Quoth the Raven #30 reaction thread.

[Mistmaster]

BLAUSTEIN: LAND OF PIRATES AND JEALOUSY


The Domain – Mistmaster says up front that this is a land of jealousy and simmering passions, which immediately reminded me of Invidia (at least, the canon version of it). But those themes are never really followed-up in the rest of the article.

Bluebeard – Starting Bluebeard relatively early in his “career” (having only killed three wives in instead of the dozen or so in canon), is a good choice here, but that's about the only thing I like about this version. First, as written I don't see his great sin being jealousy; it's his need for control. His father didn't give him rulership over the island so he killed his brother in order to get what he wanted. In my opinion, that doesn't show jealousy, just a cold-blooded calculation to eliminate any obstacle in his way. This same scenario is played out with his wives; he wants to control ever aspect of their lives and when they don't follow his orders they are killed for their transgression. He may say its about trust, but it's really about power (just like all abusers do when gaslighting their victims).

Focusing on this need for control might have lead to a better curse for him. With so many cutthroats running around this place, the political situation would surely be highly volatile. Perhaps an unexpected assassination of one of the high-captains makes things reach a fever pitch and Bluebeard is forced to step in and take a more hands-on approach to ruling things to maintain order. Eventually, his attention turns to wooing a new wife and then the political situation reverts back to the status quo. Then, the tension between various warring factions starts building up all over again.

Another thing I didn't like is his ability to summon his wives during combat. This may be splitting hairs, but I feel that the ghosts of his wives should be there to torment him (much like Soth and his banshees), not as weapons to help him win in a fight.

The Bunyip – More needs to be added about this creature. If my Google-Fu is on point it looks like a land-walking seawolf with arms instead of flippers, but I don't recall seeing a description of it within the article itself. Is this just another name for a seawolf or something completely different?

And, I know Mistmaster and I don't see eye to eye about “evil creatures = bad guys” but these things seem like they would be a great domain-wide bogeymen that all the inhabitants could agree on hunting down and getting rid of. I guess what I'm saying is that this is an okay concept but it needs more work to really... uh, work.

The Famed and Infamous - I do like the addition of more pirates (the high-captains) and towns into this domain. It is a much needed revision to flesh out this domain and make it more three-dimensional. Mistmaster does a good job of differentiating their personalities and modus operandi. And there's a lot of good subplots mixed in with the rest of the NPCs presented here.

But again, none of this seems uniquely flavored by jealousy or tied into the Darklord or his curse. Why not utilize these high captains to drive home the jealousy aspect highlighted at the beginning of the article? Surely one of these guys wants to take over the top spot from Bluebeard? Heck, why just one? Why not have all of them working on schemes to take over? They're frickin' pirates, for Pete's sake!


OVERALL


Poor Blaustein... this domain seems cursed to never get a write-up that is just right. Nathan's FoS survey was too one-note and bloodthirsty (in the wrong way) for me, and while Mistmaster's attempt is more well-rounded it seems too bland in terms of its theming and atmosphere.

I think that indeed I made piracy better then jealousy. However, Bunyips are a magical but not necessarily evil beast, which, following Jester idea I use as the animal form for Sewolves and Seawolves are indeed a boogieman, I did not present them in a not villanous guise here; in this domain they are overwhelminfly monsters, because the alpha handpicks his crew. Only the fact that their alpha is an Hight Captain is stopping the island from launching a great hunt. You are right that it is about control; jealousy in this case is a form of control and Bluebeard is a control-freak. That doesnot mean that he does not harbour passional resentment and regret so there is also an emotional side in his curse. The specter-wives are both a punishment and a weapon. Every time he uses them he is forced to admit to himself that they are devout to him and he failed them.

[Jeremy16]

OVERALL


Poor Blaustein... this domain seems cursed to never get a write-up that is just right. Nathan's FoS survey was too one-note and bloodthirsty (in the wrong way) for me, and while Mistmaster's attempt is more well-rounded it seems too bland in terms of its theming and atmosphere.

That was me by the way, not Nathan

And v2 will take into account all criticism of v1 so far. Do not hesitate to add anything, it is still time to be heard

Joël

My apologies, Joel! I meant no disrepect! I must have gotten my Sea of Sorrows domains mixed up.

[IanFordam]

From the Collection: Font of Mercurial Tears

The problem with being the fourth person to review an article is that the best parts have already been mentioned. So let me start by adding to the previous reviewers' praise of the strength of the narrators' voices. They were the best part of this article but not the only good part:

I enjoyed the theories behind the Font's creation. I liked the slight digression into the inappropriate application of the word "mercurial" in the Font's non-Elvish name. I got a kick out of the engineering which Hauptschrei employed to examine the Font. I cringed when he took a chisel to its eye, and then I appreciated Cybarde's approach to repairing the damage. Details like these add up to an engaging reading.

Like Jeremy16, I found the Font's backstory cryptic. I originally assumed that I simply lacked sufficient background knowledge of Faerûn, but clearly I wasn't the only reader confused by the details.

However, the Font's origin was only a minor bump for me. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this article.

[IanFordam]

Codename Requiem

Let me preface my remarks by confessing that ten years ago I played Alien vs. Predator on repeat until the DVD player died. Despite my overfamiliarity with the franchise, I found much to appreciate about this article, including the mimicry of a military bureaucratic tone, the detailed descriptions of gear and life cycle, and the "domain description" of Gunnison. Framing a sci-fi franchise in a Ravenloft context is not an obvious task, but I appreciate the ingenuity of the idea and the clear effort put into the execution.

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

THE FONT OF MERCURIAL TEARS


This (blessedly) brief entry is a very well done study of a unique magic item. I love the contrast between the logical Kranz and the more magically astute Tiberin. When writing, I find that maintaining one consistent “voice” is hard enough, getting two right deserves kudos! In fact, I like this exchange so much I could see an entire series of articles relayed in this way with a variety of theorists offering contrasting explanations of phenomena based off their various fields of study.

A lot of neat concepts are explored here, ranging from what scientific experimentation looks like in advanced domains to practical monster hunter applications of such an item.

From the Collection: Font of Mercurial Tears

The problem with being the fourth person to review an article is that the best parts have already been mentioned. So let me start by adding to the previous reviewers' praise of the strength of the narrators' voices. They were the best part of this article but not the only good part:

I enjoyed the theories behind the Font's creation. I liked the slight digression into the inappropriate application of the word "mercurial" in the Font's non-Elvish name. I got a kick out of the engineering which Hauptschrei employed to examine the Font. I cringed when he took a chisel to its eye, and then I appreciated Cybarde's approach to repairing the damage. Details like these add up to an engaging reading.

Thank you both very much! I am glad to hear that the narrators' voices came out well.

I have had other ideas like this, with scientists of different sorts explaining in-universe research. I also have ideas for more with Hauptschrei and Cybarde, though I will probably have to think carefully to avoid retreading ground too much. I don't think most people will want to read two stories in a row which go into extreme detail about measuring volume by displacement.

The asides (specifically Limitations of Legend Lore and Everstone Condemnation) while esoteric for me, are mostly harmless.

"Esoteric" is an apt description. I was definitely getting into the weeds regarding interpretations and implications of spells, which can be of narrow appeal.

Like Jeremy16, I found the Font's backstory cryptic. I originally assumed that I simply lacked sufficient background knowledge of Faerûn, but clearly I wasn't the only reader confused by the details.

First, I had no idea what a mythal is until I looked it up, and the author should have explained that better up front.

I must admit, most of the information I used about mythals and Faerûn came from research I did in the final stages of writing the article. With one exception, I have not really played in the Forgotten Realms, and since it became the default setting for D&D when 5th edition rolled around, I got the feeling that a lot of people knew it better than I did. Better background information could certainly have been supplied by me here.

Second, did Viistaros save Myth Lharast or some other city? I assume it's a completely new city since it is stated he was a refugee but it doesn't get named until later. Again, this bit of information should have been relayed up front.

Myth Lharast is a canon FR city that broke out in violence and was cast into a demiplane by the goddess Selûne. Viistaros did nothing for it, simply escaping that fate for himself. My intention was to convey that Viistaros founded, warded, and ultimately doomed an entirely new city.

Third, I understand Viistaros' motivation to save the city's inhabitants from tearing themselves apart, but why use statues that weep precious metals? I don't see that as a requirement to create a mythal so it must be a flourish that Viistaros added on his own. Why that is exactly, is never explained.

Yes, the statues were an addition chosen by Viistaros. In the context of the story, this method of bleeding off the excess emotional energy from the mythal was used to supply the city with a ridiculous degree of wealth. Outside of the story, I was wondering if I could create an origin for the Font which didn't involve it being a unique object created by a singular personal tragedy. I opted to make it a cast-off fragment from a greater tragedy. Alternative origins (perhaps one of the legends floated by Hauptschrei or Cybarde) might be more appropriate if the Font were to be used in-game, depending on the story being told.

Moving on, the bit about the absorption of the unwanted emotions was confusing. Were the statues leeching more emotions than was necessary and thus deadening the population further, or was the population creating so many negative emotions that the statues were becoming overloaded and there was a danger of them shorting out? I assume the latter, but once again I feel this needs to be spelled out more clearly. Another thing that needs to explained better is why that excess build-up is such a threat. Would all the unhappy emotions be returned to the people? Or would there be some magical backlash that would physically destroy the city?

I meant the second option, that the negative emotions were building up and threatening to damage the city. Both of your proposed threats are in play here; the ward would burst, leaving the city unprotected (and perhaps causing physical damage or disrupting the natural workings of magic in the area) and allowing the citizens to resume feeling the emotions that Viistaros wished them to be rid of.

Then, after Viistaros does his magical whammy and the city is cast into the Mists, this Phantasmagorum creature shows up completely out of left field. This part feels incredibly really rushed. The author seems to be creating a full-fledged domain for Viistaros to rule over as darklord, which is fine on its own, but why include that in the origin of this magic item? The group of elves that somehow escape the city of Myth Viistar through the mists (and bring the Font into the Core) seems almost like an afterthought at this point.

Admittedly, I am a pretty big fan of the concept of a phantasmagorum from the RLDMG (though I am not completely sold on the rules execution). When I read that mythals were semi-sentient (the degree of which I couldn't really figure out from what I was reading), then mixed that with the developing idea of a buildup of negative emotions, my brain jumped to the phantasmagorum and barely looked back. There isn't much of an explanation for why the origin story turned out the way it did, except that it is the direction my mind went in at the time.

I've used the concept of a phantasmagorum at least three times in QtR over the past few years, always as a side note in describing a sinkhole of evil. If I do it again, I should probably give it more attention and life. Writing from the perspective of a phantasmagorum that is just coming to consciousness might be interesting—at least, it would be interesting to me. If that already exists somewhere, let me know, because I would be curious to see it.

Either this entire origin section needs to be pared down to focus solely on this particular statue, or else the Myth Viistar section needs to be spun off as a domain write-up all on its own. Trying to have it both ways doesn't quite work.

If Viistaros had been developed into a full domain write-up, it certainly would need to be contained in a separate article. As you indicated, there is already a division of focus between the main point of the story (the Font) and its rather distant origin. Historically, I have shied away from writing full domains, largely due to the time commitment. I have had some domain ideas, so I hope to find a little more time to explore them eventually.

[Baron Von Stanton]

I've used the concept of a phantasmagorum at least three times in QtR over the past few years, always as a side note in describing a sinkhole of evil. If I do it again, I should probably give it more attention and life. Writing from the perspective of a phantasmagorum that is just coming to consciousness might be interesting—at least, it would be interesting to me. If that already exists somewhere, let me know, because I would be curious to see it.

Sounds very dangerous.

[Speedwagon]

Pharazia, Survey of a Sun-Scourged Land

Of all of Ian Fordam's work, his take on Pharazia is the one I was not only looking forward to the most but also the most pleased with. For full disclosure's sake, I helped with part of the editing process and idea brainstorming, but really it was more in tweaking a few things, adding a few suggestions here and there, and being a cultural consultant. Because that was where I really wanted Pharazia to shine: to be much more distinct than its 2e Islands of Terror write-up, which I found careless at best and downright insulting at worst. I went back and reread Islands of Terror and its description of Diamabel in general (along of Pharazia) was not only lacking but outright just...ew. Ugh. Honestly, I was surprised that the same book that gave Elena Faith-Hold couldn't somehow do "religious fanatic but different" when it came to Diamabel and relied upon so many orientalist tropes and othering that I might as well have called my Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies professor to let them know I found a great piece of evidence of orientalism for future classes to dissect. I could clog this whole message with an in-depth discussion of why Diamabel going from "swarthy, scraggly-beard Middle Eastern dude" to "handsome blond hair, blue eyes white-skinned hunk of an angel" is deeply questionable (to understate it).

I say this because of my own multicultural background stemming from the MENA region and my own minor in undergrad being on Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. I remember my dissatisfaction at reading Diamabel's original write-up and the lack of detail on Pharazia beyond the pages of 2e's Islands of Terror and the small blurb in the 3e RLDMG. So for a while, I was disappointed. Then I read NeoTiamat's "Domain of the Endless Word" and was very pleased with what I saw (Pharazia but actually fleshed out and researched!) but a bit disappointed that Diamabel didn't have much development or mention. Ian Fordam's work not only expounds upon similar foundations as set by NeoTiamat, it doesn't hesitate to tie Diamabel much more deeply to the land and its history, with the themes mentioned by the former being fleshed out and woven into the people, sites of interest, cultural survey and more of the latter.

Diamabel's backstory takes his rather uninspired roots from older lore and gives it a step-by-step descent into darkness, with the violation of the bond of salt being the straw that broke the camel's back. Similar "uplifting" of one-note characters is given to Allahn el-Rashaan, going from just "that guy who opposes the Darklord" to a more gothic-inspired character (ends justify the means + cucked by the Darklord = a personal hatred). I only wish that there were more NPCs in the Who's Doomed, but the wealth of NPCs like Taaj al-Riaz and Kairiya and their connections to settlements introduced in the survey more than make up for it. Additionally, I really like that Diamabel's ascension, though no longer like the nomadic manly ideal he wanted, is still Middle-Eastern in its depiction (the blonde haired blue eyed eagle-winged Diamabel of 2e really turned me off as you can see above). He's a pretty boy, but he's a distinctively Pharazian pretty boy, and that's great for me! The various noble houses of the desert all have their own character and while I'd love to learn more about them, the few tidbits we do know of them are more than enough to get the imagination going.

I suppose my only request for this survey is the following: I'd love for more interconnection with the Amber Wastes (Sebua and Har'Akir interacting with Pharazia and vice-versa, we get some of that in the House of al-Dabae hanging around the Nameless Quarter near Sebua), but that's otherwise it. I'm really, really happy that this article is in the pages of Quoth the Raven, and I look forward to my players meeting this Pharazia and this Diamabel in their future travels!

[Jeremy16]

Then, after Viistaros does his magical whammy and the city is cast into the Mists, this Phantasmagorum creature shows up completely out of left field. This part feels incredibly really rushed. The author seems to be creating a full-fledged domain for Viistaros to rule over as darklord, which is fine on its own, but why include that in the origin of this magic item? The group of elves that somehow escape the city of Myth Viistar through the mists (and bring the Font into the Core) seems almost like an afterthought at this point.

Admittedly, I am a pretty big fan of the concept of a phantasmagorum from the RLDMG (though I am not completely sold on the rules execution). When I read that mythals were semi-sentient (the degree of which I couldn't really figure out from what I was reading), then mixed that with the developing idea of a buildup of negative emotions, my brain jumped to the phantasmagorum and barely looked back. There isn't much of an explanation for why the origin story turned out the way it did, except that it is the direction my mind went in at the time.

I've used the concept of a phantasmagorum at least three times in QtR over the past few years, always as a side note in describing a sinkhole of evil. If I do it again, I should probably give it more attention and life. Writing from the perspective of a phantasmagorum that is just coming to consciousness might be interesting—at least, it would be interesting to me. If that already exists somewhere, let me know, because I would be curious to see it.

I knew I had heard the term before, but couldn't remember quite where. I guess it was from one of your previous articles! Now that you explain it, I don't think the phantasmagorum is a bad idea here. Are you saying it became the physical embodiment of all the negative emotions from the statues after the city was transplanted to Ravenloft? That makes more sense, but the connection was not made clear in the article.

[IanFordam]

RED LIKE COPPER


I find it hard to properly review an adventure without actually playing it, but I will go over this one briefly. After all, it doesn't take much - an intriguing set up, multiple chances to interact with NPCs, a couple of cool combat set pieces, and a compelling Big Bad is all you really need. And this article does the trick.

I give Ian's effort even more credit because it does such a fine job of introducing various aspects of the domain to players. Within this one mission PCs encounter the Ash Men, one of the Seven Sacred Caves, a primal spirit of the Hillfolk, and a handful of key players within each village they visit.

Thank you!

I, of course, do have a couple quibbles, but they are very minor...

The Big Bad's goal could have been outlined a little clearer; one line of dialogue as he is dying seems a bit too cryptic to me. (Asparu's goals may have been gone over in the main domain write-up, but they should have been repeated here.)

Noted.

Out of concern for page count I tried not to repeat information between the survey and the adventure. In retrospect that was rather silly of me.

The epilogue seems rather extended to me. Having the PCs complete their report to the consortium should be the true ending of the adventure, not just the killing of Asparu. The epilogue usually serves to lead PCs into further adventures and this one has several unanswered questions that could be pursued, such as... If the One-Eyed Badger is real, what about the rest of the Hillfolk spirits? Where can they be found? Where did those ice mephits come from anyway? What are the Sleepers waiting for? Stuff like that.

Yeah... By the third subsection I should have caught on that my epilogue was running long.

I never said so explicitly, but in my opinion all of the hillfolk spirits are indeed present in Sanguinia. They are primarily active on the western end of the domain.

The ice mephits are actual ice mephits, drawn in from beyond the Mists. Gennadi Mardari lacks the knowledge to perform such summonings himself, but I tried to hint that the tome of mephit summoning came from the lair of Vinz Bahrsel, who was a much more accomplished conjurer.

The Sleepers are waiting for "the return of true spring to the land" (p.97). That is, they are waiting for Sanguinia to be released from the Dread Domains. Quite frankly, they had no idea how long the evil afflicting their home would last.

[IanFordam]

Pharazia, Survey of a Sun-Scourged Land

Of all of Ian Fordam's work, his take on Pharazia is the one I was not only looking forward to the most but also the most pleased with. For full disclosure's sake, I helped with part of the editing process and idea brainstorming, but really it was more in tweaking a few things, adding a few suggestions here and there, and being a cultural consultant. Because that was where I really wanted Pharazia to shine: to be much more distinct than its 2e Islands of Terror write-up, which I found careless at best and downright insulting at worst. I went back and reread Islands of Terror and its description of Diamabel in general (along of Pharazia) was not only lacking but outright just...ew. Ugh. Honestly, I was surprised that the same book that gave Elena Faith-Hold couldn't somehow do "religious fanatic but different" when it came to Diamabel and relied upon so many orientalist tropes and othering that I might as well have called my Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies professor to let them know I found a great piece of evidence of orientalism for future classes to dissect. I could clog this whole message with an in-depth discussion of why Diamabel going from "swarthy, scraggly-beard Middle Eastern dude" to "handsome blond hair, blue eyes white-skinned hunk of an angel" is deeply questionable (to understate it).

I say this because of my own multicultural background stemming from the MENA region and my own minor in undergrad being on Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. I remember my dissatisfaction at reading Diamabel's original write-up and the lack of detail on Pharazia beyond the pages of 2e's Islands of Terror and the small blurb in the 3e RLDMG. So for a while, I was disappointed. Then I read NeoTiamat's "Domain of the Endless Word" and was very pleased with what I saw (Pharazia but actually fleshed out and researched!) but a bit disappointed that Diamabel didn't have much development or mention. Ian Fordam's work not only expounds upon similar foundations as set by NeoTiamat, it doesn't hesitate to tie Diamabel much more deeply to the land and its history, with the themes mentioned by the former being fleshed out and woven into the people, sites of interest, cultural survey and more of the latter.

I strove to create something as well-rounded and nuanced as the 3e gazetteers while avoiding the horrible bits from Islands of Terror. I am immensely gratified by your enthusiasm for what I created.

Diamabel's backstory takes his rather uninspired roots from older lore and gives it a step-by-step descent into darkness, with the violation of the bond of salt being the straw that broke the camel's back. Similar "uplifting" of one-note characters is given to Allahn el-Rashaan, going from just "that guy who opposes the Darklord" to a more gothic-inspired character (ends justify the means + cucked by the Darklord = a personal hatred).

Retaining Diamabel as a darklord was one of my primary objectives. I wanted to see how much I could salvage from his original write-up while eliminating the problematic parts.

I saw little of interest in Allahn el-Rashaan as originally presented, so I challenged myself to do something interesting with him.

I only wish that there were more NPCs in the Who's Doomed, but the wealth of NPCs like Taaj al-Riaz and Kairiya and their connections to settlements introduced in the survey more than make up for it.

I didn't want to draw all of the attention away from the darklord and his arch-rival. If inspiration strikes me, other characters can always reappear at greater length in future articles.

And I haven't forgotten Mansur the reef giant either.

Additionally, I really like that Diamabel's ascension, though no longer like the nomadic manly ideal he wanted, is still Middle-Eastern in its depiction (the blonde haired blue eyed eagle-winged Diamabel of 2e really turned me off as you can see above). He's a pretty boy, but he's a distinctively Pharazian pretty boy, and that's great for me!

That's what I was going for.

The various noble houses of the desert all have their own character and while I'd love to learn more about them, the few tidbits we do know of them are more than enough to get the imagination going. I suppose my only request for this survey is the following: I'd love for more interconnection with the Amber Wastes (Sebua and Har'Akir interacting with Pharazia and vice-versa, we get some of that in the House of al-Dabae hanging around the Nameless Quarter near Sebua), but that's otherwise it. I'm really, really happy that this article is in the pages of Quoth the Raven, and I look forward to my players meeting this Pharazia and this Diamabel in their future travels!

If your most ardent complaint can be rephrased, "More, please!" then I figure I'm doing my job. I will be curious to learn how your players fare!

[Jeremy16]

Codename Requiem

This is the second entry in Manofevil's Post-Apocaloft that was introduced back in Quoth the Raven #28. This kind of article is very far afield from the Ravenloft material I typically enjoy, but since this is quite clearly a passion project, I will try my best to give it a fair shake. Happily, I have followed both the franchises detailed within from their very beginnings (talk about being old school!) and throughout their various sequels, prequels, and even some comic book adaptations. (My knowledge of their lore, however, is by no means comprehensive.)

The introduction, The Gunnison Incident, is a short and sweet recap of the plot of the movie, which is much appreciated for those (like myself) that missed it.

The next section, describing the Predators, however, gets bogged down in an encyclopedic rundown of weapons. The author's thoroughness and adherence to the source material is to be commended, but I think that should be balanced out by accessibility. By that I mean if you want to get keep the reader's interest, you shouldn't throw pages of text outlining every
single slight variation of a weapon at them. As a wise man once said, “brevity is the soul of wit.”

The section outlining the Aliens is done much better. The description of each stage of the Xenomorph's life cycle was very well done. Even if we, the reader, already knew this info from watching the movies, the way it was revealed in-world was novel and engaging.

Then, we come to the domain write-up proper, and I must say, it really drives home the sense of isolation and horror that the inhabitants must feel. You can see why the first Alien movie was one of the inspirations for the original Ravenloft campaign setting. And that fear of the unknown, of being stalked by something that lurks in the shadows, is well replicated here. While this section may sound incredibly similar to the Zherisian cluster, I don't find it too derivative, as this is a much more modern interpretation of the material.

And finally, I'm still not entirely on board with the decision to forego creating a darklord. I know this is a deliberate choice by the author, but feel it still somehow feels off, like an integral part of its make-up is missing.

Some Suggestions

I would have liked to learned more about the Aliens' culture after the domain's creation. Surely there is a queen down in the sewers somewhere (maybe even more than one). A long time ago, in the distant year of 1991, there was a comic about two Xenomorph hives (one red and one black) warring for the dominion of a planet. Why not set up a similar dynamic here? That would be quite a curveball for the survivors, and that way they couldn't just treat all the Aliens the same way.

More could have been done regarding the alien/predator/human crossbreeds. Why not describe a few of these creatures in more depth? Surely one of these hybrids has evolved sufficiently enough to be able to pick up and use the weapons of its enemies by now (and thus become even deadlier than before)! Perhaps this individual could even fill the role of Darklord.

And finally, I don't like the introduction of the second Predator, Wolf. One Predator against a hive of Aliens seems to be just the right odds; two is going overboard. Besides, like I've always said in these reviews, the more common you make something, the less special it becomes. That's why I always stress quality over quantity!

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

Then, after Viistaros does his magical whammy and the city is cast into the Mists, this Phantasmagorum creature shows up completely out of left field. This part feels incredibly really rushed. The author seems to be creating a full-fledged domain for Viistaros to rule over as darklord, which is fine on its own, but why include that in the origin of this magic item? The group of elves that somehow escape the city of Myth Viistar through the mists (and bring the Font into the Core) seems almost like an afterthought at this point.

Admittedly, I am a pretty big fan of the concept of a phantasmagorum from the RLDMG (though I am not completely sold on the rules execution). When I read that mythals were semi-sentient (the degree of which I couldn't really figure out from what I was reading), then mixed that with the developing idea of a buildup of negative emotions, my brain jumped to the phantasmagorum and barely looked back. There isn't much of an explanation for why the origin story turned out the way it did, except that it is the direction my mind went in at the time.

I've used the concept of a phantasmagorum at least three times in QtR over the past few years, always as a side note in describing a sinkhole of evil. If I do it again, I should probably give it more attention and life. Writing from the perspective of a phantasmagorum that is just coming to consciousness might be interesting—at least, it would be interesting to me. If that already exists somewhere, let me know, because I would be curious to see it.

I knew I had heard the term before, but couldn't remember quite where. I guess it was from one of your previous articles! Now that you explain it, I don't think the phantasmagorum is a bad idea here. Are you saying it became the physical embodiment of all the negative emotions from the statues after the city was transplanted to Ravenloft? That makes more sense, but the connection was not made clear in the article.

Yes, precisely. This particular phantasmagorum is perhaps more powerful than the average, as its creation fused it with the power of the mythal.

[Jeremy16]

Excerpts from the Register of Monsters

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is the largest assortment of creatures that Stanton F. Fink has unleashed yet. It clocks in at 163 pages and 81 monsters - that's a lot of bang for your buck!

I can't really do a traditional review of such an offering, but suffice to say that I love this A thru Z encyclopedia of demons, monsters, and otherworldly beings. It's a fever dream of madness that features a melange (ooh, a ten dollar word!) of creatures from D&D, fairytales, and myths from around the world. The inventive descriptions and fantastic backstories reminds me of Dunsany's Gods of Pegana or a Japanese yokai compendium.

As I've noted before, I like Fink's work better in black and white, and with this entry I figured out why – it reminds me of woodcuttings from the Middle Ages. But a nightmarish, alternative one where baroque demon lords and their nasty little helpers are real!

Here's a quick rundown of some of my favorites this time around...

The Megalovirus' offspring are back, as well as a handful of new Biophobias. They're always fun to see!

The pumpkin creature, Sunamora No Onryo, is such a novel concept that it reminds me of something I would have created when I was 13 years old. (And, I mean that as a compliment because I believe you can never match the creativity of youth.)

I also like Taiharion. The dude has eyes for a head... not just eyes for hair, but his whole stinkin' head!

Vucub Caquix is interesting, too, and I appreciate the Mesoamerican flavor of this one.

Then, there's The Liar's Lucky Potato... 'nuff said.

The sheer scope and variety of these outre (ooh, another ten dollar word!) offerings is impressive. It's an odd cosmology he is creating, and I truly feel that the world (especially Ravenloft) needs more oddities.

[IanFordam]

Warntorn Gazetter Volume II: Conquista

The first thing to note about this gazetteer is that it contains a lot. Three human ethnicities in conflict. Three gods and the Loa. Four sometimes-darklords. A whole slew of political parties. That complexity is both the strong point and the challenge to Conquista.

Be warned that three aspects of Conquista may prove to be obstacles to readers. First, Conquista is not particularly gothic. Second, modernity creep is prevalent. Third, Conquista breaks the rule of one darklord per domain (although no worse than Borca, Tepest, or the Fraternity's take on Liffe do). None of these aspects are showstoppers for me, but purists might object.

With the preliminary disclaimers out of the way, let me get into a more detailed review:

===== History

Midway through the Landscape section I realized that I didn't know enough about Conquistan society to have context for what that section was describing, so I skipped ahead to the History section. (However, I recall doing the same with some of the 3e gazetteers, so I think it's just an organizational approach that doesn't work as well for me.) Once I skipped ahead, the History section is where I found my way into the interesting complexities of the land.

Here we meet the three tribes of Conquista and the dominant faith. We learn some false history. We learn of the rising of the Mists, although we receive no hint of the Darklord or his Act of Ultimate Darkness. And then we get history. Lots of history. Nearly thirty pages of history, including Dread Possibilities and other sidebars. I do think this section would have benefitted from subsection headings, just to break it apart slightly. Even without subsections, though, I still found it to be an interesting read. Much has happened in Conquista, some of it sounding alarmingly like the real world.

However, the best part of this section was the "Politics and Hope" sidebar, which accomplishes two useful tasks. First, it describes why the lengthy history might matter in a Wartorn campaign. Second, it summarizes the various factions, their beliefs, and their interactions. Specifying an alignment for each faction is particularly useful, if only to help sort them in my head.

===== Populace

The "Appearance" and "Fashion" subsections do their jobs nicely, but "Languages" is where the curveball gets pitched. I had not expected the tie-in to Souragne. I'm struck by the way that the Ulan look toward Souragne in much the same way some Souragniens look toward Liberté. Given this connection, the worship of the Loa (detailed later) makes sense when otherwise it might have seemed arbitrary.

The inclusion of StØj and Tegensprog and the corresponding "The Drowning Path" dread possibility felt extraneous to me. However, based upon the reference to the Hengtland Cluster, these bits may well fit into the author's larger view of the Domain of Dread.

The "Lifestyle & Education" section might also have benefitted from being split into multiple sections. The transition from education to ritual and courtship felt abrupt to me, and later the topic shifts to justice.

By the time I finished this section, it had become quite clear that supernatural monsters are not the dominant source of evil in this domain. Despite the presence of changelings and fey and ogres and such, no, the people are the worst threat. (Much like G'Henna.)

"Attitudes Toward Magic" is a deceptively short section, and it blends nicely with the similarly terse "Attitudes Toward Science". I really like the description of little magics, and by this time the author had convinced me that his inclusion of mobíla, black-oil, and the radió was all part of a well-considered integration of technology into the land.

===== Landscape

Following the History section, the Landscape section made more sense to me. A map would have been helpful here, but I do understand that maps require significant additional effort.

I enjoyed Ciska's observations about the sometimes arbitrary nature of the Land of Mists. Sometimes a region is inhospitable because the Dark Powers have decreed that the region shall be inhospitable.

I assume that the author's and/or the Dark Powers' intention behind the southernmost cantón is to provide a formidable barrier which the Masogani must cross before they can threaten the rest of Conquista. (And it also gives a place for Cliffton Willgoat to hang out, but I wouldn't think he would need a whole cantón for that.)

The "Flora" and "Fauna" subsections do their jobs nicely, emphasizing the odd differences among the three cantóns.

===== Unnatural Hazards

Clearly the "Fey" and "Sasquatch" sections feed into the larger Wartorn Cluster, and that's just fine. I did find the inclusion of the Skindalför jarring, if only because of the Nordic name among all of the Spanish terms.

===== Religion

Here we find descriptions of Taiia, the Loa, Brightwell, and il Demonio. Taiia is exactly what she needs to be: powerful and intolerant, even in her more benign aspect. As I said before, the Loa fit because of the detail given to the Ulan, and I very much appreciate that the Ulan have their own Loa applicable to Conquista. I haven't read the Lilliend Gazetteer in probably five years, but plenty sufficient information is given here to understand how Brightwell and il Demonio are perceived by Conquistan worshippers.

===== The Realm

The "Government" and "Economy" subsections serve as a good summary of information which previous sections have already implied, which tells me that Conquista has been consistently presented. The "Diplomacy" subsection is interesting because it gives us an wider view of the Wartorn Cluster.

===== Sites of Interest

Distributed among these sites is a surprising amount of narrative content (not to mention a description of the black-oil industry). That's not at all a bad thing, and in fact it helped this section read quickly. The real heart of the article occurs in "The Demon's Hollow". We get a more mechanical explanation later, but here we see what's truly happening in Conquista through Ciska's eyes. It's a good way to wrap up everything before the DM's Appendix.

I appreciate the inclusion of Alsem. While there is the "Twin Covens" dread possibility, Alsem is still the least sinister place among the Sites of Interest. Sometimes it's easy to forget to include places which PCs will want to help.

===== DM's Appendix

I'm glad that Professor Ambrose was included in the "Who's Doomed" section. Sometimes it's also easy to forget to include people whom PCs will want to help.

The idea of four potential darklords competing for the position is a novel concept, and I like it. However, we do see many villainous sorts over the course of the gazetteer. What about these particular four people makes them suitable candidates? How did they figure out what to do to claim darklordship? Could others in the domain make the attempt? When a potential darklord fails to attain the title, how is their curse affected? Could they just... not participate in the future?

In other words, I'm very curious about the mechanism behind the shifting darklordship, which indicates that the notion is Cool Stuff(tm).

===== Summary

As I said to begin with, there is a lot in this gazetteer, and I won't pretend that I have fully grasped the domain which it details. Nonetheless, the author himself clearly understands Conquista, and despite the length of this article he has presented a consistent view of it, not to mention some tantalizing peeks into the larger cluster. Rock has a vision, and I appreciate him sharing with us.

[Jeremy16]

G'Henna: Survey of a Starving Land


Zhakata the Beast God – It is thematically appropriate for this domain to start out with the religion of Zhakata. This one little detail starts the article off on just the right foot and allows the reader to get into the mindset of a G'Hennan native.

Religious Practices – This is the meat and potatoes of this domain, and I think all the stuff Ian outlines here is topnotch. While I think the crown jewel of horror in this domain is Yagno's ritual to strip the “dignity” from heretics, the fact that the populace willingly starves itself to appease their god is a close second and it is stated here so matter-of-factly that it creeps me out.

Church of Zhakata – This section does a really good job of fleshing out the seemingly monolithic church into more digestable chunks, while at the same time illustrating how pervasive its influence is over the entire domain. The way it is described here, there really is no facet of life that someone in the church does not oversee.

The Realm – I really like the dichtomies that are set up here – the cities versus the Outlands, and even each city (Zhukar and Dervich) versus each other. It's a simple, but effective breakdown of the domain.

DP: The Three Demilords – I really dig the idea that this domain was created as an arena for three demilords to duke it out and prove who should be its rightful ruler. I remember the darklord vs. demilord distinction that was introduced in Domains of Dread, but never really understood why such a refinement was necessary. Ian has taken that somewhat useless term and made it work. Plus, it gives the DM the opportunity to bring these two guys (or, at least, their ghosts) back and cause trouble for Yagno. Giving darklords additional opponents to strive against (besides PCs) is always a good thing.

DP: The Master and the Talisman – At first I was disappointed that Ian did not advance the history of this domain post Circle of Darkness, but in retrospect think this was a good call. Leaving the aftermath of that adventure module's climax up to the reader's imagination is the better way to go (especially since it has multiple possible endings).

Geography of the Outlands – I love all the creatures Ian has added here as Dread Possibilities, especially The Lonely Boy. (I love hitchhikin' ghost stories!)

Magic Items – All of these sacred artifacts are a very nice addition to the domain, and since they are still around and being used they do a good job of making the domain's history seem more real. Sergei's Staff reminds me of all those medieval European churches that claim to have real pieces of the one true cross.

Faction, Qabals, and Secret Societies – My only quibble here is that I would have liked a more in-depth examination of the Ata-Bestaal. It's one of the Demiplane's oldest secret societies (by publication date) and the idea of people who seek out and revel in their bestial nature always creeped me out. Surely it warrants an NPC or two?

People of Note – Once again, just like in the Sanguinia survey, these are all done really well. I can see Mistmaster's influence here since each person gets their own Dread Possibility.

Journal Entries – Speaking of making the domain come alive, I wanted to make special note of Jaros' journal entries. I really love the flavor they add to the report; each one illustrates the intrigues of the domain better than a thousand words of dusty description could ever do. Too bad he had to die at the end there. (Although... this is Ravenloft, so who says he won't come back?)


Overall


I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of this article, but wanted to make my comments public now that it's been officially released. I don't really have anything negative to say about this one. Once again, this is gazetteer-level work and it was worth the years of waiting. Ian has taken the source material for this domain and really made it into his own special thing. Well done!