"Shadows of Ravenloft" Startup / OOC

[Crimson King]

1. According to my notes, here is our current roster of characters:

Pawns of the Crimson King:

* Victor Stark: expatriate Borcan monster-hunter
* Morrwyn: creepy female elf
* Azulis: half-Vistani rogue
* Fiona: cleric of the Morninglord (or of the Phoenix, as the deity is generally called in Charn)
* Jack Skellington: really tough fighter (NPC, companion to Morrwyn)
* Petricia: rogue (NPC, cohort of Morrwyn)

Others:

* Iami: female Outlander elf (Outlander)
* Firion: Outlander elf (NPC, companion of Iami)

* Pietro: Bear-Clan Barbarian from Kartakass; speaks with comical accent

* Ravenritter Petrus Van Holtz, Paladin/Knight of the Raven, of Barovia

* Adriana: Half-Vampire Cleric

2. I have everyone's basic information except the last character.
Everyone, please feel free to post any additional information that you don't mind being known OOC. In particular, please post and/or email to me the languages that your character speaks!

3. How do you want your character meet the others? You could meet them in the Court of the Crimson King (in Charn, an Island of Terror), or in the Cafe' du Nuit in Richemulot, or on the road between Richemulot and the village of Belgravia, in the district of Pastich, Borca...

4. I will be incommunicado from early Tuesday (tomorrow) to late Thursday, because I'm driving from Florida to Washington, DC. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves!

[ImaiSiafanar]

Sat on a moss covered stone, the dark haired elf was lost in thought. Behind him on the stone, a red haired elf woman was carefully combing out his long dark hair and tying it back.
"Sh'mai?"
"Hmm?" he responded distractedly.
"Any progress on our situation?"
"Apart from this certainly not being the Yuirwood, any more than that tower was, nothing. If this was your attempt to not go, I will be most displeased."
"This isn't my sort of magic." she scowled. "I do not think it is anyones kind of magic. Don't tease."
He tilted his head to look back at her. "I am at a loss as to what we do, we are in an unknown place, with unknown dangers-"
"-and you never wanted me to have adventures and danger - that is most of the reason we were going to Yuirwood after all. I am not really dressed for the occassion, I must admit."
"As no-one has come to find us, I presume we must find them."

[Crimson King]

1. That's a beautiful post about Imai and Firion! (100 XP)

2. If I understand correctly, according to FoS canon, today's date is Monday, January 12, 761 Barovian Calendar.

3. Of course we could get all cliche' and say that your characters all meet in a tavern -- probably the Cafe' du Nuit in Richemulot or Dementlieu -- and that an old man comes up to you and tries to sell you a treasure map. (I actually did that in my World of Darkness game set in contemporary South Florida, although it was a fast food restaurant, and the old man was a homeless person selling street maps.)

But it would be wrong!

Instead, I will allow each player to decide where their character is when the curtain lifts.

I assume that the Pawns of the Crimson King (Victor Stark, Morrwen, Azoulis, Fiona, Jack, and Petricia, and possibly the half-vampire) are all together, or at least will be brought together quickly. Please decide among yourselves whether that is in the castle of the Crimson King, or at the Cathedral of the Maiden of Sorrows in Mortigny, or on the road to Pastich (in Borca), or in the Cafe' du Nuit, or somewhere else.

Imai and Firion are also in one place; probably in Kartakass, since that is where I originally intended them to be (although I expected they would run into Victor, but his player vetoed that). But if the Pawns are near Pastich, they can be there instead.

Pietro the Barbarian is about to meet the Outlanders, probably in Kartakass, otherwise in Borca (unless everyone is in a tavern somewhere).

Ravenritter Von Holtz is...where? Galloping madly off in all directions? Perhaps on his way to Pastich, having heard rumors of an undead plague there?

4. Languages: (If anyone believes I'm mistaken about any of the following, please let me know.)

* The primary languages in the Core are Balok (southwest), Darkonese (Darkon and scholars), Mordentish (northwest and literature), and Vaasi (southeast; also mixed with Elvish by bards/minstrels).

* Azalin is from Greyhawk, so Darkonese is an archaic form of Greyhawk common.

* Nova Vaasa and Hazlan are from Faerun, so Vaasi is a variant of Faerunian Common. Alternatively, it's a variant of whatever is the language of Vaasa and/or Thay.

* Elvish and Draconic (and other "racial" languages such as Dwarvish, Orcish, Abyssal, and Infernal) are the same across the Multiverse, although of course each world, or each community, will have its own dialect.

Here is my list of character languages so far:

Balok: Victor Stark, Ritter Von Holz, Azoulis, Fiona.
Elvish (Sithican dialect): Victor Stark, Morrwen, Pietro.
Elvish (Sildêyuir dialect): Imai, Firion.
Draconic: Morrwen, Imai, Firion.
Darkonese: Fiona, Morrwen.
Falkovnian: Victor Stark
Old Kartakan: Pietro
Mordentish: Victor Stark.
Patterna: Azoulis
Vaasi: Pietro

[Victor Stark]

1. According to my notes, here is our current roster of characters:

Pawns of the Crimson King:

* Victor Stark: expatriate Borcan monster-hunter

For the record, Victor does not consider himself the King's pawn, or even his servant. He simply made a working arrangment in the hopes that it would get him the hell out of the King's domain! I know the King thinks otherwise.

* Morrwyn: creepy female elf
* Azulis: half-Vistani rogue
* Fiona: cleric of the Morninglord (or of the Phoenix, as the deity is generally called in Charn)
* Jack Skellington: really tough fighter (NPC, companion to Morrwyn)

Jack goes around with a ful hooded cloak on, which is meant to conceal his features. You want to tell the others what it's hiding or shall I, John?

* Petricia: rogue (NPC, cohort of Morrwyn)

[2. I have everyone's basic information except the last character.
Everyone, please feel free to post any additional information that you don't mind being known OOC. In particular, please post and/or email to me the languages that your character speaks!

That is in my character sheet, which you should have.

3. How do you want your character meet the others? You could meet them in the Court of the Crimson King (in Charn, an Island of Terror), or in the Cafe' du Nuit in Richemulot, or on the road between Richemulot and the village of Belgravia, in the district of Pastich, Borca...

It seems appropos to meet in the Cafe' du Nuit for now to do introductions.

4. I will be incommunicado from early Tuesday (tomorrow) to late Thursday, because I'm driving from Florida to Washington, DC. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves!

We can handle it.

[steveflam]

Crimson King, maybe you should open an OOC thread and perhaps a thread for the players to post their pc's, including pics

[Crimson King]

For the record, Victor does not consider himself the King's pawn, or even his servant. He simply made a working arrangment in the hopes that it would get him the hell out of the King's domain! I know the King thinks otherwise.

No doubt! And "pawns" is simply an affectionate nickname that the Crimson King has for his Practicals. Yeah, that's the ticket!

Jack goes around with a ful hooded cloak on, which is meant to conceal his features. You want to tell the others what it's hiding or shall I, John?

Nope.

3. How do you want your character meet the others? You could meet them in the Court of the Crimson King (in Charn, an Island of Terror), or in the Cafe' du Nuit in Richemulot, or on the road between Richemulot and the village of Belgravia, in the district of Pastich, Borca...

It seems appropos to meet in the Cafe' du Nuit for now to do introductions.

That messes with the suspension of disbelief unless there is a good IC explanation. I can certainly see the Pawns meeting there to discuss how to handle the catacombs beneath the cathedral, and the Crimson King can send Fiona (and the half-vampiress, if she is a Pawn) there.

I can also see the Paladin stopping by for a frosty mug of good lager as a chaser to a glass of wine or brandewijn. (Since there are distilled beverages at this tech level, it's physically possible to have cocktails, although those are a late-18th-century invention.) The barbarian from Kartakass would be a little out of place in a sophisticated cafe', but as long as his gold is good and he doesn't get violent, they won't ask him to leave.

The big question is whether and how the Outlander elves would arrive. That's really up to Sammy, whether she feels comfortable with it.

The other issue is that we could continue with the scenario "Expedition to Pastich" by having Ramen disappear and having the party encounter the other characters as they approach the village.

I will be incommunicado from early Tuesday (tomorrow) to late Thursday, because I'm driving from Florida to Washington, DC. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves!
We can handle it.

I'm skeptical of that.

[Crimson King]

1.

Crimson King, maybe you should open an OOC thread and perhaps a thread for the players to post their pc's, including pics

Done! This is now the OOC thread, and I've started an IC thread.

2. Upcoming plotlines (not necessarily in order):

* The Abyss Gazes Also
* The Corruption Within
* Pawns of Stone
* Expedition to Pastich
* Maiden of Sorrows
* Jack's Back
* Darkest Before the Dawn
* Wolves' Bane
* Expedition to Dairon's Tower
* Spawn of the Dragon

3. I'd also like to explore some of the irony of Jander Sunstar, a vampire, giving rise to the Cult of the Morninglord by rescuing a rather slow-witted boy and then giving him a lecture trying to convert the boy to the worship of Lathander. There is another layer of irony, a doubling back, since Jander worshipped Lathander and, while the boy whom he rescued mistakenly thought that Jander was Lathander, other than that everything worked out as Jander intended.

4. Morninglord = Lathander <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lathander>
Andral = Amaunator <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaunator>
Lathander = Amaunator <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lathander# ... Sun_heresy>
Therefore Morninglord = Andral

Also, in Charn the Morninglord is generally called the Phoenix.

Lawgiver = Bane

Erlik = Nerull

Hala = Mystra

Wee Jas = Raven Queen = Mirath the White = Evening Glory = Maiden of Sorrows = Ezra?

"Pale Mirath of the White Hands is the Lawful deity of death and time. She decrees how long each creature lives, and when each creature dies. All paths eventually end at the gate of her twilight kingdom. Mirath can be compassionate as well as cruel, for she ends suffering and sorrow as well as joy. Her priests are present at weddings, births, deaths, and funerals. They also practice the arts of healing, knowing that no intervention slows Mirath from claiming a destined soul."
<http://www.mvdzign.com/youngkingdoms/theology.html#nc6>

5. I'd also like to explore some of the ironies inherent in the relationship between Ezra and Hala, and the obvious parallels between the doctrines of Ezra and the Morninglord, on the one hand, and Christianity on the other. (Man, the ironies here is so thick you could cut it and spread it with a knife!)

"For the Mists so loved the Demiplane of Dread that They gave Their only begotten Daughter, so that whosoever believeth in Her shall not die, but shall have everlasting life."

"We believe that Ezra was a priestess of Hala, and a very good and holy woman, but we don't believe she was a goddess." Oy gevalt!

6. Cainite Heresy anyone? "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."

[ImaiSiafanar]

I'll paste my intro post into the IC thread then.

I want to stick with my original idea for how Imai and Firion wind up where they are - that being they were pulled into the Mists whilst going from Sildeyuir -> Yuirwood, escaped the Tower of the Fool and are now wherever it decided to spit them out. I didn't specify where it spat them out, so you can suss out quite where it is in relation to everyone else.

Also - seeing as we have different Elvish dialects, how will this come across?
In the post I'm working on, I've done it as 'sort of understands, but also doesn't' - like when (in the UK at least) you travel north and you can barely understand a thing (speaking from experience) and it takes a while for your brain to be able to decipher it into something understandable. Or like reading a sentance with words missing.

Here's Imai -

and here is the best image I could find for Firion

[steveflam]

This is what Pietro looks like. I've used this pic before because I really like it

[steveflam]

I was thinking. I Know that Crimson King isn't online for two days, but I gather that the two elves and Pietor could understand each other. Sithican is a form of elvish. What do you guys think? Mordentish is similar to the common tongue of Faerun.

[ImaiSiafanar]

I think it kinda depends, with the elves.

I'm not sure to what extent the dialect extends, if that makes sense - if its a few common words, and lots of dialect unique ones, or lots of both. I raised the theory with Crimson King that coming from a plane with no external contact or contact with other elves (or anything) for however long it is, the inhabitants would either develop their own entire language system or have significant changes.

As I'm currently doing it, they half understand and half don't, because of dialect and accent. Much like in real life - for example, I'm southern, and speak quite fast. Northerners may not understand me the first time I say something. Actually in the UK regional dialects are a pain. We have so many it's daft.

[steveflam]

Same goes for French in Quebec and France french! Heh

[Lord Soth]

I'll have my stuff in order and ready to go in about two or three days or so. Just gotta finish work on something here and go see a doctor, tomorrow. Oh yeah, and I also have to beta test __________ tomorrow night.

By the way, got a couple questions about the starting locales. Hope somebody around here can help me out so I can make an informed decision as to where I want to start.

Cathedral of the Maiden of Sorrows, Mortigny, Richemulot

Never heard of it. What's the Cathedral of the Maiden of Sorrows?

On the road to the village of Belgravia, district of Pastich, Borca

So roundabouts where is Belgravia?

In the Court of the Crimson King (in Charn, an Island of Terror)

Never heard of Charn. Where can I find info on it?

A clearing in a forest in Kartakass. (But what part of Kartakass isn't a forest?)

Just how clear is "clear"? Am I restricted to a certain percentage of tree density? And do Treants count against this percentage (I assume no, because they're mobile)? Ok, now I'm just being an ass.

Anyway, except for the last one, I'd appreciate some help on these questions as well as the heads up on what books reference them. Thanks.

[Internet Girlfriend]

Doctors are evil, all they ever want is blood. So they're technically vampires.

I'll do my intro for Fiona when I'm feeling less blech. And not coughing up my lungs.

But I will say I'm not posting a "reference" picture. Don't feel much like digging one up.

[ImaiSiafanar]

Crimson King has confused himself. He thinks my characters know Sithicus, when his own list says they don't

The only character we share a 'pure' language with is Morwen.

Yay language barriers!