Café de Nuit

The Fall of House of Pancrazio

Outline: The Pancrazio family is one of the wealthier of all the Borcan nobles. Their ancestral home, Pancrazio Manor stands high and proud on the outskirts of Vor Zyden, near the Shadow Rift.

The Pancrazio’s have always supported the Boritsi family and have stayed for the most part out of area politics. Twenty five years ago the family patron, Nico Pancrazio, passed away at the age of 84. His savvy niece Luisa, seized control of the family fortune. Dispensing the wealth from a secret vault located within the Manor, Luisa kept her relatives close and dependent on her.

Tragedy struck when a fire nearly destroyed the manor a decade ago, and took much of the family wealth to repair. Luisa was enraged that the fire was so costly and saw over much of the construction herself to ensure the money was spent correctly.

Following the fire Luisa became bitter and she withheld even the smallest luxury from her relatives. This change in her attitude also brought about a change in her daily routine; she took to long naps during the day and wanderings at night. She no longer went to town and began drinking wine heavily. Eventually Luisa stopped talking to anyone but her niece Phebe. Her son Roderigo began handling the financial affairs of the household, but he still had to get the money from his reclusive mother, a more and more difficult task as the years passed.

Luisa wasn’t the only change that occurred after the fire. Strange happenings have happened in the years since. Noises in the attic, lights in rooms where candles were extinguished, and then the death of Antonio. Antonio was Roderigo and Gianna’s fifth child who fell from the second floor balcony two years ago. Before his death a strange music, as if from a flute, was heard through out the Manor. Inspecting the source of the music brought several family members to the balcony an instant before Antonio’s fall.

The music has been heard several times since, but no one has sought it out.

Luisa at the age of 78 has recently passed away. The state of her body at death suggested she did not die naturally. The strange flute music was loudest the night of her death. She took the secret of the family’s vault with her.

Immediate members of the Pancrazio family are as follows (NPC’s):

Roderigo Pancrazio Age 59, is the son of Luisa and has two children (2 of which can be PC’s) He is a tall man with dark hair and sour features. He has served with the Borcan army and militia and is an accomplished hunter. His wife Gianna is a dark haired former beauty who has aged badly. She spends her time entertaining wealthy socialites.

Saverio Pancrazio
is Lusia’s brother. Age 71, he is the eldest of the living Pancrazio’s and is quite educated. He built the family’s library into one of the largest in all of Borca. However educated, Saverio is a timid and short man, quick to avoid confrontation. He has two children (2 of which can be PC’s). His wife, Ornella is long dead. Saverio has spent the last 15 years in Lamordia studying various scholarly pursuits.

Magenta Fiorella Age 38 is the daughter of Roderigo and Gianna Pancrazio. She has returned to Pancrazio Manor following the death of her husband Agosto, a weathy wine merchant from Sturben.

Phebe Pancrazio Age 49, is the unwed daughter of Saverio Pancrazio. Phebe has lived at Pancrazio her entire life, including the many years Saverio was studying abroad. She is a quiet woman who rarely speaks except to her beloved cats Brutus and Sneak.

Emilio Silverworth age 80 is the house maggiordomo. He served both Nico and Luisa Pancrazio. He has continued performing his duties ambivalent to the events occurring around him.

Mariabella Age 40 is the house cook. She has lived at Pancrazio manor her whole life. He mother and father were house servants until their deaths in the house fire 10 years ago.


Enter the characters:

PC’s are members of the Pancrazio family or have some interest in Pancrazio Manor. They are recommended to be of Borcan decent, though any pc race is allowed.

PC’s can also play Mansion staff such as butlers, maids, etc…

3.5 D&D rules. Ravenloft Sword & Sorcery books, though my Borca will have slight variations from canon, resembling those found in Ewan Cummins online game thread found here.

PC’s begin play at 2nd Level. All Classes allowed from all 3.5 books except for:
Magic of Incarnum, Exalted Deeds, Vile Darkness, Book of Nine Swords, and Tome of Magic. Psionics are not usable by PC’s in my Ravenloft campaign world.

I'm in, if you can get some other people. I imagine it'll be a little while before you start. That's good, because I'm rather busy with school ATM. Soon will come winter break, however!

Here's my PC in a nutshell:

Tristan Appleman
human fighter, native of Arkandale [assuming a version similiar to the Old South variant from the Lonesome Road- Jmaytr and I share similiar ideas about the domain]

Tristan is a young man [28] from Arkandale. He is a talented gunsmith and alchemist. Tristan is also handy with a pistol, good with dogs, and something of an athlete.

He has recently been hired by the Pancrazios to look after their dogs and guns.

Ah...noticed a potential rules problem with my PC. According to the RAW, only casters can use alchemy skill to make stuff. Weird. It would explain why gunpowder tech hasn't overrun the whole setting, though.

Hmm. How about:

Tuke
halfing bard, of indeterminate and undisclosed origins. He affects the clothing and style of a Vistani, although he obviously has no legitimate connection to them. A former hanger on/drinking buddy/court fool for Magenta's wealthy husband, Tuke has taken it upon himself to keep Magneta's spirits up after her husband died. He seems to be a harmless, friendly lackwit. He's a good deal smarter than he lets on, however, and has motives all his own.

Ewan, Craft(gunsmithing) is open to you. Most checks for care, handling, and repair of firearms should be covered by that skill, even if you can't legitimately make gunpowder from its raw ingredients. Your character could corn the powder, weight it out, repair the wheellocks, that sort of thing. It would work fine.

Irving the Meek wrote: Ewan, Craft(gunsmithing) is open to you. Most checks for care, handling, and repair of firearms should be covered by that skill, even if you can't legitimately make gunpowder from its raw ingredients. Your character could corn the powder, weight it out, repair the wheellocks, that sort of thing. It would work fine.

Thanks- I've found a cantrip feat. If Jmaytr okays it [I think it's weak enough to be balanced], then I ought to be good to go. In addition to fulfilling rules requirements- the feat really fits my character and my conception of Arkandale [ which is based on several sources- The Lonesome Road variant of the domain by Andrew Wyatt, Jmaytr's old tabletop game, and the Alvin Maker books by Orson Scott Card, Appalachian folklore, etc].

Tuke sounds cool. I want to hang out with that halfling. Does he partake of the sweet moonshine? Tristan will happily brew some up for his pals.

Oooh, you need to look at Manly Wade Mellman. Silver John seems to be right up this character's alley. Check him out here if you don't know about him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_John

And Tuke will probably drink anything, anywhere, with anyone, at least once. (I suspect this game is going to be black enough that a very light sprinkling of comedy would be useful.)

Oh yes, I know Wellman. Great author! I love his stories. The Old Gods Waken is one of my faves.

I think I'd like to join in, provided you'll have me. As for my character idea:

Harold Noor
Human Sorcerer, age 40

Tristan is a Mordentishman by birth, but he was first kicked out of his family home, and then told to leave his home village, when word got out that he was starting to manifest magical powers with little control. People tend not to trust him because he is an individual of a retiring nature, eager to stay out of the limelight and people's attention. After living like a vagrant for several years, he finally found a position in the house of Saverio Pancrazio, who was looking for a tutor for his children at the time. Tristan is well aware that he got the position mostly because he had no political affiliations whatsoever in Borca; he has since proven to be disinterested in such matters as well.

Tristan does not truly consider himself a member of the Pancrazio family, nor a proper member of their household. He stayed on after Saverio's children outgrew the tutoring he could provide them with, having found a rapport with his employer's scholarly side; he has acted as a scholarly agent, seeking out rare tomes and helping with the translation and interpretation of some of them.

Two guys named Tristan, eh? Hope it doesn't get confusing!


Interesting we are all servants and hangers-on....I wonder who [if anyone] will play a Pancrazio?

Hmmm. I could change Tristan into a Tanya? ^^; It'd make things less confusing. Or, y'know, I could change his name to Harold.

Rock wrote:Hmmm. I could change Tristan into a Tanya? ^^; It'd make things less confusing. Or, y'know, I could change his name to Harold.

As you like, my friend.

If you are casting about for a British sort of name that still has a bit of oddness to it [and begins with T]- why not Titus? For me, the name brings up several Ravenloft appropriate associations: Titus Groan, Titus Andronicus, etc.

EDIT- I see you've settled on Harold.

I'd like to throw my hat in too, if you don't mind a player who's new to the PBP style. My husband is playing Tuke, so I won't be completely in the wind.

I have two potential PC ideas, one "upstairs", one "downstairs". I'll offer my first choice, but if the DM has a particular wish in the name of party balance, I'm good with it.

Agna -- Agna was a starving, half-wild 6-year-old when she was brought into the household. After cleaning her up, the household decided she must be a half-Vistani, based on her coloring (light tan skin, very dark brown hair and blue eyes so light she looks blind) and the strange gibberish she spoke. She became one of the house servants and it became something of a project to "civilize" her. To put it mildly, it was not pleasant for anyone; anytime something went missing in the house, it was always her room that was searched, and any protest on her part brought a lecture about being grateful for her place. After enough of this, she decided that if they thought her guilty, then by goshdarn she was going to be guilty of something. She is a very good household sneak -- she doesn't quite know where the bodies are buried, but she knows what got burned in the fireplace last night, she can pick the lock on the butler's pantry, and where's the best place to listen in the gallery.

Agna has flowered into a good-looking young woman of 19, the kind that makes men look a little too long and arouses the spite of women. She is well aware that Gianna will likely throw her out before too much longer -- already Gianna makes her cover her hair and wear the drabbest clothing available. She knows almost nothing of her Vistani heritage, part of the effort to "civilize" her.

Tahl as he is called by his friends is a wandering Elven warrior of Noble Lineage . Who Left his Native Sithicus to make he's fortune in the world by mastering the blades he wields of elven style . For heavy damaging work he use's a Masterwork 2 Handed Elvencourt Blade, for guard duty/mass battle conditions he use's his Elven Thinblade and shield . He stands at 6ft tall of dense muscle in his well tooled studded leather . As he moves like a panther across a battle field or even just moving through a room . His full name is Matril Tahlzair the forth son of a minor noble house .


Tahl is more at ease with fellow soldiers/men at arms types and commoners than with those of his station and above . He does not try to socialize with people he does not already know, as he is not well versed in this regard . He has black hair and hazel eyes(in this case bright green with specks of brown in them) .

I humbly suggest that this become the repository thread for background notes, maps, etc

a year later...

SWEET.