Personal Incarnations (Ravenloft NPCs)

[Le Noir Faineant]

I meant, when we have more than a few characters at hand, we can talk about the specific background we want our creations to have, like, say, a meetingplace we have in common etc.

That wouldn't mean we have to stop writing (the sketches for my character submissions are nearly complete, BTW, with Ivid the Bowman already stated out), but that we should *MAYBE* prepare to rewrite some character info etc. if we come to find a special background for the persoinages an not only a *collection of several unrelated NPC*.

For example, you asked about the tone of the articles, and I must say that I just don't know. Will the netbook have a common base for every figure? Will they be depicted without having any relations to each other?

These are all questions we still have to discuss.

In the meantime, I'll happily accept any submissions from you, but with a BIG *When the concept for the netbook is more clear, you might have to change some parts to make your figures fit in*.

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To clarify that, I'll look to find some free time and work to give you at least guidelines for what the respective articles shall be supposed to contain.

Sorry if my *leadership* here seems to lack of structure. My holidays began yesterday, so I had no real possibility to think about the netbook until now...

That said, I am very pleased to announce that I already received an excellent submission by VAN!

[alhoon]

Hey, no problem. I'll send you the info for the alhoon relative of mine that I want to see destroyed soon.

[Le Noir Faineant]

I am looking forward to see that *relative of yours*:

Now, first and foremost, what are your ideas for a basic plot for that netbook?

I must confess that I not very creative these days...

I would suggest we do some kind of brain storming here...

What about making it up as S. lost appendix notes of possible agents of Azalin?



What would you say?

[alhoon]

I would prefer if we didn't tie the netbook itself with any official character. It makes it blatantly non-canon. That is only my opinion though.

[Le Noir Faineant]

Then, how would you set it up?... I don't think we shoudl copy from the MGN and just detail the *frequent visitors of cafe de Nuit...*

[VAN]

I like the idea that our characters hev a common past or a common place to go. I think a Coffee House called "Cafe de Nuit" will be perfect!

However, we have a problem, as alhoon told me 2 days ago, it will be a bit difficult to have our characters at the same place with an alhoon! I mean, he will try to kill them on sight and maybe someone else will want to write a villain. What will we do about that?

[Le Noir Faineant]

... I don't know... Maybe I'll have some better inspiration when I check the RL books for the game I am preparing...

Still, I think, since, as you said, we have a group of very contraire characters to put up a setting around a gathering place... But what would you think if we let them populate the same DUNGEON! Different parties war on each other to gain control of the place! Would match with al's idea of classifying the members here into different categories.

What do you think of such a living Dungeon in Ravenloft? -Maybe one could even set it in Richemulot to match with the FoS-background.

[Coan]

If you really want to 'connect them all' why not just have them in Richemulot at the same time or some person recounting their experience with these NPCs over the course of their life?

[Le Noir Faineant]

If you really want to 'connect them all' why not just have them in Richemulot at the same time or some person recounting their experience with these NPCs over the course of their life?

That's what I meant basically.
IMO, we could do either a *Dungeon* in Richemulot - maybe connecting this to some kind of adventure hook for players, or S. telling whom she met on her travels through the core (and beyond?)...

[alhoon]

Yes, but why S? Why not the obscure and powerful traveling wizard WST? A non official character.

Here my idea:

The powerful and slightly mad wizard WST, someone not well known since he changes appearance and name when traveling, has spent 8 years traveling around Ravenloft trying to meet the interesting, the strange and the powerful.
He is not in a crusade like Weathermay.
He is not pursuing knowledge to help others fight like Van Richten.
He is not on a payroll quest from Azalin like S.

After so many years and experiences he contacts the Frat of Shadows in Richemulot and leaves them a manuscript with some of the people he met.
His insanity is apparent in the manuscript as most of the entries are written in a different writing style as if written by different persons!

[Le Noir Faineant]

Yes, but why S? Why not the obscure and powerful traveling wizard WST? A non official character.

Here my idea:

The powerful and slightly mad wizard WST, someone not well known since he changes appearance and name when traveling, has spent 8 years traveling around Ravenloft trying to meet the interesting, the strange and the powerful.
He is not in a crusade like Weathermay.
He is not pursuing knowledge to help others fight like Van Richten.
He is not on a payroll quest from Azalin like S.

After so many years and experiences he contacts the Frat of Shadows in Richemulot and leaves them a manuscript with some of the people he met.
His insanity is apparent in the manuscript as most of the entries are written in a different writing style as if written by different persons!

Works fine with me as well, although I've a bit fallen in love with that idea of a dungeon full of our characters... *Say, some thing like a battle for St. Ronges...*

[Coan]

Or someone who can travel through time as well as distance.

Madam Eva.

I suppose it depends on the style you want this written. Will it be mostly fluff or crunch? Will you need someone describing the NPC 'in character' or simply in an informative over view style (like that used in the gazeteers).

[alhoon]

While Madam Eva is also an official character and I wouldn't like her meddling, I agree with Coan in the other respects. It depends on what you want us put down.

If it is for fun, then let's assume that they gathered peacefully to celebrate in a dungeon.

Also I started alhoon's description the way the SotDR decribes the chars or the appendix of the Gazs, not as if somebody describes him. I know that Kimuriel is also written that way.

[Jason of the Fraternity]

If you really want to 'connect them all' why not just have them in Richemulot at the same time or some person recounting their experience with these NPCs over the course of their life?

From what I've read in this thread so far, I would also recommend using this type of style for unifying all of the characters into one cohesive netbook. You could certainly use a dungeon as well, but I think that you're going to lose a lot by forcing characters to fit within a dungeon crawl type of set-up (i.e., you might be straining to fit backgrounds in that type of setting). Having each character be some sort of report/research would open up the possibilities of them being from different times and locations.

I would prefer if we didn't tie the netbook itself with any official character. It makes it blatantly non-canon. That is only my opinion though.

I would also recommend staying away from using official characters, such as S and Madame Eva. However, my concern would be more for legal issues than canon issues. The fact that the character and persona is owned by WotC/WW makes using her a lot more sticky than creating some sort of explorer of your own.

Besides, you are much more limited by the simple fact that she already has certain personality guidelines and goals created by the official authors. If you are going to go with this route (i.e., a storyteller approach to introducing characters), then I would recommend creating a new persona to be the narrator. Perhaps, a wizard interested in joining the Fraternity of Shadows...?

*Say, some thing like a battle for St. Ronges...*

Except that we already know they would lose to the might and manipulations of the Fraternity of Shadows...

[alhoon]

. . . then I would recommend creating a new persona to be the narrator. Perhaps, a wizard interested in joining the Fraternity of Shadows...?

The powerful and slightly mad wizard WST
. . .

After so many years and experiences he contacts the Frat of Shadows in Richemulot and leaves them a manuscript with some of the people he met.