Campaign Idea/Info on Tergs?

[Slerm]

All right then. I've had another idea for a campaign--hopefully this one will go over a little better. When I pitched the "modern characters" one to my potential players, half said, "yes!" and the other half said, "blecch!" Unfortunately, I don't think the ones who would be in to the idea would be compatible as a group.

Thus, idea number two.

I want to play a campaign with temp characters where we play at least a part of Strahd's campaign against the Tergs. I want the players to get to know Strahd, and really like him--really feel like he's a hero during the game. (Thinking of using the Cry Havoc rules for the fighting, etc.). Also like to have them get to know Sergei somehow (maybe add him as a fighting cleric towards the end). Finally, I'd like them to be guests at Sergei's wedding!

Which brings us to the second phase of the campaign, using new characters, in which they eventually do "From the Shadows" and inhabit the bodies of the earlier characters.

I envision at least one part in the first play-through of the wedding, when it looks like Strahd is under attack by assassins (I figured I'd play up the description of one of the guards that the PCs didn't know), and hopefully the PCs will fight the guards who are trying to kill the now-monstrous Strahd as her pursues his "love," only to see her jump from the wall, and Strahd turn on them, eyes blazing, etc... (then fade to black).

Anyway, I need to know where I can find info on the Tergs, if there is any. Also, what do you think Strahd's army was like?

I was thinking of statting the Tergs as half-orc barbarians (w/o looking like half-orcs), and maybe having the events of the campaign be such that originally someone else was in charge of everything, and but fell in battle, at which point Strahd takes over and rises to hero status for the people. Maybe putting the PCs in with Strahd just a little bit before he becomes general, etc.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas?

Slerm

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Interesting ideas. I just ran From the Shadows this weekend, and be warned, if your PCs go back more than once, it is one of the hardest things you will ever have to DM.

There's not much on the Tergs outside of Gaz I. In fact, I think the name was made up for that book. But you can get a lot of (biased) info on the pre-wedding Strahd and the final stages of the fight against the Tergs in I, Strahd. Those might be your only real sources, though. Good luck!

[Eric the Light Bringer]

I think (and my history/facts of that area is very sketchy so be kind) the Tergs were inspired on the Turks (?) that (the Historical) Vlad the Impaler (the inspiration for Dracula) warred upon for the Holy Church

so I'd pattern the Tergs off of that region's of the world's cultures

[WolfKook]

Like your idea... I'm with Eric about shaping the Tergs after the RW Turks of the XIV century, and I would also shape the Barovian army after the army of Vallachia from that era (Though you may have to make some historical research). It is a fantasy game (And your game), though, so perhaps you may add interesting traits to both armies, but I think it would be more interesting if you don't make it a Humans vs. Orcs war...

Indeed, it would be nice if you didn't make Dorian the Unstoppable an evil character, just a charismatic hero (And a brilliant tactician) that is trying to lead his forces into Barovia after his people was kicked out of somewhere else, thus ending up antagonizing with Strahd and the PCs by mere accident... It is fun to play the game of two rival generals who respect and even admire each other, but who happen to be in different sides of the battle.

It is hinted somewhere that Inajira was sent as a tempter to Strahd by the Tergs themselves. It would be interesting to create a strong (and corrupted) Terg clergy which manipulates the fates of the people.

Also, in Gaz1 and 3 (I guess), it is said that the barovian refugees went to Borjia, and that the borjian merchants grew richer selling war supplies to the barovians. You may also use this up to give a little more depth to the conflict you want to portray.

Finally, though I do not own Cry Havoc, I would recommend using "Heroes of Battle" to play the Barovian-Terg war... I like its approach to war, focusing on the protagonism of the PCs instead of playing the conflict at a large scale. (Indeed, it is one of the few products from WotC that I own and would recommend to anyone else).

[Rotipher of the FoS]

It is a fantasy game (And your game), though, so perhaps you may add interesting traits to both armies, but I think it would be more interesting if you don't make it a Humans vs. Orcs war...

Yes, making the Tergs nonhuman would rather violate the "feel" of the Old Borjian homeworld, where humans seem to have been vastly more common that other races ... perhaps, even, the only sentient race.

Indeed, it would be nice if you didn't make Dorian the Unstoppable an evil character, just a charismatic hero (And a brilliant tactician) that is trying to lead his forces into Barovia after his people was kicked out of somewhere else, thus ending up antagonizing with Strahd and the PCs by mere accident...

Dorian from "I, Strahd" wasn't a Terg. He was a Borjian collaborator who sided with the Tergs in the belief that they were unstoppable, then found that he was on the losing side in the end.

Also, in Gaz1 and 3 (I guess), it is said that the barovian refugees went to Borjia, and that the borjian merchants grew richer selling war supplies to the barovians. You may also use this up to give a little more depth to the conflict you want to portray.

Note that, until Strahd renamed the lands he'd reclaimed from the Tergs in honor of his father (Barov), there wouldn't have been a distinction between "Barovians" and "Borjians". Even Strahd, himself, would have called himself a Borjian back then, and Sturm and Sergei would've grown up right alongside those 'Borjian merchants'.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Also like to have them get to know Sergei somehow (maybe add him as a fighting cleric towards the end). Finally, I'd like them to be guests at Sergei's wedding!

I wouldn't recommend making Sergei a fighting-cleric, unless you're looking to seriously re-engineer the source of Strahd's bitterness towards his brother. Half the reason Strahd built up sufficient enmity to kill Sergei was that he envied the easy, peaceful life Sergei seemed to have been given, that fate had denied to Strahd; likewise, much of Strahd's self-justification for murdering his brother lay in convincing himself that Sergei was too naive to protect Tatyana and too untested to deserve her. If you make Sergei a combatant, there go both of those spurs for Strahd's growing resentment.


In any case, despite what Gaz I's description of the Bright Blade says, both VotM and "I, Strahd" make it clear that Sergei was never actually ordained as a cleric (which would have barred him from marriage). As the sunsword's description also alleges that Leo Dilisnya's men killed Sergei, not Strahd, I think it's best to go by the novels' accounts, and assume the Bright Blade's Gaz-history is mistaken about Sergei's clerical status, as well.

[WolfKook]

Dorian from "I, Strahd" wasn't a Terg. He was a Borjian collaborator who sided with the Tergs in the belief that they were unstoppable, then found that he was on the losing side in the end.

Hehehe... For some reason, I was convinced that Dorian was the general of the Terg army... (It's been years since I read "I, Strahd") Just replace "Dorian the unstoppable" by "The general of the Terg army" in my previous post, please

Note that, until Strahd renamed the lands he'd reclaimed from the Tergs in honor of his father (Barov), there wouldn't have been a distinction between "Barovians" and "Borjians". Even Strahd, himself, would have called himself a Borjian back then, and Sturm and Sergei would've grown up right alongside those 'Borjian merchants'.

Mmmmmm... So the phrase "if your blood's being spilled, you're a barovian; if it's your money, then you're a Barovian" in the entry on Borca in the Gazetteers is a mistake?

[Slerm]

Good ideas/comments, thanks!

Re: Orcs--I didn't want the Tergs to be non-humans in a flavorful sense; however, I was thinking of statting them (with the players never seeing the stats) as half-orcs or some such in order to give them a sort of "unstoppable" feel. I.e. I was thinking of using "real" Tergs very rarely at the beginning, and conceivably of having the players have several characters to keep up with at first (a military squad, basically), in order to deal with the inevitable casualties. In other words, as far as the players/characters will know, the Tergs are humans, they are just ferociously good at fighting, etc.

I just discovered a product called "The Red Hand of Doom," which is higher level than I really wanted to go, but looks like it *could* be very close to what I wanted to do. I.e. If I new for sure what was in it, I might could file the serial numbers off.

Re: Sergei--Good points. I suppose once the game changed from a "soldiers under captain Strahd's command" type game to "captains under general Strahd's command," I could do some sort of, "go rescue and/or protect my brother." Would be interesting if I could somehow conspire to make it such that the players are responsible for introducing Sergei and Tatyana.

Can someone remind me what happens to Sturm? It's been years since I've read the novels or the Gaz I (though I'm pretty sure I can lay hands on "I, Strahd" right quickly).

Also, details-wise, I was thinking of adding elements like having the Tergs take Barovian (or Borjian, as it would be, I guess) "brides," once they are of the marrying age of 13, etc. Is that....too much? ya think? I don't want to get offensive to players, but did want to emphasize the barbarian nature of the Tergs. I also thought it might make for an interesting way to introduce Tatyana to the PCs as well (mayhap they could save her from being pre-maturely "wed").

More thoughts/ideas?

Slerm

[Eric the Light Bringer]

Can someone remind me what happens to Sturm? It's been years since I've read the novels or the Gaz I (though I'm pretty sure I can lay hands on "I, Strahd" right quickly).

All I can remember is somehow Sturm got out of the castle before the massacre but not far enough that he was able to escape being drawn into Ravenloft (the demi-plane). I don't think Sturm ever was really given any hard info, other than the obvious fact he is the progenator of the Von Zarovich family dynasty

[Slerm]

Basically, I suppose what I'm curious about is where the Prime Material King Barov comes from--if that is the descendant of Sturm or what?

Oh! Another thing I could use some help with! Military adventure ideas! Thus far I have:

Cut off supply lines (aka attack the caravan)
Defend the town
Rescue the prisoners (a couple of variants on this theme)
Assassinate the bad guy

Anything else you can think of? I'm sort of clueless on how the whole "ongoing war" thing is supposed to work. Also...how long does the war last, start to finish? Suggestions on when in the timeline to start the game?

Slerm

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Note that, until Strahd renamed the lands he'd reclaimed from the Tergs in honor of his father (Barov), there wouldn't have been a distinction between "Barovians" and "Borjians". Even Strahd, himself, would have called himself a Borjian back then, and Sturm and Sergei would've grown up right alongside those 'Borjian merchants'.

Mmmmmm... So the phrase "if your blood's being spilled, you're a barovian; if it's your money, then you're a Borjian" in the entry on Borca in the Gazetteers is a mistake?

Not a mistake, so much as a catchphrase that arose after the war, to express resentment of those who'd fought the Tergs for those who merely covered the army's expenses. Kind of like how people think Paul Revere shouted "The British are coming!", at the start of the American Revolution, even though the colonists in America thought of themselves as 'British' at the time and Revere's alleged words were invented later.

[Eric the Light Bringer]

Basically, I suppose what I'm curious about is where the Prime Material King Barov comes from--if that is the descendant of Sturm or what?

well, assuming that the Sturm that was drawn into Ravenloft was the "real" Sturm and not a "false history" copy Sturm (like Soth's banshees) then King Barov, if he was an actual Von Zarovich, would have been descended from another of Strahd's siblings that never went to the wedding (unlikely IMHO) or from a distant cousin (more likely)

correct??

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Re: Sergei--Good points. I suppose once the game changed from a "soldiers under captain Strahd's command" type game to "captains under general Strahd's command," I could do some sort of, "go rescue and/or protect my brother."

Alternately, you could send the PCs to the lowland cities (the region that the DPs based Borca on) to negotiate with the merchant-families for more troops and funds. Sergei would've grown up in that part of the country, where Barov and Ravenovia retreated from the Tergish invasion, so he could meet the PCs and show them around. Because his status as one of the royals-in-exile meant he was slated to become Borjia's next High Priest of Andrel, Sergei was probably acquainted with a lot more influential people than Strahd ever gave him credit for, IMHO; as charismatic and dutiful as he was, he'd be a good choice to escort them around and introduce them to other nobility.

Note that, if you take this approach, many of those same families could still be sore over the way King Barov ended the Silver Knives feuding, and/or grieving over members who've already lost their lives in Strahd's quest to liberate the Balinoks. Even disregarding greed as a factor, not all of them should be eager to cough up the funds and support needed to finance the Von Zaroviches' struggle to reclaim what they've lost.

Can someone remind me what happens to Sturm? It's been years since I've read the novels or the Gaz I (though I'm pretty sure I can lay hands on "I, Strahd" right quickly).

Sturm's precise fate has never been laid out in the products. We know he was the progenitor of the living Von Zaroviches in Ravenloft, but we also know he missed the massacre. The most likely explanation is that he was delayed on the road to attend Sergei's wedding, but was near enough to get drawn into the Mists with the rest of the recently-renamed Barovia. This would account for why Leo Dilisnya seems to have overlooked Sturm in his plot to annihilate the Von Zaroviches, if he thought that the middle brother would also be in attendance.

Also, details-wise, I was thinking of adding elements like having the Tergs take Barovian (or Borjian, as it would be, I guess) "brides," once they are of the marrying age of 13, etc. Is that....too much? ya think? I don't want to get offensive to players, but did want to emphasize the barbarian nature of the Tergs. I also thought it might make for an interesting way to introduce Tatyana to the PCs as well (mayhap they could save her from being pre-maturely "wed").

At least according to "I, Strahd", Tatyana grew up in an orphanage run by the Church of Andrel. If she were placed in such danger, it might get a little too mature for your campaign, as I doubt the Tergs (assuming you're portraying them as brutish and evil-inclined) would treat any of the orphans gently -- even the very young ones -- if they captured such a place.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Basically, I suppose what I'm curious about is where the Prime Material King Barov comes from--if that is the descendant of Sturm or what?

well, assuming that the Sturm that was drawn into Ravenloft was the "real" Sturm and not a "false history" copy Sturm (like Soth's banshees) then King Barov, if he was an actual Von Zarovich, would have been descended from another of Strahd's siblings that never went to the wedding (unlikely IMHO) or from a distant cousin (more likely)

More likely, the Barov IV from the GC modules is descended from one of Barov the First's younger brothers, i.e. an uncle of Strahd, Sturm and Sergei. That's assuming that everything from the "Material Plane Barovia" scenes in that adventure wasn't stage-dressing engineered by the Dark Powers, to yank the darklords' chains by making them think they'd escaped. (Personally, I have a hard time believing that a Tatyana-duplicate would appear outside Ravenloft, where the DPs don't hold sway ... much less, that she'd be married to an exact duplicate of Strahd! )

[Mangrum]

All living von Zaroviches are descended from Sturm, who was not present at the wedding.