Souragne project

[Kel-nage]

I definitely like it. Nice use of symbolism too.

[Boccaccio Barbarossa]

How about, the religion is the same as to what was found in Dementlieu by the Home Faith sect (causing the birth of the third sect), a ancient version of the Ezra religion found them in the old churches, this would mean that links between the two domains in the false history could be establish paralling the real world France and New Orleans. Thus Anchorites would simply be reviving the religion once more as they did in Dementlieu.

Oh, hello everyone! haven';t been around for a while... Anyways.

I think this idwea is a fantastic one! It really keeps up the continuity and iopens up the possibility for great adventures - imagaine a group of scholars and anchorites journeying to Sourange in order to explore the connection, forrays into the mainland and ruins in the wamps of whatever - with the dead rising. it has all the right elements.

And it would really allow for a cult of the Virgin Mary type of mesh with the Loa wich I think is a good way of approximating real historical flavour.

Good work!

[Boccaccio Barbarossa]

oops. that last post is supposed to have a quote, but I think I deleted the other end of the quote html code.

sorry.

[Joël of the FoS]

For your info, you can always edit your post and in this case add "[quote]" at the start of the quoted text.

Joël

[The Giamarga]

So what is known in official RL canon about Souragne? Can we put together a list of references to Souragne (perhaps in another thread) and try tp extrapolate some info from there. Unfortunately the Kargatane Catalogue is down. Also what about the Netbooks? What's in there? Is there already a Voudoun system somewhere that we can use?


This thread on WotC has stats for Larissa Snowmane as a Female Human Drd6 with a special substitution level for the Dance of the Dead ability. And this one has stats for King Crocodile the DL of the Wildlands. How do those (the wildlands) relate to Souragne? (I don't have IoT unfortunately)

King Crocodile could be identified with the Santeria's Olosa, Lady Crocodile or perhaps Damballah. And Ezra could be Erzulie who is married to three other loas no less. Even the names are similar. (Note that all i know about Voudoun is from Shadowrun and from just skimming the wikipedia entry... )

[Joël of the FoS]

So what is known in official RL canon about Souragne? Can we put together a list of references to Souragne

That is exactly what i'm working on right now - a list of things to add to the Gaz, either from canon and netbooks.

Also, I'm going to provide the FoS approved directions for things discussed here (slaves? size? etc.)

This list will also make clear what is still to be written in the Gaz.

Expect this list during the weekend, tomorrow if I'm lucky.

Joël

[Joël of the FoS]

The building materials needed (trees, iron for nails, rope plants) would not be in any where near the levels needed for a full settlement to be built let alone the huge masions of the rich.

Let's not forget that we are not building a perfectly logic and coherent environment. With our Earth's criterias, Richemulot's population can't support an opera and we do not really question it.

The deal is to describe a workable land, fun for DM to send their troops, and looking coherent at the first (and second) glance. Nothing in D&D can withstand a logical, scientific, ecological in depth analysis

Fresh water and sewege would be another big problem. With over a hundred rotting dead fed into the swamp the islands freshwater aquafer would qucikly be purtified and undrinkable. The waste from the settelment would also cause massive outbreaks of disintarty, diarehea and other baterial infections.

Actually, somewhere (I think it's RL CS, sorry I'm away from my notes now. Or is it Dance of the Dead?) say clearly that people drink rain water, since water found in well is tainted.

Joël

[The Giamarga]

Is there already a Voudoun system somewhere that we can use?

I hear there's a Voodan class (or PrC?) in Dark Tales and Disturbing Legends. Will we be using that one? Wasn't there also a Voudoun system in on of the netbooks?

[Jasper]

This thread on WotC has stats for Larissa Snowmane as a Female Human Drd6 with a special substitution level for the Dance of the Dead ability. And this one has stats for King Crocodile the DL of the Wildlands. How do those (the wildlands) relate to Souragne? (I don't have IoT unfortunately)

King Crocodile could be identified with the Santeria's Olosa, Lady Crocodile or perhaps Damballah. And Ezra could be Erzulie who is married to three other loas no less. Even the names are similar. (Note that all i know about Voudoun is from Shadowrun and from just skimming the wikipedia entry... )

King Crocodile is Dl of the Wildlands wich is now joined with Sri Raji and Saragoss to form the Steaming lands cluster. The Wildlands can be best described as a gothic twist on the jungle book. Talking animals forming human like socal classes, Near human inteligance preditors and a huge orpressive man eater as lord (just switch out Shir Kahn with a 30' crocodile )

However the steaming lands represent a Gothic India/Indian jungle feel and not the Gothic Caribian/Voodoo swamp feel of Souragne.


As for a Voodan system DTDL has most of the major Loa fleshed out as well as Voodan priest class. I would use that as a template for all further voodan characters and new Loa.

[The Giamarga]

One more reason to get DTDL soon.

About the talking animals from the Wildlands didn't the Souragne novel also feature some of those? Without a social classes but still talking animals at least.

Also speaking of the novel, where did the paddlesteamer- boat (it was a padlesteamer right?) originate from? I believe it was not from Souragne as they only later ended up there. So which Core city could have spawned such a boat?

[Rotipher of the FoS]

About the talking animals from the Wildlands didn't the Souragne novel also feature some of those? Without a social classes but still talking animals at least.

The "talking animals" weren't animals, but minor Voodan nature-spirits in corporeal forms. Picture Brer Rabbit of African-American folklore dressed up in a Victorian waistcoat rather than overalls, and you're pretty close.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Also speaking of the novel, where did the paddlesteamer- boat (it was a padlesteamer right?) originate from? I believe it was not from Souragne as they only later ended up there. So which Core city could have spawned such a boat?

Arkandale's the only other domain that's formally established to have had steamboats, so the ship from "Dance of the Dead" might have been constructed along the same river. It's possible that the boatyard in question vanished from the map of the Core, when Verbrek absorbed Nathan Timothy's former domain; if not, any of the Renaissance domains could be the source, given that the riverboat from the novel seems to be Mist-worthy and could've (unintentionally) hopped between watercourses on previous occasions.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

The showboat in the book: La Demoiselle du Musarde started out in the core. It's french-ish name puts it's origin in Dementlieu or Richemulot. (The Musarde river runs through both) I don't know if there was any further background to the ship. Haven't read the book in ages.

[Stygian Inquirer]

The captain, Raoul Dumont, was from Richemulot so that could be where the name came from. The showboat is also mentioned briefly under its name from the end of the book, River Dancer, in VRA in the danse macabre spell entry.

As Joel said, the people of Souragne can only drink rain water because all other water is tainted.

Also, in relation to building materials, remember that in Souragne it is impossible to bury the dead; the water level is too high. They have to build crypts and mausoleums to hold the dead. They have cobblestone roads and buildings are made of wood or at least have wooden walls and shingled rooves. They would probably have to use a wood that is not very porous and would not absorb water as it would warp and buckle over time. Or, they would have to have developed a way to treat or waterproof the wood.

Also, for lezards, the crocodile/human creatures from DotD, I would just use the Werecrocodile template but make all forms amphibious if they are not already.

[Undead Cabbage]

On the note of Souragne's environment,

Where Mordent has Wraithroot, and Kartakass has Meelkelbern (sp?), Souragne should DEFINATELY have something. If I may recall, Anton kept a plantation before becoming a DL. Perhaps this plant could be either identical to the plant he used to grow, or similar in ancestory.

I'm thinking something between Cocoa, Tobacco, Cocaine(although Cocaine is found in Venezuala and Columbia, it still seems to fit), and Coffee Beans. A form of hyper-active stimulant that could be used as a narcotic, and is very addictive. Perhaps with some hallucianary side-effects as well. This could also be tied into Souragne's huge class divide. Just look at Star Bucks...

Likewise, this drug could makes its way back to the core. Hence, Cigarettes being a part of Dementlieu's culture (or if it were more like Cocaine, an underground net-work for an illegal drug).