Café de Nuit

thekristhomas wrote:This is mostly head canon, but IMC the monastery on the Markovia/Barovia border is/was the Monastery of Silver Threads and was originally in Barovia before Markovia was formed.

It's tempting to try and link the monastery in Markovia and the Abbey of St Markovia, but I'm finding it tricky.

The only info I can find on St. Markovia is that she was the previous abbot of the abbey (I assume it was called something else then) who lead an attempted assault against Strahd and perished in the attempt.

It might have been that St Markovia had been an acolyte in the monastery who survived one of Strahd's assaults against that place (whether it's the Monastery of the Silver Threads or not) and went on to found the abbey at Krezk, and that people remembered her coming from that general area and when the domain of Markovia formed the folk memory of that gave it that name, but that seems a little thin

As an aside, if St. Markovia and Frantisek Markov are related (doesn't seem a push) it might explain how that Barovian butcher was able to self educate himself as a crafter of flesh, the family might have been bequeathed a small library

thekristhomas wrote:

ewancummins wrote: Anyway, re the 5E mini setting, I don't know much about it. This Abbot sounds like he might be fun.
Where is the Abbey?

Krezk, but this version of Krezk is largely an village that services the Abbey.

The Abbey itself has devolved into an asylum run by the Abbot and inhabited by the Belview clan. The Belviews are an inbred, insane family that came to the Abbey to cure leprosy which had taken hold of the family. The Abbot cured the leprosy, but was then persuaded by the family to attempt to "perfect" them, namely by gifting them with animalistic traits. Despite his abilities (the Abbot is a deva) he was unable to do so until he accepted the help of one Vasili von Holtz, he now is able to alter the Belviews as requested, turning the entire clan into mongrelmen (though they also seem a bit like calibans and broken ones). The Abbot uses the Belviews to punish the people of Krezk if they do not show him the respect he feels he deserves (like not arranging for enough wine)

The Abbot has become corrupted to the point of madness, but still believes himself to be good. His latest scheme to save Barovia involves creating a "bride" for Strahd, if Strahd can be made happy, the Abbot reasons, the curse will be broken. So the Belviews take on the part of Igor (Horg if you prefer) robbing graves for the parts for a female flesh golem that the Abbot intends to educate into the perfect companion for Strahd

ewancummins wrote:Saint Markovia is a dude?

For some reason, I assumed the name was feminine. But fantasy names are what they are.

alhoon wrote:

ewancummins wrote:Saint Markovia is a dude?

For some reason, I assumed the name was feminine. But fantasy names are what they are.

The Abbot is a fallen celestial. I didn't like that story from CoS.

alhoon wrote:Exactly my point. They were CREATED with a certain moral ethos. They should not deviate.

ewancummins wrote:
Fallen celestials should be fiends or maybe mortals, if they are a thing at all, IMO.

They should actually transform.

Garudos Celestar wrote:

ewancummins wrote:
Fallen celestials should be fiends or maybe mortals, if they are a thing at all, IMO.

They should actually transform.

Check out the radiant idol from the Eberron setting (specifically, Sharn: City of Towers. They're fallen angels who have lost their wings, been banished from the heavens (in the case of Eberron, this would be the angels' home plane of Syrania) and are cursed to walk the ground, secretly scrounging for worshippers among mortals.

ewancummins wrote:The Bellviews could be from Mordent if you use the Ravenloft and Ravenloft 2 tie-in of the Fevre Dream/world travel, or if you use Ravenloft as a Demiplane.

ewancummins wrote:Fallen celestials should be fiends or maybe mortals, if they are a thing at all, IMO.

They should actually transform.

Otherwise the ability to deviate from good alignment makes the celestials seem more like a race with strong alignment tendencies than actual cosmic beings.

tomokaicho wrote:In 5E 9 out of 10 Barovians don't have souls?