Café de Nuit

brilliantlight wrote:First thing I change is the "eternal winter" which makes it questionable if anyone survives. Not much grows in winter and they would likely all starve to death. It is still an arctic place and so very cold. However like such places it has a six month summer followed by a six month winter. In summer the ice melts and there is some plant growth. Short lived grasses and bushes grow in the summer as the land becomes unfrozen. There is enough small and large game in summer to feed the small villages quite well and allow them to salt enough meat for winter. There is also a thriving fur trade that allows import of food.

Gregor's curse is a bit different in this version. He doesn't have to kill humans to provide for his people although he does kill and eat humans because he is a werewolf. His curse is that he is not considered a hero. Voretokov's society resolves around hunting and trapping and he is cursed to be able to get only small game, outside of humans that is. He is still the main Boyer but this is through the fact that before it entered Ravenloft the king made him one and everyone respected that. He is seen as a mediocre hunter that got lucky one winter.

Every year in the domain the small game goes into hibernation so there is only the big game left, which is more prestigious anyways. One of the local hunters then gets very lucky that winter and is the hero of the domain through his hunting prowess. Although he never does as well as that one winter he remains one of the better hunters from then on. He tried secretly killing that man but all that happened then is someone else took his place and if that one is killed someone else took his place etc. So even though he is the leader there are now a number of men with more renown then him and that is very grating to him.

jamesfirecat wrote:

brilliantlight wrote:First thing I change is the "eternal winter" which makes it questionable if anyone survives. Not much grows in winter and they would likely all starve to death. It is still an arctic place and so very cold. However like such places it has a six month summer followed by a six month winter. In summer the ice melts and there is some plant growth. Short lived grasses and bushes grow in the summer as the land becomes unfrozen. There is enough small and large game in summer to feed the small villages quite well and allow them to salt enough meat for winter. There is also a thriving fur trade that allows import of food.

Gregor's curse is a bit different in this version. He doesn't have to kill humans to provide for his people although he does kill and eat humans because he is a werewolf. His curse is that he is not considered a hero. Voretokov's society resolves around hunting and trapping and he is cursed to be able to get only small game, outside of humans that is. He is still the main Boyer but this is through the fact that before it entered Ravenloft the king made him one and everyone respected that. He is seen as a mediocre hunter that got lucky one winter.

Every year in the domain the small game goes into hibernation so there is only the big game left, which is more prestigious anyways. One of the local hunters then gets very lucky that winter and is the hero of the domain through his hunting prowess. Although he never does as well as that one winter he remains one of the better hunters from then on. He tried secretly killing that man but all that happened then is someone else took his place and if that one is killed someone else took his place etc. So even though he is the leader there are now a number of men with more renown then him and that is very grating to him.

How do you want to have his son Mikhail factor into this version?

brilliantlight wrote:
He is a good hunter who is also incapable of becoming a loup du noir . This upsets his father who thinks it will allow him to become closer to his son. He tried turning him into a loup du noir years earlier and it didn't work. He is trying to come up with a ritual or something that will allow Mikhail to become one. He is doomed to fail.

jamesfirecat wrote:

brilliantlight wrote:
He is a good hunter who is also incapable of becoming a loup du noir . This upsets his father who thinks it will allow him to become closer to his son. He tried turning him into a loup du noir years earlier and it didn't work. He is trying to come up with a ritual or something that will allow Mikhail to become one. He is doomed to fail.

Is Mikail the martial leader of a village that is oppressed by his father?

Is he even a free man or does his father have him chained up in a dungeon some where as he tries to find a way to transform him?

brilliantlight wrote:There is enough small and large game in summer to feed the small villages quite well and allow them to salt enough meat for winter. There is also a thriving fur trade that allows import of food.

Dark Angel wrote:

brilliantlight wrote:There is enough small and large game in summer to feed the small villages quite well and allow them to salt enough meat for winter. There is also a thriving fur trade that allows import of food.

Interesting take that makes the place more playable, more realistic and still allows the 'canon' setting of winter (just plop them in during the winter and nothing changes in the setting). Odd query: where do they get salt from? One easy means of refrigeration is the use of root cellars which would remain cold in permafrost terrain, especially in the waning summer days and beginnings of winter.

brilliantlight wrote:

Dark Angel wrote:

brilliantlight wrote:There is enough small and large game in summer to feed the small villages quite well and allow them to salt enough meat for winter. There is also a thriving fur trade that allows import of food.

Interesting take that makes the place more playable, more realistic and still allows the 'canon' setting of winter (just plop them in during the winter and nothing changes in the setting). Odd query: where do they get salt from? One easy means of refrigeration is the use of root cellars which would remain cold in permafrost terrain, especially in the waning summer days and beginnings of winter.

Seawater, there is a fairly easy path through the mountains (Obviously made up) that is mostly hills and valleys salt traders can get through that isn't shown on the map as it is too large scale.

Dark Angel wrote:

brilliantlight wrote: Seawater, there is a fairly easy path through the mountains (Obviously made up) that is mostly hills and valleys salt traders can get through that isn't shown on the map as it is too large scale.

Ok. I don't recall such access in the original maps (because it wasn't there), but makes more sense than salt mining. Wouldn't the locals then have reason to have a seaside settlement to pull fish, seals, or even whales from the water? Or at least long term hunting trips to get the same? Can you tell I play with very nit-picky players who would poke holes in any reasonable inconsistencies in my game?

Rock wrote:How does Sanguinia feature in these changes?