Café de Nuit

High Priest Mikhal wrote:Actually I'm a little disappointed with it, so I may go back and redo it later. I wanted to finish the Kalidnay adventure off and that's what came out. As for mountains, it's been so long since I last saw the map of Kalidnay I barely remember a thing about it. I had to search to get the name of the town Artan-Ak.

You don't have DoD? There is a map there. Unfortunately, the scaling makes Kalidnay City about 30 miles across (I'm guessing , I don't remember every detail of books that I read). Not that I mind, the original map from Forgotten Lore (?) had the domain's total width as 5 miles across. Given the number of people that lived in the city pre-RL, I know some local small cities (10,000+ residents) that are bigger than that.

I used to have DoD, until it got thrown out years ago (damn spring cleaning!). But my FLGS has had a copy sitting on its shelves for...well, years! I think I'll just go pick that up.

High Priest Mikhal wrote:I used to have DoD, until it got thrown out years ago (damn spring cleaning!). But my FLGS has had a copy sitting on its shelves for...well, years! I think I'll just go pick that up.

And that just proves my theory that a person should never throw out old game books--you'll never know when they might be necessary.

Yeah, I know. Just got back from FLGS (book's gone; *&$^&@#^!!!!), but I can buy an e-copy for four bucks off Paizo. Eh.

The next little leg is going to involve the first time I bring the Nightmare Court and the Nightmare Lands into the story. I'm having a hard time with the dates, though. Dr. Illhousen was born in 695 BC (according to J. W. Mangrum's timeline) and he had to have been a fairly young man when he first discovered and encountered the Nightmare Court. In 725 he'd be 30, so that seems to fit. Does that sound right or am I too early in the canonical timeline? And I'm reading The Nightmare Lands books as I write this but I'm not seeing any specific dates.

EDIT: Never mind. If the Realms of Terror box started in 740 (which I'm going to assume it did) then this would be about the time that Illhousen is just beginning his rivalry with Trasker. It does change a few things, but not the appearance of the Nightmare Court or a trip into the Nightmare Lands. Just Dr. Illhousen won't be there for the ride is all.

Nice entry. The additional background on Alex was pretty good. Are you setting up some non-canon background for the Nightmare Man? If so, I see where you're going. If not, surprise me.

By the way, thanks for reading my first entries on my Jagged Shoals log. What can I say, you inspired me. Just put up a new one.

Ah, you'll make me blush. I'll say this: no, I'm not altering the Nightmare Man's canonical background. I am altering what the Nightmare Court is in the multiverse beyond Ravenloft, but then so little about the Region of Dreams has ever been written that I've got an empty slate to work with.

Keep up the good work on the Jagged Shoals, too.

High Priest Mikhal wrote:Ah, you'll make me blush. I'll say this: no, I'm not altering the Nightmare Man's canonical background. I am altering what the Nightmare Court is in the multiverse beyond Ravenloft, but then so little about the Region of Dreams has ever been written that I've got an empty slate to work with.

Interesting. I am curious as to the Nightmare Man's relationship to "other" Nightmare Courts. So little has been written about how he became a DL beyond the fact that he may have been a bard in his pre-DL existence.

That's something I may never go into. I see the Nightmare Court as a group where any being can become a member. Arcanists and psionicists are the most likely members, but anyone who delves too deeply into the darker side of dreams could join. What joins them is their ties to the Dreamweb (or Web of Dreams, as it's called canonically). In tying themselves to this force they've ultimately weakened themselves; it grants power, yes, but at the cost that they can no longer survive without it. The Nightmare Man and other members are just six examples of countless others that have done this. Why they're in Ravenloft is another matter I leave up to the DM to decide. And I've heard that story about the Nightmare Man's origins; actually that's the theory I use in my games, but not necessarily my fiction.

The Nightmare Man is aware of the Court ouside of Ravenloft, but I don't think he much cares about them since he rules supreme where he is. The Court outside is as independent as you can get while still being a single group. The Dread Court, as I call them, is more cohesive mainly because of the Nightmare Man--his lawful alignment and because he's the key and puzzle to the mystery that is the Nightmare Court. The others could be manifestations of him, as mentioned in TNL, or they could be others he corrupted or who joined him of their own free will. For the fiction I use the latter theory. If there's anyone who has theories about them, please tell me. I'm always open to suggestions.

Then there are the Unmentioned--lesser members of the Court who aren't as influential as the six canon members, but no less evil and just as able to ensnare dreamers in the Dreamweb. They're called the Unmentioned in-game because the Nightmare Court regards them as upstarts and thus "not worth mentioning." It also refers to the fact these are DM-made characters not mentioned in any official product. Some could try to gain recognition and admittance to the full Court, while others are content to be left alone.

High Priest Mikhal wrote:Then there are the Unmentioned--lesser members of the Court who aren't as influential as the six canon members, but no less evil and just as able to ensnare dreamers in the Dreamweb. They're called the Unmentioned in-game because the Nightmare Court regards them as upstarts and thus "not worth mentioning." It also refers to the fact these are DM-made characters not mentioned in any official product. Some could try to gain recognition and admittance to the full Court, while others are content to be left alone.

I know it hasn't happened yet by your timeline, but curiosity compels me: Do you think Trasker is a member of the NC or just a victim? My take has him a victim-turned-member.

Trasker is kind of a funky case. He seems content to reign supreme over his own Clinic in the Nightmare Lands, but could easily become a member who feeds off of jealousy and hate. As of 757 he doesn't seem to be an official member yet with what little was written about the Nightmare Lands. It's like he's right on the cusp of turning into a member.

To let everyone know, I'm going on hiatus for about a week or so so. Not that there's been many updates to the Journals, but be aware I won't be back at them until after the start of August. I've got a bad case of writer's block and I'm trying to get through the 4e core books. I'm finding the new edition more and more preferable as I re-read them; yeah, I'm a jerk who reacts too quickly, dislikes change, and should keep his mouth shut. I apologize for my behavior and comments on these boards . I'm also doing research for future posts, mainly the writing style of A. N. Roquelaure and how other horror writers bring scenes to life through descriptive text.

Whatever you need to do, man. Me, I think it will be awhile still before I join the 4e bandwagon. I figure by that time, it will be time for 5e.

I'm not going 4e--at least not yet. I just need a break from writing and more time wrap my head around the use of powers in place of the system of spells, psionics, and maneuvers. The changes are largely semantic, even if the implementation feels a little off (only so many powers? Why not just say "pick any powers you want for the day and the limits are the max you can choose for any given day?" A la the spirit shaman's spells? Like I'm doing? ).

I'll still be doing 3e (and in some cases 2e) for years to come.

I'm baaaaaaaaaack! Aside from some trouble at work I'm ready to tackle the Journals anew and even release some standard fiction with the characters from the Journals. As well, I plan on posting fiction in the style of a story as opposed to a journal using characters and scenes from both Journals. Man, it feels good to writing again!

Hey, welcome back! Why the 3 month jump? It was a little jarring.