Bait this Hook!

[DeepShadow of FoS]

What happened to that domain, and the young half vistana hero who found the bloodknife and his wolf brother? How did knowledge of the Bloodknife find it´s way into the University of Dementlieu´s Guignol Museum?

The domain of Velkaarn (might as well name it for the DL) languishes in the Mists to this day. The happy ending of the book was not the one that occured, but instead the vampire darklord slew Randar and Krug with the bloodknife they hoped to use against him. Only too late did Velkaarn realize that the brothers had prepared a dying Vistani curse in the case of their failure: as Velkaarn had condemned the land to perpetual night, so he would be condemned to grope in darkness for his prey. Velkaarn and his vampire legions cannot see the living whose blood they crave.
With the most intelligent undead in the domain unable to find them, and the other undead easy to fool, the human population has rebounded. Humans still struggle in perpetual darkness, but they cling to hope, and pass down the legend of the gypsy-princes that gave their lives to cripple the blood-tyrant. With human pickings slim, Velkaarn has been forced to destroy all of his vampire servants and even hibernate while his undead servants round up enough humans to feed him. During one of these hibernations, a few daring villagers stole the bloodknife and fled into the Mists following visions of the reincarnated heroes of long ago. The knife was brought to the Guignol Museum on the advice of the Vistani, and a handful of villagers still wait and watch discretely for some museumgoer to stare at the knife not with wistful wonder, but daring recognition....


NEW HOOK:

RLMCIII says that the wizard Faylorn created the boneless while staying at Avernus as a guest of Azalin, when he discovered that he could animate the bones and flesh of a corpse independently, to create two undead instead of one. What happened to Faylorn? If he perished--possibly at the hands of a jealous Azalin who couldn't bear to see someone else discover something--does some other fragment of his dark legacy continue? If he survives in some form, where is he? Is he now one of the many liches that wander the realms under another name?

[Rotipher of the FoS]

(Oooo, a chance to drop hints...! )

Okay, let's tie this to another bit of Ravenloft monster-manual trivia:
_________

Like many of Azalin's underlings, the mid-level wizard Faylorn might well have wound up a vassalich, eternally bound to serve the king of Darkon. However, this bitter fate was averted when his undead patron vanished in the catastrophe of the Requiem. Anticipating the chaos that would sweep the realm, Faylorn fled Castle Avernus with such magics as he managed to steal, taking shelter at the far end of Darkon in a small tower deep in the Mountains of Misery.

For some time, he retreated from society, continuing his own necromantic research in isolation. Unfortunately, without Azalin's resources or advice (for even without "new" magic, the lich had been a consumate master of those dark arts he did know), further breakthroughs proved elusive: promising though his ideas were, Faylorn could never seem to bring these ghastly notions to fruition. Reluctantly, he began to correspond with other dark wizards in the eastern Core, seeking guidance.

One correspondant in particular -- a mage who signed his missives only as "Frost" -- proved an especially brilliant advisor, resolving many of the impasses in Faylorn's work with ease. In exchange, Frost asked only to be sent a detailed report on each new design of spell or undead which Faylorn devised. At first, the arrangement seemed mutually profitable, but in time, Frost began derisively demanding more and more information from the Darkonian mage, and offering little but snide insults in return. Eventually, Faylorn wearied of getting the short end of their dealings, and refused to pass on any further ideas.

Not long after their estrangement, several large crates were shipped to Faylorn's tower, packed with "raw materials" -- preserved limbs, heads, and torsos -- for his necromantic research. Taking these for a peace offering from Frost, Faylorn brought them into his laboratory, dissecting several pieces: an arm, a leg, a head. Satisfied with Frost's gesture of appeasement, the inventor of the Boneless decided to resume contact in the morning, after a good night's sleep.

That night, left unattended in Faylorn's laboratory, the disassembled cadavers reassembled themselves. Converging on his bedchamber, they broke in and attacked; caught unprepared and without spell components, Faylorn was pinned down by a headless body, his mouth held shut by the lone hand of another. Helped along by its companions, a third -- one that hopped upon one leg -- leaned over the defenseless wizard; the hand that held him mute drew back, only to be replaced by an opened, cold mouth, and Faylorn's last breath was sucked from his lungs as the bodies crushed the life out of him.

The inventor of the Boneless had, indeed, escaped becoming a vassalich, but only to fall into another form of servitude ... to the inventor of the lebendtod. His disembodied hands make dutiful laboratory assistants, although Meredoth still treats him with derision, on the few occasions when Todstein's master deigns speak to the rest of his body.

Faylorn's tower is still there, and seemingly abandoned and stripped of all its occult lore. Or is it? What hidden chambers or arcane secrets might the lebendtod have missed? Has this minor, forsaken tower escaped Azalin's notice since his return, or has the lich-king turned it into a trap for magic-hungry plunderers?
__________

New hook:

In the lock-box wagons of the Carnival, six horrific Abominations languish in misery and pain, wracked and warped by the Twisting's chaos freed of all restraint. The first of their number had been recruited by the Gentleman Caller to murder Arabela, creator of the skurra-vera paints and rituals that shield the Carnival's Vistani from the Twisting. The other five, too, must have brought death to the Carnival, and so invited Isolde's terrible vengeance ... but what did they do? Whom did they kill? Who were the Abominations, and is anyone searching for the people they once were, be it for good or ill, even now?

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Wow, five different hooks! Let's see, I think I'll let the dice decide one of these: 1d6 to determine who was murdered; 1-3 means a George, 4-5 means a Skurra, 6 means a Trouper. I rolled a 4, so that's a Skurra.

One of Mallochio's most determined thugs was unwilling to abide the protection of the Carnival. He slew a Vistana man who had appealed to become part of the Tribe of None after Isolde had offered the man protection. The man's very public transformation was mistaken for the mishamel as a dying curse, but the spectacle was so well associated with the Carnival that even the most hateful of Invidia's troops give up if their quarry passes between the vardos of Carnival.

That was fun, here's another one: rolled a 3, that's a George. Okay, here goes:

Those who point to Mola Kravaan's fate as evidence that the Twisting is cruel would do well to look to Pharoah Rottentop. This trouper would have died long ago without the Twisting, laboring as he does under an Akiri curse that makes him age a year every day. This faux mummy was once an adventuring companion of Jameld of Hroth, and possesses one of the Seven Scarabs. Eight years ago, a visitor to Carnival recognized him and unleashed a plague of stinging insects upon the Pharoah and his audience. Two children were trampled and stung to death in the confusion, and the plague-bringer's speech of righteous indignation was cut short as Isolde dragged him off in a rage. Rottentop tries to tell himself that the attack was isolated, but he's been trying to contact his old comerades just in case. Communication from the Carnival is tricky, and in the eight years Rottentop has confirmed that three of his old friends have been attacked, and two have perished. Rottentop is desperate to recontact Jameld and warn him that the Seekers of the Scarabs are active again....

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Three abominations left, folks! I'll refrain from offering a new hook in favor of who takes the final three.

[Nathan of the FoS]

New hook:

In the lock-box wagons of the Carnival, six horrific Abominations languish in misery and pain, wracked and warped by the Twisting's chaos freed of all restraint. The first of their number had been recruited by the Gentleman Caller to murder Arabela, creator of the skurra-vera paints and rituals that shield the Carnival's Vistani from the Twisting. The other five, too, must have brought death to the Carnival, and so invited Isolde's terrible vengeance ... but what did they do? Whom did they kill? Who were the Abominations, and is anyone searching for the people they once were, be it for good or ill, even now?

One of the Abominations isn't a murderer at all. He (she? it?) was a human mage who became interested in the Carnival after a conversation with a certain gentleman hinted that the leader of the Carnival was a powerful spirit susceptible to being bound by magical ritual.

He came to the Carnival with his plans carefully laid, made his way to Isolde's wagon, and attempted to bind her with his spells. She was able to short-circuit his ritual by allowing the Twisting to take him, then trapping him while he was disoriented by the change.

The mage has had a lot of time to think about it, and he's pretty sure he knows where he went wrong. If he gets free, he's going to take another crack at it; and he's already been Twisted...

[DeepShadow of FoS]

One problem: abominations are only semi-intelligent. Unless Isolde accidentally went easy on this one, because he didn't really deserve it, being tricked and all....

OTOH, could his shattered consciousness still dream, and babble into the ear of the Illuminated Man? Could his notes fall into the hands of Pacali?

Okay, I think this one is teased out. Start another thread if we want to go further. Is anyone taking the last two, or should we move on?

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Okay, no one wants to take those last two abominations, so let's move on. Here's the next hook:

The Lost Seer mentioned in Gaz2 is an update of a woman from DU who knew Glennis McFadden's true identity, and tried to warn people. Presumably something happened to her in the mean time to shatter her sanity. What happened? Is Glennis responsible?

[DeepShadow of FoS]

*bump*

[DeepShadow of FoS]

*bump*

[Rock of the Fraternity]

The Lost Seer mentioned in Gaz2 is an update of a woman from DU who knew Glennis McFadden's true identity, and tried to warn people. Presumably something happened to her in the mean time to shatter her sanity. What happened? Is Glennis responsible?

In order to prove her claims that Glennis McFadden is a hag, the Lost Seer went to the place where Glennis' two sisters were killed, hoping to find some kind of evidence. What she found instead was a horror from beyond time and madness. Due to the twisted skein of life, caused by the Requiem, a hideous plant has arisen in the locale where the hags fell: a mutant Orcwort (MM II). Instead of producing Wortlings, this Orcwort grows fullgrown, fully powered clones of whatever creatures it has fed on, be it through its roots or through its maw, every one of its 'Clonelings' under its control. What the Lost Seer saw, was an army of hags and other foul beings scavenging for the foul plant and feeding it living prey, which will lead to the Orcwort producing even more slaves. The sight and the screams broke her mind, and so now she can tell no one of the threat burgeoning against the people of Darkon.

=========================================================

In castle Avernus, the ghostly librarian has faithfully tended the Book of Names and the other volumes for Azalin Rex. But now he has vanished, leaving behind only a note that reads he has 'gone home to visit with family'. What has happened? Has the mad ghost really left Avernus, or has he somehow been tricked or abducted? And why can't Azalin find him anywhere inside of Darkon anymore?

[DeepShadow of FoS]

In castle Avernus, the ghostly librarian has faithfully tended the Book of Names and the other volumes for Azalin Rex. But now he has vanished, leaving behind only a note that reads he has 'gone home to visit with family'. What has happened? Has the mad ghost really left Avernus, or has he somehow been tricked or abducted? And why can't Azalin find him anywhere inside of Darkon anymore?

I appreciate the bait, Rock, but this game is about expanding underdeveloped canon statements. In this case, the librarian is the canon hook, and the next person provides the non-canon bait.

So the librarian himself is the hood, I'll provide some bait that could provide the scenario you are describing:

Where did the librarian come from? He was already there when Azalin walked into Avernus, fully formed along with the rest of the domain. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have a past. Call it false history if you will, but it feels perfectly real to him, and can influence him the same way. He remembers his terms of indenture to Azalin, and the magical contract that bound him to Azalin's service even after death. Azalin has always assumed that the librarian is related to the other servants, but in fact he was a member of the ruling family of Nartok, indentured to the master of Avernus as a royal hostage to ensure his family's loyalty.

Okay, Rock, this gives you a situation that would lead to the above scenario--or it could be that Skeever is just playing games again.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

We've got fresh blood, let's see if this thread can be rekindled! Please read the first post to find out the rules, and let's see how long we can get it to run this time.

Starting hook, from Gaz2: veterans of the Dead Man's Campaign are turning up dead, their blood black as tar. Some say that they brought something back from the front, and a few of them mutter about something they call "the jittermen" following them from a distance. Who or what are the Jittermen?

[Drinnik Shoehorn]

The Jitterman is a Darkonite Boogeyman who children kept at bay with simple nursery rhymes and charms such as daisy- or grass-chains.

The Jitterman came to a Falkovian camp when they took women and children hostage for sport. The boogey realised there was more fun in tormenting the ignorant Falkovians rather than the innocent children.

The Jitterman still lives on in tales of Darkonite children, but now a new twist is added to his tale. He appears in Falkovian reports, named only as "Subject J". The Jitterman is now evolving into something new, a combination of childish fears and adult paranoia.

______________________

Jacquelin Renier's eldest son, Jacques, is detailed as a young boy in Scholar of Decay, but according to the Black Box, she has more children. Why is Jacques her favourite? Who are the others? What have they done to please/anger their mother, le Grande Dame?

[Zettaijin]

Jacques Renier, first born son of Jacqueline Renier and named after his great grandfather, always had his mother's favour due to an apparently ingrained ability to not only properly read other people's moods and feelings, but also how to manipulate these to his advantage.

It is rumoured that he had his tante Louise lambasted by his mother on more than one occasion for perceived ills, although Jacqueline denies that these spats may have anything to do with her dear son.

The malicious child grew into a mean spirited and ambitious teen who had little love for his siblings and saw no use in their continued existence.

Louise has told sources close to her that she once caught the boy trying to poison one of his brothers while the later was barely a few years old, but no one save the brothers themselves believe in such stories, blaming instead Louise's jealousy at being childless as the cause of these filthy rumours. The Renier clan is not known for its loyalty, but members know that there is power in numbers and that too much division in the ranks is not conducive to survival.

Yet, the remaining children of Jacqueline Renier have all fled at some point, leaving Jacques as the only one by his mother's side. He often repeats to his mother that of the four sons she bore, only he ever stayed faithful to her and the clan while the others fled to pursue other activities.

The truth is that the second eldest became fearful of assassination. From his formative years unto adulthood, it seems as if unfortunate accidents occurred at an alarming frequency to a point where he believed someone was trying to take his life on purpose.

At 5, he recalls someone, whom he claims was his brother Jacques (although he never openly made such a claim), trying to poison him by offering stolen food laced with powerful poison. Jacques had the merchant's son killed by way of poison as retribution, stating that the food had probably been meant as a trap for the pests.

In later years, as he and his brother Jacques chased would-be wererat hunters from their sewers, his foot was caught in a deep crevice. Jacques, who had been following from behind, was nowhere to be found. The bewildered expressions and breathless panicked banter made him suspect that this was not one of their traps. Fortunately, a relative saved him, chasing the hunters away. Inspection of the crevice lead to the conclusion that this was indeed a trap, but clearly not of the hunters' make. Jacques later claimed he found a third hunter who distracted him from the chase. His brother could swear that Jacques seemed surprised and then perhaps furious when he entered the tunnel.

The second eldest was not the first to depart, waiting many years before the attempts on his life took their toll. On the other hand, his younger brothers showed less temerity and quickly fled when strange rumours about disloyal antics began to spread.

The second youngest, unlike his older brother, often had Jacques protecting him from bizarre rumours. Oddly enough, Jacques always knew just what to say and never seemed the least surprised by them - no matter how weird these stories could be.

At one point, relatives believed he was having a secret affair with a werewolf. Jacques dispelled the stories, reminding the gathered cousins that some of them also had awkward periods at that age that lead them to experiment and that perhaps his brother's more solitary existence was merely the end result of a difficult transitory period as opposed to some unlikely union. Yet, for years, relatives found scattered "clues" pointing to the presence of a female werewolf living in their midst, possibly hidden by a fellow family member...

Jacques secretly suggested that his younger brother leave for a spell, while he would work night and day to clear up his sibling's reputation... which he never did.

His youngest brother also left at an early age in order to escape foul rumours. In his case, he had tried killing his own mother for the love of his tante Louise.

Letters reputed to be forged, even though Renier family members are still suspicious, were found in which the youngest son expressed his deep, unconditional love for his beautiful aunt. In some letters, he would flaunt her numerous qualities and go as far as curse his fate: why did he have to be born of Jacqueline Renier? Why did fate so cruelly decide that he not be fed from the bosom of sweet, tender Louise?

It was true that Louise and he spent much time together with Jacqueline's sister often acting a surrogate mother figure of sorts, alas the boy never fully trusted his aunt's motives and feared his mother even more. Jacques once again stepped in to speak on behalf of his brethren, reminding his cousins that Jacqueline, his mother, was not to be trifled with and past attempts at creating a rift between her and Louise failed because their bond of blood had always prevailed. That anyone would implicate Jacqueline's son in this twisted affair could only be qualified as cowardly and weak.

Ensuring his brother that the traitor would be exposed in time, Jacques advised his youngest brother to keep a low profile lest he fall prey to further forgeries.

For his undying support and loyalty to the family and, more importantly, his own brothers, Jacques has been blessed by his mother's apparently unconditional love and trust. However, as the years went by, doubt arose in the matriarch's mind as to whether or not Jacques might be interested in taking over the clan.

In fact, she knows that he has a keen interest in all matters political and seems to be spending an increasing amount of time with powerful members of the Darkonese branch of the family tree. Her son is the spitting image of his mother, right down to the ruthless, ambitious core, but she maintains appearance so as to better spy on her son's activities.

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In the 2E Domains of Dread supplement, Matton, wolfwere lover of Gabrielle Aderre, is said to be recruiting wolfwere from nearby Kartakass in order to offer resistance against Malocchio's rule.

In the Gaz IV, it is revealed that Matton is actually a bard from Kartakass.

Considering the fairly positive relations between the two domains, how does Harkon Lukas feel about this? Does he willingly allow the local wolfwere population to embark upon mercenary missions in Invidia? Does he care what happens to the land? Did he ever meet this Matton at any point?

[Nathan of the FoS]

Considering the fairly positive relations between the two domains, how does Harkon Lukas feel about this? Does he willingly allow the local wolfwere population to embark upon mercenary missions in Invidia? Does he care what happens to the land? Did he ever meet this Matton at any point?

Harkon has run the show from the beginning. Matton is one of his foreign agents--the most successful, so far--and he has been consulting with Lukas about how to manage the Invidian counter-revolution from the beginning. His entanglement with Gabrielle Aderre has complicated matters somewhat; Lukas is no longer sure he can be trusted to take orders, but the reinforcements Matton has called on from Kartakass work to ameliorate that difficulty as well, since they can be used to keep an eye on Matton as well as acting as shock troops for Gabrielle's forces.

Lukas knows that outright conquest of foreign lands is (probably) beyond him, but it may not be out of the question to install his followers as "powers behind the throne" and expand his influence in that way, and Invidia's political instability make it the best place to begin such a project.

***

The Beast of the Hills [Kartakass, GazI) is one of the Gentleman Caller's children; unlike most of her siblings, her demonic taint is expressed almost entirely in her appearance, and her soul may be (almost) free of her father's evil nature. How might she learn of her father's true nature? Would she be willing to throw her lot in with heroes attempting to thwart her father's plan (whatever that might be)? Did the Gentleman Caller expect this turn of events all along?