The Kingdom of Fairhafen

[WolfKook]

Cultural Level: Medieval (7).
Landscape: Full Ecology (Temperate Mountains, Forests and Plains). In the outskirts of the majestic Rätsel mountains, and dominated by the imposing Marschensloss castle the kingdom of Fairhafen is a rural domain that stands between the tyranny of its queen, and the hope of its people. Its landscape is totally dominated by the Rätsels, which raise like a spiral, having the Sneedronningen, the highest peak of the range, at the center of the kingdom, and giving place to an almost vertical landscape, with treacherous roads and breathtaking views, which include snowy, clouded peaks, and huge falls that give place to almost constant rainbows.
In the valleys and outskirts of the mountains, the sights are also impressive, with the heavy Black Forest covering most of the area, being breached only by the Wichtelmänner and a couple of lesser rivers, that either die or are born in the beautiful Svanereden Lake, to the southwest. Meanwhile, in the western half of the kingdom lays a lush plain where civilization thrives to prosper in small towns and solitary but sturdy houses, usually made of brick or rock, and painted in clear colors, with wooden ceilings, which are usually painted red in the town of Rotkäppchen. Climate is shaped by the seasons, but even summer tends to be somewhat colder than it is in other places.
The landscape of Fairhafen changes at sunset, however. As the beautiful kingdom submerges into shadow, the Rätsels become even more treacherous and menacing, the Marschensloss turns into a dark, evil castle, and the Black Forest becomes twisted and forbidding, as its more sinister inhabitants come out of their lairs. The plains also take a darker shape, as the mists rise from the Svanereden to engulf most of the kingdom. Few of the kingdom’s inhabitants dare to go out in these hours.
Major Settlements: Dornröschen (2,300), a small town of miners and herders amidst the Rätsels, and overviewed by the Marschensloss castle. It is named after a rock of the same name which lies to the east of the town. According to the locals, the rock, with a vaguely human shape, is in fact the remains of an evil but dim-witten giant who used to live in the clouds, and who fell to earth after some bandit stole something from his castle. It is said that whoever gets hold on this mysterious treasure would be able to reanimate the giant and to take control of him; Aschenputtel (8,200), the biggest city in the kingdom, in the shores of the Svanereden, named after an enormous grayish rock that is said to be a dormant giant; Rotkäppchen (3,600), a little town of gatherers and foresters in the border of the Black Forest, widely recognized by its red ceilings and honest people; Schneewittchen (700), a dwarven town in the northeast of the kingdom, between the Black Forest and the Rätsels.
The Folk: Population – 30,000. Humans 96%, Dwarves 3%, Others 1%. Languages – Falkovnian*. Dwarven, Mordentish. Religions – None.
The Law: Hereditary Monarchy (Feudal Despotism). A long time ago, the royal family of Fairhafen was blessed by the gods, who granted them an unusual tie to their land, which allowed them to communicate with plants and animals alike, and to control them, and the land itself. In exchange, the king of Fairhafen promised to rule with wisdom and fairness. As a result, for centuries, only those of royal blood were allowed to rule.
When King Drosselbart died, some 30 years ago, his daughter, princess Rosenbriar, was not old enough to assume the title of queen. As was customary, then, Queen Avarein, second wife of the deceased king and the princess’s stepmother, who was not of the blood and who hadn’t been able to bear her husband any children, took on the responsibilities of rulership while the princess grew up. Months later, when the princess was about to celebrate her sixteenth birthday and be old enough to assume the crown, she suffered from a terrible accident, who left her in a permanent state of catatonia, and queen Avarein’s rulership suddenly extended until the princess woke up from her slumber.
As a ruler, however, Queen Avarein has proven to be a harsh and despotic tyrant, taking advantage of her political advantage and her numerous troops to enforce the obedience of her people, to collect taxes in a very efficient way, and to punish anyone who dares to question her authority. Curiously, those who manage to defy her and to evade her men, usually end up suffering from terrible accidents, or simply disappearing.
As almighty as she may seem, however, queen Avarein is a distant figure at best, preferring to leave most day-to-day issues to local burgomasters and landowners, who are responsible for the administration of their lands or cities. Traditionally, the feudal system in Fairhafen was pretty loose, with little real power in the hands of the nobles; Since Queen Avarein ascended to the throne, however, she gave them much more power and responsibility, trying to ensure her position and to release herself from its burdens. Since then, the nobles have grown accustomed to their newfound power and most have grown prideful and abusive.
Trade and Diplomacy: Resources – Wheat, apples, grapes, hazelnuts, hogs, goats, sheep, cattle, beer, wine, sausage, timber, iron, salt, gems, leather goods, furniture. Coinage – Oak (gp), cedar (ep), willow (sp), bean (cp).
The once vibrant land of Fairhafen, that used to be one of the most important trade centers of the world it came from, has had its trade routes cut off since the mists came to engulf it. Since then, the kingdom has been forced to use only its own resources. Luckily, Fairhafen has enough of them to sustain itself, so poverty and starvation are not serious concerns. In recent years, travelers from distant lands have started to come to the kingdom, bringing with them news of other lands beyond the ever-present mists, and though the people of the kingdom always welcome these travelers, making them feel at home and generally being curious about the rest of the world, Queen Avarein doesn’t seems to share her subjects’ hospitality: She has ordered her men that all foreigners are brought before her, and those who have been caught by them and brought to Marschensloss Castle have not been seen again.
Characters: Classes – Bards, fighters, rangers, rogues, sorcerers, swashbucklers, warlocks. Skills – Climb, craft (Carpentry, gemcutting, metalworking, stonemasonry, weaving), diplomacy, handle animal, hide, knowledge (Arcana, architecture and engineering, nobility and royalty), move silently, perform, profession (Farmer, fisher, herdsman, lumberjack, miner), ride, sleight of hand, survival, use rope. Feats – Alertness, animal affinity, athletic, combat expertise (Plus derivatives), deft hands, courage, magical aptitude, mounted combat (Plus derivatives), negotiator, point blank shot (Plus derivatives), quick draw, stealthy, track, voice of wrath, weapon finesse.
Personalities of Note: Besides queen Avarein and princess Rosenbriar, one of the most important figures in the kingdom is Count Lothar (Male Human Ari7, Fig3, LE), the brother of late king Drosselbart, and the rightful successor to the crown if princess Rosenbriar was to die. Lothar is a scheming backstabber who used to use his political power to his advantage during the reign of his older brother, but who lost most of his influence when he died and the queen took hold. When princess Rosenbriar had her accident, he saw the opportunity to becoming king, and started convincing other nobles that the best for them would be to end the princess suffering. Avarein learned about her brother-in-law’s plans, and responded by kidnapping his only son, making it clear that she will keep him safe for as long as he keeps his delusions of grandeur at bay. Today, Lothar is actively trying to look for people that would infiltrate Marschensloss castle to rescue his son and kill both Rosenbriar and Avarein.
Other important characters are the queen’s twin daughters, Brunhild and Beatrix (Both Female Caliban Ari 3, Sor 3, NE), who are both frozen on their late teens. Everybody knows them for their bad disposition, their cynicism and their capriciousness, but more than anything, they are known as the ugliest women in all of Fairhaven. Spoiled as they are, however, the queen does not deny them anything, and most of the time their wishes soon become law in the whole kingdom.
Finally, there is a mysterious old woman who apparently lives near the town of Rotkäppchen, amidst the Black Forest. She has been seen mostly by the children, who have a great fondness for her, and collectively call her “Granny”. She is famous for the delicious cookies and candies she gives them, and for the legends that have arisen around them saying that she lives in a house made of candy in the middle of the forest. Many a child had tried to get to her fabled home, and those who have done so have inexorably fallen prey to the perils of the Black Forest, disappearing forever into the woods.
Encounters: The plains of Fairhafen are home only to farm animals and the occasional predator from the Black Forest or the mountain, which in turn are burning with wildlife of all kinds. The forest, in particular, is said to be home to several malignant creatures, among which there is an enormous wolf of reputedly human-like intelligence, which lives near Rotkäppchen. It is also said that there is a small dwarven community somewhere on the outskirts of the Rätsels. There are other places which have curious legends around them, as the bridge over the Wichtelmänner river, which is said to be home to a hideous creature which only comes out at night.
Further Reading: The kingdom of Fairhafen is based on the fairy tales written and compiled by the brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and Perrault, among others. The OGL game Grimm, from Fantasy Flight games, may give a good insight to the tone of the land of Fairhafen.

[WolfKook]

Several things:

1 - I'm not sure about the names (The names of the towns, specially). They should be pretty obvious to anyone who speaks german, but are they too stupid? If so, please help me telling me how to change them (As I don't speak German).

2 - My weak spot at writing domains: The Folk. I have trouble describing people in spanish (My natal language), but in english that proves close to impossible! I guess the section should be pretty straightforward to write by anyone who gets the idea of the domain (And who speaks english!). Can anyone help me with it?

3 - If anyone's interested, I've also written an intro, as well as the darklord stats of Queen Avarein, plus several dread possibilities and adventure hooks for the realm. If anyone is interested, I'll post them here.

[Spiteful Crow]

Interesting domain... is the comatose princess based off of sleeping beauty?

[WolfKook]

Interesting domain... is the comatose princess based off of sleeping beauty?

Yeap. Completely and shamelessly

[Sylaire]

Interesting domain... is the comatose princess based off of sleeping beauty?

Yeap. Completely and shamelessly

Funny, I would have guessed Snow White (Sleeping Beauty didn't have an evil stepmother, and the entire castle fell asleep with her, while when Snow White was poisoned only she fell asleep and meanwhile the Queen was ruling the kingdom).

Nonetheless, it's a very cool idea. The Black Forest countryside has a great deal of the dramatic natural beauty typical of the classic Gothic novel. Factor in the morbidity of the classic Grimm legends and you've got plenty of material for adventure. Please, go on and post the Queen's darklord stats; I'm interested in knowing the nature of her particular powers and curse (presuming the curse isn't that her hated stepdaughter has to be alive for her to rule, so her revenge can never be complete).

Incidentally, is Marschensloss (daytime version) based on Neuschwanstein?

More importantly, is it too late to change my vote for "Best Fan-Made Domain"? I want to insert this into second place.

[Spiteful Crow]

Interesting domain... is the comatose princess based off of sleeping beauty?

Yeap. Completely and shamelessly

Awww, it wasn't that bad. I actually didn't notice until a minute or so after reading the summary.

[HuManBing]

That's actually a very good idea.

I dunno if you've ever read the folk stories collected by the Brothers Grimm. My father bought me the complete book when I was about five years old or so, and even then I was reading them and I realized these were very violent and bloody.

The sort of thing you might encounter in those tales might be something like little girls walking through the forest and coming across malevolent fey, who would then strip them of all their clothes and beat them with thorn branches until they were running bloody back home. Not your usual Disney type of story at all.

There was also a German music group, I've forgotten what they were called, but they did music videos which took a deeply subversive angle on the accepted "Children's Tales" of the Grimm brothers. One such video featured seven squat, misshapen men who toiled all day in the mines digging stones, and presenting them to a greedy princess who lived in their cottage for her appraisal.

Definitely have fun with the Grimm brothers stories - they were never intended to cater to a modern children audience. Many of their stories involve children playing at slaughtering pigs, for example, and with one child ending up with his throat slit ear to ear. Also, the actual version of Rapunzel had a passage (since excised) where Rapunzel says to her godmother "Why do you think my clothes are so tight now and don't fit?" and thus inadvertently tips her off that the prince has been visiting her in the night.

[steveflam]

That's actually a very good idea.

I dunno if you've ever read the folk stories collected by the Brothers Grimm. My father bought me the complete book when I was about five years old or so, and even then I was reading them and I realized these were very violent and bloody.

I actually liked the movie with Matt Damon and that other guy(Heath Ledger?)

[WolfKook]

Funny, I would have guessed Snow White (Sleeping Beauty didn't have an evil stepmother, and the entire castle fell asleep with her, while when Snow White was poisoned only she fell asleep and meanwhile the Queen was ruling the kingdom)

Well... It was really a mixture of various fairy tales. Princess Rosenbriar has Snow White's stepmother and Cinderella's ugly (caliban) stepsisters, but she is in eternal slumber, just like Sleeping Beauty...

Incidentally, is Marschensloss (daytime version) based on Neuschwanstein?

Off course! What else could it be? It's just how I envision it!

More importantly, is it too late to change my vote for "Best Fan-Made Domain"? I want to insert this into second place.

Wow! Thanks, Syl! Mmmmmmm... The contest is not over yet, and I would allow changes in votes, even if I hadn't written the domain.

I dunno if you've ever read the folk stories collected by the Brothers Grimm.

I read some of the original versions as I made research for this domain... It was an interesting read, indeed. As you point out, faerie tales were never intended as child's bedtime stories. There are very gory details in most of them (Red Riding Hood was not rescued from the wolf on the original version, Rapunzel's lover lost his eyes in the thorn briar of the tower...).

I actually liked the movie with Matt Damon and that other guy(Heath Ledger?)

Heath Ledger, indeed.

[WolfKook]

Queen Avarein, Darklord of Fairhafen
Female Human Ari5, Sor10: CR 15; Size M humanoid (5 ft. 9 in. tall); HD 5d8+9d4+22 (72hp); Init 0; Spd. 30 ft.; AC 10; Atk +7; SA Spells; SQ Familiar, Master of the Covey*; AL LE; SV Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +12; Str 10, Dex 11, Con 15, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 20.
* Queen Avarein can only use this ability when she is around her two daughters.
Skills and Feats: Bluff +13, Concentration +7, Diplomacy +14, Gather Information +8, Intimidate +14, Knowledge (Arcana) +9, Knowledge (Nobility and Courtesy) +6, Listen +5, Sense Motive +12, Spellcraft +11, Spot +5; Brew Potion, Combat Casting, Maximize Spell, Negotiator, Persuasive, Spell Focus (Enchantment).
Languages: Falkovnian.
Spells per Day: 8/7/7/6/4. Base DC = 15 + spell level, 17 + spell level for Enchantment spells.
Spells Known: 0 – Arcane Mark, Daze, Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Mage Hand, Read Magic, Resistance, Touch of Fatigue; 1st – Charm Person, Magic Missile, Obscuring Mist, Ray of Enfeeblement, Sleep; 2nd – Blindness/Deafness, Detect Thoughts, Eagle’s Splendor, Summon Swarm; 3rd – Deep Slumber, Fly, Suggestion; 4th –Crushing Despair, Polymorph; 5th – Baleful Polymorph.
Stunningly beautiful even in her middle fifties, Queen Avarein is widely recognized throughout the kingdom for her skinny figure, her royal bearing, her fine and elaborate dresses, her golden hair and her unsettlingly light blue eyes. Obsessed with her own beauty, the queen wears more make up than she should over her perfectly white skin, and the contrasting shadows, blush and mascara she uses give her a disturbing, if thoroughly magnetic, presence. No matter where se goes, or what time of the day it is, the queen always wears her royal tiara, symbol of her status, and the finest piece of jewelry in the whole kingdom.
Background: Little is known about queen Avarein before she made her first appearance in Fairhafen, when she came from a distant land after marrying one of the nobles of the region who had gone to her home country as an ambassador. Everybody was amazed at her beauty and attractiveness, but as the wife of a nobleman, however, she lacked the manners and courtesy of a woman of her status, and soon she became one of the preferred targets for the gossip of the other members of the court, especially because her new husband seemed enthralled by her mere presence, while she seemed to loath his.
The news of Avarein’s pregnancy came very quickly, but as her womb started to grow, the health of her husband started to wane. Some of the nobles started to believe that she was poisoning him, expecting to take a grasp of his title and position which, by law of the state, could not be hers after his death unless she bore her children. Curiously enough, her strongest detractors among the courtesans suddenly started to become her best friends, and rumors of bribes started to spread.
At long last, Avarein had twin daughters. Her husband was overjoyed, but his happiness did not last long. Soon after the birthing, he died. Avarein was left alone, with a noble state of her own, with a title, and with two hideous daughters she despised. She tried to ignore them as much as possible, and to live the fabulous life she had always dreamt for herself. However, she wasted more than the state could handle, and before her daughters had reached the age of ten, she was on the verge of bankruptcy, looking desperately for a way to improve her finances.
And she found it. One day, when attending at a gathering in Marschensloss castle, she ended up speaking with king Drosselbart, who had lost his wife at about the same time as she had, and they ended up talking about their loses. Drosselbart, who was feeling lonely without his deceased wife, and even more so as his daughter approached her teens and the distance between them grew, was an easy prey for the social predator that was Avarein. Soon, a second encounter followed the first, and a third followed the second. Rumors ran wild, but neither Avarein nor Drosselbart paid attention. After a couple of years, the two got married for a second time, and Avarein was able to take a financial respite.
But a financial respite wasn’t all that she wanted. Now, as queen, she had a taste of real power, and she wanted more. But, as before, she had an obstacle for her goals. She had a husband. But as before, that was a problem that could easily be solved. Drosselbart fell sick within weeks, and he was soon confined into his chambers, while his wife took upon herself the responsibilities of rulership. The king died some time later, and as his daughter was too young to inherit the throne, queen Averein continued her duties as the ruler of Fairhafen.
Her rulership was to be short ended, though; for once princess Rosenbriar had turned sixteen the queen would have to decline in her favor. She wanted to prevent that at all costs, but she knew that killing the princess would only take the throne away from her hands and into those of the next person in the line of succession –Count Lothar, her overtly ambitious brother in law –. She had to get rid of princess Rosenbriar without anyone knowing where she had gone.
How she managed to do so, it’s still unknown. The truth is that on the same night princess Rosenbriar turned sixteen, and before she assumed her title as Queen of Fairhafen, the chariot that was taking her to her coronation lost control and fell from the road. The charioteer was found dead, but Rosenbriar seemed only unconscious. The princess has not awakened since then, and she hasn’t aged a year after the accident.
Current Sketch: Queen Avarein’s political power comes from her status as princess Rosenbriar’s stepmother and tutor, and she knows that were she to die, she would lose everything. She had done all she can to protect her life while maintaining her in a state of perpetual slumber. She has even made her an almost impenetrable crystal coffin to keep her away from harm.
The queen’s power, however, doesn’t come only from her political status. She also has the powers of a 10th level sorceress, which become even deadlier when she is beside her two daughters (See below). She also has a lot of financial and magical resources at her disposition, including a magical window on top of Marschensloss castle which allows her to look directly into any location in Fairhafen, as if she was using clairvoyance. None of these, however, are as powerful as princess Rosenbriar’s powers, which allow her to hear anything that happens anywhere in Fairhafen, and to control nature at will. However, as the darklord of Fairhafen, the dark powers have ensured that the princess will always obey any command she gives to her, though not always in the way she wants.
The queen despises her ugly daughters, but she still pampers them, being aware of how she depends on them. She also needs princess Rosenbriar, and has taken every step to ensure her safety, though she would prefer to get rid of her. Count Lothar is also an obstacle to her, but the princess’s powers doesn’t seem to have any way to affect other members of the royal family, and that, in addition to his political influence, have prevented her from taking any action against him, except from kidnapping his son, a young, spoiled and arrogant kid that she also has to tolerate out of need.
In short, queen Avarein walks a fine line at trying to maintain her status of queen, and the fact that she depends so much on the people she most despises enrages her. Even her crow familiar, Black Mary, is an annoyance to her, always reminding her of the failure she is as a witch and a queen. She would certainly prefer to enjoy the privileges of her new life, but the daily problems of the kingdom and her personal life always prevent her from doing so.
Combat: Queen Averein will try to avoid direct confrontation if possible, instead relying on the powers of her magical window and those of princess Rosenbriar to see and hear her possible enemies, and to take every possible advantage against them. Smart enough not to call too much attention, the queen will try to use her troops first, especially if she can frame her enemies with some crime. If this is not enough, she will resort to using Rosenbriar’s powers over nature to kill her enemies or to at least make things difficult for them. When forced into direct confrontation she will try to keep away from her enemies and beside her daughters, using her known spells and those she gains when around Brunhild and Beatrix, to crush them.
Master of the Covey (Sp): When queen Avarein is within 10 feet of both of her daughters, the three function like a covey of hags, gaining animate dead, bestow curse (DC 17), control weather, dream, forcecage, mind blank, mirage arcane (DC 18 ), polymorph, veil (DC 19) and vision as spell-like abilities. All these abilities are used with a Caster level 17th, and, unless otherwise noted, their save DCs are based on a Charisma score of 16. Use of any of these abilities requires a full-action, and both Avarein and her two daughters must participate.
Lair: Marschensloss castle used to be a beautiful fortress of white walls and blue-tipped towers encased in the Rätsels, which used to welcome anyone from the neighboring towns into its walls. Today, the imposing castle has turned grey, as the paint in its walls and towers fades away for lack of maintenance, and the gates are kept closed almost permanently, zealously guarded by the queen’s men. By night, the once calm castle has become a dark place, which stands as a black fortress wanting to devour its visitors.
Legends about the castle abound: It is said that the roses that once adorned the interior gardens of the castle have grown into a thick briar, with perilous thorns that have cause the demise of more than one soldier, that the basement of the fortress is home to a ravenous beast which has a taste for human flesh, and that princess Rosenbriar still lives on top of the highest tower of the palace, frozen in eternal slumber, and locked into a crystal coffin. Whether any or all of these rumors are true, only those who dare to visit the accursed place would be able to tell.
Closing the Borders: When Avarein wants to close the borders of Fairhafen, a wall of thorns (As per the spell) surrounds the whole realm. The wall is 50 feet wide, and no magic can dispel it.

[Jennifer]

Hi all,

There was also a German music group, I've forgotten what they were called, but they did music videos which took a deeply subversive angle on the accepted "Children's Tales" of the Grimm brothers. One such video featured seven squat, misshapen men who toiled all day in the mines digging stones, and presenting them to a greedy princess who lived in their cottage for her appraisal.

You mean Rammstein and Hier kommt die Sonne (here comes the sun) from their album Mutter (mother), which is really very good.

If you want to know more about fairytales, the meaning behind them and some other musings, visit

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm.html
From a professor in folktales
and

http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/
with lots of annotations to fairytales and the meaning of a lot of symbols in the tales

I find fairytales a good inspiration for my Ravenloft games and have used two shamelessly. One was about a mother who would not stop grieving for her dead child, so the child's soul could not pass on to heaven and remained as a ghost in her home, causing a lot of consternation.
The other was about a son beating his mother, since his mother would not correct this bad behaviour, he could find no rest in the grave until his mother punished his skeletal arm, which grew above his grave.

good luck with this and I would like to hear it if you ever adventure in this realm.

Jennifer

[WolfKook]

Dread Possibility: The Queen's Tale
Officially, Queen Avarein comes from a distant land. However, her language, her accent and most of her physical features would mark her as a native of Fairhafen. A simple commoner, perhaps from the town of Rötkappchen.
Indeed, the oldest people of Rotkäpcchen remember something about a woman who was accused of witchcraft some 70 years ago. She managed to escape her captors just before her execution, and promised to take revenge before she disappeared into the Black Forest. It is said that the forest has never been the same since then. Some even have identified this anonymous woman with the misterious "Granny" who still lives in the forest. If that is true, "Granny" would be around a hundred years by now.
Rumor is that this woman had a daughter, who was adopted by the town's priest when her mother was accussed of witchcraft. She disappeared some time later, never to be seen again. Some people have tried to identify Queen Avarein with this unknown child. If that is true, it would explain the reported presence of the Royal Carriage in the town of the red roofs less than a week before the princess' infamous accident. Maybe it would also explain the creepy mists which rose all over the kingdom that night and have not receded since then.

[Snake]

Very nice. Great job with the domain and the Darklord. Looks like you put quite a bit of effort into creating this.

[Sylaire]

Had some more thoughts about why I like this so much:

1. Atmosphere: Based on traditional source material instantly familiar to the players (thus generating mood), yet twisted--I'm a personal fan of the "tainted innocence" genre of such things, and the fact that the original Grimm's tales on which our present-day exposure to children's fairy tales are based upon actually are better-suited to Ravenloft than they are to Disney lend an added stamp of authenticity.

2. Darklord: Avvy nicely embodies the duality of good Gothic villains in that you feel sorry for them even as you want to rip them new bodily orifices (for the same reason, I don't like the Dread Possibility: it reduces Avarein from being the frustrated victim of social prejudice who used unscrupulous and evil methods to climb in power only to find it wasn't all it was cracked up to be, to being a mere "born bad" type of villain). And I love the irony in her curse--that to maintain absolute power, she has to protect the lives of her hated enemies.

3. Playability of Darklord's Story: I like the fact that you can run an adventure resolving Avvy's story and the Fate of the Kingdom. Personally, I dislike "static" darklords like Harkon Lukas (yeah, you can interact with Lukas in many ways and he's a great character, but the PCs can actually do anything about him) or Ankhtepot (since he sits in his tomb there's little reason to interact with him). Additionally, with the addition of Lothar and his (presumably) innocent son, the game becomes three-cornered. Do the PCs want to save the princess? Do they want to rescue the captive prince? Do they get hired by Avvy to thwart the schemes of the genuinely evil Lothar to usurp power from Avvy? The central story of the domain can involve the PCs in a large variety of different ways, all of which can play out to a number of different resolutions (Avvy can be beaten...but does Lothar become the new darklord? Is Rosenbriar really an innocent? Is one of the "ugly stepsisters" seeking to step out of her mother's shadow? Is something else entirely waiting in the wings?).

4. Playability of the Domain: Another thing I dislike is domains where there's nothing to do but confront the darklord. That's okay for pockets and oubliettes (indeed, that's why pockets and oubliettes exist). Fairhafen has a lot of open space and any number of different Grimm's-tales-based adventures can play out there, so the PCs can come visit and get involved in other adventures.

[WolfKook]

Very nice. Great job with the domain and the Darklord. Looks like you put quite a bit of effort into creating this.

Thanks, Snake! I just had the idea, and did some research, trying to create plenty of opportunities for adventuring from the original tales. I still have the "Folk" part missing... I hope anyone could give me a hand with it.

...I don't like the Dread Possibility: it reduces Avarein from being the frustrated victim of social prejudice who used unscrupulous and evil methods to climb in power only to find it wasn't all it was cracked up to be, to being a mere "born bad" type of villain.

Ok. We still have time to fix it (I don't want Avvy -BTW: Love the name! -to go into that direction either). I just wanted to create a relationship between Avvy and one of the most sinister characters I created for the domain, but I agree that the mother-daughter relationship is a little too obvious and screws Avvy's story a little. Do you have any suggestions to make it right?

Also, I still would like comments about the names: In english, Marschensloss translates plainly as "Fairy Tale Castle", and the town names (Aschenputtel - Something like "ashen angel", Dornroschen - "Rose Briar", Rotkäppchen - "Red Cap" and Sneewittchen - "Snow White") are the names of four of the most well-known Grimm tales (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood and... Well, you know, respectively); Svanereden translates as "Swan lake" and the name of princess Rosenbriar is the name of Sleeping Beauty, as it was originally used in the tales. Are the names too obvious? Should I change any of them?