So, here it is (At least for the main domains):
Barovia
Decision: Merge (VRGtR)
I don’t think the two versions contradict each other, so I would just use VRGtR to enrich the 3.5e version if needed.
Bluetspur
Decision: Uncertain
I haven’t touched this domain as much. I don’t see many differences.
Borca
Decision: Merge/Advance Timeline
I guess I’ll probably use the VRGtR version as Borca as if the timeline had advanced a couple of decades, without loosing all the stories outlined in the 3.5e version (Including the stories for Ivan and Ivana).
Carnival
Decision: Merge (VRGtR)
I’d probably use VRGtR version, with some of the detail found in previous books.
Darkon
Decision: Merge (2 versions)
I’ve been toying with the idea of having 2 versions of Darkon coexisting in the same place:
- The first version, where Darkon is intact, as in the 3.5e version.
- The second version, where the domain is slowly being taken by the mists, as in VRGtR.
Behind the scenes, Azalin’s latest experiment was a mixed bag, that left him trapped in a cycle where he alternates between two possible outcomes:
- He managed to escape, but in his current location nobody remembers him and he has been rendered powerless. In his dreams he sees the land he left behind -the place where he was king, and known, and powerful -slowly vanishing, but he can’t get back.
- He is still trapped in Darkon, still with the urge to escape.
Dementlieu
Decision: Split
I’d keep Dementlieu as in the old version, reinstate Dominic D’Honaire and kept everything as it never happened.
That said, I’d create a pocket domain, something like “The Ballroom”, that appears in different domains, and when it appears everyone want to attend to this prestigious event, where everyone wants to gain the favor of Saidra D’Honaire (Perhaps related to the darklord of Dementlieu).
Falkovnia
Decision: Replace
I’d probably advance the timeline to a point where Vladeska -daughter of Vlad Drakov -betrayed her father and became the darklady of Falkovnia, with the new Falkovnia being as described in VRGtR, but with all the backstory from the older books.
I know some people are not into zombie apocalypses, and the idea of one at the center of the core creates some problems in logic (There have to be a reason for the zombies to stay within the limits of the domain), but I kind of like the idea of moving from Vlad Tepes pastiche / 20th Century Fascist Regime to something more desperate.
Har’Akir
Decision: Replace
I’d probably use the newest version of Ankhtepot, without forgetting the story of the realm.
Hazlan
Decision: Uncertain
I have never cared for Hazlan or Hazlik. I like the weirdness of the new realm, but I’m not certain about what to do with it.
I’Cath
Decision: Replace
I’d use the newer version hands down. It’s a great improvement over the DoD version.
Kalakeri/Sri Raji
Decision: Uncertain
This one is complex… I don’t really see Ramya as a worthy darklady (She is a worthy character, but not a darklady... She's more of a victim here), and the wink about Inajira seemed cheap to me (I prefer the previous version of the Arcanoloth causing trouble everywhere). I’d probably stick with Arijani as the darklord, though I like the political tension of the new realm, and that doesn’t reconcile with a single darklord with a firm grasp on his land.
Kartakass
Decision: Replace
I’d probably use the new version, keeping the old story.
Lamordia
Decision: Replace / Soft Merge
I don’t like the idea of darklords being genderflipped without good reason. However, I really dig this version of “Vic” Mordenheim being the darklord, I always found Victor too close to the source material to be really interesting on his own and somehow I like Elise better than Adam. So, I think I’d use VRGtR version… With a few twists on Viktra’s backstory.
So, Viktra’s father was a famous physician in a realm ruled by man, so he wanted a son to carry on his legacy, but he got a daughter. When she was born, he already had thought of his son’s name, Victor, but when she was born instead, he just twisted a little bit the name, and thus she was named Viktra.
From then on, the story follows the VRGtR version. However, even when she taught herself medicine using her father’s books and laboratory, it was never enough for him, and she knew she’d never be accepted as a doctor being a woman, so she disguised herself as a man (Dr. Victor Mordenheim) to get her doctorate and advance her medical career.
Thus, Elise is not a body snatcher hired by her, but a girl hired to pretend to be her wife (To keep appearances when the now famous doctor became old enough for everyone to expect him to be married). Elise quickly began to admire her fake husband's genius and passion, and promptly became her accomplice in her nightly escapades (Slowly growing in Viktra's heart from a mere employee to a confident and a loved one), until that led to her catching a terrible disease (And the rest of the story as per the VRGtR version).
Now, once Lamordia became a domain, men and women became equal in the eyes of the general populace. However, Viktra’s discoveries and accomplishments are usually ascribed to the famous doctor Victor Mordenheim, whom everybody assumes is her late father, instead of herself.
Mordent
Decision: Merge
I don’t think the two domains diverge that much. I think they would probably merge seamlessly.
Richemulot
Decision: Uncertain
I’m really not sure which version I prefer best.
Tepest
Decision: Split
I like the new version, though I’d probably keep most of the domain’s backstory to give it a little more to do than just waiting for the next wicker man festival. As it is, however, I think it’d miss the Salem witch trials feel, so I’d probably split the domain in two:
The first one is VRGtR Tepest, located in the place where Tepest is in the old Core, next to the Shadow Rift. The second is “New Tepest” (Name pending), an Island of Terror (Personally, I’d make if part of a cluster, next to Arkandale, Souragne and the Falaya Basin), where I’d place Wyan and his inquisition (With a greater “The VVitch” feel to it).
The "official" story would be that when the Shadow Rift appeared, some of the tepestani fled to this new realm (Through the mists, I guess), trying to get away from this place and its horrors, and settling up a colony far away, that is ruled by superstition and paranoia.
Behind the scenes, instead of just killing her sisters, they betrayed her and the three of them were torn between different realms. Lorinda’s story continues in Tepest just as in VRGtR, while Laveeda and Leticia were granted the domain of New Tepest, where they are desperately looking for a worthy candidate to complete their coven again, but promising candidates always get either caught by the inquisition or killed by the hags themselves.
Valachan
Decision: Uncertain (Maybe Merge/Advance Timeline?)
I never cared much for Baron Von Kharkov (I always found him to have too much going on for my taste), so I welcomed Chakuna, but now I feel she’s too much of a one trick pony. I also like the idea of advancing the timeline, but I guess I’d include elements from the old books to really flesh out the domain.
