An Illustrated History of the Core

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Nope, I'm reading along, but don't have much to say right now. Keep it coming!

[steveflam]

Good! Until yesterday, I was beginning to wonder if anyone else was looking at it.

Don't wonder, just keep going! We are looking

[Joël of the FoS]

Same here, that's a cool project.

[Hamiclar]

To bad you can not size the city for the timeframe. For instance the Il Aluk started as small town the others villages and overtime grew in population before the Red death in Darkon later to come in the centuries ahead.

[Ryan Naylor]

603: Invidia forms.

The only detailed description of Bakholis (Invidia's first darklord) is in Gaz IV, but it's a great one. Bakholios crime's include murder, tyranny, crushing taxation, abduction, rape, torture, razing a village and crucifying everyone in it, feeding someone slowly into a pit of ravenous and rabid wolves, and leading a gang rape. He truly deserves his darklordship, obviously. Following his imprisonment, he actually gets worse apparently, so that when Gabrielle Aderre finally kills him in 729 BC (126 years later!) everyone was *extremely* happy. Then, only 20 years later, Gabrielle herself is overthrown (politically, if not metaphysically) by Malocchio, who actually has quite a similar style of governance to Bakholis. While Gabrielle was a pretty poor ruler (allowing banditry, purging Vistani, and destroying everyone else's happiness), her more personal evil must seem like a pleasant blip in comparison to the other 140 years of brutal tyranny Invidia has endured. So it just goes to show: all you need is historical perspective.

Actually, based on his description in Gaz IV, I've wanted to run a game in Invidia's past with Bakholis as darklord for years.

[Ryan Naylor]

To bad you can not size the city for the timeframe. For instance the Il Aluk started as small town the others villages and overtime grew in population before the Red death in Darkon later to come in the centuries ahead.

I'll think about doing that actually. Maybe when I get to the 650s.

[Ryan Naylor]

613: Kartakass forms.

Harkon Lukas has been wandering around for about 3 years now, making a nuisance of himself, but it's only now that he accrues enough bad karma and goes into the Mists to earn his own domain. I'm not sure which Mists it would be, since it's apparently Strahd who chases him into the Mists, but Kartakass doesn't form anywhere where he could have been chased into. The ways of the Dark Powers are strange, and they decide Kartakass is going next to Gundarak, Forlorn and Bluetspur, rather than next to Barovia where Lukas entered the Mists.

Also note it's going to be ages before Lukas gets bored enough to run for meistersinger; for now, he's just happy being a citizen of note.

[Matthew L. Martin]

It's interesting to note that, with the exception of Mordent, you've got a fairly consistent spread 'outward' from Barovia. And the reason Mordent is interesting is because if you read carefully through the Black Box (as I did over on RPG.net this summer ), you find bits and pieces that suggest it may have been intended to form much later than it did on the final timeline.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I guess there's more than one reason why the vistani call Barovia "Anda Thema" (heart of the world)

[Hamiclar]

Looking at the southeast, trade would be little or nonexistant in the Gunararak and Invidia area/ The lower masses would use barter system in most cases. The southern Borivian passes would be ill used the Dread pass and Svlalich passes which sounds like Alps but on a Carpathian height scale similar to alps pass decribed by the early Romans prior to Hannibals invasion of Italy. They are both accessable in the Summer and close in Fall with snow again.

The two areas were heavily taxed and controlled with iron fist of the barons The Gundar's and Lord Bakholis. The Unwise rebellions which hint nothing at what they rebelling possibly commerce being one lead by a icon of justice similar to the Tristain Hiregard or maybe they found out the dark secret of Gundar and use that secret as banner of rebellion against the ruling clan the Gundar's which fail and gives Gundar the oppurtunirty to sate his brutality to the the wholesale massacre of the Gundarak nobility which challenged him and fail and purged from the bloodstream the only noble blood being the Gundar.

The Invidian iron fist control similar in some ways of Dorvinian thug rule which is perfected in centuries to come. The two areas sound very unpleasant and thinking of the novel Knight of the Dark Rose the Dwarf/badger decribes the people in Gundarark as not having much to offer in regards to meal, and property and hints of visiting Forlorn a borderland of a crossing into the areas, but talking about the road less travelled brought to a new level! Overtime if campaigns are run the burden of taxation could be shown in both populaces and those visiting from other lands would be subject to suspician and fear from those who are differant who show wealth or even that have wealth would be seen as alien or itself as bizaar.

[Ryan Naylor]

It's interesting to note that, with the exception of Mordent, you've got a fairly consistent spread 'outward' from Barovia. And the reason Mordent is interesting is because if you read carefully through the Black Box (as I did over on RPG.net this summer ), you find bits and pieces that suggest it may have been intended to form much later than it did on the final timeline.

I know. I read along avidly.

In fairness, Mordent does start off appended to Barovia, and then eddies off. But yes, I take your point.

[Hamiclar]

Mordent's akward position is result of a failed experiment performed by Azalin and Strahd the II which coincided with alchemist experiment in Mordent before its prescence in the land of the mists. Unlike Forlorn which was ripped from another world by the dark powers, Mordent was pulled by those inside the land of mists. Mordent was pulled by the experiment interaction. When the experiment failed and the participants were sent back to Barovia and Azalin which decided to tempt the mist leading to him in his current position. Mordent managed to stay in the land by mists discovery of a Tempted soul which fit into the quite countryside.

The novel Tapestry of Dark Souls which is about the dark relic portrayed mentioned earlier brings a good point. The tapestry of souls was held in land not named and the land where Ghastaria is mentioned was I believe is where it comes from. The land had no large settlement other than the structure holding the cloth with the people which supported the structure and undead and other beasts roaming the areas. The cloths destruction of keepers and residents which prompted the survivors to move somewhere else with little contact which would not temp others to deeds of leading to entrapment of the cloth.

[Ryan Naylor]

The novel Tapestry of Dark Souls which is about the dark relic portrayed mentioned earlier brings a good point. The tapestry of souls was held in land not named and the land where Ghastaria is mentioned was I believe is where it comes from. The land had no large settlement other than the structure holding the cloth with the people which supported the structure and undead and other beasts roaming the areas. The cloths destruction of keepers and residents which prompted the survivors to move somewhere else with little contact which would not temp others to deeds of leading to entrapment of the cloth.

The Gathering Cloth was made by Abber Nomads in the Nightmare Lands. It was then held by an Order of the Guardians in some unknown domain (although Nova Vaasa seems likely, and fits with the evidence from what I remember; eastern Darkon is another option). Following Morgoroth's attack/absorbtion, they fled to Markovia. Most of the novel takes place in either Markovia or Tepest, with flashbacks to Gundarak.

[Hamiclar]

Yes, but it was held somewhere unnamed by brother Domonic. The unnamed land for instance sounded just as dark which and fitting for its location of security which had people who were not residence of secure location leave to the mercy of the land which unmasked a sorceror which had been tempted by the cloths influence which destroyed the majority of keepers but the current people which moved on settling in a land not yet presant.

The nightmare land was pretty interesting how it was portrayed also in the cloths creation and it goes great with that campaign which I picked up cheap. Have to love outdated d&d bargains!

[Ryan Naylor]

625: Valachan forms.

Urik von Kharkov flees Darkon following the death of his Kargat master (possibly after causing the death of his Kargat master), having earnt a reputation for cruelty that exceeds even that expected of Kargat vampires. Once in the Mists, he regains his memories, kills a woman, and uses the Beast to kill his original creator. Nearly ravenous from thirst, some time later he is swept up again, and becomes darklord of Valachan for his hypocrisy in wanting to be a man when it's easy but being happy to use the Beast when convenient.

A brief diversion: a lot of darklords seem to be offered a last chance before damning themselves. Strahd was told what to do, and had some idea of what it would entail, but did it anyway. Tristen ApBlanc was warned with dire omens and earthquakes for months before he was finally taken by the Mists. Azalin's history contains so many layers of deception it's hard to work out, but there's being given the lich recipe by his tormentors, his experiments in Barovia (particularly around Mordent's creation by which time he really should have known better), and then being split into Firan and Darcalus to see if, bereft of his memories, he would still seek power and make the same mistake. Azalin's is also the first example of an oubliette forming (Darkon under Darcalus). Then we have Kartakass during the "Invidian occupation", when Harkon Lukas causes the keep to fall, which seems (although it is unclear) to have Kartakass as another oubliette before Lukas takes full control. Then Valachan, where von Kharkov is held in a rainforest oubliette before earning his position as lord of Valachan. Lamordia and Kislova are both surrounded by Mists long before their respective lords take over. Lord Soth sees a dream-Sithicus before he decides to damn it all and live without admitting he was wrong. And so on. That's excluding the people the Mists dump in Ravenloft to cause trouble before earning a domain (like Drakov). So who said the Dark Powers weren't merciful?

Valachan is one of those domains that has not been well received, which is a bit disappointing after all the work I put into it. Despite it's reputation for nothing ever happening there, quite a few background events and adventures occur there, particularly compared to other "forgotten" domains. Like its lord, it's full of uneasy dualities, like post-colonial melding of its people, the odd climate, the relationship with Adeline, and so on.

Note Valachan currently neighbours Kartakass and Bluetspur, with steep cliffs dropping down into the Valachani forests. Given the cliffs and that it's on the wrong side of Kartakass, it's very much the hinterland of the Core. Things aren't going to improve for it for a long time to come, when it'll stop hanging around the baxck and join up with Mordent. Where it'll still be seen as a backwater, but at least is getting closer to civilisation.