Claude Renier

From Mistipedia
Jump to navigationJump to search

Known as "The Clawed,"[1] Claude Renier (654 BC-726 BC[2]) is a wererat and the former darklord of Richemulot. He also led both the nation of Richemulot and the wererat branch of the Renier family until his death at the hands of his granddaughter Jacqueline.

History

Claude Renier was the husband of Isabelle Museau and the father of Anais Renier, Marie Renier, and Eduardo Renier. Two of Claude's most noteworthy grandchildren are the twin sisters Jacqueline Renier and Louise Renier.[2] On his homeworld, he led the branch of the Renier family composed of wererats, which were rivaled by the branch of the Renier family that were normal humans.[3]

As the hateful patriarch of the wererat Reniers, Claude made the rest of his family dance to his tune using fear on the one hand and false promises on the other. Originally an outlander from the same Prime Material world that spawned Mordent, Claude and his family became hunted fugitives[4], with the non-wererat Reniers among their enemies and hunters[3]. After fleeing into a misty portal in the sewers of his homeworld in 691 BC, Claude and his family found they had reached a new realm, the city of Silbervas in Falkovnia. As the Reniers joined with and took leadership of the native wererat population of the city, the wererat race began to thrive and multiply under his leadership.[4] To top it off, Claude created his own thieves' guild among the humans of Silbervas.[1]

Yet with their success, Claude and his followers grew too proud and audacious,[4] for they ultimately earned the wrath of Vlad Drakov and the Talons. Drakov called for a purge of Silbervas and relocated the seat of authority to his regime there to personally direct the purge. For a three year period known as the Years of Impaled Rats (691 BC to 694 BC), the Falkovnian army skirmished off and on with both the thieves and the rats, with Vlad Drakov leading the fight against their leader known only as the Clawed.[1] Fighting for their lives in the undercity, Claude and his family were driven into the Misty Border, force out of Silbervas once and for all.[4]

Despite Claude's defeat, the Dark Powers looked upon his evil nature and made him the darklord of a new domain, that of Richemulot. From Chateau Delanuit[5], he held power over the government and his family in much his usual way for several more decades.[4] In the 716 BC Borderlands War, the Falkovnians attempted an invasion of Richemulot, but this time the Reniers, leading their Richemuloise subjects, were the victorious defenders and the Falkovnians the beaten back interlopers. The Executioner's Campaign of 724 BC went similarly poorly for the Falkovnians.[6] On a more personal level, he declared a secret campaign of assassinations against the Darkonian Reniers, a branch of the nonwererat family long removed their forebears and thus ignorant of the Renier feud, inquired if Claude was related to their family.[3]

Claude's machinations kept him in power for several decades. He played his wererat relatives off of one other, making them constantly fie for the favor he never gave. This included his twin granddaughters Jacqueline and Louise, whom he was constantly pitting against each other. Despite how Jacqueline outdid Louise, Claude never showed her any affection. Jacqueline eventually grew weary and bitter over Claude's little games[7], and she conspired with Louise to end his life. Yet Louise chickened out at the last minute, leaving Jacqueline to perform the murder herself.[3]

To end Claude's life, Jacqueline exploited his lycanthropic allergen, that of common lye. She called a servant to deliver a poisoned drink, though Jacqueline was there to ensure his demise. After the allergic reaction began to overtake him, Jacqueline coyly revealed her betrayal and thanked him for "teaching" her before she pushed him out the window of their residence. He perished even before he even hit the ground. With her grandfather's death, Jacqueline became both darklord and ruler of Richemulot.[4]

References

Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue

Tales of Ravenloft:Nocturne

Secrets of the Dread Realms - pp47-49
Domains of Dread - pp47-48
Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Domains and Denizens - p81
Tales of Ravenloft:Nocturne - pp100-110
Realm of Terror - p111, p125