Café de Nuit

Yes, I'm once again back at this, and will most likely like the last time I did this will lose interest in a few months and fall off.
Until then, why not start off the year with one of my favorite domains: Kartakass!

Kartakass, domain of the wolfwere bard Harkon Lukas, is a friendly yet sinister woodland-domain which unlike Barovia is not full of ass holes, and so has plenty of ways to be filled with life, folklore, and plothooks.

Inspired by the black-forest, as well as Cormyr and the Dalelands of Toril/Forgotten Realms, theirs plenty of places to draw inspiration from, so just post anything that comes to mind.

In the Mistworld, Kartakass got its independence from Invidia in recent times. It was a failed plot from Harkon Lukas to conquer Invidia and turn it in a Wolfwere Kingdom. Lukas plot was twarted by his second in command Ardonk, loyal to the Invidian crown, and as a failsafe Lukas managed to raise the Kartakassian province in rebellion, and created a new nation, were Wolfweres are respected but not enought to rule.

The Grandfather Animals, being a mixutre of folkloric and religious figures in Kartakass and the faith of the Ancestral Choir, have always been interesting to me. With them said to be frequently featured in the Mora (moral tales) which the Kartakan's are so fond of telling, I decided to come up with a few and examine what story-telling purpose they have in Kartakass (much like Aesop animals). There virtues are found in positive stories, where the animal wins, while their faults are for stories where they fail. They are what they are meant to teach.

Grandfather Wolf (canon):
The most popular of the grandfathers, he is said to have started out as nothing special, with the Mora depicting him rising to through ambition, cunning, and ruthlessness to become king of the forest. Just as often he outsmarts his prey as he overpowers it, and he is said to be creative and proud, always ready to challenge the old order of the forest to bring about change, usually for his own benefit. In stories of the Grandfathers, he is almost always depicted as victorious over them in some way, while against humans he beats all but the hero Harkon Lukas.
Virtues: Cunning, Creativity, Ambition
Faults: Greed, Cruelty
Represents: Wolfweres, Rouges, Harkon Lukas, Wilds, Ambition

Grandfather Boar (canon):
Another popular grandfather, he is said to be the strongest of all the grandfathers, though also the least cunning. A creature prone to temper which often brings him to ruin, he most often wars with Grandfather Wolf, and is said to be the heir of Grandfather Deer to uphold the old order of the forests. Without Grandfather Wolf, he can often get a win though his sheer brutishness. His stories are a warning against falling to ones temper, as well not to tempt the strong without a clever plan.
Virtues: Strength, Vitality, Good Luck
Faults: Unwise, Stubborn, Irritable
Represents: Humans, Fighters, Nature, Tradition

Grandfather Owl (canon):
The last of the great trinity of Grandfathers, he is said to be one of the oldest, watching the other Grandfathers as they first awoke in the forests of old. An unknowable being, he is said to live in the Mists and watch the world from afar, influencing events for its own mysterious purposes. Despite this, it often freely gives advice to the other grandfathers, usually revealing the moral of the tale. Rarely however is he listened to. While it manipulates both Grandfather Wolf and Grandfather Boar, it is most appears with Grandfather Bat. They are said to have dueled since the beginning of time, in a grand game with arcane rules.
Virtues: Patience, Wisdom
Faults: Controlling, Distrusted, Paranoid
Represents: Mists, Vistani, Arcana, Wizards, Mystery

Grandfather Bat (fanon):
Said to be the oldest of the Grandfathers, though some stories say Grandfather Owl and Grandmother Adder are just a bit older. The child of the night itself, he is a foul and bitter thing who helped Grandmother Adder father the evils of the world. He is said to have mysterious powers beyond that of any Grandfather. Said to have been simultaneously fond and hateful of humanity, he is weak to beautiful things which in the end he destorys.
Despite normally being a figure of horror and tradegy, over the years some stories come to depict him as a humerous figure who broods over the accomplishments of the other grandfathers, only to flee from the morning sun, having accomplished nothing (an obvious dig at Strahd, courtesy of years of effort by Harkon Lukas. He cannot get direct revenge on Strahd for their initial meeting, so he indulgeds instead in a petty slight as this)
Virtues: Arcane Might, Age, Knowledge
Faults: Evil, Bitterness, Lustful
Represents: Night, Evil, Vampires, Strahd von Zarovich

Grandfather Deer/Stag/Hart (fanon):
Said to have once been leader of the Grandfathers, and keeper and upholder of the ancient laws of the Forest. Old and full of a grim dignity, his stories always depict him as past his prime. A early opponent of Grandfather Wolf, he opposed the changes he and Grandmother Fox brought to the order of things, and fails to stop them. While failing, his opposition to change is not always unwarranted, and his warnings of disaster sometimes prove true at the end of certain tales.
Grandfather deer is associated with kings, heroes, and the elves. Indeed, some Rashemani additions to the tales say he is father of the Elves, to protect the forests after he was gone (note: A reference to the Stag Lord of Forgotten Realms). He is also associated with the old heroes of Kartakass, with many old families of Kartakass (the closests thing to a 'nobility') often use the deer as a symbol for their bloodlines.
Virtues: Moral/Honorable, Brave, Swift, Loyal
Faults: Past his prime, Stubborn, Inflexible
Represents: Kings, Heroes, Elves, Falling to Time, Tradition

Grandmother Fox (fanon):
Equal parts rival and lover to Grandfather Wolf, he story differs by how men tell it and how women tell it. Men tell stories of her as being just as clever as Grandfather Wolf but twice as cruel, if not outright vindictive. The most beautiful of the animals, she used her wit and charms to get her way, including the ear of Grandfather Wolf when his victory was clear.
Women meanwhile had her the reverse, being just as cruel as Grandfather Wolf, but twice as clever. She saw the potential of Grandfather Wolf, and saw in him a respect for her wits. However, in their stories she more often fails in her goals, as her vanity ends of robbing her of her wits.
In both sexes, Grandmother Fox is also associated with elves, specifically elven women. The Sithican merchants rather dislike this comparrison. (A reference to the werefox goddess Eshebala).
To the werefoxes, the story is the invention of the many werefox lovers Harkon has taken over the years, along with their many attempts to be the 'power behind the throne'.
Virtues: Cunning, Clever, Charming
Faults: Vain, Cruel, Vindictive
Represents: Elves, Werefoxes, Women

Grandfather Beaver (fanon):
A more popular character with children, grandfather beaver is often used to demonstrate how one can be too clever for their own good, or anyone elses for that matter. As ambitious as Grandfather Wolf and just as disrespectful of Grandfather Deer, Beaver was one of the few Grandfathers to change the woods as it saw fit. But much like how a beaver's dam can lead to problems, so do the many ideas of Grandfather Beaver. Following whatever hair-brained idea it has with considering the consequences, bringing disaster to both itself and others in the end. Often times it is said to take an idea of Grandfather Wolf's too far, with Wolf being forced to make example of Beaver (in hopes none realize it was originally his idea).
Virtues: Inventive, Industrious, Optimistic
Faults: Unwise, Obsessive, Poor Taste in Friends
Represents: Rabble Rousers, Gnomes, Change for change's sake.

Grandfather/Grandmother Mole (fanon):
An odd grandfather, in that he is never a main character in tales which feature him. Instead, he is a being which the other grandfather's act upon in an attempt to best or eat, only to fail by chance of fate and their own faults. A blind, small, unassuming creature (despite the rather large size of dire moles), he none-the-less manages to dodge danger time after time. Story tells depict him either as a blessed fool, or secretly more clever than he lets on. In the former, the moral tends to be "You cannot fool a fool".
In the later case, he is often associated with Gnomes and Halflings, with the halfing oddly seeming to appreciate the association. The gnomes...not so much.
Virtues: Patience, Un-Assuming Nature, Good Luck
Faults: Unambitious, Lacking in agency, Weak
Represents: Gnomes, Halflings, Hidden Wisdom, Earth

Grandfather Badger/Wolverine (fanon):
A rather odd grandfather, he is either the bravest hero of the vilest villain. In towns near Forlorn, Grandfather Badger (sometimes called Grandfather Wolverine) is said to have many strange magical abilities, such as his lick healing wounds, his hair able to guard the spirits of the dead, and is said to have dug burrows to house the first humans. Meanwhile in the South, closer to Sithicus, Grandfather Badger is a vicious beast, hateful of all life. Rather than protect the dead, he is said to have eaten the first human buried and learned the secrets of death from the act.
Regardless, both types of stories depict him as knowing the secrets of the earth and grave, and having an association with Dwarves (thanks to the Werebadger Azrael Drak). As such, many Kartakans believe that Dwarves have the same powers. Such claims and association have done little to endear the domain to dwarves.
Virtues: Strength, Vitality, Healing (Forlorn), Loyalty (Forlorn)
Faults: Viciousness (Sithicus), Obsessive, Greedy
Represents: Dwarves, Magic, Druids, Necromancy/Death, Earth/Soil/Stone

Grandfather Eagle/Falcon (fanon):
Where as many see the eagle as a majestic creature, to Kartakanns it is the symbol of tyranants and bullies, born from stories of Grandfather Eagle. Arrogant and ambitious to a degree that shocked even Grandfather Wolf, Grandfather Eagle had the need to control, with its ability to fly making it see itself as above all other beasts. While normally lording over one animal or another, in one story it goes so far as to declare itself King of Beasts, terrorizing the other Grandfathers to demand tribute and upending the Order of the Forest in ways which harm all and make no sense just to feed its pride. Eventually driven off in a plan of Grandfather Wolf's, many see the story as an allegory for the old Invidia Conquest of Kartakass, with Grandfather Wolf in place of Harkon Lukas.
The tales of Vlad Drakov over the years, along with the rise of Malacchio in Invidia has led to many to tell the tales now as Grandfather Falcon. The Gundarike Rebellion is said to use the character in codes between cells. Different uses of Eagle and Falcon have different meaning, no few can guess what for.
Virtues: Ambitious, Charismatic
Faults: Arrogant, Foolish, Violent, Greed
Represnts: Tyrants, Bullies, Militarism, Falkovnia/Invidia, Sky, Air

Grandmother Adder (fanon):
While Grandfather Bat and Grandfather Owl are said to be older, Grandmother Adder is said to have been old since the day she was born. Yet despite her age, she is as dangerous as any youth, but her venom as only grown more potent. Unlike all other Grandfathers except Grandfather Bat and Grandfather Badger, Grandmother Adder is truly evil, and not merely as brutal as nature demands. She is said to have taught mortal men all manner of sins, and birthed the many monsters of the world. Despite her evil, she is unfailingly wise and surprisingly honest, never outright lying to her victims.
While usually besting her victims, be they mortal men or other Grandfathers, even in defeat she is never truly beaten. If bested, she merely sheds her skin, and with it her wounds, and warns of her inevitable return.
Virtues: Honest, Wise, Undying
Faults: Evil, Cruel
Represents: Evil/Villains, Sin, Elder's Wisdom, Poison.

Grandmother Otter (fanon):
A bit player who drives action, Grandmother Otter is quite the chatterbox. Swimming up and down the rivers of the world, she is always ever-so-busy, but always has time to gossip, with such gossip either being a truth which warns of another Grandfather's scheme or diaster, or causes them by being an outright falsehood. In either case, Grandmother Otter rarely recieves either praise or blame, as she always swims away on other busienss.
While few stories depict why, Grandmother Otter and her dire-descendants is associated with wealth and good fortune. As such, a pelt of Grandmother Otter highly valued in Kartakass. For the merchants it is a symbol of status, while among the young it is taken from a hunt and given as a courting gift.
Virtues: Energetic, Positive, Lucky
Faults: Inattentive, Un-empathetic
Represents: Gossipers/Chattermouths, Rumors, Rumor Mongers, Merchants, Rivers, Water, Wealth

Grandmother Lynx / Grandfather Cat (fanon):
Another rival to Grandfather Wolf, Grandmother Lynx (or cat to the less learned) was as cunning and as vicious a hunter as Grandfather Wolf, and was often used in his place in stories when using him or Grandmother Fox got dull. However, she lacked his focus or ambition, being lazy where he was driven. Oddly, she was more often paired with Grandmother Fox as a rival, with each being equally vain (note: A reference to the weretiger goddess Ferrix and her rivally with Eshebala). Such tales are oddly more popular amoung Borcan merchants and vistors than Grandfather Wolf is.
Oddly, a few instead depict him as male, usually dusky travelers from Hazlan and Nova Vaasa (ie: Pakas). In theirs, he pulls of a win against both Grandfather Wolf and Grandmother Fox, only to be cheated of his victory by unfair action.
Virtues: Talented, Flexible
Faults: Inattentive, Lazy, Unambitious, Vain
Represents: Those who waste talent, Those with expensive taste, Pakas, Borcans.

Grandfather Ram and Grandmother Ewe (fanon):
Forever poor victims, these two are often used as filler characters in the stories of more popular Grandfathers, forever victims of their virtues or the backfire of their faults. Either eaten by Grandfather Wolf, or their valley flooded by Grandfather Beaver, or the subject of a contest between Grandmother Fox and Grandmother Lynx, the poor pair are forever victims.
In the rare stories where they are the focus, the couple who often complete each others thoughts and sentences in other stories are instead depicted as frequently arguing, usually over an meaningless misunderstanding, each stubborn and sure they are in the right and refusing to accept they might be mistaken.
Virtues: Loyal,
Faults: Stubborn, Weak, Lacking in Agency.
Represnts: Peasants, Bit-Players, Bickering Couples, Those who rely on hunches.

Allow me to add Grandfather Dog
The brother and enemy of Grandfather Wolves he wins because his loyalty and kindness gives him more friends then the others.

Much like you, KingCorn, Kartakass has always been a favorite of mine. It's a great wilderness domain done right---you actually do care about the Kartakans and their rustic way of life, as opposed to having to deal with an adventuring party in Barovia getting dirty looks everywhere they go and ultimately not caring what the fate of the village is due to how poorly the villagers treat them.

If we're adding Grandfather animals of our own, I'll need to figure out a Grandfather Frog. Frogs can sing, and my girlfriend kept asking if there was one as they're her favorite type of animal. Yes, I'm clearly biased here.

Additionally, I know that Gazetteer I states that Kartakass and Hazlan have little to no interactions with one another, but I always considered that a shame and it certainly doesn't apply IMC. If you look on the Mordent Cartographic Society maps for Hazlan, you'll see a settlement they added called "Skansorro" that has a road leading into Kartakass (link here: https://www.fraternityofshadows.com/Gry ... ormap.html). According to the cartographers, "From 'Children of the Night:Ghosts' I took Skansorro, a village 'wedged between two mountains, and a forest'." Thanks to the existence of this "Skansorro" IMC, I've had it so there's far more interactions between the Kartakans and the Hazlani. Additionally, Harkon Lukas has been quite intrigued to notice some similarities between the land of Hazlan and his own shoddy recollections of Thay back when he was in the Forgotten Realms.

And I don't think you'll lose interest, if you have others like Mistmaster and I who contribute to your creativity on these boards! Speaking of contributing, this is a good reminder to get back to our 5e conversions on Discord--I just got back to my apartment so tomorrow for sure.

KingCorn wrote: ↑Wed Jan 03, 2024 7:36 pm The Grandfather Animals, being a mixutre of folkloric and religious figures in Kartakass and the faith of the Ancestral Choir, have always been interesting to me. With them said to be frequently featured in the Mora (moral tales) which the Kartakan's are so fond of telling, I decided to come up with a few and examine what story-telling purpose they have in Kartakass (much like Aesop animals). There virtues are found in positive stories, where the animal wins, while their faults are for stories where they fail. They are what they are meant to teach.

This is certainly the sort of thing that helps deepen the in-world culture. Great stuff!

It might be fun to introduce a few animals that don't make sense in the Kartakan ecosystem, added by foreign authors appropriating Kartakan culture to tell their own facsimiles of Grandfather Animal stories. For example, there could be a Dementlieuse writer making up his own "Kartakan" stories about Grandfather Monkey, offending actual Kartakans with his minimal awareness of their culture. For extra fun, the same author could be plagiarizing Rajian folklore and offending two cultures for the price of one.

KingCorn wrote: ↑Wed Jan 03, 2024 7:36 pm Grandfather/Grandmother Mole (fanon):
An odd grandfather, in that he is never a main character in tales which feature him. Instead, he is a being which the other grandfather's act upon in an attempt to best or eat, only to fail by chance of fate and their own faults. A blind, small, unassuming creature (despite the rather large size of dire moles), he none-the-less manages to dodge danger time after time. Story tells depict him either as a blessed fool, or secretly more clever than he lets on. In the former, the moral tends to be "You cannot fool a fool".

Do I detect a reincarnation of Mr. Magoo?

Wolfglide of the Fraternity wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 2:11 am This is certainly the sort of thing that helps deepen the in-world culture. Great stuff!

It might be fun to introduce a few animals that don't make sense in the Kartakan ecosystem, added by foreign authors appropriating Kartakan culture to tell their own facsimiles of Grandfather Animal stories. For example, there could be a Dementlieuse writer making up his own "Kartakan" stories about Grandfather Monkey, offending actual Kartakans with his minimal awareness of their culture. For extra fun, the same author could be plagiarizing Rajian folklore and offending two cultures for the price of one.

That is a neet idea, though I kinda like it fitting with their own legends. The trickster character Reynard the Fox is rather popular in french culture, though he can also be found in Dutch and German culture which inspires Kartakass. Perhaps for this, the Dementlieuse are more fond of Grandmother Fox.

Wolfglide of the Fraternity wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 2:11 am Do I detect a reincarnation of Mr. Magoo?

Kinda...

Another source of inspiration is some of the many german ghost stories found in Fantasmagoria, Volkmarschen der Deutschen, and Gespensterbuch.

One of the most famous of these is Der Freischutz or The Freeshooter. The legend, turned opera, goes that a shooting contest is arranged within a germanic village, with the best shooter in town getting cold feet as he wishes to use a victory to propose to his lady love. Offered a deal of bullets which shall never miss by a mysterious figure, who is either a servant of the devil or the devil himself. Told the bullets will never miss the first 6 times, but the 7th shall hit a target of the devils choosing, it inevitably spells ruin and disaster as the shooter wastes his shoots, with the 7th killing himself or his love.

Such a legend could be found in the entire Balinoks region and The 'Four-Towers-Crescent' as I like to call it. I like it best for Kartakass as its more rural nature fits better with the character of the story. In their case, the bullets could be replaced with arrows. In Kartakass, the sign of a Black Arrow is an ill omen, and many take it to mean that one has either trafficed with evil, or intends to commit grisley muder.

I have two ideas which I cannot decide on.
Idea 1: The stories of The Freeshooter, sometimes told as The Black Arrow, are based on a real events a few years after the Grand Conjunction and the imprissonment of Inajira in the Mists. A hunter made a deal with the Arcanaloth for arrows which shall never miss their mark. Seeing a chance to cause greater harm, but careful not to invoke the attention of the powers, he gave the mans the means to create such a thing himself: a ritual to summon an Arrow Battleloth (see Dragon #306), and bind it to his power for 6 tasks. Like the story, it ends in disaster as upon its freedom, the Battleloth took pleasure in ruining the life of its master. The battleloth itself is still out their, trapped in its weapon form in the mists. Perhaps it now serves Inajira, perhaps it lies abandoned out in the Mists.

Idea 2: Less specific, the arrows could in fact be made of Shadow-Stuff, and gotten from a Shadow-Fey as a deal, with such Shadow-Stuff weaponry being a common form of deal and mischief for them. Indeed, such fey could have a 'weapons-guild' of sorts throughout the domains, making Shadow-Stuff weapons which always lead to tragedy. Arrows, swords, even muskets and bullets. So long as they can twist it for their own fun, they can make.

KingCorn wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 10:28 am One of the most famous of these is Der Freischutz or The Freeshooter.

Oh I like that, The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets a collaboration of theatre director Robert Wilson, musician Tom Waits, and writer William S. Burroughs, is based on this legend. Although based on folklore, the story contains strong autobiographical elements from Burroughs' own life: he accidentally shot his own wife in a drunken attempt at recreating the William Tell legend, and the story as a whole may be construed as a warning tale about the destructive powers of addiction.

KingCorn wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 10:28 am Idea 1: The stories of The Freeshooter, sometimes told as The Black Arrow, are based on a real events a few years after the Grand Conjunction and the imprissonment of Inajira in the Mists.

I prefer this idea, we haven't seen much of Inajira for a while, probably he has been hiding behind his alchemical books. I hadn't known the existence of battleloths, an arrow battleloth is really appropriate for this one.

Mephisto of the FoS wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 3:10 pm Oh I like that, The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets a collaboration of theatre director Robert Wilson, musician Tom Waits, and writer William S. Burroughs, is based on this legend. Although based on folklore, the story contains strong autobiographical elements from Burroughs' own life: he accidentally shot his own wife in a drunken attempt at recreating the William Tell legend, and the story as a whole may be construed as a warning tale about the destructive powers of addiction.

Sounds similiar to the movie Naked Lunch

There's a woman called Mama Orsolya who's been brewing a special batch of meekulbrau. It's even darker red than the usual stuff. Rumor has it that this "purple meekulbrau" is even more potent, both in terms of alcohol and its effects upon one's performance. After a hearty stein of the purple, a fellow might talk Grandfather Owl into giving up his feathers.

The effects of Bluetspur can be found in more than just the remaining mistways, but even in the environement. Deep in the woodlands shared between Forlorn, Hazlan, and Kartakass, in the heart of the Kartakann Rodskoven (Redwood) is a blighted and horrific woodland called by many names. The Rattenskoven (The Rotted/Blighted Wood), Styggskoven (The Foul Wood), Liliaskoven (The Purple/Bruised Wood). In this place, monstrocitie, said to be the spawn of Grandmother Adder such as the infamous Wurm (or is it Wyrm?) have been left to rot.

The name comes not just from the awful smell which comes from the wood, but the fact that many of the trees are rotting within, turning a slickly yellowish-purple color, like bruised flesh. The land itself is tainted from the remnants from Illithid Biomancy. A rotten, alien landscape, it is said in the center is a tree of flesh which births monsters...

Note: This is a bit of a reference to the woods of Arkham in lovecraft stories, a mixture of Shub-Niggurath and the Color out of Space. A little out of space for the Dutch/Black-Forest influenced Kartakass (but then again, why are the Hazlani and the Nova Vaasan's speaking Norwegian?)

KingCorn wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 8:40 pm The effects of Bluetspur can be found in more than just the remaining mistways, but even in the environement. Deep in the woodlands shared between Forlorn, Hazlan, and Kartakass, in the heart of the Kartakann Rodskoven (Redwood) is a blighted and horrific woodland called by many names. The Rattenskoven (The Rotted/Blighted Wood), Styggskoven (The Foul Wood), Liliaskoven (The Purple/Bruised Wood). In this place, monstrocitie, said to be the spawn of Grandmother Adder such as the infamous Wurm (or is it Wyrm?) have been left to rot.

The name comes not just from the awful smell which comes from the wood, but the fact that many of the trees are rotting within, turning a slickly yellowish-purple color, like bruised flesh. The land itself is tainted from the remnants from Illithid Biomancy. A rotten, alien landscape, it is said in the center is a tree of flesh which births monsters...

Note: This is a bit of a reference to the woods of Arkham in lovecraft stories, a mixture of Shub-Niggurath and the Color out of Space. A little out of space for the Dutch/Black-Forest influenced Kartakass (but then again, why are the Hazlani and the Nova Vaasan's speaking Norwegian?)

Well I like to think that the Hazlani and Vaasi speak Danish/Norwegian if only because I like to think that Vaasi is the language of "Common" in the Forgotten Realms. Just a personal quirk of my games but a fun one!

As for this, I think it's a perfectly good plot hook. It's stated in Forbidden Lore that the Ildi'Thaan occasionally meet in the woods of Kartakass just as much as they occasionally meet in the Barovian forests or Hazlani hills, so further links to old Bluetspur in the Core are nice (though it's still a good thing that it was removed from the Core overall). Perhaps there were a few wolfweres that were experimented upon by the illithids and now try to "summon" the great ones back to Kartakass? Or if not, they at least lead sacrifices down the Shattered Passage...

KingCorn wrote: ↑Wed Jan 03, 2024 7:36 pm Grandfather Ram and Grandmother Ewe (fanon):
Forever poor victims, these two are often used as filler characters in the stories of more popular Grandfathers, forever victims of their virtues or the backfire of their faults. Either eaten by Grandfather Wolf, or their valley flooded by Grandfather Beaver, or the subject of a contest between Grandmother Fox and Grandmother Lynx, the poor pair are forever victims.
In the rare stories where they are the focus, the couple who often complete each others thoughts and sentences in other stories are instead depicted as frequently arguing, usually over an meaningless misunderstanding, each stubborn and sure they are in the right and refusing to accept they might be mistaken.
Virtues: Loyal,
Faults: Stubborn, Weak, Lacking in Agency.
Represnts: Peasants, Bit-Players, Bickering Couples, Those who rely on hunches.

It might be interesting to repurpose the old 'Three Billy Goats Gruff' tale to give them a taste of victory.

KingCorn wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 8:40 pm A little out of space for the Dutch/Black-Forest influenced Kartakass

I always thought that Kartakass was more Austrian oriented, with inspiration for the domain coming from The Sound of Music based on the 1949 memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp.