Blaustein!

[ewancummins]

Okay-

Let's discuss the coolness of Blaustein, and ways to utilize this tiny domain [that actually has people to talk to - unlike some small domains that are just dungeons].

Blautsein has pirates, yes? The inhabitants are described in the RLPHB as being '' thugs and ruffians''- some possessing ''maritime skills.'' Sounds like pirates to me.

Yes, I realize Bluebeard is not, and never was, any sort of pirate. He's a fairytale villian [maybe based in part on Gilles de Rais, if you buy that theory]. Not to be confused with Blackbeard -who was a real person, a real pirate, and not known for killing his wives [just for killing lots of other folks].


Anybody else have a different idea about this? Other ideas about ways to use/flesh out/expand/alter the domain?

[Isabella]

I mentally replaced Blaustein with the Caribbean.

Mostly because the pirates are all I remember about the domain.

[ewancummins]

I mentally replaced Blaustein with the Caribbean.

Mostly because the pirates are all I remember about the domain.

Hmmm


French Buccaneers ...makes sense.

If you do go with the Caribbean approach, that fits with the new Markovia being tropical. There might be a region of tropical/semi tropical microclimate in one part of the Sea of Sorrows.


I tend to see it more like the Channel Islands. You know- sort of Norman. That fits the Frenchniess, and it has pirates [Normans were Viking descendants, after all].

[Joël of the FoS]

Well Blaustein is the domain I’m covering for the SoS Report. I was going to ask for ideas and suggestions soon, but this thread had me going faster. Let’s embark!

Here’s a few random thoughts and ideas we had on this island – please comment and react?

- it will take into account the infor from Darklords as well as the short tale in Tales of RL.

- The key IMHO is to provide many adventure hooks and flesh so Blaustein doesn't become a one trick poney (like I hope I did with Monette in the NS report).

- Pirates, sure!

- But I’d make something more subtle or different from Tortuga - it's not Pirate of the Carribean after all! (Do not expect a Dread Jack Sparrow in the report!)

Maybe something twisted, where the old people live from the younger's people piracy. The older people (former pirates when they were young) look nice and appear noble, well mannered, while the younger are away stealing everything they can on sea.

When they get old, it's their time relaxing and enjoying the younger people's piracy - inflated sense of aristocracy, akin to playing dress-up.

So we could have this “artificial” aristocracy, well financed and sophisticated, while their young are heartless maritime thugs, that is, until they get to 50 years old.

And one of the themes with Bluebeard is how he kills his wives when they are not worthy (ref Darklords). So in the same twisted feel, for the older population, the aristocrats, they are the Worthy, i.e. they proved themselves when they were young.

Could be fun to have this pompous aristocracy, which quickly degenerates back to debauchery and violence when alcohol is spilled.


- Blaustein is a neutral territory of sorts, the place to go to escape 'the heat' or sell stolen goods. Bluebeard gets a % of the take.


- Slavery. Yep, you heard it.

Conventional piracy isn’t as lucrative on the Sea of Sorrows as modern-day audiences have come to expect from pirate movies and novels (no treasure-galleons to raid).

So Sharon had this great idea. Blausteiners are also engaged in human trafficking, for all the usual IRL reasons -- hard labor, military conscripts, sex -- as well as for reasons unique to dark fantasy: monster-fodder, cult sacrifices, "specimens" for mad scientists, host bodies for aberrant parasites, etc. When a ship is raided, the pirates will abduct the best candidates from among the crew and passengers, to bring back to Blaustein for "taming" in a secure stockade, far enough from shore that foreign visitors don't suspect its presence. From there, once their spirits are broken, the captives could be delivered to buyers on the coast, or sold to middlemen who'll smuggle them inland.

This would allow for more interaction between Blaustein and the rest of the Core, albeit of a covert and sordid nature. Bluebeard would approve of such dealings, as he'd insist on questioning the newly-captured slaves himself, to learn what's happening in the outside world and to check if any of them might be suitable brides.

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Please add your thoughts, comments, adventure hooks, dread possibilities! I'll take the best ideas to put in the SoS Report.

Joël

[EO]

A few things I had in mind about Blaustein. I'm currently building a version of it for our Persistant World, so I've been fiddling with it quite a bit:

Blaustein: According to the few descriptions we have of Blaustein, it's a rocky island in the Sea of Sorrows. Blaustein literally means "Blue Stone". There are gallows on the edge of town and there is always at least one person hanging from them, visible from the sea. The castle itself sits atop a hill not too far from the Village and is huge and empty.

Based on that, I picture Blaustein as a desolate, barren island with little vegetation. Natives to Blaustein live a grim life since agriculture yields very little and what little animals they can raise make for poor meat. As such, the people are generally not too friendly or joyful. The island really offers little to its people. So, when outlanders arrive with their ships full of goods or at least with some goods, the natives see this as an opportunity to acquire stuff. That's why they attack people who land on their island, to get what they have. Typically the only person who can stop such a mob from forming is Bluebeard who appears as a nobleman calming his angry peasants. That way players can see Bluebeard in a good light, he's this educated lord who saves the players, a good way to introduce him to the players.

---

It's not such a bad setup (the current one), but I agree it lacks something for it to be a more visited domain. I'm not that fond of turning it into Tortuga-island because I doubt we have that many pirate ships sailing the Sea of Sorrows. Considering how dangerous it is and how rarely ships venture on it, it'd probably be unrewarding and dangerous pirate work.

I also don't think Bluebeard would hire slavers to bring him wives. He is a charming man, he lures them to his island or waits for them to arrive there then he swoons them with his charms and personality.

However, it's said that his guards are nothing but armed thugs. It's really an ideal place for criminals, pirates on the run, ruffians and all those people who've burnt all their bridges in the Core to go. An almost lawless place where the only justice is that of Bluebeard and his thugs who care more about money than the 'law'.

Here's a picture of the way I portrayed Blaustein by the way:
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee25 ... ustein.jpg

[ewancummins]

I really think you should look at the history of Cornwall, the Channel Islands, and Brettony. Those places have plenty of pirates, smugglers, castles, isolated coves-etc. and are different from the usual ''Pirates of The Caribbean'' setting default.

[The Giamarga]

I also don't think Bluebeard would hire slavers to bring him wives. He is a charming man, he lures them to his island or waits for them to arrive there then he swoons them with his charms and personality.

While he sure lures them to his island or waits for them to arrive (easy with the ability to place a suggestion in such candidates), I wouldn't say he is that charming. His appearance is unsettling and ugly. Imho he is a brute and a thug at heart with a penchant for what i would call poetic justice/torture. (Go read the short story "Sight & Sound" in Tales of Ravenloft to see what i mean) He's almost bestial with a relatively thin veneer of culture and aristocracy. The central question for Bluebeard is, why does he kill all his wives, and why does he keep them in that room for the next wife to find? (Embarassingly I can't quite recall his canon history from Darklords)

In my 3.5 conversion of Bluebeard I made him a caliban aristocrat. While most of his caliban ugliness is taken away, the blue beard and slightly bulbous features remain as an unsettling reminder of his true nature.

I found this annotated version of the bluebeard fairy tale to be very enlightening about the symbolism inherent in the tale (check out the footnotes). Also this article mentions the many different versions of the tale.

[Joël of the FoS]

One of the key is indeed what to do with Bluebeard - stat wise (Giamarga has a great start here), but also background wise. Where does he come from?

Joël

[The Giamarga]

Where does he come from?

...figuratively speaking of course. What's his story, motivation, theme and curse ? From there you can mirror his story in the land's themes.

Anybody care to summarize the backstory from Darklords ?

[Irving the Meek]

I agree that we keep the nature of Bluebeard firmly in mind, and make sure that reflects in the domain itself. Bluebeard is a very, very well documented fairytale figure, and he hasn't changed a lick in Ravenloft. It's almost as if we had the Big Bad Wolf as a Darklord. You don't need to summarize the back story from Darklords - he's been with us since Perrault compiled one of the first books of fairy tales ever written.

So what's Blackbeard "about"? Some feminist authors consider him a cautionary tale or sorts, to keep daughter in line/oppressed. I'm never fond of this sort of reading of fairy tales, but then again, I'm a guy, so on some level I Don't Get It, I suppose.

I'm with Giamara: take a look at this take on the Bluebeard tale:

http://www.endicott-studio.com/rdrm/forblue3.html

...in particular, it's interesting to see that Bluebeard was depicted as an Oriental after a certain time. How about pirates of the Barbary Coast as a model, instead of Jack Sparrow?

There's a quote from the above article that I really think is on the money:

Blue Beard retains his charm by being what most men and women feel they cannot be: an overt articulator of the private fantasy of egomania... he is the subject that takes itself for a god. He is omnipotent because he accepts no social compromise; he acts solely in the pursuit of his own satisfaction... between an egotist with high expectations and a sociopath stretches only the fine thread of empathy and identification. Bluebeard is a story about illusion, transgression, and the dark side of carnal appetites.

So what does that mean for Blaustien? A place with Arabic influences is very interesting, and lets us creep in some Oriental material that might be missing from the Core.

The setting demands a strong woman of some sort, either as a rebuttal or a continuation of Bettleheim's themes. A female pirate? A duaghter of one of Bluebeard's former wives, come seeking vengeance? Not sure yet.

And if should be a sensual place - a place of "carnal appetites". The pirate city is a good way to explore this; but perhaps it's a pirate city with only a few laws - laws that, if broken, lead to death or worse.

Last, and most interesting, it should be a place with many treasures to seek, find, and regret locating. There are many lost pirate treasures in Blaustein, but many of them were lost for good reason... drag out your favorite cursed item, folks.

[WolfKook]

So what does that mean for Blaustien? A place with Arabic influences is very interesting, and lets us creep in some Oriental material that might be missing from the Core.

Blaustein could be a freeport of sorts. A place where merchants, respectable sailors and pirates from all over Ravenloft meet to change goods, take a rest and prepare for their travels. As such, almost anything can happen on its cities...

The setting demands a strong woman of some sort, either as a rebuttal or a continuation of Bettleheim's themes. A female pirate? A duaghter of one of Bluebeard's former wives, come seeking vengeance? Not sure yet.

And if should be a sensual place - a place of "carnal appetites". The pirate city is a good way to explore this; but perhaps it's a pirate city with only a few laws - laws that, if broken, lead to death or worse.

The first seems too stereotypical, and the second a little corny. How about the major of one of the most important cities? She could have a strong hand that has prevented the city from becoming a "Tortuga". She could be at odds with Bluebeard simply because of his treatment of women, and could have a hold on most things that happen in her city, from commerce to prostitution.

Last, and most interesting, it should be a place with many treasures to seek, find, and regret locating. There are many lost pirate treasures in Blaustein, but many of them were lost for good reason... drag out your favorite cursed item, folks.

To be like that, it should be a rocky island with many cliffs and a lot of caves, difficult to reach except by sea, and with a lot of reefs that prevent easy access to those places. That way, it should be easier to play hide and seek, with the risks involved.

[Irving the Meek]

The first seems too stereotypical, and the second a little corny. How about the major of one of the most important cities? She could have a strong hand that has prevented the city from becoming a "Tortuga". She could be at odds with Bluebeard simply because of his treatment of women, and could have a hold on most things that happen in her city, from commerce to prostitution.

Oooh, I like this. And she'd be a woman Bluebeard wants, and tries to woo, and fails miserably, because she's the antithesis of a Bluebeard wife. Fun, fun, fun.

To be like that, it should be a rocky island with many cliffs and a lot of caves, difficult to reach except by sea, and with a lot of reefs that prevent easy access to those places. That way, it should be easier to play hide and seek, with the risks involved.

Definitely. This would be a great island for dungeon crawling, Ravenloft style. (Is it too late to vote it in for 4e?) I can see a dungeon crawl where you've got a cave complex that only emerges at high tide... fighting your way back to the exit before the tide drowns you would be awesome. (Admittedly, you'd have to stick in an anti-magic effect to kill water breathing, but still.)

[Rotipher of the FoS]

The setting demands a strong woman of some sort, either as a rebuttal or a continuation of Bettleheim's themes. A female pirate? A duaghter of one of Bluebeard's former wives, come seeking vengeance? Not sure yet.

And if should be a sensual place - a place of "carnal appetites". The pirate city is a good way to explore this; but perhaps it's a pirate city with only a few laws - laws that, if broken, lead to death or worse.

The first seems too stereotypical, and the second a little corny. How about the major of one of the most important cities? She could have a strong hand that has prevented the city from becoming a "Tortuga". She could be at odds with Bluebeard simply because of his treatment of women, and could have a hold on most things that happen in her city, from commerce to prostitution.

I'm not sure that a living female anti-Bluebeard figure is the way to go here, as the existence of such a character would blunt the darklord's utterly uncompromising image. As refusal to compromise is what this villain is all about, the idea that a female could refute his overly-sexist views and survive -- let alone, be entrusted with authority -- seems counterproductive. It'd be against his nature to either trust a female character, or forgive her defiance in any way.

Rather, if we want a defiant female character, why not use a ghost? We know that Ravenloft's Bluebeard is haunted by his murdered wives, and we could extend that to include other women he might've slain also. What if one of his brides-to-be once had the courage to defy his attempts to coerce her into an arranged marriage, and the outraged darklord murdered her before they'd actually wed? That could endow her ghost with a free will his dead wives lack, and the ability to roam about at will, sabotaging his wicked schemes.

[Irving the Meek]

Rather, if we want a defiant female character, why not use a ghost? We know that Ravenloft's Bluebeard is haunted by his murdered wives, and we could extend that to include other women he might've slain also. What if one of his brides-to-be once had the courage to defy his attempts to coerce her into an arranged marriage, and the outraged darklord murdered her before they'd actually wed? That could endow her ghost with a free will his dead wives lack, and the ability to roam about at will, sabotaging his wicked schemes.

The two ideas aren't necessarily contrary. A ghost who manipulates a city to work against Bluebeard? Possibly even a walking dead of some form? I'm reluctant to stick a vampire in here - vampires have their own sorts of psychosexual baggage, and I don't want to see the waters muddied.(1)

The visual I come up with is of a woman whose heart has been literally cut out of her by Bluebeard... and yet, she still walks, intact and beautiful save for that gaping wound. Bluebeard will have her heart, one way or the other.

(1) I hereby request five brownie points for using the phrase "psychosexual baggage" while discussing Dungeons and Dragons.

[EO]

While he sure lures them to his island or waits for them to arrive (easy with the ability to place a suggestion in such candidates), I wouldn't say he is that charming. His appearance is unsettling and ugly. Imho he is a brute and a thug at heart with a penchant for what i would call poetic justice/torture. (Go read the short story "Sight & Sound" in Tales of Ravenloft to see what i mean) He's almost bestial with a relatively thin veneer of culture and aristocracy. The central question for Bluebeard is, why does he kill all his wives, and why does he keep them in that room for the next wife to find? (Embarassingly I can't quite recall his canon history from Darklords[/quote]

In both the fairytale and Darklords, he is an ugly figure, but with a distinct charm. I think that in Darklords, they push this further to include how he can read in people's hearts (and can tell lies straight away). He knows what people desire most and that's how he gets them. If someone greedy is after money, Blaustein will know how to charm her, if a woman is after a wealthy gentleman who is refined, he'll be able to swoon her.

He is a viscious man indeed and a brute at heart, but he can appear very much the gentleman. And that's why he doesn't need to force women into marriage, neither the original Bluebeard (who slowly convinced that sister to marry him) nor the Ravenloft one who lures them with promises of 'something'.

Women love him up to the point where they betray him and then they still love him after their death. If a wife of his didn't open that door, he'd have no reason to kill her. Bluebeard could be seen as a sort of control freak; he has total control over his village and wants to have the same control over his wives, he is looking for one that will remain faithful to him. At the same time, since he can read into hearts, he can tell what would tempt them to open that door and simply sets the stage for it to happen. A test, perhaps?

And as for a caliban, I've never seen him as such. I think he's a human, albeit one that was quite ugly and brutish. What I don't like about his Darklords version is that he is a wimp, really, he's a low level darklord. For someone described in Sights and Sounds as such a brutal and dangerous man, any low or mid level party can easily kick his ass.

--

As for the domain, I still wouldn't see it as a pirate haven a la Tortuga. It can be a place of ruffians and thugs, but Bluebeard remains a control freak and he is quite execution-friendly (the gallows at the edge of town always have at least one fresh corpse hanging from them). It could be that the only thing he cares about is that people don't defy him, then it could be a pretty lawless village. He expects loyalty from his people, but no more? So long as his ego and his semblance of control over his island is respected, Bluebeard would care little what people do to one another. But he wants and can know anything that happens on the island and wants to meet any newcomers.

In my version of Blaustein, I added a sea hag ship captain (loosely based on Black Molly, a 3E adventure) with a crew of reavers whose lair was nearby. I had ideas of having her somehow get involved with Bluebeard (since she can turn into an attractive woman if she wants).