Café de Nuit

I've been playing with the concept of this domain (Vermillion) for years and I wanted to feedback and any ideas. I should warn there is some sensitive subject matter (like the "cleansing process" and the Cleansed).

“Too good to be true.” Should be in the minds of the PCs. Vermillion on the first glance, is like a shining paradise in a dark world like Ravenloft where the demiplane’s outcasts live in peace and harmony. Upon a further look, one can see the fear in the populace as if something will ruin them if they dare go outside what their ruler, Sabrina Whitestag’s, wishes. They know they owe her their lives and she will make sure that it is displayed. It’s not just their “benevolent” leader that can bring feelings of unease, but the ghosts of the domain’s past haunt the former farming town and forest.

Cultural Level: Late Medieval
Climate & Terran: Temperate forests
Year Formed:
Population: 45
Races (%): Human 75%, Non-Human (25%)
Languages: Various
Religion: Various
Government:
Ruler: Sabrina Whitestag
Darklord: Sabrina Whitestag
Nationality: Vermillionese

Cinberg: Once a prospering farming town of 500 before a dam burst and flooded it, now houses the refugees that have moved in. Despite their major differences, the Vermillionese know they must work together to survive. Although the current population is small, they work hard to bring the town back to its full potential. It is estimated that within 10 to 20 years, it is possible to make a dent. Until then, it remains a ghost town.

Founder’s Day: Once every other month, the citizens hold a night-long celebration in honor of Sabrina and all that she’s done for them. Sabrina personally watches over every aspect, making sure her special day goes without a hitch.

Castle Whitestag: Small, yet beautiful, Castle Whitestag houses Sabrina and her Cleansed servants.
Illarian’s Room: Despite all the heartbreak that he has put her through, Sabrina still cares for her comatose childhood friend who was a victim of the flood. A Valachani medicine woman (who ran away from her abusive marriage to Baron Urik von Kharkov) helps watch over him, but she’s starting to wonder if there is more than what Sabrina is letting on.

Cleansing Room: Those that willingly and unwillingly choose to be cleansed are taken to this white room. Using a golden tool that resembles an apple corer, Sabrina basically lobotomizes the patient.
The Cleansing Process: This technique was taught to Sabrina via “The Friend”. By knocking out the patient, she drills a hole in their head, inserts a tool she calls “The Cleanser” into the drilled hole, and begins picking at their brain. The patient is rendered simple-minded and docile unless Sabrina is in danger, and they will whip themselves into a frenzy (treat it like a barbarian’s rage ability). The damage can be undone with a wish or limited wish spell.

Scrying Room: This is where Sabrina searches and rescues future refugees for her domain. She starts by going to a magical three-way, gold, and jeweled mirror and scrying throughout the demiplane for potential civilians. When one is found, she privately contacts them through the center mirror. Using the other mirrors, she presents scenes from her domain, painting a glorified picture of Vermillion. If they say yes, Sabrina pulls them through, and they appear in her domain. If they refuse or wish to think about it, she will let them be and try again when they are in a more vulnerable situation such as being about to be executed. If the domain she is trying to contact’s boarders are closed, her portals cannot enter, but they can leave. Note that she can only pull in one person at a time. While other people can scry and communicate through the mirrors with a successful use magical item check, only Sabrina can pull people through.
The Book of Mists also has a home in this room. This mist gray and ruby tome allows the reader to communicate with an entity known only as “The Friend” by writing into it. The Friend will write back on its own terms and only give out what it believes the reader needs to know.

Dread Possibility: A Friend Indeed: The Friend is the Dark Powers itself. Anyone other than Sabrina who uses it more than once must roll will vs 25 of become charmed by the book. While it is possible to leave Vermillion with the artifact, it means a lot to Sabrina, and she will stop at nothing to get it back.

The Darklord (Sabrina Whitestag)
Appearance: A Half-Elf beauty, Sabrina’s golden blond hair, gentle voice, expressive, bright blue eyes; and pure white wardrobe gives off an air of goodness and purity. So much that one would think that the worst thing she could ever do is call someone an un-nice person.
Being someone who wears her heart on her sleeve, once she gets into one of her darker moods, she takes on a different air. It’s like she’s possessed by a cruel force.

Background: Nothing was ever Sabrina’s fault. If everyone else wasn’t so selfish, things would’ve been so much nicer like they were back home. Back home where a sorceress like her are rare and special, widely celebrated talks of the town. Out of all her friends and suitors, her childhood playmate, Illarian, was her favorite. So, when he left to join a rebellion against the kingdom’s crooked ruler, she followed him for all the fun she believed it would be.

But they all let her down, it was a dark, scary experience that didn’t care if she was “too tired” for the things that didn’t interest her. Thankfully, Illarian was there to take her side so when the title of leader was thrust upon him when the old one was executed, she never felt prouder, but not for long. He changed, no longer having time for her broke her heart. Even more so when he turned down her plea to run away together. The only thing she could do was make the rebellion pay by joining forces with the king.

The thought of having a sorceress and a former rebellion member was so good that Sabrina soon became the king’s most feared enforcer. It didn’t matter how much terror was inflicted upon the populace; her hurt feelings were all that mattered. Especially after she discovered Astrid. How could Illarian and the rebellion follow such a mousy girl with only half the magical talent she had? The nerve of that bitch who had the gal to return his affections. Feeling truly alone, Sabrina found the town where the rebels were hiding with a not-so-sturdy dam that was just begging to be broken.

Before she could cast the first spell, Illarian came to stop her. Admitting that he was the selfish one and how there was still a place for her in the rebellion was tempting, but there was one thing she wanted: for him to get rid of Astrid. Tragically, his hypocrisy shined through when he couldn’t abandon his lover and mother of his unborn child. With her heart broken a third time, the dam was shattered as those familiar mists rolled in.

Finding herself in a shining castle, the thing that caught her attention was a book with the words, “Write in me. -A friend.” Throwing caution to the wind, Sabrina did as the book said and got a response. She was selected to be a beacon of hope in Ravenloft by taking in the outcasts of the other domains to live in hers called Vermillion. Seeing this as her chance for the adoration she used to have, she agreed.

Current Status: Hailing from a world where sorcerers are treated like pop idols, the very concept of not being kissed-up to by the domain’s refugees is alien to her. Sure, she has their support, but not their sincere love and admiration. They may fake it out of fear, but Sabrina knows it’s false. (In game terms, she gains an extra -1 outcast rating from a refugee for each month they stay in Vermillion. Max -8.) Even her attention-whoring attempts do nothing to gain her the respect she believes she’s entitled to.

So, she does what she can to make sure the most “selfish” ones pay for their sins. From lobotomizing the rebellious to breaking the legs of those that try to escape. Still, they fight back, only doing what is expected of them.

Sabrina’s other problem involves Illarian who she found in a comatose state. Despite everything, she still cares deeply for him and with no Astrid in the way, she believes that once he recovers, things can go back to the way they were.

Dread Possibility: Healing the Broken: While it’s possible to restore Illarian from his current state through scientific or magical means, any love he had for her is now gone.

Closing the Boarders: If Sabrina wishes to close her boarders, the air becomes charged with wild magic energy. What starts out as a massive headache becomes worse when the victim goes in further, and they discover that their nose and ears are bleeding. Roll save vs spell or lose 1d6 constitution damage (a success halves it, rounded down) for each 10 feet traveled. If the victim rolls a critical failure or their constitution goes to 0, their head explodes. The lost damage can be recovered when the victim retreats and rests for one day per point of damage.

Confronting Sabrina: While Sabrina will have an entourage of 2d4 refugees to help her fight, she is not afraid to fight her own battles since it gives her a chance to show off her magical abilities. One of her favorite tactics is using her magical +2 mace that can fire Magic Missile.

I do like the concept!

A population of 45 seems a bit low, though.
You might want to run one more spellcheck over the whole thing.

Suggested Dread Possibility: False Friend
Maybe the 'Friend' behind the book is not the Dark Powers. Perhaps the book could be the phylactery of a powerful fiend. While it remains inside of Vermillion, it is somehow unable to reconstitute its body, but it can still use its powers to charm and to scry.
While it initially instructed Sabrina in the use of the mirrors and the method of 'Cleansing', it is growing increasingly frustrated with catering to her selfishness, especially as she is wholly disinterested with reciprocating.
The fiend initially wanted to create a Faustian pact with Sabrina, except it found it could not guide her to one; selfish and shallow as she is, her will is too strong, her egomaniacal focus too absolute. Lately, it has been trying to steer Sabrina to 'welcome' people that are either more heroic or more fiendish; the former in hopes they will kill the Darklady, the latter in hopes of finding someone to contract with. Either heroes or villains might finally take the book out of Vermillion, where the fiend theorizes it might at last reconstitute its body and become free to inflict its own reign of terror on the Demiplane.
Fiends being as they are, this one's first target would almost certainly be Sabrina Whitestag and the domain of Vermillion.

Suggested Dread Possibility: Who Watches the Watcher?
Sabrina is able to gaze throughout all the Demiplane of Dread and snatch people away, but for all her power and the power of her mirrors, she lacks refinement. More than one powerful being, some of them Dread Lords and Ladies in their own right, have noticed the gaze of this 'poacher' passing through their domains... and they don't appreciate her interference.
Strahd von Zarovich is always keen to maintain his populace and the contents of his larder. Azalin is a micro-managing control freak. Gwydion might swat at Sabrina's scrying sensor just for the novelty of being able to hurt someone. Inza Magdova Kulchevich might do the same, just for kicks and giggles. Meredoth would definitely want to make Sabrina's magic his own. The Fraternity of Shadows might latch onto Sabrina's sensors as a way of learning more about the Demiplane of Dread. Any number of bodiless entities might follow the connection back to Vermillion and cause chaos and misery for its people.
Basically, every time Sabrina's gaze sweeps across the Demiplane, she is risking any or several of these villains attacking her through the mirrors' connection. Regardless whether they do so with the intention to hurt her or just to analyze the mirrors is moot; either will have terrible consequences for the future.

I really like your ideas and I'm glad you like the concept of Vermillion. I was inspired by a character called The Lost Angel (from the comic, Freex) who had a twisted sanctuary for outcasts with superpowers and contact and pull in people through portals. Sabrina is partially inspired by a rather selfish character from a game, Tactics Ogre.

Would 100 people suffice instead for the population? I'm playing around with the idea of Astrid's ghost haunting the forests, biding her time to get her revenge. (She doesn't know Illarian is still alive.)

Table 5-2: Random Town Generation" on pg 137 of the DMG. The list is as follows:

Town Size: Thorp; Population: 20-80; GP Limit: 40g

Town Size: Hamlet; Population: 81-400; GP Limit: 100g

Town Size: Village; Population: 401-900; GP Limit: 200g

Town Size: Small town; Pop: 901-2000; GP Limit: 800g

Town Size: Large town; Pop: 2001-5000; GP Limit: 3000g

Town Size: Small city; Pop: 5001-12,000; GP Limit: 15,000g

Town Size: Large city; Pop: 12,001-25,000; GP Limit: 40,000g

Town Size: Metropolis; Pop: 25,000+; GP Limit: 100,000g

yaoihuntressearth wrote:I'm playing around with the idea of Astrid's ghost haunting the forests, biding her time to get her revenge. (She doesn't know Illarian is still alive.)

That sounds like a great idea to me! Definitely have some form of Astrid around to thwart the Darklady.

For the Cleansed, in the 2nd edition Monstrous Compendium there was a race called the Quevari. They were basically indistinguishable from humans but were prone to a bloodlust sort-of-thing during the nights of the full moon. Using Barbarian's rage is good, but they had some neat ideas in the writeup. I would riff off of how that monster was statted out to simulate when a Cleansed goes bonkers to defend Sabrina.

Another point to ponder. What does the seedy underbelly look like? Sure, everyone knows that have to play Sabrina's game or get lobotomized ahem -- cleansed. The society then, looks perfect. Everyone plays along. Nothing is amiss.

But I think what might be missing here is the exception that proves the rule. Are there any notable NPCs who 'act' the right way in public, but secretly hate their lot and are willing to do something about it? A secret society of let's rebel against the rebellion sort of thing.

The Quevari were adapted for 3/3.5e as well.

Secret Society: Warriors of Illarian
It all started with a set of twins from Tepest (Bryon and Bryonna) who were about to be burnt for witchcraft due to them being sorcerers. Since Sabrina could only pull one person through at a time, she convinced Bryon to go in first with the promise to get his twin later. As Bryon was settling into his new home, a tearful Sabrina told him that despite her best efforts the boarders were closed and by the time she could get through, Bryonna was already dead. Taking her words to heart, they had a good cry and he carried on with his new role as a woodsman.

Still, his survivor's guilt lingered and while hunting for food, he broke down and cried, catching the attention of a ghost that resided in the woods. Fearing that she'd hurt him if he ran away or fought her off, Bryon told his tale to the ghost who listened empathetically. She told him that her name was Astrid and that she had lived in Cinberg before the damn broke. Soon, her mood turned dark as she revealed Sabrina's hand in it and the reason she refused to help Bryonna was due to her also being a sorceress and Sabrina not wanting to have a rival for the Vermillionese's affections. Hurt, Bryon asked what he could do and Astrid got an idea.

Named after Astrid's missing lover, the Warriors of Illarian are a secret rebel group that are trying to gather information on the domain and Sabrina herself in hopes of ending her tyranny. So far, there are only ten members (counting Astrid and Bryon), but they all are fiercely devoted to their cause.

The Folk: The Vermillionese are a truly unique melting pot. From G'Henan mongrelmen to normal humans, all of them have one thing in common: they're desperate. Some were persecuted, others were about to be executed, while others were so beaten down by life that they had nowhere else to go. Agreeing to Sabrina's offer of safety, each new citizen must throw away all prejudices and learn to get along with the others. Even if Vermillion appears to be nicer and more abundant than many other domains, it still contains as many dangers and there's a steep price to pay for troublemakers by becoming one of the Cleansed. While they are not their own race, the Cleansed have been "cured" of their sins by mentally regressing into a simpler state. There are some who believe that their sins and inner darkness are too much to bear that they willingly go through with it, most Vermillionese fear becoming one.

Due to the massive variety of people, there is no set fashion, culture, or religion. Interestingly, everyone can understand what each other are saying as if a spell was cast over the entire domain.

Where did Sabrina learn to render people the Cleansed? Was that a gift from the Friend? A power she received upon becoming darklord?

It was a gift from The Friend.

Now for the other major player in Vermillion and the one who would be the lightlord.

Astrid Ronway
Appearance: Compared to a beauty like Sabrina, Astrid's own simple human looks and mousy long hair are clearly inferior. Once you get to know her, a inner beauty shines through with her maturity and toughness. Now a ghost, Astrid resembles a drowned woman of 18 years and in her first trimester of pregnancy that drips water wherever she goes.
Biography: Astrid had never seen herself as all that pretty or special, not that she had much time to ponder such things being the oldest of ten children with a recently deceased mother. So she opted to be the best big sister she could be, putting her own happiness aside for the good of the family. It would've stayed that way if the King's corrupt enforcers hadn't decided to teach her father a lesson for speaking against the king. Blocking all exits to their house, it was set on fire and would've taken Astrid out if with her family if it weren't for her sorceress abilities manifesting and creating a exit from a blasted open hole in the wall.

The news of a sorceress sighting spread like wildfire and reached Illarian's ears. With some luck, he was able to find Astrid and convince her to put her magical skills and hatred of the king to good use. Sure, she wasn't as talented as Sabrina, their last sorceress, but the rebellion appreciated her humility and maturity. Especially Illarian who began to fall for this caring and selfless woman and she did in return. Their happiness wasn't able to last when Sabrina discovered the rebels' hideout and despite Illarian's pleas, she flooded the town they hid in.
Current Status: When she was alive, Astrid had mixed feelings about Sabrina, but after losing her child and talking with Bryon, she sees the darklord as the spoiled brat she is. She hopes that if she is able to end Sabrina's reign and/or reunite with Illarian (who she has a feeling is still alive), her spirit can finally rest in peace with her unborn child. In the meantime, she will watch over her secret society like the caring older sister she once was.

What if the child is not unborn, and everyone just thinks it is, including the mother?
Say Astrid's broken body was found, just barely clinging to life, by the unlikeliest of midwives.

Bethany the She-Faun had lived in the the deep woods of Vermillion for all her life. She was shy, fearful of humans and greater fey alike, but she was a kindhearted Druid; gentle towards the sick and injured, and in tune with her surroundings.
When the dam broke and the waters rose, she sensed it and - in spite of her fear - came galloping to see if there was anything she could do. She wept to see all the dead, but then there was Astrid; breath rattling feebly in her lungs, belly swollen with child. Bethany knew she could do nothing for the mother, but the child...?

The delivery needed some jumpstarting and it did not go easily (nor did Astrid survive the process), but Bethany managed to extract Astrid's child - or rather, her children. Astrid herself had come from a big family, after all, and Bethany left the scene of carnage carrying a pair of squalling twins.

In the years that followed, Bethany has been raising the children in an area of the deep woods she continually wards and blesses to keep out evil and ward off Sabrina's wandering Eye. The children are growing up tall and strong. Although Bethany has been as honest with the children about their origins as she can, she was never involved with the rebellion or the cruel monarchy that preceded it; she does not know anything about Astrid or Illarian; to her, Sabrina is a nameless Evil that has somehow infested the land, and which she must keep at bay with her spells and rituals.
Although the twins love Bethany like a mother, they are eager to learn more, to see more, to travel. The She-Faun knows a day will come when her younglings must leave the nest, and she is doing her best to prepare them. For the first time in generations, she is talking to other fey, getting up-to-date information about the land of Vermillion. Honestly, she's been surprised by how forthcoming these fey have been, almost to the point of fawning over her.

Dread Possibility: Two Queens in Vermillion
Bethany does not yet suspect that she is currently the strongest fey in Vermillion, all of its previous lords and ladies of Faerie having either stayed on the Prime Material plane, wandered into the Mists in reply to Gwydion's distant call, or died due to Sabrina's malice.
Astrid may be the Lightlady of Vermillion, but the unsuspecting Bethany is its Queen of Faerie by default - and her increased activity, after having isolated herself all this time, has stirred hope in the hearts of Vermillion's surviving fey population. With their Queen at last "stirring from her bower", as it were, fey are doing everything they can in hopes of currying favor. Some are spying on Sabrina and the realm's mortals. Others have started teaching their Queen's mortal wards things her Faerie Majesty would not have ever considered.
If the twins ever join the fight against Sabrina, the resistance may suddenly find the realm's fey on their side ... but not all of them are kindly and benevolent as their monarch.

Seeing people talking about lightlords like their were canon makes me proud