Blaustein!

[cure]

I wonder if BB's fondness for law is not less a love for law itself and more a love of being obeyed and especially of being able to harm others, when the whim seizes him, with 'just cause.'

His is not, I think, a tyranny where every possible action of the citizen is rule governed. He is not a micro-manager. I think that he is closer to Strahd, with a handful of rules that are to be obeyed absolutely, but with the difference that he takes a fiendish delight, from time to time, in tempting, or otherwise subtly pushing, individuals to break those very rules. So a visiting sailor isn't likely to be seized and sold as a slave for being on the streets after sunset or for groping the serving wench. Whereas a captain trying to cheat on the taxes due could easily be condemning himself and his crew to slavery. Which is to say that Blaustein need not be an exceedingly orderly place. But it is a place where certain points are non-negotiable and only a fool dares think otherwise. So a cleric of the Lawgiver could well think that BB is not doing a particularly thorough job. And informed of this fact, BB, rather than seeing the light, would, at best, tell the cleric to sod off. BB is more interested in extracting gold and amusing himself than in a well organised thelogico-political regime. A religion then, will be no more than a tool to him. And unlike Azalin who created a religion as an instrument of social control, he has no pressing need (given the adoration of the citizenry) of wielding such a tool.

Granted, of course, someone has got to perform the marriages. (Why not a ship's captain aboard a ship in the harbour?) Yet Blaustein should not be a pale reflection of, or even an improvement upon, Nova Vaasa. It should be distinct.

[The Giamarga]

A question though, does Bluebeard's power extend to foreigners? His ability to make them forget? I also figure that there would be very few non-native women on Blaustein, because outlander ones would likely catch Bluebeard's eye.

His ability to make them forget is indeed explicitly limited to the Blaustein folk in Darklords. "They cannot remember anything he wants them to forget." But he can detect lies on anybody. Depending on how literally you read the text, he can also charm. Another easily missed thing is that all native Blaustein women that he covets, "take on the semblance of one of his dead wives. He does not see his former wife as she was in life, that would hardly be unsettling. He sees them dead, decaying and bleeding, and no matter what the expression of the real woman is, his former wife is always grinning at him. No one else who lives in Blaustein can see the transformation, though visitors with appropriate magical of psionic abilities are able to."

Also interestingly Bluebeard has lived for over/almost a century now in Ravenloft according to Darklords.

[The Giamarga]

6) his power to invade dreams in order to lure women in his island. How does it work? Dread possibilities & adventure hooks ?

7) time of creation: year 697 (a nod to the creation of the tale by Perrault in 1697)

What I need – do not post here, but PM me or email me (let’s keep some surprises for the netbook!)

1) personality for each of the ten + ghosts of the former wife (see Darklords map for their name)

2) Blausteiners NPC description

3) features of the castle - rooms, decoration ideas, special objects, etc.

Send me your ideas, I’ll add as much as I can in to the text.

Adventure hooks and dread possibilities on Blaustein welcomed!

Joël

Paging Deepshadow... Dr Deepshadow please send your stuff to Joel.

Also: Dibbs on the last wife-to-be, Lovely Lorel and her brother Lord Henredon.

As for the date of creation, as i said above Darklords implies that BB has been in RL for over a century. (See Current Sketch: ...Over the course of a century, his features have improved. ... and that was at the time corresponding to the publication date of Darklords.)

[The Giamarga]

Looking over the canon Blaustein material, two things stick out for me. One, Bluebeard is a tyrant (even if a naturally or supernaturally loved one). Two, he can detect lies and uses this to his advantage when he wishes to see to someone's ruin within the parametres of his already existing laws. Even in Sound and Sight from Dark Tales, which I highly recommend as perhaps the best story of the lot, Bluebeard rather than simply taking the tongue of the hero, offers to take it in return for the release of the girl, IF she can be persuaded to leave. He is not just one for the veneer of law but rather he actually revels in the tyranny of law.

Well the deal he offered wasn't a deal at all it was a cruel trap. He ripped out Henredons tongue knowing that the young scholar wouldn't be able to make his sister leave with him, as he had already gouged out her eyes. They couldn't really communicate with each other, Lorel being terrified of Henredon when he enters her room, thinking him Bluebeard. And I do not think Henredon could have declined that deal, BB did not wait for Henredon's answer, but simply grabbed him and tore out his tongue. Also apparently Lorel did not survive for long, as Lorel is the name of BBs last wife in Darklords.

[EO]

Well the deal he offered wasn't a deal at all it was a cruel trap. He ripped out Henredons tongue knowing that the young scholar wouldn't be able to make his sister leave with him, as he had already gouged out her eyes. They couldn't really communicate with each other, Lorel being terrified of Henredon when he enters her room, thinking him Bluebeard. And I do not think Henredon could have declined that deal, BB did not wait for Henredon's answer, but simply grabbed him and tore out his tongue. Also apparently Lorel did not survive for long, as Lorel is the name of BBs last wife in Darklords.

A minor note, but I don't think he had already gouged her eyes out at the time. Also, the whole Sight and Sound seems to be a sort of bad ending version of the Perrault tale. Lorel's brother arrives heroically to save her, banging on the door, but then instead of saving his sister like in the tale, everything goes wrong for him.

[The Giamarga]

Yes, but BB did gouge out her eyes, before Henredon got to see her.

As for the other point, isn't this somehow what Ravenloft is about? In all most gothic horror stories in the end the villain is vanquished, in Ravenloft this doesn't happen, unless the PCs do it.

[cure]

Well the deal he offered wasn't a deal at all it was a cruel trap.

Exactly. That encapsles his view of law. It is at trap in the service of his cruel whims, a veritable deal with the devil.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

I think Blaustein’s population should be in the range of 200 – 400 peoples. So there is a sufficient small but motivated militia and support. Otherwise, Bluebeard would have been killed by adventurers a while ago

I'd make it larger, but then I inflate the populations and distances IMC.

As cure first suggested, Blaustein is a pirate haven. But Darklords and RL3e say that any foreign ship is boarded by angry Blausteiners. Let’s add something to make it more practical in game: the ships not bearing a Blaustein pavilion are boarded. So pirates and other raiders and other criminal dwellers know and use that pavilion. Other foreign ship not knowing this are boarded and brought to Bluebeard.

Sounds good!

I’d really like to keep that slaving idea, which didn’t get any reaction so far. Bluebeard and his thugs are providing living bodies to Markov and Heinfroth, as well as to other paying customers on the core with special tastes.

I like the idea of slavery in the SoS. Sure solves the problem of Heinfroth getting "control" (i.e. sane) subjects for some of his experiments!

Keep on the reflections, it’s quite cool. I’d like to have more ideas on Bluebeard – where does he come from – background history and similar things story, motivation, theme and curse ?

Giamarga has been quoting me on this: IMC Bluebeard was suspicious that his wives could actually love him despite his looks, so he started testing them to see if they were only interested in his money. Of course, you can't ever be totally certain that someone isn't faking their loyalty. The chance of a false negative approaches zero as you test more, but you end up with many more false positives. You just can't prove a negative, and that's what got him into trouble.

The theme I’d like to test with you is the Worthiness. Darklords says he kills his wife when they have been proven unworthy of his trust. Quite easy to translate for the wives.

I agree. This is consistent with the above ideas on testing for loyalty.

Now for the Blausteiners. You have the young Blausteiners – raiders, shady traders, slavers, whale fishers, etc (all tough guys). They revel in these tough / brutish activities, and alcohol is flowing in their veins. This is the source of revenues for the island, and Bluebeard has a % of the take (those evading this “tax” are punished by horrible death).

Okay, but there's a whole different demographic division to consider: natives vs. foreign born. Anyone who immigrates to the island is immune to BB's memory alteration.

When they get older (40? 50?), if they reach this age, it’s time to retire. They proved their worthiness. They move one level up literally, moving in small mansions closer to the castle. They become (try hard anyway) gentlemen and gentlewomen. The façade is well maintained, and at first glance, they could look OK in a Dementelieuse salon, if a little outdated in fashion, and a few scars and broken limbs. But when alcohol is flowing, sometimes, this veneer melts and the pirate talk is back, as with the violence of the early age.

Hmmmm...this sounds more like Blackbeard in his attempt at retirement, which failed, of course. Not that I mind mixing the two....

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Sounds to me like the Lawgiver's missionaries would love Blaustein. An iron-fisted, uncompromising ruler who can't be lied to, and who coldly butchers those who defy his commands? A populace that adores him, no matter how harshly he sees fit to exert his authority? Slavers who round up sailors and other lawless riffraff, grinding them down so they'll unquestioningly obey their new masters? Hell, the Himmelsk Naeve would want to retire to this place!

Consider, from VRA, p. 52: "...the teeth of Uri Grislev, a martyr of the Church of the Lawgiver (sadly slain while attempting to convert the natives of the island of Blaustein)."

So we have a canon attempt to convert, that sounds pretty darn unsuccessful...but it could have turned things around posthumously. And why oh why would we only have his teeth?!

And are these teeth magical in any way? Relics, even?

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Consider, from VRA, p. 52: "...the teeth of Uri Grislev, a martyr of the Church of the Lawgiver (sadly slain while attempting to convert the natives of the island of Blaustein)."

Given the nature of the Lawgiver's church, Uri may have ticked off the locals by being too arrogant and pushy, or he might simply have been snatched up by slavers before he got a word in edgewise. Perhaps he was one of a party of missionaries, and his surviving companions had better luck than he did.

Or maybe he went to Blaustein with some ulterior motive, and Bluebeard promptly caught him in a lie. The Church only claimed him for a martyr because his real agenda wasn't something they'd admit to, such as an attempt to steal back one of Bluebeard's wives for himself.

And why oh why would we only have his teeth?!

Maybe he was seized by slavers or Bluebeard's thugs, who kicked the stuffing out of him in the process, leaving a couple of knocked-out teeth behind. His companions salvaged those, but never found the body. For all we know, Uri might still be alive if that's the case, rotting in some slave pit or prison cell!

If so, then his teeth might actually be cursed items rather than relics, if Uri managed to spit out a CoV as he was being dragged away.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

1) When BB wants to test his new wife, he says he is away “for business”, for six weeks. Eventually, the woman is curious and opens the forbidden room. Now that BB is a DL, and physically limited to Blaustein (or is he?), what does he say? Does he hide somewhere on the island?

Surely it doesn't take six weeks for all of them. Just being left alone day after day while he goes into town would tempt most people. OTOH, maybe he's had to change his MO even more. IMC he gouged out Lorel's eyes because she kept looking at other men.

If he does still use the same old tired story, then yes he needs to sequester himself somewhere. My suggestion: underground. IMC I had a significant subterranean complex under the castle, and it wouldn't be hard to make it bigger. Maybe connect it with that pit in the castle.

2) Can BB close his border, and how?

Didn't Darklords cover this? I thought it did. I'd make it a typical turnaround closure.

3) religion. If any, definitively not Ezra or similar. Ideas? Or voodoo similar to Souragne?

Despite what happened to Uri (see previous post) I think the Lawgiver would be appropriate here. Need to iron out why that attempt to convert turned out so badly. Perhaps Uri stumbled on something the Lawgiver wouldn't approve of? Better yet, he stumbled on something the Lawgiver woudn't mind at all...but BB couldn't take the shame?

4) Why is BB’s castle so heavily defended (20’ feet stone walls, murder holes, arrow slits, tilt mechanism to throw invaders in a pit, etc.) ?

a) it's the culture BB comes from. All the castles in his homeworld are mega-defensive.

b) it's reflective of BB's personality: inviting yet defensive. Just as the castle gates stand wide open to intruders, so BB allows women into his private space to test them.

c) it's part of the false history. The Blaustein people recall many invasions by Core countries, much like the Invidian "occupation" of Kartakass. Needless to say, this gives them cause to distrust continentals.

5) The castle has la large pit in the middle of it. Other than skeletons of thrown peoples, what are the secrets associated to it? Dread possibilities & adventure hooks ?

IMC I said that BB invited a team of adventurers to cleanse his castle, then tossed them into the pit when they discovered his secret. FWIW it was less about what they thought of him and more about his private shame/control issues.

One member of that party, a wizard, was saved because he fell into a giant spider's web. He made it to the surface to discover the locals had forgotten about him and his party. He eventually founded Memento Mori.

Apart from the giant spiders, you might have a secret vault down in that pit where BB hides when away on "business."

Other random possibilities:

--a Mistway into the Shadow Rift, or the Core. This could be combined with BB's vault, because the Mistway would not work for him, hence anyone following him would be Mist-led off the island!

--a catacomb related to the island's false history. Considering the number of literal skeletons in BB's closet, this would be almost a must.

6) his power to invade dreams in order to lure women in his island. How does it work? Dread possibilities & adventure hooks ?

Dream powers, hmmmm.... Well, so that people don't totally suspect it's supernatural, I'd have it happen like this: BB advertises in the Core about his desire for a wife. Any woman who reads the entire ad/flyer/whatever gets a dream-visit from BB, who creates a fantasy about what it will be like. At the same time, BB checks out his prospects and selects one or two for additional dream-visits. With each one, his hold gets stronger, but to the outsider, it appears she read an ad, dreamed about it, and now can't leave it alone. No obvious magic, as there would be if she woke up inexplicably knowing a far-off total stranger was the perfect person for her.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Seems like a bit of a disconnect in the nature of the domain. When I think "pirate haven" I don't think of a rigid law-abiding place. Yes, Blubeard rules with an iron fist, and he might be open to the Lawgiver's teachings, but the average rough and tumble salty sea-dog would be very likely to laugh in Uri's face (and maybe kick some teeth out...)

The pirates probably worship some less savory gods. Too bad Ravenloft doesn't have any canon deities of the sea.

[Joël of the FoS]

While the Lawgiver seems like a nice idea, and I will add this episode to my report, I have the wild Blausteiners mainly worship luck (with luck talisman and similar things), and loosely worship Souragne loas the few times they need to get more spiritual (luck loas, or something maternal like the Maiden of the Sea )

Joël

[DeepShadow of FoS]

The pirates probably worship some less savory gods. Too bad Ravenloft doesn't have any canon deities of the sea.

Well technically, they do: Umberlee, from Saragoss.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Split the difference, maybe? The younger, actively-piratical Blausteiners pay lip service to the Lawgiver as the state religion, but personally and on shipboard, it's Umberlee they revere. Once they retire and become more interested in power than plunder, they abandon the Bitch Queen (whose favor isn't needed on land) and take up the Lawgiver's faith in earnest, both as an affirmation of their new social status and as a way to suck up to Bluebeard.