Staunton Bluffs (domain make over)

[yaoihuntressearth]

Staunton Bluffs has always IMHO been a poor man's Mordent, but I think there's some potential that I wanted to share with you. What got me thinking was how did the great evil (Sir Torence) that drove the citizens to pretty much kamikaze themselves in an attempt to get their village back effect things? Surely, the really young kids would be immune to the ritual and I wanted to play with the idea of past sins and regrets as a theme.

“Canceled compassion this our ignorance
Not everlasting much less eminent
Stay time heals everything
One more day to regret”- “One More Day”, Mushroomhead

Sometimes we can notice when a great darkness hits us and the people who invaded Staunton Bluffs are no different. It was just supposed to be a basic takeover of the land where the citizens who complied would be spared, but the unforeseen happened. While theories of what drove them to rebel are heavily debated, all the invading army know is that a dark, supernatural force whispered honeyed commands to even the youngest to attack the army. At first their sheer number and element of surprise put them at an advantage, but that was far from enough to let them win. Having to slaughter all the citizens over the age of five, the invaders have felt a guilt for helping to fall for the darkness’ ploy.

The domain of Staunton Bluffs is one of how past sins can reflect upon the present and how good and evil can be shaped by one’s own whims. To make up for their sins, the invaders took in the remaining children and the title of Stauntonian in attempts to recreate the domain into something better that what it once was. Having seen evil and its influence, the Stauntonians are now seeking good (they call The Light) in a dark place like Ravenloft by searching for the perfect faith (or to a lesser extent, a philosophy) to fight the evil around them. To them, the world is in a constant fight between good and evil and they must help good do its job. Adventures in Staunton Bluffs should focus on the search and understanding of faith, good, and evil as well as dealing with past sins.

The flora, fauna and the DL will be mostly unchanged though I would play more to Sir Torrence's insane idea that if he were to just wipe the invaders off the face of the demiplane, all will be redeemed. Sure, the Dark Powers will let him torment the citizens and maybe kill a few every now and then, but that's as far as he'll ever get.

Dread Possibility: Eyes of the Pawns: Given his connection to the original Stauntonians, the DP have given Sir Torrence the ability to spy through the eyes and ears of them. He can only use this on one person at a time and he has no control over the pawn, but he finds it quite useful.

Important Landmarks: Despite being a small domain with only one town, Staunton Bluffs has three major landmarks. The first being the Hall of Faith, a lodge where anyone is welcome to study and discuss matters of faith and philosophy. (Though most people from other domains might find these “bumpkins” naïve.) It also holds the weekly food competitions.

Dread Possibility: Order of The Dark is a secret society that despite only having five people in it, they would be considered brave/foolish by the Stauntonians. Believing that the mists must be connected to The Dark, they are trying to find a way to contact it to get some answers. They currently looking for a woman to recreate the pilgrimage of Ezra.

Castle Stonecrest: To reach the castle one must travel an unnamed road that runs through the western side of the domain, through the town of Wilisford, and up into the bluffs. Rumors of great treasure and possible answers to the domain’s history lure people into the Darklord’s trap.

The Remembrance Wall: On the anniversary of the attack, people can witness the night of the original Stantonian's demise in the form of ghostly "fragments" playing it out. (These fragments cannot be turned or dispelled.) Once the attack is played out, the Stantonians hold a ceremony at the Remembrance Wall (which has the names of the people who died) in hopes the souls can one day rest in peace.

Towns and Villages: Willisford is the only town in Staunton Bluffs. Despite being a small, insular community, the Stauntonians are a bit curious about the outside world, especially when it comes to matters of faith and understanding the world around them. So far, they must rely on the work of William Hensford, a bard who is traveling the Core to learn more about the different faiths and goings on in the Domain of Dread. He has already published his memoirs on his adventures. His latest adventure involved him being the first man to enter a Tempestani festival pie bake-off, winning, and being chased out of town by angry contestants.

Fun Fact: While clerics and paladins from other faiths are welcome to help the Stauntonians in their religious quest, the G’Hennans have found no luck in converting anyone. The last time they tried, their cleric was laughed out of the domain. What was he going to expect from a place that considers cooking an art form and source of weekly competitions?

Anyway, this is what I have so far and I hope you don't mind.

[alhoon]

Interesting take. The Fun Fact could perhaps be expanded to a dread possibility as a devout priest of Yakata would see the cooking competitions as blasphemy while non-devout (or simply openminded) clerics would question their faith or even create an apostacy.

[yaoihuntressearth]

I can add that. I was thinking of the Stauntians being some of the few people who welcome the rare Vistani who ventures there. Mainly in hopes that their magic can give them the insight they need to answer their questions though what they're seeking might be more than what the Vistani can offer.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

I really like these ideas!
Do you think the Duremkite heresy of the faith of the Lawgiver might find a home in Staunton Bluffs?

[yaoihuntressearth]

I think the Duremkite heresy has potential there when I write up William Hensford and have him meet the founder. Where can I find more information on the heresy?

[DustBunny]

I think the Duremkite heresy has potential there when I write up William Hensford and have him meet the founder. Where can I find more information on the heresy?

Mainly from the Book of Secrets under the listing for Lukas Duremke (page 112 or so).

But that aside, it could be quite interesting as to how the whole mix of 'spiritual' vs 'temporal' of the varied religions of Ravenloft interact and the inevitable results people draw. Of course, Mr Hensford is going to have to juggle philosphical hand grenades whilst dodging assorted inquisitors who may take a dim view of his thoughts - Zhakata vs Lawgiver vs Ezra vs Divinity of Man vs Wolf God vs ....

And on top of that you could add the assorted non-thesistic philosophies which have popped up over the years.

But to lighten the mood from heavy philosophical thoughts, allow me to make a Python reference Philosophers Song

[yaoihuntressearth]

William Hensford
Appearance: Now in his twenties, William is a charming man with long black hair and glasses. Hailing from a Chivalric era domain, he dresses simply and keeps a friendly air around him. An “intellectual bumpkin” might be what one thinks when they first meet him.
History: Being one of the original Stauntonians that was too young to be affected by the Darklord’s ritual, William remembers the aura of darkness that took over his parents and the other adults. While he doesn’t remember all the details, this sparked his fascination with fighting The Dark so no one else will have to lose their families.
Combined with a good heart, William found and taught himself to play his father’s lute to cheer up his fellow Stauntonians. Eventually, that wasn’t enough. The Dark still plagued the people with no peace to be had until the subject of religion came during the weekly meetings at the Hall of Faith. William realized that they couldn’t wait for the perfect religion to come to them, they would have to find it and bring it here. With a heavy heart, he reluctantly left his beloved domain and is currently traveling the Core to learn about the faiths there.
Using his charisma and bardic talents, William has managed to make some leeway in his quest by making a deal with the Vistanai. He told them about how his people were open to the Vistanai’s talents if it can help them fight The Dark. In return, they would help deliver his letters back to his people.
Now traveling the Core, William has survived by aiding adventuring groups and religious pilgrimages, learning what he can. His biggest accomplishment is the memoirs he published called, “Looking for a Faith”, that has managed to pipe the curiosity some of Ravenloft’s religious leaders. Namely, the leader Duremkite Heresy who has already arranged to meet with him.
Current Status: With all the opposing faiths in the land of the mists, William has had to do a lot juggling and dodging of philosophical hand grenades. As much as he like the faiths to tolerate each other, he knows that’s not possible and hopes that his people can find a religion they can happily combat The Dark with. Yet, it seems that trouble has had a way of following him.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

What would happen if William tried to introduce the faith of Hala and the Stauntonians went for it in a big way?
Even if Bleysmith doesn't act, Azalin mentioned this mystery force that visits harm on any Halite church that threatens to grow too big...

[yaoihuntressearth]

What would happen if William tried to introduce the faith of Hala and the Stauntonians went for it in a big way?
Even if Bleysmith doesn't act, Azalin mentioned this mystery force that visits harm on any Halite church that threatens to grow too big...

Now that would be an interesting campaign for a DM to set up.

[DustBunny]

What would happen if William tried to introduce the faith of Hala and the Stauntonians went for it in a big way?
Even if Bleysmith doesn't act, Azalin mentioned this mystery force that visits harm on any Halite church that threatens to grow too big...

Considering the culture of the Bluffs is similiar to Victorian/Georgian Britain, you could easily throw in the real world equivilants of witchcaft (eg: Wicca) or Hermeticism (eg: Kabalism).

With the idea of a of a search for faith, you could have the Church of Hala pop up but with some local 'twists' to it. Just like in the real world, you could have various 'traditions' (Dianetic, Masons, etc) spining off from the original tenents - especially with the Bluffs populace trying out and mix-matching the various religions of the core.

You could even throw in 'Dan Brown' levels of consipracies - the 'mystery force' lurking behind the scenes and manipulating the varied cults Illuminati style, or prehaps they just write them off as not worth the effort. Now you just need a Scully and Mulder....

[yaoihuntressearth]

Here is a WIP of William Hensford drawn by Divid Libiro. It was Divid's idea to make him chubby, but I find that it works given his home domain's love of cooking.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

He looks like a nice guy!
So, does his homeland have the technology to make spectacles, too?

[yaoihuntressearth]

We'll say it can.