Ravenloft Homebrew Clusters

[Speedwagon]

Hey guys, I'm somewhat new to Ravenloft but I've been looking through various nooks and crannies online both in the Mistipedia and in other corners of the internet to find new Domains that I can use for my own homebrew Ravenloft game. While I was looking, I found an article on Mistipedia on Lilliend and then found the Quoth the Raven article that described it. Having really liked it, I then saw that it was part of a 'Wartorn Cluster' of some sort, but with most of the links in red. Does anyone know if this project is still ongoing? I also have a similar question regarding 'the Hub' where Monadhan and Histaven and Al Kathos came from, as I can't seem to find more information on those Domains or on that project either. My apologies if this question has been asked before, but I appreciate any help that can come my way!

[alhoon]

I am pretty sure Lillend is a canonical domain.

Anyway, while others may call me a schismatic apostate ... I would recommend taking a look at Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft.
It is nowhere as good as the Gazetteers or DoD or Curse of Strahd. But it will give you a starting point. It is not bad, it is just a bit rushed.

[Speedwagon]

Oh, I've looked at Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft already, it's what got me into the setting! Before the book came out, all I knew about Ravenloft was 'that one place Curse of Strahd takes place in' and that was it. I very much love the new take on Hazlan, Valachan, I'Cath, Har'Akir and Sri Raji/Kalakeri and definitely plan to either use both the old and new Domains (old Valachan and new Valachan) in my own version of the Mists, or merge them together (old Hazlan and new Hazlan).

I'm more so wondering about the domains on Mistipedia that show up either as red links or don't seem to have a lot written on them; ones like Conquista, Obissol, North-and-South Raba, along with the ones in 'the Hub' cluster like Chelleaux or Graefmotte, and to see if I can find more information on those Domains or if the projects associated with those domains ever finished (or are still in progress). I was curious if the Fraternity of Shadows had any clues about those projects or could point me in a direction.

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

Lilliend is Rock's invention, as is the rest of the Wartorn Cluster. He would know the current status.

I believe most Hub domains were from 4th edition Dragon magazine articles, or something similar, which the FoS was trying to put together into a Core-sized cluster. I sense it is not an area of active development.

[Speedwagon]

Ah, so that's what 'the Hub' was! Thanks for letting me know, now I can try and track down those 4e articles. And I'll hope to see more of Mr. Rock's work on the Wartorn Cluster in future QtR articles then. Thanks for the help everyone!

[The Lesser Evil]

As far as canon materials go, Al Kathos was only ever featured in the one-off short story "the Judgement of Al Malmat in Tales of Ravenloft, and most of the details outside of those connected to the Wounded City or Abd-al-Mamat are pretty sketchy- Malbus, the Rotting Gods, etc. are mentioned briefly and known mostly only by name. Several fan inspirations have filled in details- the Mistipedia one, there was one on the old Mordentish Cartographic Society (archived here in the http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/Gryp ... /index.htm), and another one in Ryan Naylor's Children of the Night: Darklords netbook http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/Libr ... _Night.pdf

Graefmotte, Monadhan, and Sunderheart were all from 4e era Dragon or Dungeon magazines publications (Look in their Mistipedia pages for issues- these may be purchasable through dmsguild.com). Histhaven was from a Free RPG 2011 release "Domains of Dread: Histhaven". The other domains were all created for the Hub and all there is on the Mistipedia is all there is for these domains. Some of them were based heavily on existing properties (Chelleux is highly similar to Gaul from Pathfinder's Golorion, Mourning Pyre from Eberron/Cyre, etc.) so materials on the source material could probably apply to their Hub equivalents.

[brothersale]

There is some early drafts/ideas posted by Rock for the Wartorn Cluster on the forum which includes drafts for three of the other domains:

http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/foru ... rn+Cluster
http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/foru ... rn+Cluster
http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/foru ... t=Lilliend

[Rock of the Fraternity]

... While I was looking, I found an article on Mistipedia on Lilliend and then found the Quoth the Raven article that described it. Having really liked it, I then saw that it was part of a 'Wartorn Cluster' of some sort, but with most of the links in red. ...

I'm glad you liked it. ^_^

I am pretty sure Lillend is a canonical domain.

Well, that is what I call a huge compliment! But alas, no notice from WotC that they're claiming ownership of my creation.

I'm more so wondering about the domains on Mistipedia that show up either as red links or don't seem to have a lot written on them; ones like Conquista, Obissol, North-and-South Raba ... and to see if I can find more information on those Domains or if the projects associated with those domains ever finished (or are still in progress). I was curious if the Fraternity of Shadows had any clues about those projects or could point me in a direction.

Well, it takes me a fair amount of time to write them out. ^^; I can say I've never really abandoned the Wartorn Cluster-project, but other projects came in between.
Maybe I should just put up a brief summary, seeing as it's taking so long for me to even get the second domain in the Cluster finished - which would be Conquista, by the way.

There is some early drafts/ideas posted by Rock for the Wartorn Cluster on the forum which includes drafts for three of the other domains:

http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/foru ... rn+Cluster
http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/foru ... rn+Cluster
http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/foru ... t=Lilliend

Oof... I like to think my writing style and my creations both have matured a fair bit since the earliest drafts! ^^;

[Speedwagon]

Well I'm glad to hear that the Wartorn Cluster project is still ongoing, and I eagerly await the next release!

[Rock of the Fraternity]

If you guys have any questions about the Cluster, go ahead and ask them.
It's going to take me years to finish it, and with the world being the way it is right now, I probably don't need to be too secretive. ^_^

[tomokaicho]

If you guys have any questions about the Cluster, go ahead and ask them.
It's going to take me years to finish it, and with the world being the way it is right now, I probably don't need to be too secretive. ^_^

What theme, if any, ties the War-torn Cluster together? Do they share a common culture or ethnic root?

[Rock of the Fraternity]

There are several ethnic groups that are found throughout the Cluster, who carried their cultures with them during migrations in real as well as false history, but the main theme is conflict: each domain is either in the grip of it, or scarred by it.
* The stone age domain Masogan regularly vomits up waves of raiders.
* Religious conflict festers in both Malopelagio and Raba, and East-Lund violently persecutes all manner of faith.
* Racism darkens both Conquista and Raba, and speciesism blights Umbrash.
* Gender conflict abounds in the southern half of the Cluster: Lilliend, Conquista, the Broken Wheel and Lund.
* Slavery and the struggle against it are a feature of dread Obissol in the depths, and also appear in Masogan, the Broken Wheel and West-Lund.
* A conflict between what is real and what is not lies at the core of Maldoma.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

And of course there are the conflicts which have shaped the various Lords and Ladies of the Cluster.

[Speedwagon]

Have you thought of trying to map the Wartorn Cluster, whether through online software like MS Paint, Inkarnate or Wonderdraft, or by hand? And would you say that some Domains are more on the 'high fantasy'/'dark fantasy' end of things (like Darkon or 5e Hazlan or 5e Kalakeri) with a high magic rating and more demihumans and traditional D&D monsters like owl bears or wyverns being relatively more common, or closer to the 'low fantasy' end of things with more fantasy elements being downplayed (and the few times that they do show up, it's a decently big deal)?

[Rock of the Fraternity]

I actually do have a hand-drawn draft of the Cluster's map kicking around. Let me see what I can do sometime.

The Broken Wheel, Lund and Umbrash are on the high fantasy-end of the magical spectrum, and unusual creatures are found more abundantly there.
The Broken Wheel has a whole country predominantly inhabited and ruled by Calibans, in fact.
Vieuxlyons might as well be magic dead; there are no local magical traditions.
Both Masogan and North-Raba are heavily slanted towards divine magic over any other kind.

Psionics / occult magic dominates in Malopelagio, but there is also a strong spiritual influence.

Vieuxlyons and Conquista are scientifically more developed than the standard. Both domains have access to the blessings and curses of the internal combustion engine.
The radio is a known phenomenon in these two countries, and also in Malopelagio and Maldoma.
Malopelagio even has black and white television in places; it's a massive ocean with numerous islands and archipelagos, some of which are more scientifically developed than others.