Mists over the Musarde: Background Notes

[ewancummins]

Introduction and Purpose:
This is intended to be a place where differences between my version of Ravenloft and the published White Wolf/TSR materials will be outlined- as well as additional world info not covered in any books. I'm posting this for my players, although other people might be interested in it. If the mods prefer, it could possibly be moved to the general discussion forum.


Scale:
X3

Populations:
X5

To put things in perspective for my players:

This gives me a Core about 324,000 sq. mi, with about 2.5 million people. Average population density is about 8 persons/sq. mi. There is plenty of wilderness.

That's roughly comparable to the Thirteen Colonies (not including extensive Western claims) in the years leading up to the Revolution.

http://www.emersonkent.com/map_archive/ ... lation.htm[/quote]


Technology in general:

Most of the Mainland [the Core, in common in-game terminology] is pre-industrial, with some parts of the NW being more advanced. There are a small number of paddle wheel steamboats on the Musarde River, mostly built in Arkandale or Dementlieu. Hot air balloons have recently been invented in Dementlieu, but have yet to catch on elsewhere.

Black powder weaponry

Black powder/smoke powder is a semi-magical substance, produced by spell-casting alchemists. The core ingredients are common enough, but must be mixed and activated by certain little rituals known to powder-makers. Such alchemists don't need to be powerful mages- working knowledge of a few cantrips is sufficient.

The esoteric knowledge and physical infrastructure to produce gunpowder, cannon, etc. in large quantities is not evenly distributed. Many of the more backward or impoverished countries cannot boast even a single operational powder mill or foundry for cannon. In the more advanced domains, alchemists capable of making the stuff are relatively common. Prices of guns and ammunition vary accordingly, being cheaper closer to the centers of production.

An unusual exception to this rule is that Lamordian chemists do not normally study magic, and yet can produce alchemical substances like smoke powder.
Domains

Arkandale: Arkandale is bigger, and includes all of what the canon maps show as Verbrek. Half of the land is wilderness/frontier, with hill folk living in log cabins. The other half is the towns and plantations in the more civilized Musarde Valley with several towns and big plantations. It's very much inspired by Andrew Wyatt's Old South reworking of the domain. They have big riverboats, which work by primitive steam tech and magic.

The country was not under the rule of any single organized power until a little more than a century ago, when the Musarde River Company was formed in Dementlieu to gain fuller control over the river trade and to develop agriculture and forestry in the region. The Company promoted colonization on the excellent bottomland where cash crops could be grown for a profit. The villagers and woodsmen already living in the region were soon joined by newcomers from across the NW core. Indentured servants and slaves were brought in to work the land.

The Company attempted to monopolize trade, a policy that was resented by many of the settlers and small traders. Eventually, the wealthy planters struck a deal with the more independent minded riverboat captains and ousted control of the country from the Company.

A loose civil government was created; with a fairly weak Governor elected by the freemen of the country- slaves have no vote, of course. Arkandale's laws are simple and taxes only nominal- but a very strict code exists to control the slaves. Volunteer militias patrol the countryside, hunting down runaway slaves and destroying wolves.

Savage man-eating wolves plagued initial settlement efforts, but an organized regime of hunting and trapping has reduced the threat. Tales of bloody wolf skin-draped cultists and foul devils in wolf-shape abound, and even educated Arkandalers seem to give credence to such tales.

The slave population of modern day Arkandale is of mixed origins: primarily Sourangien, Valachani, and Rashemi. Slavery is a hereditary condition.

The mysterious Voodan people sometimes visit Arkandale.

Powder-making and gun-smithing are more probably more advanced and prevalent in Arakandale than nearly anyplace else. The snaphaunce long-fusils carried by Arkandale hunters are accurate and deadly, but slow loading, weapons. Arkandalers also favor blunderbusses loaded with loose shot, chain links, broken glass, etc.












Barovia:No Sheriff Von Zarovich. The burgomasters rule in Strahd's name, being careful never to offend the Von Zarovich count, and they always pay their taxes on time [failing to do so being a VERY bad idea]. Subjugation of Gundarak is much like in canon, although some details may vary.

Darkon: Il Aluk remains a city of the living. The events of the Grim Harvest played out rather differently, and Azalin's master plan never came to fruition- not that any of that is public knowledge.

There was a period where Azalin Rex was absent, and Darkon threatened to splinter in several smaller realms. Il Aluk fell under the control of the Kargat, who ruled through a puppet government of merchants and noblemen. When Azalin returned from wherever it was he had gone, he quickly restored his rule over the whole country.

Darkon has a weird reputation. There are a number of reasons for this. The state religion is a morbid cult dedicated to outlandish, fearsome gods. Freakish ''demihumans'' live there in great numbers. Magic is more prevalent and more accepted in Darkon than in most lands- so much so that even the king is a practitioner of the Black Arts. Even more disturbing than all of this, travellers tell of a subtle enchantment which lays over the land. It is said that one should not tarry long in Darkon, lest one fall under the spell of the land, which causes it's victims to forget and forsake their homes and kin, and be entrapped in Darkon forever!

Of course, some people don't credit all these stories. Quite a number of travellers have entered and left the kingdom without falling prey to the walking dead or to any strange enchantment.



Falkovnia: No National Socialist trappings.


Richemulot: The cities are each semi-independent aristocratic republics/oligarchies under the rule of the merchant-princes. They are allied as the Confederation of Free-Cities of the Musarde.
All the settlements share a common language and heritage. The words Richemulot/Richemuloise refer to the region as a whole and the nationality/ethnic group of the majority population, respectively.

Pont-a-Mouseau has a small professional police force, the gendarmes. The gendarmes mainly serve to maintain basic law and order using liberally applied truncheons and a visible street presence. They don't have a separate investigative branch. Partly because of this, many of the wealthier citizens routinely make use of private guards and detectives.


Richemuloise history -

Richemulot is a young nation but home to an ancient- now vanished- civilization. When the early trailblazers first began to trickle in about two centuries ago, they found the cities empty ruins.

Richemulot was a backwater until fairly recently, when local aristocrats, led by Claude Renier and his close associates, formed the Confederation of Free Cities. The Confederation has promoted trade with other lands. Population has grown, but many empty buildings remain in the cities. The cities must have all been home to very large populations in centuries past.

[ewancummins]

Some notes on religion:

The Eternal Order
When Azalin Rex ascended the throne, he combined the various city centered cults of Darkon into a pantheonic temple that would support his rule. This is the Eternal Order.

Before unification, most of the cults shared a common set of beliefs and customs, with plenty of local variations, of course. Many of the towns had patron deities, and in most cases these gods retain special importance for these cities.

Il Aluk: Wee Jas

Karg: Incabulos

Viaki: Nerull

Nartok: Hextor

Martira Bay: Erythnul

Note- The cult of Erythnul in Martira Bay was strong in the old days, when that town was home to bloody handed reavers and bandits. Elements of the old Erythnul cult survive in the local underworld community and among the mercenaries and bravos of the town.

Many citizens of Martira Bay have converted to the Church of Ezra in recent years, although quite a few families maintain their faith in the EO. Some people worship Ezra alongside the old gods, although the Ezran Church most definitely frowns on this. The EO is pushing a syncretic view: Ezra is an aspect of Wee Jas. That hasn't gone over well with the hard core Ezrans, naturally. Thus far, King Azalin has been tolerant of all this, content to watch and wait.



In my version of the EO, the main gods are drawn from Oerth, because Azalin is from that world.

Gods-

Wee Jas: rules over the afterlife, from a palace of polished bone inhabited by the fortunate ghosts of those whose living descendants are maintaining the proper rites and sacrifices. Outside the palace is a miserable realm of fog and chill, from whence unhappy spirits can escape to the world of the living. Missing the rites and sacrifices can result in one's ancestors being shown the door-and perhaps returning to the world of the living as angry ghosts.

Wee Jas is also the patron of nobility, the law, and magic [especially wizard magic].

Nerull: The grim reaper. Nerull kills. Nerullites may sometimes engage in clandestine crimes, but most are actually relatively peaceful sorts [gravediggers, morticians, and other jobs related to death or the dead]. They are usually content to let nature take its course, believing that all flesh will pass away in time. Living beings that sustain life beyond natural limits by means of magic earn the ire of Nerullites, however. A wizard using potions of longevity or someone 'stolen' from the underworld by blasphemous resurrection magic offends these cultists- and yet, undead [those created with Nerull's sanction] do not. Nerullite killers hate the idea of mortal men cheating Death, and they act to end such effrontery with knife, poison, and rope.

Nerull is also the patron of the night, and all those who rely on darkness to aid in their endeavors. Thieves worship him.


Incabulos: No one likes this god, except for madmen. Still, he is widely propitiated with small sacrifices in the hopes he will turn his attention elsewhere. His cult retains special importance in the town of Karg, although it is certainly less prominent than in the old days, and no longer openly conducts all of the old rites.


Hextor: This god is the patron of soldiers, knights, warfare, strength, discipline, and fitness to survive and conquer. He is seen as a god who brings order out of strife, a protector of the social order, and a supporter of strong rulers. Death in battle may merit his attention, and slain warriors who catch his attention may join his army in the afterlife.


Erythnul: No longer as popular as in former times, this god is associated with bandits, pirates, etc. He also sees some worship from butchers and anyone else who spills blood on regular basis- even barber-surgeons! His cult is a largely considered a fading relic of a more barbaric age, when warlords battled over the lands would one day become the kingdom of Darkon. It was never fully integrated into the state religion, one of the several reasons for its precipitous decline.

Other gods: the EO recognizes a variety of other deities, but many of these are seen as simply being aspects of the major deities. Hecate would be seen as an aspect of Wee Jas. Myrkul is clearly just another name for Nerull. Gods that are truly dissimilar, but generally compatible, may be integrated as minor figures.

Demihuman Gods-

Elves: While the elves respect the EO, they also honor a set of older gods. There is some commonality with the mythologies of Tepest and Forfarmax. The elves portray these gods as elvish, naturally, and the names are different. Still, the resemblance in some cases is pretty strong. The Tepestanis would violently object to this, and claim their gods were different, of course.

Dwarves: The dwarves tell sagas of an old pantheon of dwarf-gods: a warrior -poet god who was both king and sage, his battle loving son who wielded a hammer of thunderous might, a cunning trickster god, and many others.

Gnomes: Like the other demihumans, the gnomes have maintained legends of their own aboriginal deities, in this case often combining these with the teachings of the Eternal Order. Their gods are a gnomish version of the Olympian pantheon. Quite a lot of syncretism has seeped in over the years. Hades is identified with Nerull and Hecate with Wee Jas. Ares is seen as cognate with Erythnul. A distant overgod, the Demiurgos, is sometimes mentioned in gnomish writings. This being is said to have created the world.

Halflings: The halflings worship the Great Gods much as do their human neighbors, but they also commonly honor a number of minor rural deities, such as the Green Man and John Barleycorn.

[steveflam]

Paridon, Souragne, Kartakass?

[ewancummins]

Paridon, Souragne, Kartakass?

I'll post some on these topics later tonight....

[ewancummins]

Paridon, Souragne, Kartakass?

Paridon:
Zherisia! The lands around Paridon never actually disappeared in the Great Upheaval, although they were shrouded in fog for a period of time. Things seem to have returned to normal...

The Mechanicians:
Paridon is a city known for its science and industry. It is only natural then, that some of the magically inclined citizens have found a way to combine magic and machinery.

Mechanicians are mages who do not cast spells directly, but build machines to manipulate and store magical energies. In effect, they cast through their creations. These machines are gear or steam powered automata- often called simply ''mechanicals.'' They can be commanded by their creators, but lack the intelligence and will of a dread golem, being mindless tools, not spirits trapped in unnatural frames. They are expensive to create, and impossible to mass produce. Each one must be hand built. This has tended to limit their use and keep them rare.

The art of building and operating mechanicals is a rare thing, even in Paridon. In recent years it has been brought to Dementlieu by refugees. As of yet, they are still extremely rare in other lands. One might imagine the technology would appeal to the Lamordians, but the magic-weakening aura of that land effects mechanicals just as it does all other magic.

[Yes, these are the mechanicians from the Sha'ir's Handbook for Al Qadim. I'm going to get around to statting them out for D20, maybe with help from someone.... ]

[steveflam]

[Yes, these are the mechanicians from the Sha'ir's Handbook for Al Qadim. I'm going to get around to statting them out for D20, maybe with help from someone....

Have you got it on pdf? I can help you out if you like, ewan. The Shair's handbook is a light beige, right? From 2E I mean.

[ewancummins]

[Yes, these are the mechanicians from the Sha'ir's Handbook for Al Qadim. I'm going to get around to statting them out for D20, maybe with help from someone....

Have you got it on pdf? I can help you out if you like, ewan. The Shair's handbook is a light beige, right? From 2E I mean.

Nope, I've only got that one in print medium. Yeah, it was kind of a sandy color, with the soft, thin leatherette cover you saw on all of those splatbooks [Complete Book of....].

[steveflam]

I can borrow a copy this weekend, we're in luck dude!

[ewancummins]

Note on astronomy:
All the domains of the Core/Mainland and adjacent regions share a common set of stars, common day-night cycle, and so on.

Both Sithicus and Nova Vaasa have local stories about phantom moons or stars, but such are widely disregarded by most people nowadays. Certainly, no such celestial anomalies may be seen in the heavens over either country, no matter what these ridiculous old legends may claim.

[ewancummins]

Lamordian Science Attempts to Explain Demihumans:

According to the prevailing scientific thinking in Lamordia, demihumans are distant cousins of humanity, offshoots that have adapted to certain environments over many generations through the inheritance of acquired traits.


Elves: are obviously adapted to an existence as hunters and foragers in sylvan environments. Evidence of this includes their keen sight and hearing, night vision, lithe builds, nimble grace when moving through trees and bushes, natural talent with bows, etc.

Dwarves are well suited to life in the mountains and caves. They possess durable, rugged frames. They are stable and built low to the ground, minimizing the risk of falls and making it easier to move about in caves and tunnels with low ceilings. Dwarves are resistant to both poisonous minerals and toxic gases often found underground. They show an affinity for stone and natural ability as spelunkers. Even more startling is their ability to somehow see in perfect darkness!

Halflings are believed to have developed in the grasslands. In this habitat, small size allowed their primitive ancestors to hide from danger in the tall grass, and cut down on food demands in times of drought. Their tendency to be plump is a result of their bodies’ food storage adaptations. Their broad, padded feet help them to move quietly. Such stealth must have been crucial to ur-halfings in evading large predators and rival humanoids, as well as in creeping up on small game such as hares and birds. It is believed that ancestral haflings dug burrows in the soft earth, rather like foxes. The very oldest halfling villages in Darkon feature ancient partially-underground houses.

Gnomes are a species that favors living in rocky hills, often within hills. The ancestors of these creatures were probably crepuscular beings who lived in communal warrens, not unlike some of the burrowing mammals with which the modern gnomes often share living space. Large noses may be an adaptation useful for sniffing out grubs, edible roots, worms, etc.


NOTE: Yep, my halflings are mostly hobbitoid and my gnomes have big noses. Normal Halfings aren't gypsy-like at all. They aren't a race of pint-sized kleptomaniacs. They are traditionally rural folk who live in quaint little villages. In some lands, they've been forced into ghettoes, though. That's the case in Nova Vaasa.

[ewancummins]

Dementlieu: 300 years ago Dementlieu was a chaotic place called the Madlands, criss-crossed by roaming bands of brigands and ferocious beasts that terrorized the people and ravaged the land. Giles Guiscard was a famous adventurer who defeated the bandits and monsters and brought the land under one rule. He crowned himself the first Prince of Dementlieu and ruled as a benevolent autocrat till his death at the age of sixty-seven. The dynasty he established degenerated over time, ending at last with Philippe le Gros, a weak and vacillating ruler who preferred sumptuous feasts and the companionship of his mistress to the arts of war or statesmanship. A popular uprising overthrew Philippe a generation ago. After a brief but violent period of anarchy, a new government was created with the power being divided between the Lord Governor and the Council of Brilliance [an advisory body established by the first prince].

EDIT: I have decided to incorporate the history from GAZ 3. Leon was the chief adviser of Giles Guiscard. The Lord Governors were high ranking servants of the Princes of Dementlieu. The Revolution that overthrew Philippe le Gros began as an uprising against the hated Lord Governor Foquelaine.

[ewancummins]

Sourange: The fair skinned people came to Sourange from across the Sea and through the Mists. They were explorers from the mainland, coming from the region of modern Dementlieu.

This origin accounts for the similarity of their speech to that of Dementlieu. The creole spoken by the majority of people in Souragne is only semi-intelligible to most speakers of Mordentish, but the upper classes often enough are able to converse in oddly accented and quaintly old fashioned Mordentish.

[ewancummins]

Invidia:

The majority language here is Invidian, a tongue related to Balok but showing strong Mordentish influences.
The domain is Italianate in my interpretation.
Think of Castle of Otranto and you'll begin to get the picture. This is a land of girl heroines, evil uncles, ancestral curses, ghosts in armor,etc.
Invidians are a superstitious lot, with a very strong belief in the evil eye. Vistani are not so much hated as feared by the majority of people.
Invidia has a long tradition of dueling. Rapiers and daggers are commonly used for not only duels, but all sorts of street violence. Pistols are coming into vogue as a portable defense, but it is still considered most proper to fight actual duels with cold steel.

EDIT- There was a time when Invidia was a more powerful and unified country. In the fondly remembered days of the League of Karina, the various polities of Invidia joined forces to become a major power in the southern lands. Invidian boats reigned supreme the rivers in those days before the advent of newer technologies [damnable dragon boats and newfangled steam contraptions!] and thus the wealth of the southlands flowed into the coffers of Invidian merchants and gentry. They demanded, and received, tribute from as far away as Kartakass. Invidians even claimed privileges in Sithicus, which the elves were begrudgingly forced to concede to the aggressive river-men.

This golden age of Invidian power is still within living memory of the oldest Invidians. It ended with the rebellion of the semi-subjugated Kartakans. The peasants and lumberjacks of Kartakass stopped paying tribute and then expelled the Invidian garrisons. Soon, the elves of Sithicus followed suit, removing the Invidians from their lands [which created a vacuum soon filled by canny Kartakan merchants]. The Invidian control of the rivers faded in the face of rebellion, internal troubles and fierce competition from Richemuloise and Arkandaler boat captains moving in from the north.

Invidia fell into bad times after the League of Karina collapsed amid chaotic infighting and rampant factionalism. Population declined as wilderness reclaimed some towns and fields, and people moved away to other lands. Unity of a sort came again under the harsh rule of the dictator Bakholis- a cruel master. Liberation came with the assassination of Bakholis by a peasant girl, and the cities and towns resumed their old fashioned independence. Suspicions and recriminations from the final days of the League had poisoned the minds of many, with each town blaming its neighbors [along with those damned foreigners] for the downfall of the League.

The land remained divided until recently, when a new dictator arose: Mallochio Aderre. The new ruler is rumored to be able to kill men by the power of his awful gaze! He's allied with Falkovnia, arranging for covert shipments of troops and supplies to bolster his position within Invidia.

Modern day Invidians often fondly recall the power possessed by their ancestors, and are jealous of the successes enjoyed by other nations. One tool at the disposal of any Invidian ruler is the appeal to the past glories of the country, and a promise to restore Invidia to its rightful place in the world and to humble its rivals and enemies.


Edit- Notes on the Invidan language: Invidian is written with the same script as Mordentish [although Balok letters are sometimes also used]. It is a bastardization of Balok and Old High Mordentish, although reminding an Invidian of this is a good way to start a fight. Speakers of either Balok or Mordentish may get the gist of what an Invidian speaker is saying, but will likely miss half of it. The harsh consonants of Balok are softened in Invidian speech even more so than in the Borcan dialect. There are quite a number of loan words from Sithican and Old Kartakan.

[ewancummins]

Note- I nixed some of the Paridon notes when I realized it was too close to notes I've already written for another domain. I've kept the Zherisian countryside intact. Ravenloft already has two cities-in-the-mists : Timor and Nosos [most of the island is a cityscape].

[ewancummins]

IMC, this is how proficiency with bangsticks shakes out:

CL 9- simple weapons

CL 8 - martial weapons

CL 7 and lower : characters are assumed to be initially unfamiliar with guns. Non proficiency penalties[ doubled reload time and -4 to hit] may be eliminated with a few weeks of steady practice. For fighters and other classes with full martial proficiency, this does not require a feat. It is a martial feat for everyone else, of course. Please be aware that all ordinary sorts of handheld firearms are covered by a single martial feat.

Only weird combo guns, and experimental weapons, are considered exotic.

Stats for guns are based on the Ravenloft Player's Handbook [Arthaus], with the following adjustments:

Crit = 18-20, x3


Reloading= full round action
The rapid reload feat is NOT available [too many steps to load compared with a crossbow].

Firing a loaded and ready gun in melee never provokes an attack of opportunity.

Price- divide base prices of guns and ammo by 10. [This does not take into account price hikes from differences in CL , of course, so guns can still be pretty expensive to obtain in backward locales like Barovia. ]

In Richemulot's cities, one may typically acquire a serviceable musket or pistol for about 50 gold pieces, the same price as a heavy crossbow.

Misfires and fumbles: A roll of natural 1 may result in a hangfire/misfire/fouled barrel/etc [DM will roll on a table or use fiat, as appropriate]. Using quaility powder, taking your time to load carefully, properly caring for your gun, etc will all reduce the chance of mishaps, naturally.