Domain of the ??? - the Sea of Sorrows

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Never having seen the show, I predicted a different ending while reading the story. Probably not as ripe for adventure hooks, but somewhat macabre: The "mermaid" is actually the carved figurehead of a sunken ship. Seaweed and such floating in the murk gives the illusion of motion. When the man dives in to be with her... he cracks his head open on the statue and drowns.

[Kadarin]

Greetings,

I had that idea - since the Fraternity discovered another domain in the Nocturnal Sea - maybe there might be place for another domain in the SoS.
This is to honor the long-deceased USS.
Rumours have spread around the east coast of the Core; there is a treasure island, called Isle Gazebo, somewhere in the SoS. Many (legendary) pirate captains are said to have buried their loot there.
This is a lie. On Gazebo Island, there ain't no treasure whatsoever.
I imagine a shallow subtropical sea, moving about in the SoS, populated by maritime undead. The domain is roughly triangular, one side (west) open to the SoS, the other two bordered by the Mists.
And there is Gazebo Isle, just beyond a set of steep cliffs. It looks like a treasure island, too; many things pointing to other things, etc. You won't find a copper bit on this island, however. The only thing of interest is a gazebo, located on the top of the tallest hill of the island. And you won't find something interesting there, too.

(I know that a gazebo is a fearful monster. I wonder if I should make this one undead and DL of the domain )

The sea around GI is dead, or rather, undead. There is no life in the waters, only sea-based undead. And you won't sail away from GI witout meeting them undead.
A couple of seamiles east of the GI is Sphinx City, about 150' down the water. It is populated by undead. Only two buildings are intact: the Palace and the Library.

k.

[Kadarin]

The Undead Sea/Isle of Gazebo

Location: Floating Domain in the SoS
Climate: Subtropical
Terrain: Mostly shallow sea, one island
YoF: 750 BC
Cult. Lvl: Once, 7 (Late Medieval); now, 2 (Bronze Age)
Population: no living; about 2,500 undead, 1 demon
Races: undead mermen. undead sea-elves, undead tritons, other undead
Main Settlements: Sphinx City (1,750 undead)
Religions: Undead Pantheon, none
Language: varies
Government: Absolutistic Monarchy
Ruler: The Lacedon Lord
Darklord: The Librarian
Currency: None.

The Librarian is an undead magician - so he should be a lich. Maybe he was. But now, he changes between several forms of undeath - vampire, lich, ghost, mummy, and a number of others. These changes are random - but as soon as the full moon rises, he always changes.
His curse has something to do with books, a riddle, and the gazebo.

[Strahdsbuddy]

Nothri touched on this a little, and I presume it is outside the scope of the Gazeteer project, but I think something akin to the Carribean region in the 17th century would fit in well. A place where wars could occur and land could even change hands, completely ignoring the diplomatic situation back on the mainland. I've been playing with this idea and anticipated submitting it as a domain for QtR. I DO think Blaustein would make a good Tortuga, however.

[ewancummins]

As noted in the Blaustein thread, my Blaustein owes a bit to the Channel Islands. It's definitely a temperate country.

[ewancummins]

Nothri touched on this a little, and I presume it is outside the scope of the Gazeteer project, but I think something akin to the Carribean region in the 17th century would fit in well. A place where wars could occur and land could even change hands, completely ignoring the diplomatic situation back on the mainland. I've been playing with this idea and anticipated submitting it as a domain for QtR. I DO think Blaustein would make a good Tortuga, however.

I like the idea of a new region of warm waters and sunny islands. Maybe it could be connected by mistways to both Sourange and the Sea of Sorrows?

[Diesirae]

Well folks, since i'm actually creating something regarding the depths of the SoS for my campaign i figured id chuck it on the fryer here enjoy. also Would love some feedback. the harsher the better.

Domain name: Shwarzimmel
Location: Floating Domain below the Sea of Sorrows. Typically found off the shores of Lambordia. Fades in and out from time to time.
Climate: Controlled, Typically moderate but varies with areas from heavy humidity and heat to extreme colds
CL/ML: CL shows signs of a extremely advanced technology r, ML varies from 0 to 1
Government: Savage
Lord: None apparent, several "people" claim ownership
Dark Lord: "Der Todesengel"-Maria Schwarze
Religion: None-some of the denizens worship a large idol they call Adam
Population: 700 (95% non human, 2% human, 3% automaton)
Settlements: Shwarzimmel is one large settlement (roughly the size of a metropolis class city)
Language: Lambordian (or closely resembling lambordian)
Currency: Body parts/Blood/Body Fluids/Knowledge

"in her homeworld Todesengel lived with her husband in a city beneath the sea . A perfect world where automoatons fufilled their every need . People lived happily beneath the sunless watery deep. But one by one they dissapeeared in their sleep. The City was not what it appeared to be, it was a living laboratory. To find the answer and cure for the foul disease, that terrible thing known as imperfect humanity."

With orriginally 10000 humans, Himmel, was a city beneath the waves. Originally propagandad as a haven where no one would have to work and all their needs were met by the automotons. It was infact a place for Jhonen Schwarze and his wife Maria to perform genetic experimentation to rid the world of flaws and bring macabre beauty to the world. The mindless workers would steal people one by one in the middle of the night until soon the people began to catch on. When the people began to revolt, the Schwarze's unleashed genetic infectious monstrositys that were once their family members and friends upon them. The deragned couple shared a glass of wine watching together behind their safe room, watching the carnage unfold. As the death tolls began to rose, the people still sane and unchanged, managed to take control of the automatons and fought side by side.
Seeing the possibility of loosing everything, Maria pleaded with Jhonen to attempt to find a way back to the surface and leave the fools beneath them. Jhonen by this point had alreayd realized the loss, not just of his work but of his humanity. In a vain attempt at redemption, he had even attempted to find a reversing effect to his genetic manipulation. When Maria discovered this, she finally snapped. She poisoned Jhonen and drove genetic altering chemicals into his blood stream, She expelled his mutating dying body from teh city into the sea. In turn she escaped as the war grew worse and worse. As she watched the city fade behind her she dropped a massive explosive device to wipe the place clean. But as she watch teh reaction began to occur as massive creature rushed at her seacraft forcing her to turn backwards, right back into the explosion.
As the shaking, screaming, and clouds settled, Maria discovered it she was still in her seacraft and still attached to the city. As she looked out over the alien sea floor, she realized quickly something was wrong...and that fate wished her to continue her work. Wherever she was, she was going to fix the flaw of humanity, starting with those still left on her city, and then soon those above land.

Dread Possibilties:
The Creature that attacked her is not only her husband Jhonen, but also still skulking in the waters around the city, however he still believes in saving the people. At the moment in a misguided attempt to have outsiders save his people, he kidnaps sailors from the sea and brings them to the city. Most of them only end up killed by the raging mutants, experiment material, or worse.

The altar of Adam, is infact secondary bomb with the ability to destroy the city, and most likley everything around it for miles. While safley beneath the waves, it can be removed from the domain.

[Germaine]

On the earlier subjects of lighthouses and wreckers... Way back in an ancient issue of Dungeon- either #10 or #11- there's a short lighthouse-related adventure I don't think I've ever seen on any lists called Light of Lost Souls that I think fits Ravenloft perfectly. Also, I've always thought that an adventure based on the film The Fog would be cool. I figure one could maybe use a zombie fog, with Drowning Touch and maybe Bending the Land added to its cadavers. If anyone's seen it, the "Pirate's Promise" episode of Friday the 13th might also make a good basis for an adventure on the SoS or its coast. Plus I've long had a half-formed idea regarding wreckers, the Holsworths from Gazetteer 3, and the "lighthouse" passages from VRGtG, but I have yet to put the whole puzzle together.