Vorostokov Gazetteer
Themes of the Land – Speedwagon and I have had several conversations about the importance of nailing down the themes of domains before starting a gazetteer of this type. Even if not everyone agrees on what the main elements of each land is, putting them up front at least lets the reader know where the author is coming from and what they are aiming for. All of the ones listed here – Endless Winter, The Specter of Hunger, Wolves and Men, and Old vs. New – are spot on.
Landscape - I am a big fan of taking a domain with features that seem monotonous (all forest, all desert, etc.) and breaking it into smaller sections to introduce a bit more variety. The landscape here is well described, but its features are not differentiated enough for me. I'm looking for all kinds of weird and outre ice-related phenomena, such as frozen waterfalls, snow geysers, permafrost cave systems, etc.
Flora – I'm also a big fan of filling domains with appropriately thematic plants and animals. I love that all of the plants here can be used to aid inhabitant's survival in one manner or other. The rarity of the Babushka Tree makes good sense, but I feel that Darkwood trees should just be the standard lumber source for the entire domain instead of being only one town's trade secret. Having the Varsk serve as a sort of ice-cactus is exactly the kind of twist I was looking for in the above section. I envision a group of enterprising individuals creating a complicated system to tap, process, and transport its “sap” throughout the domain (much like maple syrup farmers) and possibly beyond.
Dread Possibility: Timelessness – I like this concept a lot, and it is an elegant solution to solve the riddle of how anyone survives in such an unforgiving domain.
Food – This section is done really well, as it has to answer the main question that always crops up when discussing this domain – how can people survive for long in a place with such scarce resources and hostile living conditions? All of the tactics outlined, such as greenhouses, extensive use of root vegetables, and ad-hoc mushroom cellar (made from people!) are really novel and realistic solutions. (Is it wrong that I want to see a recipe for cooked Yeti?)
The concept of the Great Thaw that is introduced here is a stroke of genius! It makes sense that the land would react in such a way to Gregor's defeat after the events of the Dark of the Moon and it provides a great re-set for the domain and its inhabitants.
Native Horrors – I am not feeling the Varsk; I don't care if they are a carryover from Birthright setting, they are too high fantasy for me. (And, why does the plant and this creature share the same name? Was this intentional or an oversight?) Maintaining a herd of these things seems labor (and food) intensive, and the costs would probably outweigh the benefits. Another thing is that it breaks the sense of isolation that pervades the domain if such rapid transport is easily available. If a quicker mode of travel was necessary, I think introducing sled dogs would have been more thematic.
History – This section is very well put together. Speedwagon's attention to detail here is amazing!
Populace – I don't know much about the Vos people from Birthright, but it's an interesting direction for the author to take (I know this is technically canon, but it was never really expounded upon in canon). Since I don't know anything about that world, I can't say much for or against it. But, if you are going to make a distinction between the Vos (the original people from the Birthright campaign setting) and the Voros (the people who now reside in Ravenloft), I think the terms should be used in a more consistent manner. The term Vos was used earlier in the article and now it is changed to Voros here. I believe after this point it switches back and forth every once in a while, which was a tad confusing.
Lifestyle – The introduction of the Nona Voros and Torva Voros adds a great new dimension to conflicts between inhabitants of the domain.
Culture / Holidays – I love these kinds of sections because it adds much needed flavor to the day-to-day life of the domain's inhabitants. I do feel, however, that funeral customs should have been covered here instead of under its own section below.
Religion – Once again, I'm not familiar with either the church of Belinik or Kriesha but assume they are another transplant from Birthright. I have mixed feelings about this, however, because I feel like after all they've been through most, if not all, of the domain's inhabitants would have abandoned belief in any gods whatsoever. I appreciate the sidebars on each of these denominations, though, as its a good introduction to these deities for those who want to use them.
Attitudes Towards Magic – I'm unsatisfied with this section but I can't quite put my finger on why. Are hedge wizards actual magic users or just wise old men that use folk remedies? Do hedge wizards and witches (such as the Zolnik Sisters below) work together or at cross purposes?
In addition, I feel like there should be some limiting factor to how much arcane or divine magic can be learned in this domain, as some higher level spells would make life too easy for the people (such as the create food and water spell).
The Realm – I really like the primer on the various classes (boyars, merchants, and peasants), but I believe a lot of the social stratification outlined here would have broken down over time. A large household of slaves or servants would be too cumbersome to feed and maintain in such a desolate land. And, there's no need for vassals to farm the land when large-scale crops are non-existent. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that this pseudo-fuedalist approach to Voros society doesn't seem like a good fit for the domain as it is set up currently.
Who's Doomed – I won't go over every single NPC introduced here, but just highlight a few that I really like. Overall, I will say that I love the way Speedwagon has taken the characters from Dark of the Moon and pushed their timelines forward in such an organic way.
Gregor Zolnik – His history is well recounted here in a neat and orderly fashion. This is a good, in depth character study and very well done.
There is only one thing I would have liked to have explained better. When did the general populace begin to suspect that Gregor was feeding them other villagers? And did they ever find out if this was, in fact, true? Did he ever admit to such a horrific practice? This seems like it would be pivotal turning point in the domain's history – did people choose to look the other way and do what they needed to survive or did they take a stand and die of starvation with their morals intact? I think this facet of Gregor's story is glossed over way too breezily. Cannibalism is a nearly universal taboo; and I feel that Gregor's “force feeding” the townspeople his tainted meat is, arguably, one of the crown jewels of horror in this land.
As for changing the Zolnik's curse, this was a much needed progression that makes the domain more “hospitable” for visitors and inhabitants alike. I don't usually like switching up a darklord's curse (because it's so hard to get right), but the author has convinced me here.
Duke Andrei Vladimir – Yes! I am always in favor of bringing back old bit characters from a darklord's past (this is Ravenloft after all, where the dead rarely rest easy).
The Brothers Zolnik – I'm ambivalent about this twist. I can see why Mikhail would benefit from the arrangement, but Alexei not so much. It does remind me a little bit of how America and Russia treated each other during the Cold War Era, so I think there's a seed of a good idea here; it just needs to be thought thru a bit better.
Berngarvild the Frost Giant – Normally I would say this character is too high fantasy for Ravenloft, but I can't deny that she fits in to the domain pretty dang well.
Sites of Interest – Again, I won't go over every single location introduced here, but just highlight a few that I really like...
Novayalenk – While I like the White Lady and her hold over this town, I'm not sure if she is differentiated enough from the Zolnik Sisters. If you want to introduce the concept of good hags (the Zolnik Sisters) and bad hags (the bheur hag), the difference between the two – including their goals and the methods they use – needs to be more clear.
Voronina – This village's bug-eating ways, and their novel use of magic, is a really neat twist.
The Bottomless Lake – Is it too much to ask for an ice wyrm to reside here? Or what about monstrous “snow” crabs that are the result of an alchemical experiment gone wrong? All I'm asking for is some frickin' monstrous sea serpents and/or crustaceans (hold the laser beams)!!!
Yargorod – Now this settlement's backstory is exactly what I was looking for above (re: inhabitants discovering Gregor's meat source)!
Dread Possibility: The Bear of Vlasinovka – This is a very sad story, but the poignancy is undercut by the return of regular old bears to the domain. But, I do love that Arto's presence echoes the concept of a Demon Bear (or its modern day equivalent - Cocaine Bear) in his ferocious vendetta towards the wolves.
Coldspine Rock Penitentiary – I see what Speedwagon is attempting to do here (
The Gulag Archipelago, anyone?) but I don't think this location fits the domain at all. It feels way too modern; I kinda get the feeling that convicted (and even unconvicted) criminals from either Nova Vaasa or Vorostokov would be summarily executed, not exiled in this way.
The Icemarch / The Mistmoors / The Shattered Swamp / The White Wastes – This is exactly what I was looking for in the landscape section way up at the beginning! (Holy repetitive commentary, Batman!)
OVERALL
My oh my, is this a long one, folks! (I guess that is fitting for the Demiplane's largest domain.) And, I may be mellowing in my old age, but I hardly have anything bad to say. I got everything I would want from such a domain write-up and it adds a few interesting new twists to the proceedings, as well.
The only piece of advice I would give is that the tone could be tightened up. It comes off as too casual in some places and breaks the mood of the article. It's like it's half written for DMs in the real world and half written from the perspective of an in-world character. For instance, I don't think the term “long pork” would be used in conjunction with Gregor's cannibalism as that is a more modern (well, late 19th century modern) term that was used in reference to the cannibalistic practices of some Pacific Islanders.
Besides that, this is an amazing piece of work and shows passion for the setting. I've brainstormed with Speedwagon about a lot of his other projects and can't wait to see what more he has in store!