Paridon Gazetteer

[Rotipher of the FoS]

IIRC, the Mistways aren't all that old a phenomenon in Ravenloft. The OOC reason for that, of course, is that they weren't included in the old boxed sets; in-character, it's plausible that the expansion of the Core and subsequant tumultuous events (like the Scourge and Upheaval) caused the Mists to start "flowing" along specific routes, to and from the expanding megaCluster.

Before the Mistways, people could still have hopped from Island to Island by entering the Mists; it just would have been an even less reliable way to travel than it is now. The Vistani were already in Ravenloft when Paridon appeared, so could have taken travelers between Paridon, Har'Akir and the Barovia/Forlorn Cluster (it wasn't really "the Core" until 579), as well as any other domains that might've existed then and disappeared in the interim. Strahd and others with Vistani contacts would've been the first giorgios to learn that new domains had appeared out in the Mists; the Paridoners, OTOH, may not have even suspected there were other lands in their new world until a passing Vistana deigned to mention them.

[Undead Cabbage]

Question, What do Zherisians know of their own politics?

I can imagine that with the help of the News Bill, they recieve all of the latest gossip with the help of Mr. Thompson (see William Blackmoor's Notes) and his rumor-mongerers. I can also see them being very active about it, in reflection of Sodo's fear that the other dopplers will rise against him.

But is what the masses see what really goes on? Are the politians in King's Quarters really human, or are they mostly if not all replaced by dopplegangers? Perhaps this is why its so easy to find the right rumor to end a politician's career; Sodo keeps on 'replacing' his own subjects.

I'm asking this because I'm soon going to be writing the section on King's Quarters (currently a quarter way through Shadewell), and I'm wondering if maybe the populace gets very little enterance into King's Quarters, even if you're rich. Perhaps the dopplers don't want too many humans in the King's borough; they perfer the dopplers to run the city and not the humans. Could it be that admittance onto the City Council means you get replaced by a doppler? I think in this regard the realm could further reflect it's darklord and its key monster.

Of course, the humans could just be totally oblivious to this, and still think that its a bunch of over-paid fops running the country. In truth, the dopplegangers put on the veil of a human government, and in the mean time deal with their internal warfare. Sodo likely keeps all of the clans at ends with each other, so as to avoid them all coming after him.

What do you think?

[Jasper]

I see the vast majority of the the Paridonite goverment as a form of bread and circuses. The average Joe on the street just knows enough about politics to know who to complain to when he needs something. In return those in power have turned placating the masses into a art form. For example when the masses complaine about a rash of rapes in there district the nobles make a huge fuss about putting a new wave of police on the beat with all day speaches on the need for safety and calling in the newsbill for full page spreads.

The people think all thier problems are solved and move on to the next issue but all the while the crimes go unsolved.


As for the human to doppleganger ratio in goverment I honsty think it would be something like 70/30. As hard as they try dopples are not human and trying to keep thier beastial nature in check is a very taxing process. The last thing they would want is to be giving a speach in the town center when the laugh a little too meniceingly or smile a little too wide.

Now I do think the other 70% of the humans are all in the dopples pockets. To get anywhere in that city you need to know the right people in the shadows and the dopples own most of the shadows in the city They might not know they are dealing with monsters directly but they do know they don't think or act unless a agent of Sodo tells them to first.

[Undead Cabbage]

Ok, after reading Joel's WE for Souragne, I definately want to include a Mudane Sights and sounds section.

One question though: could you guys see this being broken up for the different boroughs? The way I envisioned them, the background in Blackchapel is quite different from that in the Docks, from that in Riverside, from that in Shadewell. Should we include a list for each borough? Anyone got some ideas for the check list?

[Pamela]

Sorry for the silence, but life is hectic, and I have to fly home to Canada for a month. I'll be online as and when I can, but believe me, I am still dedicated to this project. So please excuse any delays in PMs or emails, or comments here; I will answer when I can do it properly. Ciao!

[William Blackmoor]

Hm, I might add my own apologies for being silent to Llanas. Recently I'm pretty tied up with looking for a new employment and often having no access to the internet. I hope I'll finish some new texts the next days or so and send them right away.
Best wishes
William

[Joël of the FoS]

Ok, after reading Joel's WE for Souragne, I definately want to include a Mudane Sights and sounds section.

One question though: could you guys see this being broken up for the different boroughs? The way I envisioned them, the background in Blackchapel is quite different from that in the Docks, from that in Riverside, from that in Shadewell. Should we include a list for each borough? Anyone got some ideas for the check list?

That would be the way to go if the boroughs are very different. You could have : a list for "all borough" (things that can be seen anywhere) and a list of things appropriate for each borough.

Joël

[Undead Cabbage]

Sorry for the silence, but life is hectic, and I have to fly home to Canada for a month. I'll be online as and when I can, but believe me, I am still dedicated to this project. So please excuse any delays in PMs or emails, or comments here; I will answer when I can do it properly. Ciao!

Hm, I might add my own apologies for being silent to Llanas. Recently I'm pretty tied up with looking for a new employment and often having no access to the internet. I hope I'll finish some new texts the next days or so and send them right away.
Best wishes
William

NP, you guys do what you need to do. Good luck with everything!

In the mean time, the geographical survey for Paridon will likely be around 20 pages. If we follow suit with the Souragne Gaz, this leaves about 10 pages of geographical survey for Timor (the SG was about 30 or so). Of course, this could easily change as stuff is added or taken away.

Timor people, does this give you enough space?

[Pamela]

Nearly three weeks to go, and status report

Part I: Geographic and Topological Survey
*Boroughs and Places of Interest – near completion
* Climate - done
* Indigenous flora and fauna- in the works

Part II: Sociological Survey
* Indigenous People - done
* Daily Life, clothing and food- done
* Language- in the works
* Outlook and worldview -done
* Art – in the works
*Trade – in the works
* Local History- in the works
* Governments - done

Part III: Religious Survey
* Divinity of Mankind – done

DM Appendix and Who's Who
Sodo- in the works
* New feats and spells- seeking submissions
* Prestige classes- seeking submissions
* Items, magical and technological- seeking submissions
* Diseases- physical, psychological, and magical- seeking submissions
*NPC’s- seeking submissions

Please do not be shy to send any ideas, or to ask for assistance via PM's. Send submissions to ndburke@gmail.com

Thank you!

[Le Noir Faineant]

[Hell_Born]

I have a few ideas that might be of some use, primarily some conceptual spells and prestige classes. However, I'm not too sure if any of them fit the "theme" and I'd like opinion on them. Even if they do fit, I can't do them myself- I don't know how to do so. However, if people like the ideas I have then they are free to take it, make it work and then submit it to the Gazetteer as their own work. So long as it gets done, I don't care who takes the credit for it.

Firstly, the spells:
*Just Another Face: you blend into the crowd and become virtually invisible.

*Back Door: creates a passageway in an artifical wall you touch.

*Urban Chameleon: you gain a bonus to Hide in urban settings.

*Down the Tubes (Up the Pipes): you can squeeze through small spaces like a Marikith.

*It's All Alike To Me: establish a mystic link between two "portals" (doors and door-like structures), which enables you -and only you- to pass between the linked portals instantly.

And now the prestige classes:
*Juicer
Theme: drug addiction, the inner beast unleashed
Basics: essentially an urban Barbarian, granted greater physical capacities (but reduced mental capacities) through usage of chemical cocktails, which are (not so) slowly killing him.

*Clockworker
Theme: steel's superiority to flesh, elevation of the machine over man
Basics: pretty much a spellcaster or intellectual's PRC, starts off just being to create simple constructs but by the final levels can create clockwork golems and/or devise Golemtech and/or becomes half Clockwork Golem.

*Urbanomancer
Theme: mystic of the city, street shaman
Basics: wait, isn't there already something like this in Nouvelle Nuit?

[Pamela]

I think both Urban Chameleon and Just Another Face would work better as feats.

I myself am not good in crafting spells or prestige classes, so I'll leave others to comment on the feasibility of your other suggestions.

Thank you for the ideas.

[Undead Cabbage]

Hell Born, you send what you like. This is a community project; Llana and I are going to make sure that as much of everyones submissions are included as possible. This project certainly isn't something reserved for some sort of alumni, so don't worry so much.

My comments:

I agree with Llana that 'Just another face' and 'Urban Chameleon' do sound like they'd make good feats, to be honest. However, if you wish to make them spells, it could work to. 'Down the Tubes' sounds like a neat spell for Timor, although I'd perhaps find a much more mystic name for it.

For the prestige classes, if you give me your email address I have a neat construction engine for D&D classes that uses a point system. From what I've seen, it works well.

The Clockworker particularily caught my eye.

[Hell_Born]

You really like them? Could you suggest details for each- and maybe a better name for Down the Tubes? Some ideas of precisely what the Prestige Classes would do/grant as you progressed through their levels would also be handy. And I agree; JAF and UC would probably make better Feats than Spells.

To contact me, my e-mail is cjjscrawford@bigpond.com

[Hell_Born]

Thank you for that link Llana; I've been to the SRD and this is the resultant first draft of my feats- could you tell me if they look finished/balanced?

Just Another Face
Prerequisite: 5 ranks in Hide, must have lived in an urban area (at least a Small City) for 1 entire year.
Benefit: you may use the Hide skill if you are surrounded by a group of at least thirty NPCS of Neutral reaction to you.
Normal: you cannot use Hide if you are being even casually observed.
Special: for every 10 NPCS around you above 30, you receive a cumulative +2 bonus to Hide.

Urban Chameleon
Prerequisite: must have lived in an urban area (at least a Small City) for 5 cumulative years.
Benefit: you receive a +2 bonus to Hide and a +2 bonus to Bluff whilst within urban environments.


And this is what I've worked out for my proto-spells:
*Back Door: 4th level Transmutation, range of Touch, duration of Instantaneous.

*Mystic Doorway (It's All Alike To Me): 3rd level Conjuration/Teleportation

*Body Squeezing (Down the Tubes): 5th level Necromancy, target's the Caster, duration of 6 rounds +(1 round per two caster levels), witnessing the caster squeezing through a gap causes a Horror/Madness check.