Scholar of Decay

[Rotipher of the FoS]

I gave 'Scholar' a couple of nods in the NS Gaz and Doppelganger netbook. It's one of my favorite Ravenloft novels.

[Matthew L. Martin]

I personally prefer Scholar's take on the wererats of Richemulot to the version provided in Gaz III. I thought I'd note that it's now slated for eBook release on April 23. I, Strahd and To Sleep with Evil come out on the 16th, and Heaven's Bones on the 9th, of the same month.

[Zilfer]

I personally prefer Scholar's take on the wererats of Richemulot to the version provided in Gaz III. I thought I'd note that it's now slated for eBook release on April 23. I, Strahd and To Sleep with Evil come out on the 16th, and Heaven's Bones on the 9th, of the same month.

Could you point out the main difference between the two? I know in the book human's are generally just willfully ignorant about the Wererat infestation and generally no one messes with the "family".

[Hamiclar]

The differances i read between the two was gaz had the rat society by its caste which thinking about is darker and more to the D&D background description. The novel takes a step further the caste is not seen in a sense of power but more of visible power shown to those from other lands the nobility in which the families which run the cities show their human side to select the meal to hunt and talk to those of importance; money, trading contacts, or rival assistance. The populace which lives there are knowingly ignorant of the beast's the example of the homeless man which screams against the beasts of the night with no avail of rescue from anyone while the main charectors brother is with a Renier. The mix of both are played out also, the novel for instance has a discusion with the main guy and Jacquiline about him telling his brother of the knowledge of his knowledge of werratts. Constant ratts in the walls were thing also which over time would promp a minor madd check especially if you were a room for hours with ratts moving around yikes.

[Ryan Naylor]

The gaz wererats remind me more of skaven - most live down in the sewers and never assume human form or come to the surface. The ones in the novel are more "beasts in velvet" who live amongst the humans.

The difference primarily is in which is the "real" form - are they monsters, or are they humans who can turn into monsters?

The other good thing about the book of course is that personality-wise, they are clearly *all* monsters regardless of form.

[Zilfer]

The gaz wererats remind me more of skaven - most live down in the sewers and never assume human form or come to the surface. The ones in the novel are more "beasts in velvet" who live amongst the humans.

The difference primarily is in which is the "real" form - are they monsters, or are they humans who can turn into monsters?

The other good thing about the book of course is that personality-wise, they are clearly *all* monsters regardless of form.

Yep they don't appear to have a single good bone in their bodies. xD

[Hamiclar]

The difference primarily is in which is the "real" form - are they monsters, or are they humans who can turn into monsters?

I would look at the Mordent entry Gaz 3 the name Renier is mentioned as a original noble family, they becoming ratts as a result of the night could be why the original Reniers fled into night, and later the family arrives in Falkovia chased from a nameless city maybe Darkon or outside the mists if the family had escaped from the mists to be drawn back to the sewers of Falkovia which by then the Renier is a true wereratt according the Dark lord back ground of the Reniers.

[Ryan Naylor]

That's not the point I'm making. It's about how wererats play in the game - what do they represent?

Is a wererat a half-human monster that lives in the sewers and sometimes comes up and harasses people, or is a wererat a creature that looks like a human and moves seamlessly among human society but can turn into a monster?

It's like the difference between wolfweres and werewolves. Or perhaps even worgs and werewolves.

[Hamiclar]

I feel its more of the ratt in the cage syndrome, being that they are real ratts being human would be second nature or similar to copying to get closer to your prey. The ones underground have much to fear and work for also the catacombs have many mysteries and a couson of family has a started a cult lead by mummy which is anti ratt.

[alhoon]

Sorry for the Necropost. But us necromancers have to practice and animating dead people is just to cliche.

Anyway:
I just started reading Scholar of Decay. I won't read previous posts for fear of spoilers. I've read like... 1 chapter.
I have a few ... gripes with the book so far. First, Jaquiline seems so cruel and domineering that I don't think she could be socially functional as portrayed in the book.
Also Richemulot in the entry seems like it has a dozen murders per week or something. Even in an artificial setting, I don't think that people would actually stay in a place as small as Pont-A-Museau if they had like 1% to be killed per week.

[Zilfer]

Well the way I see it... you COULD leave.... but then you'd have a few choices to go to.... you definitely don't want to face Falkovnia to the north and i bet a good bit of the people here are from Falkovnia or at least came from there... Also trade routes would dictate that SOMETHING needs to be there. If there's a city already there it saves civilization some of the work of having to build roads, and houses. Also in Gaz there appears to be plenty of property and all you need to do is swear to defend against Falkovnian invasion...

Also out of those murders.... who can say they are murders? I mean the city isn't always populated. People go missing all the time. Some turn up again others don't. Who's to say they didn't leave town?

Anyways keep us posted. I liked the book myself.

[alhoon]

Well, the way I see it is that you set in the city. In the first week, you meet like 100 people or something. The friendly baker, the shoemaker down the street with the weird eyes, the grocer with the good joke, the neighbor's wife with the warm smile.
1 year later 20-30 of them are missing and some have ended up dead.
Also in that year, you've heard the bloodcurling screams piercing the night. You've been advised to not use the streets after dark. At night, you've seen... movement on the rooftops and the canals that doesn't appear to be human. You've heard the rumors and the whispers.
I would leave such a place.


Anyway, back to the book without giving spoilers.
Party for the nobility. Jaquiline has the remnants of dried blood under her fingernails. A cousin of hers has a drop of dried blood on her collarbone.
I mean, it's so weird that I think that perhaps it's a fashion or something, like the silk -tatters- they wear that season. Perhaps they don't go to parties after brutally killing people but dub their hands on blood the way others use perfume or elaborate hair styles etc.
Or it could be that since the nobility in the book seems paralyzed with fear of the Reniers and well aware (or purposefully ignorant, hands in ears, eyes shut tightly) that they are wererats that they choose to not comment (or pretend to not see) the bloodstains.

and now, for some spoilers:

VIEW CONTENT:

How Aurik understood with a glance the Darklord of Richemulot, feeling the power radiate from her etc etc?
NOTE: if the answer is a spoiler as in "he has X power" or something instead of "It's not detailed, I think it was X or experience" etc please don't spoil it

[Manofevil]

Well, Alhoon, you might indeed leave a place like Pont-a-Musseau, IF YOU HAD A PLACE TO GO. I mean seriously, where are these people gonna go that's better. There's no good place to live in Ravenloft. It's all just a different kind of worse. You're definitely right about the hard, squalid, vile, despicable, people the Renier clan are and about the horrors and hardships they visit upon those luckless enough to cross their paths, but did you honestly think that NONE of the Darklords would ever be like that? I guess they are something of a contrast to others. They lack the driving ambition of an Azalin or a Drakov or the self-absorbed obsessions of a Strahd or an Adam, but I think Von Kharkov or Gabby Adderre might be fairly similar to what you're seeing here. I guess I really don't see what your point is here.

[alhoon]

My point is that I didn't think Pont-a-Museau was a besieged city.
A murder every 2-3 months and a "disappearance" every month or so in a so small community would well create the mentality that the streets are dangerous and all, would pass the point that the Reniers and the wererats are despicable creatures, without depleting the city. A very, very bad neighborhood caught in a drug cartel war would have like 1 violent death per year/1000 people. Even towns caught within the grips of a violent civil war don't have the death ratio of Pont-a-Museau as presented so far.

In short, my point is that (IMO) the book seems so far way over the top in presenting the cruel nature of Richemulot to the point that it breaks believability.

Aside of that... a very nice book so far. Intriguing, nice writting style and all.

[Zilfer]

Heh, The Green River killer here in Washington probably killed over 100 people in the years of his life. Now it was spread out over years but people suddenly vanishing doesn't always lead to a resolution. Some people might leave other's might stay and try to find said people.

xD As an aside the GRK was arrested for trying to pick up a prostitute and flat out told the interviewing cop that they should call the GRK task force for 'they knew all about him.' And he was released. They arrested him a few weeks later if I recall correctly but man why wouldn't they look into that immediately? Must have thought it was a joke. Anyways crime rate really depends on the area, if you go to Falkovnian where there is not a single day without a death. (Per Vlad Drakov's personal meal) then i'm sure the crime rate in Richemulot is pretty low there.

Curious as to the statistics of the town now....? How populated is it? I though the town was rather large so you'd meet new people at the time because everyone here is an immigrant. (some who wouldn't stay long on their continued move) Maybe the Baker and his wife decided to move on? Or they got on the bad side of the Reniers and didn't want the bad publicity. (cus if you insult them... or the family then.... your shop is pretty much ruined unless you suck up pretty badly)