Godefroy

[Jimsolo]

So, after advising someone else to consider heavily any major changes to their campaign, I feel like I need to ask some help from the community.

I really dislike Godefroy as a Darklord. I think he's a weak and ineffectual Darklord with a one-dimensional backstory, who has almost nothing to do with the domain he lives in. I think that the basic theme of Mordent is one of 'home,' and I think that Godefroy doesn't even fit in with that. If he was in a more patriarchal role, actively participating in his domain, then it would be one thing, but he's just an exceptionally pathetic ghost.

I want to have more respect for him. I've been considering making the house itself the Darklord in my campaign (a la Stephen King's Rose Red, which would definitely fit my perception of Mordent better) but I would much rather use the characters as they are written.

Ryan did a phenomenal job of putting some polish on a few of the Darklords I didn't care so much for in this thread, (particularly in regards to the hags of Tepest, which is the page I linked to) so I was hoping the community could give me an alternative viewpoint on Godefroy. Can anyone "make the case" for him, so to speak? If I can't get a better handle on him, I'm going to have to drop him. (Certainly remove his Darklord status...)

Any help would be appreciated.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Try this from DeepShadow (starts on the fifth or sixth post). I was very impressed.

[Ryan Naylor]

Slight tangent but it may help answer the question: What makes you say that the theme of Mordent is "home"?

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I would say the theme of Mordent is "Legacy," or more to the point, "Legacy Lost". Godefroy killed his wife and daughter for "denying" him a continuation of his line. Now all the noble families have lost or will soon lose theirs. All that remains of "proper society" are the sins of the past lurking in the bogs and haunted manors, and Mordentshire is becoming a modern city, with a nouveau riche merchant class taking over, and a "foreign" religion taking root. It's out with the old, in with the new, and for an old fogey like Godefroy, that's torture.

(As usual, my thoughts are influenced by what I'm reading/watching of late, and with Game of Thrones back on the air, I find myself comparing Godefroy to Tywin Lannister. Obsessed with preserving the family name, but cursed to watch it all turn to ashes. Only difference is that Tywin can legitimately blame his kids, (and grandson) while Wilfred is responsible for destroying his own line.)

[Jimsolo]

Okay, guys, I'm watching my newborn son while I write this. I normally pride myself on the cohesiveness of my writing, but I'm understandably distracted, so please forgive me any lapses in my writing.

Slight tangent but it may help answer the question: What makes you say that the theme of Mordent is "home"?

Good question! It hadn't occurred to me that people might not see my point of view on that. Here's where I'm at on that: It seems like the stories in Mordent both seem to center around house and family, which are also the two central elements to the concept of 'home.'

House - The root story of Mordent, from which the entire domain sprang up, is a haunted house story. There are many other haunted house stories set in Mordent, and the domain lends itself well to these stories. The desire to stake out a territory is a drive that we see across the board in human civilization. Everyone needs a tiny corner of the world that they can call their own, that is uniquely theirs. Time and again in Mordent we see that drive used to create horror by corrupting this concept. There are several ways you can accomplish this in Mordent. It's frightening to find your house has been invaded by someone or something else. It's frightening to find out your house might already belong to someone or something else, and it is you who are the interloper. Perhaps most frightening of all is the idea that your house (and here and throughout I say 'house' to mean the territory that the protagonist or PC has staked out for themself) is on some level its own entity, with its own opinion on your presence...

Family - Even more than the house, Mordent is about the family. Almost every ghost story has a family story at its root. (And Mordent is, after all, the quintessential staging ground for ghost stories...) The family unit is a great starting place for a horror story, since they are supposed to be the people that have your back no matter what. Betrayal from a family member hurts much more because of this presumption of closeness. Corruption in a family member is more poignant, because they share a bond, even the same blood. Family has a history, an intimate history, which stretches back farther than most outsiders can remember, and frequently conceals some horrors that boggle the mind, even when the family has no supernatural taint at all.

I would say the theme of Mordent is "Legacy," or more to the point, "Legacy Lost". Godefroy killed his wife and daughter for "denying" him a continuation of his line. Now all the noble families have lost or will soon lose theirs. All that remains of "proper society" are the sins of the past lurking in the bogs and haunted manors, and Mordentshire is becoming a modern city, with a nouveau riche merchant class taking over, and a "foreign" religion taking root. It's out with the old, in with the new, and for an old fogey like Godefroy, that's torture.

(As usual, my thoughts are influenced by what I'm reading/watching of late, and with Game of Thrones back on the air, I find myself comparing Godefroy to Tywin Lannister. Obsessed with preserving the family name, but cursed to watch it all turn to ashes. Only difference is that Tywin can legitimately blame his kids, (and grandson) while Wilfred is responsible for destroying his own line.)

You present a very good point Ron. (One I had not considered, and which has already helped me to cement what I want to get out of Mordent!) The idea of 'legacies' being the theme is very interesting. I think 'Legacies' is a bit too broad to describe the theme of Mordent though. Many of the domains deal with legacies sought for, fought for, found, or lost. Drakov and Azalin both seek to establish a legacy (doesn't von Kharkov as well?). Haki Shinpi and Tristen Apblanc are victims of their own legacies (and to some extent, so is Tristen Hiregaard). Ivan and Ivana, Alfred Timothy, and Jacqueline Renier all have powerful legacies in their own right, which inform both their abilities as well as the decisions they make. I think that 'Legacies' is a pervasive theme throughout Ravenloft, to be honest. Many of these Darklords are immigrants, though. Their legacies stretch back to distant lands, and I think something we see persistently in Mordent is that the legacies are tied to the region.

I will agree that 'Legacies Lost,' in particular, certainly seems to fit with Mordent. I think that dovetails with the haunted house story though. After all, your house, the foundation of your home, almost certainly existed before you inhabited it (and will probably outlast you or your family). The idea of the legacy of your house coming back on you can be a great foundation for horror stories. Most legacy stories, however, will involve someone's family, which goes right along with the 'home' idea I like so much. Hopefully, this presents a clearer (I hope I've been able to be clear. Very sleep deprived...) picture of what I like Mordent for.

In any event, I really like what you've already given me, Ron. It's helped give me further perspective on the Domain, although I still don't feel any warmer towards Godefroy as a villain. He still reminds me too much of Shinpi: an impotent observer to his domain, rather than an active participant.

[High Priest Mikhal]

The idea of "legacies lost" is also perfectly in line with the idea of ghosts and hauntings, "lost to the mists of time" (i.e., the prevalence of the Mists), and "the past returning to haunt the present." That last one doesn't necessarily imply ghosts or haunts but the idea that things that happened in the past will come back to cause problems in the present. This could be a curse, a bit of lore or an object best left forgotten, an inexplicable Sinkhole of Evil, a sealed or hidden cache of something best not disturbed, practically anything that could have been hidden, buried, or locked away that could surface in time and cause trouble.

[Ryan Naylor]

In terms of product differentiation between the ghostly darklords, we've got Godefroy, Shinpi, van Reese and Tristessa. Tristessa I think is the ghostliest ghost - she's ethereal, trapped in her own past, not-really-aware that she's dead and trying to solve the problem tying her to the last of the living - her lost baby.

Van Reese is just as driven, but is able to shift from corporeal to incorporeal. That gives him two very different combat styles, and makes him function as more of a trap than anything else - he seems perfectly normal until you've signed on to the ship, when you realise the full horror of what you're in for (like Ship of Horror basically). Or he's a ghostly omen that you see but don't interact with.

Shinpi is physically impotent, but, as I've said before, is still able to interact with the world through his illusions and by just speaking to people. So he's the deceptive oracle, the omen of misfortune, the untrustworthy mentor, the terrifying but ultimately harmless spirit. Unlike the others, he's intimately involved in the goings on of his domain, even if he's unable to really influence them.

Godefroy does have a bit of overlap with Shinpi, except that he is not physically impotent. He is the possessor spirit. To give a bit of meta-history, Godefroy began as a haunt, which in I10 was basically a ghost who was able to possess people. That's the aspect that's made its way through all of his various incarnations. It actually ties quite nicely into what you were saying before about houses and the ghostly invader, except that he is able to invade the "house" of your body, not just a physical house.

He represents an outmoded age that refuses to pass away quietly. He is intimately involved in his domain (particularly Mordentshire, Gryphon House and Heather House), he is able to possess people to get what he wants, he is a vicious snob and a bully.

How is he intimately involved in his domain? From the Briar at the Window (one of the top 3 stories in Tales of Ravenloft - if you haven't read it, you *must*), we know that he is accustomed to strolling his estate at noon every day. It's not much of a leap to then saying that he might walk into town or to the Weathermays' as the mood takes him.

We also know that he is engaged in correspondance with people (and, from the sound of their names, people outside Mordent) - he likes to send and receive letters. In that way, he's abreast of what's going on all over the place.

We also know that he's failed a Madness save, and isn't completely aware that his wife and daughter will seek him out after nightfall - he thinks undeath has let him slip his bonds, at least until they catch up with him again. That actually means that he is most likely to be a thorn in the side of PCs during the day and early evening, as towards midnight he's being attacked, and after that he's recovering.

Given the number of spectres and spirits in Gryphon Manor, there's no possible way they haven't seen his curse in action either. That potentially makes an interesting dynamic, because his servitor spirits are terrified of him and beaten into submission, but presumably hate him and have information that could be of use to his enemies. Except that they can't leave Gryphon Manor. So it's one of those things that everyone knows about but is too afraid to discuss. And after midnight, when Godefroy's out of the way, the spirits are free to do whatever they like (provided they don't disturb the master...)

He's a snob, so regardless of his disdain for the Weathermays, as the last great house of Mordent, he doesn't want to see it fail. Depending on how dark you want to go, I can quite easily see him possessing Bevel Boritsi (or whomever) and making sure that one of the Twins conceives a child to carry on the line - by force if necessary. What if it's a son he's always wanted? What if it takes after its spiritual father, rather than it's biological father?

As far back as the Red Box Set, he's been described as having "a creative bent for evil" and a foul temper. He can literally beat away the sense of self of those who offend him. The deceased loved ones of everyone in Mordentshire (at least) are trapped at Gryphon Manor as his play things, for everything from abuse to spies to blackmail (as for Daniel Foxglove).

Basically, the idea that he just sits around at home doing nothing has never been part of his write up. He potentially has ethereal fingers in every pie in Mordentshire.

[The Lesser Evil]

Here's my take on Godefroy, quoted from the NPC revisions thread.

I have radically redesigned some of the NPCs in Ravenloft for my game.

I don't even use Godefroy as the Darklord of Mordent. Instead, I have Heather House as a whole serving as the Darklord. (Godefroy is just one of the victims of it.) If every domain can be summed up in a single word that encapsulates the themes of the domain and the kinds of stories that work best there, then for Mordent that word would be home. I choose to base my Mordent stories around the ideas of home-in-danger (being threatened, either by outside ideas or outside dangers) or of home-corrupted (corrupt law enforcement, abusive families, warped upbringings, that sort of thing). For my money, a haunted house that consumes those who dwell within it (à la Stephen King's Rose Red) fits the bill much better than Godefroy does.

I like this idea of Mordent having a theme of home and home corrupted (with proverbial skeletons in the closet). However, to go with the home corrupted theme, I would add home that is not really your own (as in, being a renter or tenant to a really bad landlord, or even being a prisoner inside a jail cell). To this end, Gryphon Manor is the really bad house, and Godefroy is the really bad landlord.

I like how Gaz III expanded upon Godefroy's current schemes; it gave him plenty of avenues to bring evil into the world and perpetuate his darklordship. Only thing I think he'd need would be some elaboration on his past before becoming a ghost (how did he become such a high level aristocrat, and how did he come so crazy as to spawn a 4th magnitude ghost?)

I've done some thinking and reading about him, and have come up with some stuff about his past when he was living. First of all, here's some context. Part of the old goat's charm (or lack thereof) is that he is a snobbish authority who is a bit of a placeholder as a darklord (having "inherited" the domain of Mordent when Azalin and Strahd left it.) We also know that after the Godefroy line died out, political rule passed onto the Weathermays, a family line Godefroy doesn't particularly care for. However, due to a lack of other still extant noble bloodlines and the fact that Godefroy can't stand letting the domain slip into the grip of commoners, he's more or less stuck with them. Finally, Gaz 3 states that the state of the Godefroy family has always been linked with the state of Mordent as a whole. Hence, there's a theme throughout Godefroy's past of inheritance and lineage.

The way I see things, Godefroy is something like the ultimate evil petty landlord mixed with maniacal would be king by divine right. He's a staunch traditionalist who believes he is very entitled by birth. With his petty mania, he might have even wanted to revive the feudal system with a strong lord (or even king) who bestows land to loyal vassals. However, the existence of other powerful noble families might have (at least in his eyes) watered down the centralization of Godefroy's power.

Gaz III gives several rough dates for the disappearance or destruction of Mordent's noble families. These correspond more or less to Godefroy's mortal years, so it's quite plausible that the notably callous Godefroy might have played a hand in doing away with the various families or at least cannibalizing the remainder of their estates to add to his own.

Now, the total, petty entitlement Godefroy saw in his rule of Mordent can also be seen in his familial relations. Any member of his household owes utter loyalty to him; this means giving him exactly what he wants. Thus to him, murdering his wife for not producing an heir was no great crime (if a bit sloppy and rash) nor was murdering his daughter for defending her mother. After all, they had betrayed Godefroy by disobeying him, not giving him the respect he was due. Just like all the other noble families who called him cruel and mad behind his back.

In my mind, some part of Godefroy knows his grandiose sense of entitlement is a sham, but he chooses to blame it on an imperfect world not meeting the ideal when reality didn't match his fantasy. Therefore, he tries to shift the blame and punishment for his actions to outside forces. He shoots the horse to avoid the blame of his murders, commits suicide to avoid dealing with the ghosts while he lives, and even has himself buried far away from Gryphon Manor to avoid them in death.

So, if I were to expand upon Godefroy's background, I would have him be responsible for several heinous acts that would build upon pettiness, of course culminating in the murder of his wife Estelle and his daughter Lilia. Manufacturing or least contributing to, the decline and destruction of the other noble families (mostly through indirect, scheming means like your archetypical dastardly nobleman) was his first step towards darkness. This makes the lack of other noteworthy noble families other that the Weathermays in Mordent a result of Godefroy's own handiwork and plays into his current sketch. Gaz III also mentions that Godefroy becomes increasingly paranoid and maniacal as time goes onto until he snaps with the murder of Estelle. This paranoia could come from the fear of the other families or even the divine laying a curse of not being able to sire an heir, in reprisal for his crimes. And of course, to assuage his fear and shame, he would blame it on his wife.

And in his desperation to avoid the guilt and shame of his ultimate fate, perhaps in the time before his suicide, Godefroy provided the Alchemist with funding for his Apparatus. Naturally of course, Godefroy might have recognized some taint on his soul by this point but he would claim to himself that it was the world that afflicted any blackness upon his soul rather than his own free will. The Apparatus was a way to free himself from this dark curse he had become afflicted with. Sadly, it was not to be finished before Godefroy fell apart and at last took his own life.

[Ryan Naylor]

Also, he's played by Antony Hopkins - how can you not like him?

[Jimsolo]

Also, he's played by Antony Hopkins - how can you not like him?

Huh? Lol, am I missing something?

To be honest Ryan, I was really looking forward to your perspective on this. You managed to bring me around a hundred and eighty degrees on the hags and Drakov in your Illustrated History of the Core.

[Ryan Naylor]

If you look at the picture of Godefroy in Domains of Dread and the Red Box, he's clearly Antony Hopkins.

I've got more to say I think, but I've got comments above to get you going.

[Nemesio]

In terms of product differentiation between the ghostly darklords, we've got Godefroy, Shinpi, van Reese and Tristessa. Tristessa I think is the ghostliest ghost - she's ethereal, trapped in her own past, not-really-aware that she's dead and trying to solve the problem tying her to the last of the living - her lost baby.

Van Reese is just as driven, but is able to shift from corporeal to incorporeal. That gives him two very different combat styles, and makes him function as more of a trap than anything else - he seems perfectly normal until you've signed on to the ship, when you realise the full horror of what you're in for (like Ship of Horror basically). Or he's a ghostly omen that you see but don't interact with.

Shinpi is physically impotent, but, as I've said before, is still able to interact with the world through his illusions and by just speaking to people. So he's the deceptive oracle, the omen of misfortune, the untrustworthy mentor, the terrifying but ultimately harmless spirit. Unlike the others, he's intimately involved in the goings on of his domain, even if he's unable to really influence them.

Godefroy does have a bit of overlap with Shinpi, except that he is not physically impotent. He is the possessor spirit. To give a bit of meta-history, Godefroy began as a haunt, which in I10 was basically a ghost who was able to possess people. That's the aspect that's made its way through all of his various incarnations. It actually ties quite nicely into what you were saying before about houses and the ghostly invader, except that he is able to invade the "house" of your body, not just a physical house.

He represents an outmoded age that refuses to pass away quietly. He is intimately involved in his domain (particularly Mordentshire, Gryphon House and Heather House), he is able to possess people to get what he wants, he is a vicious snob and a bully.

How is he intimately involved in his domain? From the Briar at the Window (one of the top 3 stories in Tales of Ravenloft - if you haven't read it, you *must*), we know that he is accustomed to strolling his estate at noon every day. It's not much of a leap to then saying that he might walk into town or to the Weathermays' as the mood takes him.

We also know that he is engaged in correspondance with people (and, from the sound of their names, people outside Mordent) - he likes to send and receive letters. In that way, he's abreast of what's going on all over the place.

We also know that he's failed a Madness save, and isn't completely aware that his wife and daughter will seek him out after nightfall - he thinks undeath has let him slip his bonds, at least until they catch up with him again. That actually means that he is most likely to be a thorn in the side of PCs during the day and early evening, as towards midnight he's being attacked, and after that he's recovering.

Given the number of spectres and spirits in Gryphon Manor, there's no possible way they haven't seen his curse in action either. That potentially makes an interesting dynamic, because his servitor spirits are terrified of him and beaten into submission, but presumably hate him and have information that could be of use to his enemies. Except that they can't leave Gryphon Manor. So it's one of those things that everyone knows about but is too afraid to discuss. And after midnight, when Godefroy's out of the way, the spirits are free to do whatever they like (provided they don't disturb the master...)

He's a snob, so regardless of his disdain for the Weathermays, as the last great house of Mordent, he doesn't want to see it fail. Depending on how dark you want to go, I can quite easily see him possessing Bevel Boritsi (or whomever) and making sure that one of the Twins conceives a child to carry on the line - by force if necessary. What if it's a son he's always wanted? What if it takes after its spiritual father, rather than it's biological father?

As far back as the Red Box Set, he's been described as having "a creative bent for evil" and a foul temper. He can literally beat away the sense of self of those who offend him. The deceased loved ones of everyone in Mordentshire (at least) are trapped at Gryphon Manor as his play things, for everything from abuse to spies to blackmail (as for Daniel Foxglove).

Basically, the idea that he just sits around at home doing nothing has never been part of his write up. He potentially has ethereal fingers in every pie in Mordentshire.

You didn't need to convince me that Godfroy had a lot of potential, but you managed re-convince me anyway......

[Jimsolo]

Sorry Ryan, I don't know why but I accidentally scrolled past your large post without seeing it at all! (I was all sad for most of today, too...now I feel so much better.)

You make several good points. I'm not as fired up about him as I am about some of the other Darklords, but enough that I can stand to keep him around. I can even see a few ways to work him into my ongoing plot.

Thanks everyone. I'm still working on exactly how to work my plots in to the Mordent setting, and how (or if) to work Godefroy in to them, but at least I have a starting point now.

[Dion of the Fraternity]

WILFRED GODEFROY
Darklord of Mordent

Integrity: 2.0; Reputation: 7.0; Status: 6.5

AIR: 4 (Awareness 6)
EARTH: 5
FIRE: 4 (Intelligence 5)
WATER: 4
VOID: n/a

Advantages: Absolute Direction, Clear Thinker, Leadership, Wealthy
Disadvantages: Brash, Consumed (Determination), Haunted
Skills: Animal Handling 4, Calligraphy 5, Courtier 8, Etiquette 7, Hand-to-Hand 4, Hunting (Tracking) 4, Investigation 6, Lore (Mordent) 8, Lore (The Gray) 7, Sincerity 5, Stealth 8

Initiative: 5k4
Attacks: Hand-to-Hand 8k4 (damage 4k3 and Dazed), Simple Action
TN: 20


SPECIAL ABILITIES
- Fear 3.
- Insubstantial: Godefroy only takes half damage from normal weapons, but takes normal damage from holy water and holy symbols.
- Spirit.
- Swift 2.
- Undead: Godefroy does not feel physical pain and thus does not suffer from Wound penalties.

[Ryan Naylor]

What doesn't work for you?