Café de Nuit

Manofevil wrote:

brilliantlight wrote:

Manofevil wrote:We haven't figured out the Headless Horseman either.

Does he even have a RL backstory?

I seem to recall there being one someplace.

Darklords

ewancummins wrote:

Manofevil wrote:

brilliantlight wrote:
Does (the Headless Horseman) even have a RL backstory?

I seem to recall there being one someplace.

Darklords

In there, he's not given a backstory beyond some legends of who he might have been when his head was still on (straight).
From what I remember, one legend was a blurb about having once been a Falkovnian partisan, and another, somewhat more indepth, about him being one of Camile Boritsi's lovers whom she murdered at her hot spring in one of her many, many, many calculated fits of jealous pique.

I see that as the writers suggesting possibilities for the DM to use. Any of those might be the truth. Or none.
I wouldn't use that approach with most lords, but in the case of the HH, I think it works well.

ewancummins wrote:

Manofevil wrote:

brilliantlight wrote:
Does (the Headless Horseman) even have a RL backstory?

I seem to recall there being one someplace.

In there, he's not given a backstory beyond some legends of who he might have been when his head was still on (straight).
From what I remember, one legend was a blurb about having once been a Falkovnian partisan, and another, somewhat more indepth, about him being one of Camile Boritsi's lovers whom she murdered at her hot spring in one of her many, many, many calculated fits of jealous pique.

Too vague for me to work with, someone else might have a better shot at it.

Jaqueline Renier

Jaqueline Renier stood out due to her true empathy with other people and was one of the rather rare good wererats. She tried finding and helping other good wererats such as her sister Louise. Her grandfather was a kindly wererat himself who was able to retain nominal control due to his strength. One day an evil wererat got tricked her into giving him poisoned food and he died. Since the poison was slow acting it was never traced back to her or the evil wererat who tricked her. One day a power hungry man named Henri Dubois tried to seduce her. It almost worked but she had a gift that caused her to turn into a wererat whenever a corrupt person tried to seduce her. She chased him out of the house. Rat or no the man became obsessed with her. She might be a wererat but she was his key to wealth and power and he has never given up. With the help of her right hand gal, Louise, she fights off the sinister plots of the evil Henri Dubois.

How would we do a good god-brain? You know the elder brain dark lord?

brilliantlight wrote: Jaqueline Renier

Jaqueline Renier stood out due to her true empathy with other people and was one of the rather rare good wererats. She tried finding and helping other good wererats such as her sister Louise. Her grandfather was a kindly wererat himself who was able to retain nominal control due to his strength. One day an evil wererat got tricked her into giving him poisoned food and he died. Since the poison was slow acting it was never traced back to her or the evil wererat who tricked her. One day a power hungry man named Henri Dubois tried to seduce her. It almost worked but she had a gift that caused her to turn into a wererat whenever a corrupt person tried to seduce her. She chased him out of the house. Rat or no the man became obsessed with her. She might be a wererat but she was his key to wealth and power and he has never given up. With the help of her right hand gal, Louise, she fights off the sinister plots of the evil Henri Dubois.

SLAM BANG!! Perfect!

brilliantlight wrote:

Manofevil wrote:We haven't figured out the Headless Horseman either.

Does he even have a RL backstory?

From Darklords (although the backstories portray him as a victim so I don't see the reason why he should be darklord).

"Nearly every domain haunted by the Headless Horseman knows a different tale of his origin. In Falkovnia, some say the spirit was a victim of Drakov’s men, wrongfully beheaded. In Barovia, they say he sliced off his own head rather than fall prey to one of Strahds minions, who later gave the head to Strahd. In Borca, folk have the most specific tale, which they are sure is most true. Borcans say the Horseman was once a bard who had the misfortune of meeting lvana Boritsi, the lord of Borca. lvana invited him to her private baths (an offer he could not refuse). Unfortunately, she was in a fickle mood, and he was unable to entertain her. Inspired by the sickle shape of the moon, she had him beheaded, continuing her bath in his blood. The headless body, as the story continues, was cast into the river near Levkarest. (As to what lvana did with the head, no one is sure.) The corpse floated downstream until it neared the road to Sturben, where it became lodged beneath a bridge. On the night of the next sickle moon, the body arose. Ravenloft‘s Dark Powers supplied it with a phantom steed and a crescent-shaped blade. Ever since that time, the Horseman has ridden forth to cleave the necks of unfortunate travelers."

The backstory in Domains of Dread: The Endless Road, Dungeon Magazine #174, is better suited in my opinion, one of the few good things written for 4th edition Ravenloft. What is interesting is that the legends of the Horsemans creation that vary from domain to domain, can be used for creating atmosphere in the game. For instance they hear his tale in a tavern in Mordentshire, then another variation of the story in Borca. Since most people don't know about Dark Power's and darklordship mechanics they speculate he is the lord of the Winding Road as a figure of speech.

I have my own version two, that you can find in Qtr27.

Mistmaster wrote:I have my own version two, that you can find in Qtr27.

If you mean the Headless Knight you didn't give him much of a backstory. You could flesh it out here.

True, I simply labeled him as a cursed bandit; He was actually a Falkovnian soldier called Dietrich Knochen, too btutal even for Drakov's standards; faced with martial court he deserted, and flled throught Richemulot leaving a trail of blood in his wake, right to the small and prosperous Harrington Dale. After some month of terror therere he was finally killed in a hard confrontation by the Scarecrow King, who beheaded him with his own sword, renouncing to turn him in a Scarecrow servanr, but cursing him as a Dullahan.

Mephisto wrote:

brilliantlight wrote:"Nearly every domain haunted by the Headless Horseman knows a different tale of his origin. In Falkovnia, some say the spirit was a victim of Drakov’s men, wrongfully beheaded. In Barovia, they say he sliced off his own head rather than fall prey to one of Strahds minions, who later gave the head to Strahd. In Borca, folk have the most specific tale, which they are sure is most true. Borcans say the Horseman was once a bard who had the misfortune of meeting lvana Boritsi, the lord of Borca. lvana invited him to her private baths (an offer he could not refuse). Unfortunately, she was in a fickle mood, and he was unable to entertain her. Inspired by the sickle shape of the moon, she had him beheaded, continuing her bath in his blood. The headless body, as the story continues, was cast into the river near Levkarest. (As to what lvana did with the head, no one is sure.) The corpse floated downstream until it neared the road to Sturben, where it became lodged beneath a bridge. On the night of the next sickle moon, the body arose. Ravenloft‘s Dark Powers supplied it with a phantom steed and a crescent-shaped blade. Ever since that time, the Horseman has ridden forth to cleave the necks of unfortunate travelers."

All this variety makes me think that none of these victims are the actual original Headless Horseman, but that beheading someone in a dramatic way somehow summons him or creates a new mistway to his domain. Perhaps if he is slain by adventurers, his spirit possesses a decapitated body somewhere in the Core and the nearest road becomes his new haunting ground.

As to how that could be reversed to good...perhaps a benign (but gruesome) spirit which animates severed heads and speaks through them to warn others away from danger?

The Bodyless Knight?

I ve written a Dread Possibility mentioning the Headless Horseman in QtR 27 for the Borcan epic opera Leo

"While in a Levkarest warehouse, the Mist Princess might be referred to as Ivana. There might be other variations as well, mixed with folktales. There is a rumor of one performed in Sturben only during nights of a sickle shaped moon. In that one, the modification is that Leo’s character is a mysterious hero known as “the Horseman”; at the end of the play, Ivana cuts off her lovers head."

and don't forget the opening chorus of "By Innocence Undone", a lesser- known work of the playwright Semrael Engvar.


“Love and Fear-harsh taskmasters both. We dance to their whips on our backs, gallop at their goading. Insipid epics and silly priests would set them at odds, one against the other, but no! They are compatriots, secret conspirators, driving us, their beasts of burden, to darkest deeds.

“And it is these-neither Antipathy nor Ambition, neither Gluttony nor Greed, but Devotion and Dread-whose fetid rutting births the greatest evils in hearts both putrid and pure.

“Witness the gentle Talitha van Hassen, and the filial loyalty and childish fears that led her into loathsome betrayal and murderous lies...”

From Dungeon Magazine #174 article Domains of Dread: The Endless Road

An (anti-) Endless Road...hm

Likely Eli Van Hassen is a generous and kind landlord who often allowed extensions and breaks with those who rent land from him. He is also generous to the poor and downtrodden. However, many people in the village took advantage of that, hoping to milk him as much as they possibly could.

One day the village was attacked by a Hydra and a hero called the Horseman arrived and slayed it, turning him into a hero. He was welcomed by Eli and his energetic and vivacious daughter Talitha. Talitha and the Horsemen soon fell in love and it was only a matter of time before they would wed. Eli applauded this, seeing the Horseman as a fine young man.

The people of the village were stirring in their greed. With inflated rumors, many believed that the Horseman had access to Eli's complete fortune, or had a fortune of his own if a wealthy man was allowing a virtual unknown to marry his daughter. The people began to scheme in an effort to get their hands on it. Finally, someone accused the Horseman of rape and the people captured him, threatening to kill him unless he told them about his fortune and handed it over.

The Horseman had no such fortune and insisted on that. The people did not believe him and prepared to execute them. Eli and Talitha discovered what was happening and soon sent men to stop it before things went too far. Sadly, they were too late despite how fiercely they fought to stop the greedy citizens. As they did, the light of (anti-) Ravenloft began to shine.

The Horseman rose up from his beheading, running the Endless Road to bring justice to the greedy citizens on the light of the sickle moon. Often he works with Eli, who uses his legal authority to cut down on the schemers, fraudsters, and otherwise dishonest people of his domain during the day. Something he should have done long ago. Talitha and the Horseman share some moments, but she searches constantly for his misses head so she might help him find rest and allow his duty to come to an end.

This (anti-) domain's theme would be fraudsters and con men, naive rulership being given the harsh light of reality, and the consequences of not identifying and dealing with issues such as these.

Good one.