Darklord's punishment. Perhaps a little similar to Godefrey's punishment. Likely someone who manipulated the Spirit's family to their deaths and is now haunted by the angry spirit who now haunts their estate. This would likely be a pocket domain reminiscent of the Grudge in the domain which is held by the Oni.brothersale wrote:I personally would avoid using Philip Ojomo aka The Wraith, Lisa Sherwood aka The Hag and Rin Yamaoka aka The Spirit as while they are killers, their background lends them more to dangerous villians/foes than Darklords especially Rin Yamaoka given her background and connection to her ancestor, the Oni.
The Wraith I think is my biggest challenge. Much of his backstory doesn't suggest anything which would be a Darklord. Perhaps one of the villains who has some territory of their own, but more as a series killer than a Darklord. Again, I think he would be a red herring. He is not the darklord of the domain he is found in, but is instead an engine of punishment for the one who is. Likely the darklord would be the one who made the Wraith be unknowingly party to his murders, driving him mad.
As for the Hag, I do know there is more to her lore which with some tinkering, can make her into a good Darklord.
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brothersale
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Re: The Crimson Roads Cluster: Inspired by Dead By Daylight
There is more to Lisa's background but like the Spirit her background indicates that she really didn't become a killer until after she died and became the Hag. Those she killed before being taken by the fog were those that killed her and no one else until her time in the fog as the Hag. So tragic, yes, vengeful, yes, but darklord, nope, so it would have to be a fair bit of tinkering, when she would be just as good as foe in say the hillbilly's or the trapper's domain, given the nature of her death would bend with their enrivoments.HyperionSol wrote: As for the Hag, I do know there is more to her lore which with some tinkering, can make her into a good Darklord.
All great movements require a few martyrs... -Moebius (soulreaver 2)
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HyperionSol
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Re: The Crimson Roads Cluster: Inspired by Dead By Daylight
Hm, I'd better double check the lore just to make sure I read it right then. Thanks for the notice.brothersale wrote:There is more to Lisa's background but like the Spirit her background indicates that she really didn't become a killer until after she died and became the Hag.
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Drinnik Shoehorn
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Re: The Crimson Roads Cluster: Inspired by Dead By Daylight
Pyramid Head as a concept is a good fit for Ravenloft, but not as a Darklord. He is more a punishing spirit, reminding a darklord of their wrongs (much like The Bloody Cobbler or the Whispering Beast in Spectre of the Black Rose). Off the top of my head, he would fit a domain like Donskoy from To Sleep With Evil, or maybe he manifests in Dementlieu whenever Dominic is spurned by a would-be suitor. Pyramid Head is the manifestation of Dominic's repressed sexual desire and anger (much like he is for James in Silent Hill 2). When he manifests, he targets lovers, and the party trace it back to Dominic.brothersale wrote:
As for the licenced characters i would just leave them be as most have either too much background to import them (freddy & myers) or to little to make them interesting (demogorgon, Nemesis, Pyramid Head & Leatherface - he is a similar enough to the Hillbilly that i don't think he would be a good fit if the Hillbilly is present).
If you really wanted to use VRG, you could use it as a bridge from Dominic being the darklord to Whats-her-name from the new book, as Pyramid Head's presence eventually erodes his sanity, leaving the domain open for the new lord.
"Blood once flowed, a choice was made
Travel by night the smallest one bade" The Ballad of the Taverners.
The Galen Saga: 2000-2005
Travel by night the smallest one bade" The Ballad of the Taverners.
The Galen Saga: 2000-2005
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yaoihuntressearth
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Re: The Crimson Roads Cluster: Inspired by Dead By Daylight
I think The Oni has definite Darklord potential the second I read his bio.