The Treaty of Four Towers

[Mad Skipper]

Aside from the references in the Ravenloft Campaign Setting book and Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume III, is there any other book that can shed a little light on this treaty?

All I know at this point is that it involves Borca, Dementlieu, Mordent, and Richemulot and that the treaty was signed in 729 BC.

I ask because I have been thinking about starting a series of adventures that are based out of this treaty. The basics so far are that all parties involved have decided to fund an expedition that is to literally encompass the world. The schooner "Providence" was constructed specifically for this purpose and is manned by representatives from all four domains. Together they will sail, chart, and explore both the Sea of Sorrows and the Nocturnal Sea in order to shorten existing trade lanes and to open up trade whenever and wherever possible. Think of it like Star Trek with a heavy blend of the mysteries that surround the characters in Lost. For while Borca, Dementlieu, Mordent, and Richemulot may be unified in this endeavor of the treaty, the truth of the matter is quite simple: they have all taken a personal interest in the Providence's potential and through their representatives lies specific orders, thus inevitable subterfuge.

Help with the Treaty of Four Towers specifics, adventure hooks for the Providence, and domain specific schemes are welcome, and I thank you in advance.

[Coan]

In a game concerning the Four Towers Alliance (something I take particular interest in) the major villians could be:

Falkovnia (the impending threat to which the Alliance was first conceived against)
Darkon (in a game of intrigue and politics the Kargat rule supreme so Darkon as the 'mysterious third party' would not be so hard to comprehend).
The members of the alliance. (No one trusts each other to much so each nation has its own hidden agenda).

If you wanted a twist why not use Legacy of Blood and have each player member of the Providence a member of the noble family ruling the nations (Boritsi, Reiner and such).

[Rotipher of the FoS]

It'd make for a more challenging expedition if the maritime Mistways are to be explored as well. For one thing, this would allow you to add any of your home-grown IoT domain ideas into the mix, as well as staging short adventures in the civilized non-Core lands (like Souragne or Sri Raji) with which the Alliance nations would like to negotiate trade agreements. For another, it'd provide an avenue for getting the "Providence" between the two Core seas, without having to resort to excessive magic, manpower or chance: take a Mistway to an IoT from the Sea of Sorrows, Island-hop for a while, then catch a different Mistway to the Nocturnal Sea.

[Stygian Inquirer]

In my campaign, the Treaty of the Four Towers is coming to the forefront. One of the PCs is an Ermordenung sent to eliminate Kargat agents and this seems kind of strange because Darkon and Borca have never really done anything to each other. Also, the PCs have discovered that Falkovnian and Invidian troops have been mobilized but no one knows why. What could this mean? Dunh Dunh Dunh!

[Mad Skipper]

Falkovnia is the logical antagonist. But why would Darkon want to interfere with the Providence's journey? A spy placed on board to record its progress? To steal the maps created on and of this journey? To sabotage the Treaty of Four Tower's diplomatic relations with other lands?

Darkon is definitely a capable X factor.

And as to the mistways being explored: great idea. I had wanted to include one or two islands that I created a while back now, so I guess they would be justified in that way. That, and it only makes sense to use the mistways, if not to prolong the campaign, then to add some of that spice labeled "Culture Shock". And on the flipside if the adventures are doomed for obscurity, as in little to no player interest, exclusion of the mistways can lead to a conclusion for the Providence and it's crew.

Given the fact that the basics I have provided are so vague, and that I would be able to effectively run two or more campaigns on the same ideas, would anybody be interested in roleplaying a few sessions on the Cafe boards? Given the nature of the Providence's mission (it is here where it resembles Star Trek), adventure is easy to create as it is easy to switch off key writers to help keep themes and other ideas from going stagnant, and easier still to kill it off if interest is found to be wanting.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I like the star trek inspired idea for a campaign. Gives you the freedom to bump across a new and exciting adventure every week. But my favorite part of Star Trek (and Ravenloft) is recurring characters and situations like Q, The Borg, the Dominion, Khan... So returning to planets... I mean islands that you've been to before to see how things have progressed due to the PC's actions is key. You also might want to have a few recurring NPC ships out there as rivals or direct enemies.

If you don't inclulde the Falkovnians as a major enemy, there's little reason to invoke the treaty of the four towers, since that's really all the treaty does. The Providence's mission could be an outgrowth of the relationships built by the treaty, but the treaty itself basically says: If the Falkovnians attack any one of us, we all agree to come to the attacked country's aid. And not much else.

I don't see much of a motive for Darkon to be involved, unless there's something else at work, though. If this were a real world, Darkon might see the emerging power of the Alliance as a threat. If they ever decide to strike out and ATTACK Falkovnia, Darkon could be next. In that case, I could see the Kargat trying to sow dissent, much like the Romulans did in recent Enterprise episodes. But Azalin knows an attack on Darkon would be futile, regardless of whether it's Vlad or the Alliance leading it, because of his knowledge of the demiplane.

Given Azalin's sudden interest in travel guides, though, he might get involved in that respect, piggybacking on the Providence's mission to fill out his Gaz VI. But without knowing his reasons for the Gaz's yet, nor the fate of "S", this could get tricky when the time comes to explain it.

But, that said, the Kargat do fit the Romulan role here. Sneaky and distant, with unknown motives. Whereas the Falks fill your Klingon shoes. Loud, mean, battle-hungry and obnoxious, with strange notions of honor. So if your first thought is a Trek story using either of those, drop in the approriate replacement.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

One logical motive for Azalin would be to improve the Requiem-shattered connections between eastern and western Darkon. Necropolis effectively cuts his domain's transportation system in half; while long-term recovery depends on establishing new roadways that bypass Il Aluk, he'd certainly see the advantage in a Mistway-linked route between the two Core seas. Plus, water-travel is easier than overland travel -- even in Renaissance domains -- to begin with.

Remember that not *everything* Azalin does is part of a world-shaking Get-Out-Of-Ravenloft scheme: his ego is, to some extent, tied up in ruling his realm better than his lazy elder brother had governed their former nation on Oerth. So if the leaders of the Treaty nations choose to send the "Providence" on its shore-to-shore voyage, anyway, he might as well steal their discoveries and put Darkon back on top, economically. Azalin may not give a damn about his domain's welfare, but he *does* love to rub its vast size and economic clout in Strahd's face....

[brothersale]

Aside from the references in the Ravenloft Campaign Setting book and Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume III, is there any other book that can shed a little light on this treaty?

All I know at this point is that it involves Borca, Dementlieu, Mordent, and Richemulot and that the treaty was signed in 729 BC.



Help with the Treaty of Four Towers specifics, adventure hooks for the Providence, and domain specific schemes are welcome, and I thank you in advance.

The Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume 2 and 4 also touch on the treaty, and in vol 4 it is revealed that the four towers refer to in the treaty title does not mean the realms (as there was five realms when the treaty was signed) but rather the families of Weathermay, Guignol, Renier, and Boritsi/Dilisnya.

on a purely speculative not from myself it seems likely that Darkon (Azalin), Lamordia (Von Aubrecker) and G'Henna (Petrovna) were also invited to join the defence pact but refused. Darkon because of its size and man power (and Azalin's arrogance), Lamordia because it had a none agression pact with falkovia, limited man power in the border area and lucritive trade with falkovia, and finally G'Henna due to the fact that it was controled by religious zealot obsessed with convering those that do not belive in his god and would want very little to do with unbeliving neighbours other than basic trade, and had limited manpower area near falkovia.

i hope this helps

[cure]

Now what was that mist way that deposits ships in the Amber Wastes? Let's see how the treaty holds up under the blazing sun, with a limited water supply, and something from beneath the sands that devours every Borcan who ventures too far from the wreck.

[Cole Deschain]

The Jackal's... something or other.

A GREAT way to have one of the weirdest shipwreck scenarios ever.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

The Jackal's... something or other.

A GREAT way to have one of the weirdest shipwreck scenarios ever.

Jackal's Ruse

[Drinnik Shoehorn]

What I find interesting is that Falkovnia's ecomony is dependent on its exports of grain and wheat. Drakov's military is funded by the farmer's outgoings. If the domain he chooses to invade ceased trade with the farmers, or if their allies did, his ecomomy would dry up and he would loose the much needed funding for his army.

Often it's the simplest things that will crush a maniac's plan.

[Coan]

What I find interesting is that Falkovnia's ecomony is dependent on its exports of grain and wheat. Drakov's military is funded by the farmer's outgoings. If the domain he chooses to invade ceased trade with the farmers, or if their allies did, his ecomomy would dry up and he would loose the much needed funding for his army.

Often it's the simplest things that will crush a maniac's plan.

Exactly, if the Four Towers can find another source of food Falkovnia is up the river without a paddle. Hence a Falkovnian Ministry that may be rarely thought of can become the main agent. The Ministry for Trade.

[Mad Skipper]

What I find interesting is that Falkovnia's ecomony is dependent on its exports of grain and wheat. Drakov's military is funded by the farmer's outgoings. If the domain he chooses to invade ceased trade with the farmers, or if their allies did, his ecomomy would dry up and he would loose the much needed funding for his army.

Falkovnia seems to have a love-hate relationship with the Core in that, "Falkovnia produces a tremendous amount of grain, especially wheat, and it is rapidly solidifying a position as the breadbasket of the Core". So in essence to allow Falkovnia's economy to dry up would be to allow your own economy to dry up, barring of course alternative diplomatic relations that'll produce the amount of grain and wheat that your nation consumes on an annual basis.

Which brings up back to the Providence and her mission (and indeed her namesake): to find the alternatives to needs such as this so that the Treaty of Four Towers can separate itself from unwanted diplomacy, and maybe even take a unified stance against Falkovnia in particular. This break from Falkovnia might even have been the deciding factor in the Providence's creation, and therefore stand as the primary objective of the crew.

[Mad Skipper]

Hence a Falkovnian Ministry that may be rarely thought of can become the main agent. The Ministry for Trade.

Interesting.