Domiain of the Hour: Sanguinia

[Garudos Celestar]

Quick note, was Gundar invented just to be killed in the very first adventure published for the setting?

No. There's only one encounter with him in the adventure, and it's not a combat encounter. The focus of the adventure is, in a way, preventing the death of Gundar.

Actually, Gundar himself never makes an appearance in Feast of Goblyns, although he is referenced as pulling the strings behind the scenes via "Dr. Dominiani." Harkon Lukas does have a brief cameo.

[Jack the Reaper]

GryphonHill.com also had a write up on darklord Ladislav Mircea, casting him as a hideous Schreck-esque vampire with ties to Gothic Earth, a stark contrast to the version in RL3e which mentions that he is "handsome."

Actualy, the concept of the nosferatu-looking Mircea from Gothic Earth you are referring to, was my own creation! The part when he drains 100 innocent people was inspired from Buffy: The Harvest. I was glad to see that my idea was partially formalized, at least the part about his physical description!

[Strahdsbuddy]

Nice, Jack! Did you write the entire description, as it exists at gryphonhill? If so, that's where the first mention of Krioso occurs. Are there any further thoughts on this domain as it existed before Mircea?

[Jack the Reaper]

Nice, Jack! Did you write the entire description, as it exists at gryphonhill? If so, that's where the first mention of Krioso occurs. Are there any further thoughts on this domain as it existed before Mircea?

I wrote the description up the point when Mircea performs the ritual, and there I got stuck and didn't finish it. Later Gomez asked my permission to complete the story, and he added the part about the knights disturbing the ritual etc.

Krioso is Gomez's idea, and I have nothing to do with it. Anyway, IMC I made two major changes in Sanguinia: First, I included it in the core, as already has been suggested by the Cartography Society. It may be done either by placing it instead of Markovia (BTW, I leave Gehenna in its place; the idea of the Shadow Rift as it is seems to me obscene), OR by moving Barovia northward, to replace Markovia, and then attaching Sanguinia to its southern border- which enables to attach Vorostokov to South Sanguinia, and so keep the integrity of the Frozen Reaches.

Second, I don't want Mircea to be just another tyrant vampire lord. We have enough of this type. I make him a more shadowy figure, like Dracula as described in the Guide to Transylvania. The folk know him from legends and folktales, and his castle is considered a dangerous and haunted place, but the political rulers are the local mayors, and Mircea is only the stuff of dark rumors, a devil to be blamed for all the troubles and unexplaind phenomena. In truth, he is the power that pulls the strings from behind the scenes.

[Strahdsbuddy]

I think a merging of ideas could work very well. I thought the idea of Humors had a lot of merit, and if that flowed into the populace it could work even better. They are already described as being quite sanguine, with a lust for life and lack of fear; they would stand it stark contrast to Barovians, particularly if the two were neighbors. I like Sanguinia replacing Markovia, shrinking the exposed ShadowRift. IMO, the SHadow Rift is just the portion of Gwydion's domain that had its roof pulled off, and it actually stretches from the Mountains of Misery beneath the Balinoks to SOmeplace in Falkovnia or even Richemulot. SO putting a domain back on top of it really doesn't bother me.

THe populace interests me, for if it is joining the Core then they will need fleshing out. Why did they only settle in that tiny corner of a relatively large domain? Are there other Humoral qualities, possibly tied to the seasons like in Greek medicine; are they in fact moody? Vorostokov is certainly Siberia, what is a Real-World equivelant of Sanguinia? I suppose i'm asking, What would S have thought of them had they been a part of her survey?