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[[Auric Nuikin]] traveled to [[Richemulot]] and dealt with [[Jacqueline Renier]].<ref>[[Scholar of Decay]]</ref>
A domain where life is centered around seemingly egalitarian, urban life, Richemulot is a nation based more on merit than material wealth. The citizens are able to lead mostly clean lives, without fear of the overt oppression or abuse of other lands. Yet beneath this [[facade]] of opportunity and equality, [[corruption]] festers like a hidden tumor. From the [[sewer]]s beneath the streets to the closed doors of the elite, [[wererat]]s and other horrors eat away at Richemulot in secret.
 
==Geography==
Richemulot is a [[domain]] within [[the Core]] of [[Ravenloft]], sometimes classified as part of the [[the Southern Core]].<ref>[[Domains of Dread]] p.42, 46</ref> Though the majority of its land is covered in [[forest]]s, the majority of the population resides in and around three urban [[community|communities]]: [[Pont-a-Museau]], [[Ste Ronges]], and [[Mortigny]].<ref name="Domains of Dread p. 46">[[Domains of Dread]] p. 46</ref> Though the total population of Richemulot numbers into the tens of thousands<ref name="Ravenloft Player's Handbook p.154">[[Ravenloft Player's Handbook]] p. 154</ref> and dwarfs the populations of neighboring domains<ref name="Ravenloft Player's Handbook p.133-137">[[Ravenloft Player's Handbook]] p. 133-137</ref>, the number of [[abandoned]] and bricked up [[house|houses]] seem to indicate the population was once much larger. With empty structures that could hold a third more people,<ref name="Domains of Dread p. 46">[[Domains of Dread]] p. 46</ref>, the atmosphere of Richemulot's urban communities is strangely (and perhaps disturbingly) quiet given their relative populations. The origins of Richemulot's depopulation remain unknown<ref name="Ravenloft Player's Handbook p.154">[[Ravenloft Player's Handbook]] p. 154</ref>. Even [[magic]] fails to divine Richemulot's (false) history (and often in a horrific fashion).<ref name="Gazetteer III p. 87">[[Gazetteer III]] p. 87</ref>
 
==Culture and Society==
Richemulot is a [[CL 8|Chivalric cultural level]] with a culture that values intelligence, guile, and professionalism<ref name="Gazetteer III p. 91">[[Gazetteer III]] p. 91</ref>. As such, [[Richemulot]] has much more of a cultural affinity to [[Borca]], [[Dementlieu]], and [[Mordent]] than to the comparatively brutish and hostile [[Falkovnia]]<ref name="Gazetteer III p. 100-101">[[Gazetteer III]] p. 100-101</ref>, the latter of which has attempted an [[invasion]] twice.<ref name="Gaz II p. 94">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 94</ref> As a signature of the [[Treaty of Four Towers]], Richemulot is one of the nations entered into an allied defense against [[Falkovnian]] aggression. However, the diplomatic policies of [[Jacqueline Renier]] remain more elusive, as she has had some diplomatic dealings with [[Vlad Drakov]]. The details of these negotiations are not particularly transparent.<ref name="Gazetteer III p. 100-101">[[Gazetteer III]] p. 100-101</ref>
 
Despite the clear rule by the [[nobility]], Richemuloise society shows less signs of social inequity or social excesses that might characterize other realms. The majority of people can afford a reasonably secure roof and clean living space. Thanks in part to the Richemuloise valuation of [[knowledge]] and [[skill]] over affluence and wealth, Richemulot's cosmopolitan remains a haven for [[immigrant]]s and even [[refugee]]s from other lands.<ref name="Gazetteer III p. 91">[[Gazetteer III]] p. 91</ref>
 
Dark [[secret]]s and elements of [[corruption]] remain hidden inside the atmosphere of opportunity. Those imperceptive of the social landscape of Richemulot often wind up a part of the silent lower class, a hidden population of [[debtor]]s that go unnoticed by their neighbors.<ref name="Gazetteer III p. 91">[[Gazetteer III]] p. 91</ref> The importance of information is eclipsed by a specific type of information: [[rumor]]s, [[gossip]], and the type of information that can be used to subvert or destroy. The truly powerful in Richemulot are elite not by material property but rather by secret knowledge. Within the shadows of this society of secrets, there dwells perhaps the true masters of Richemuloise society, that of the [[wererat]]s. Richemloise culture and [[legend]] portrays them as filthy, disgusting savages that dwell in [[rat]] [[warren]]s beneath the [[street]]s of Richemulot. However, this accounts for only part of their number.<ref name="Gazetteer III p. 96">[[Gazetteer III]] p. 96</ref> Their treatment as murderous bogeymen masks the wererats that have infiltrated the movers and shakers of Richemulot's aristocratic society and use their dark knowledge of both human and [[rat]] sides to corrupt society for their own ends.<ref name="Gazetteer III p. 97">[[Gazetteer III]] p. 97</ref> The [[Renier Family]] is at top of the heap, with the crafty [[Jacqueline Renier]] as the [[matriarch]] of both her family and the nation. She is recognized as a [[tyrant]] but also respected as a great maternal symbol of Richemuloise [[patriot]]ism.<ref name="Gazetteer III p. 98">[[Gazetteer III]] p. 98</ref>


==Things, Creatures & Personages of Legend==
==Things, Creatures & Personages of Legend==
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===Flora===
===Flora===


===Fauna===
===Fauna===
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==Chronology==
==Chronology==
* [[691 BC]] [[Claude Renier]] and his [[wererat]]s enter the [[Land of Mists]] from the world that spawned the [[domain]] of [[Mordent]]. The wererats first turn up in [[Silverbas]], [[Falkovnia]].<ref name="Gaz III p.89">[[Gazetteer III]] p.89</ref>
* [[691 BC]] [[Claude Renier]] and his [[wererat]]s enter the [[Land of Mists]] from the world that spawned the [[domain]] of [[Mordent]]. The wererats first turn up in [[Silverbas]], [[Falkovnia]].<ref name="Gaz III p.89">[[Gazetteer III]] p.89</ref>
**[[691 BC]]: [[Falkovnia]] faces two threats in [[Silbervas]]: a rising [[thieves' guild]] and an infestation of [[wererat]]s. They are both led by [[Claude Renier|the Clawed]]. The period of [[:category:History of Falkovnia|Falkovnian history]] known as the [[Years of Impaled Rats]] begins.<ref name="Gaz II p. 93">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 93</ref>
*[[691 BC]]: [[Falkovnia]] faces two threats in [[Silbervas]]: a rising [[thieves' guild]] and an infestation of [[wererat]]s. They are both led by [[Claude Renier|the Clawed]]. The period of [[:category:History of Falkovnia|Falkovnian history]] known as the [[Years of Impaled Rats]] begins.<ref name="Gaz II p. 93">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 93</ref>
*[[694 BC]]: [[Vlad Drakov]] drives out the [[wererat]]s (and [[Claude Renier|their leader]] of [[Silbervas]] and [[Falkovnia]] altogether. The [[Years of Impaled Rats]] period ends.<ref name="Gaz II p. 93">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 93</ref>
*[[694 BC]]: [[Vlad Drakov]] drives out the [[wererat]]s (and [[Claude Renier|their leader]] of [[Silbervas]] and [[Falkovnia]] altogether. The [[Years of Impaled Rats]] period ends.<ref name="Gaz II p. 93">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 93</ref>
*[[694 BC]]: The domain of [[Richemulot]] is revealed.<ref name="Gaz III p.83">[[Gazetteer III]] p.83</ref>
*[[694 BC]]: The domain of [[Richemulot]] is revealed.<ref name="Gaz III p.83">[[Gazetteer III]] p.83</ref>
*[[694 BC]]: [[The Lock and Key]] is active.<ref name="Gaz III p.104">[[Gazetteer III]] p.104</ref>
* {{netbook-small}}[[697 BC]]: The [[plague]] known as [[the Black Death]] strikes Richemulot.<ref name="Book of Souls p. 9">[[Book of Souls (Netbook)]] p. 9</ref>
* {{netbook-small}} [[700 BC]]: [[Zebulon]], future [[founder]] of the [[Cult of Zebulon]] first appearance occurs on this year in [[Pont-a-Museau]].<ref name="Book of Secrets p. 121">[[Book of Secrets]] p.121</ref>
* {{netbook-small}} [[701 BC]]: [[Zebulon]] vanishes in an [[experiment]] gone awry. Although several months pass after his apparent death, his followers receive [[dream]]s of his return. At the site of the accident, they encounter a mysterious being claiming to be Zebulon [[immortal]]ised.<ref name="Book of Secrets p. 121">[[Book of Secrets]] p.121</ref>
* {{netbook-small}} [[704 BC]]: [[Cyran Devichi]] joins an [[adventurer band]] in [[Richemulot]] to fight [[wererat]]s and the [[vampire]] known as [[the Lilan]].<ref name="Book of Secrets p. 101">[[Book of Secrets]] p.101</ref>
*[[710 BC]] [[Jacqueline Renier]]'s mother, [[Marie Renier]], [[poison]]s [[Simon Audaire]].<ref name="Gaz III p.136">[[Gazetteer III]] p.136</ref>
*[[716 BC]]: [[Borderlands War]]: [[Falkovnia]] tries to invade [[Richemulot]] but is repulsed.<ref name="Gaz II p. 94">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 94</ref>
*[[716 BC]]: [[Borderlands War]]: [[Falkovnia]] tries to invade [[Richemulot]] but is repulsed.<ref name="Gaz II p. 94">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 94</ref>
*[[721 BC]] The [[bell]] at [[Tinctnoire Manor]] is not sounded, thus enabling the shades of the departed Tinctnoire to come down and massacre their living relatives.<ref name="Gaz III p.107">[[Gazetteer III]] p.107</ref>
*[[722 BC]]: [[The Piper of Hamelyn]] attempts to rid [[Ste. Ronges]] of the massive [[rat]] population plaguing the town. He perishes and is unsuccessful.<ref name="DoD p.17">[[Domains of Dread]] p.17</ref><ref>[[Tales of Ravenloft: Nocturne]]</ref>
*[[724 BC]]: [[Falkovnia]] invades [[Dementlieu]] and [[Richemulot]], resulting in the [[Executioner's Campaign]].<ref name="Gaz II p. 94">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 94</ref>
*[[724 BC]]: [[Falkovnia]] invades [[Dementlieu]] and [[Richemulot]], resulting in the [[Executioner's Campaign]].<ref name="Gaz II p. 94">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 94</ref>
*[[726 BC]]: [[Jacqueline Renier]] has a [[servant]] [[poison]] [[Claude Renier]], her grandfather, before piercing his heart with a silver fork and then rolling him out a high window.<ref name="Gaz III p.88-89">[[Gazetteer III]] p.88-89</ref>
*[[726 BC]]: [[Jacqueline Renier]] has a [[servant]] [[poison]] [[Claude Renier]], her grandfather, before piercing his heart with a silver fork and then rolling him out a high window.<ref name="Gaz III p.88-89">[[Gazetteer III]] p.88-89</ref>
*[[729 BC]]: [[Jacqueline Renier]] approves the [[Treaty of the Four Towers]].<ref name="Gaz III p.88">[[Gazetteer III]] p.88</ref>
*[[729 BC]]: [[Jacqueline Renier]] approves the [[Treaty of the Four Towers]].<ref name="Gaz III p.88">[[Gazetteer III]] p.88</ref>
*[[730 BC]]: [[Raul Renier]] murders his mother, [[Marie Renier]], by [[poison]] and then flees to [[Barovia]].<ref>The date given by [[Realm of Terror]] p. 125 put together with who and how from [[Scholar of Decay]]</ref>
*[[733 BC]]: [[Vampire]] aspirant [[Beatrice Cargonne]] moves from Richemulot to [[Valachan]] with the hope of becoming a [[vampire]]. She is not successful and opens the [[Inn of Quiet Repose]].<ref name="TPR p. 58">[[The Price of Revenge]], [[Dungeon Magazine]] #42, p.58</ref>
*[[735 BC]]: [[Pierre Renier]] and [[Gerard Renier]] conspire against the [[wererat]]s plaguing their family. They unearth the [[corpse]] of [[Simon Audaire]] and conspire with [[the Withered Rat]] to reanimate the body as an [[ancient dead]].<ref name="Gaz III p.103">[[Gazetteer III]] p.103</ref>
*735 BC: '''Fall''' [[Aurek Nuikin]] travels to [[Richemulot]] from [[Borca]] to find a way to restore his wife [[Natalia Nuikin|Natalia]] back to life from her form as a [[statue]]. At his sisters' insistence, He brings along his younger brother, [[Dmitri Nuikin|Dmitri]]. There they fall victim to the machinations of [[Louise Renier]] to force Aurek to help her destroy [[Jacqueline Renier]]. The plot fails, but things end disastrously for everyone. Natalia's porcelain statue is shattered, and Jacqueline throws the Nuikins out of Richemulot.<ref>[[Domains of Dread]] p. 17, as told in [[Scholars of Decay]]</ref>
*[[736 BC]] [[Dread Possibility]] After fleeing from a confrontation with [[Van Richten]], [[Balihnda]] the [[Sanctuary of the Forgotten Lady]] in [[Mortigny]]. She begins posing as one of the [[Church of Hala]].<ref name="Gaz III p.106">[[Gazetteer III]] p.106</ref>
*[[743 BC]] [[Girard Cavaillon]] tries to make an under-the-table agreement with the [[Falkovnian Army]] to overthrow [[Jacqueline Renier]]. Jacqueline establishes a direct communication with [[Vlad Drakov]] as a counter offer with some unknown incentive plus a favored consort of Cavaillon.<ref name="Gaz III p.100">[[Gazetteer III]] p.100</ref>
*[[743 BC]] [[Girard Cavaillon]] tries to make an under-the-table agreement with the [[Falkovnian Army]] to overthrow [[Jacqueline Renier]]. Jacqueline establishes a direct communication with [[Vlad Drakov]] as a counter offer with some unknown incentive plus a favored consort of Cavaillon.<ref name="Gaz III p.100">[[Gazetteer III]] p.100</ref>
*[[752 BC]] In [[Mortigny]], [[Dr. Alfonz Temator]] and [[Gaston (Lothario)|Gaston]] kill each other in  [[duel]] for the love [[Dr. Simone Couture]]<ref name="Children of the Night: The Created p. 57-58">[[Children of the Night: The Created]] p. 57-58</ref>
*[[752 BC]] [[Jules Harris]] becomes the eight victim of a [[Gestalt|mysterious serial killer]] walking the streets of [[Mortigny]].<ref name="Children of the Night: The Created p. 59">[[Children of the Night: The Created]] p. 59</ref>
*[[758 BC]]{{netbook-small}}The [[Ste. Ronges Cell of the Fraternity of Shadows]] assembles.<ref name="QTR 10 p.34">[[Quoth the Raven Issue 10]] p. 34 </ref>
*[[759 BC]]{{netbook-small}}'''October 29''' [[Professor Erik van Rijn]] enacts his plans of [[betrayal]] against the Fraternity.<ref name="Souragne Gazetteer p. 5">[[Souragne Gazetteer]] p. 5</ref> Now a [[lich]] <ref name="FoS Post">[http://fraternityofshadows.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3482&start=0&hilit=october+29+rijn Fraternity of Shadows Message Board Post]</ref>, van Rijn organizes a contingent of the [[Unholy Order of the Grave]] and unleashs an attack upon the [[Ste. Ronges Cell of the Fraternity of Shadows]].<ref name="Souragne Gazetteer p. 5">[[Souragne Gazetteer]] p. 5</ref> The Fraternity's headquarters, the [[Manoir de Penombre]] was burnt to the ground, and the cell's members were put to flight. In the chaos, Van Rijn steals plans of [[Azalin]]'s [[Doomsday Device]] from thee Fraternity's archives.<ref name="FoS Post">[http://fraternityofshadows.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3482&start=0&hilit=october+29+rijn Fraternity of Shadows Message Board Post]</ref>
* [[760 BC]]{{netbook-small}} [[The Fraternity of Shadows]] creates [[the Cellar Door]], an artificial [[mistway]]. It links [[Souragne]] to [[Richemulot]] and back.<ref>[[Quoth the Raven Issue 16]], p. 39-43</ref>
{{netbook}}
{{MCS}}
{{MCS}}
{{ref}}
{{ref}}
[[category:Aristocracy]]
[[category:Canon Domain]]
[[category:CL 8 Domain]]
[[category:Hereditary Aristocracy]]
[[category:Temperate Climate]]


==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==
==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==
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[[Category:domain]]
[[Category:domain]]
<!-- END CATALOGUE IMPORT :  You may edit below freely -->
<!-- END CATALOGUE IMPORT :  You may edit below freely -->
[[category:CL 8 Domain]]

Latest revision as of 01:20, 20 August 2025

Richemulot
Culture Level Chialric (8)
Ecology Full
Climate & Terrain Temperate Forests, Hills, and Plains
Year Formed 694 BC
Population 45,300
Races (%) Humans (93%), Halflings (5%), Half-Vistani (1%), Other (1%)
Languages Mordentish, Halfling, Balok, Falkovnian
Religions Ezra, Hala
Government Heriditary aristocracy
Ruler(s) Jacqueline Renier
Darklord(s) Jacqueline Renier
Nationality Richemuloise
Analog Rural France
Related Categories
Locations in Richemulot
Transportation in Richemulot
Inhabitants of Richemulot
Former Inhabitants of Richemulot
Flora of Richemulot
Fauna of Richemulot
Native Monsters of Richemulot

A domain where life is centered around seemingly egalitarian, urban life, Richemulot is a nation based more on merit than material wealth. The citizens are able to lead mostly clean lives, without fear of the overt oppression or abuse of other lands. Yet beneath this facade of opportunity and equality, corruption festers like a hidden tumor. From the sewers beneath the streets to the closed doors of the elite, wererats and other horrors eat away at Richemulot in secret.

Geography

Richemulot is a domain within the Core of Ravenloft, sometimes classified as part of the the Southern Core.[1] Though the majority of its land is covered in forests, the majority of the population resides in and around three urban communities: Pont-a-Museau, Ste Ronges, and Mortigny.[2] Though the total population of Richemulot numbers into the tens of thousands[3] and dwarfs the populations of neighboring domains[4], the number of abandoned and bricked up houses seem to indicate the population was once much larger. With empty structures that could hold a third more people,[2], the atmosphere of Richemulot's urban communities is strangely (and perhaps disturbingly) quiet given their relative populations. The origins of Richemulot's depopulation remain unknown[3]. Even magic fails to divine Richemulot's (false) history (and often in a horrific fashion).[5]

Culture and Society

Richemulot is a Chivalric cultural level with a culture that values intelligence, guile, and professionalism[6]. As such, Richemulot has much more of a cultural affinity to Borca, Dementlieu, and Mordent than to the comparatively brutish and hostile Falkovnia[7], the latter of which has attempted an invasion twice.[8] As a signature of the Treaty of Four Towers, Richemulot is one of the nations entered into an allied defense against Falkovnian aggression. However, the diplomatic policies of Jacqueline Renier remain more elusive, as she has had some diplomatic dealings with Vlad Drakov. The details of these negotiations are not particularly transparent.[7]

Despite the clear rule by the nobility, Richemuloise society shows less signs of social inequity or social excesses that might characterize other realms. The majority of people can afford a reasonably secure roof and clean living space. Thanks in part to the Richemuloise valuation of knowledge and skill over affluence and wealth, Richemulot's cosmopolitan remains a haven for immigrants and even refugees from other lands.[6]

Dark secrets and elements of corruption remain hidden inside the atmosphere of opportunity. Those imperceptive of the social landscape of Richemulot often wind up a part of the silent lower class, a hidden population of debtors that go unnoticed by their neighbors.[6] The importance of information is eclipsed by a specific type of information: rumors, gossip, and the type of information that can be used to subvert or destroy. The truly powerful in Richemulot are elite not by material property but rather by secret knowledge. Within the shadows of this society of secrets, there dwells perhaps the true masters of Richemuloise society, that of the wererats. Richemloise culture and legend portrays them as filthy, disgusting savages that dwell in rat warrens beneath the streets of Richemulot. However, this accounts for only part of their number.[9] Their treatment as murderous bogeymen masks the wererats that have infiltrated the movers and shakers of Richemulot's aristocratic society and use their dark knowledge of both human and rat sides to corrupt society for their own ends.[10] The Renier Family is at top of the heap, with the crafty Jacqueline Renier as the matriarch of both her family and the nation. She is recognized as a tyrant but also respected as a great maternal symbol of Richemuloise patriotism.[11]

Things, Creatures & Personages of Legend

Biology

Flora

Fauna

Native Horrors

Geography

Reichemulot map by the MCS. Note: Since this fan-made map predates 3rd Edition Ravenloft, there are some inconsistencies with the more recent maps.

Chronology

This page incorporates content from the inactive Mordent Cartographic Society. Used with their express permission.

References

  1. ↑ Domains of Dread p.42, 46
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Domains of Dread p. 46
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ravenloft Player's Handbook p. 154
  4. ↑ Ravenloft Player's Handbook p. 133-137
  5. ↑ Gazetteer III p. 87
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Gazetteer III p. 91
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Gazetteer III p. 100-101
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Gazetteer II p. 94
  9. ↑ Gazetteer III p. 96
  10. ↑ Gazetteer III p. 97
  11. ↑ Gazetteer III p. 98
  12. ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 Ravenloft: Realm of Terror, p. 80
  13. ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 Ravenloft Campaign Setting: Domains and Denizens, p. 28
  14. ↑ Gazetteer III p.89
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Gazetteer II p. 93
  16. ↑ Gazetteer III p.83
  17. ↑ Gazetteer III p.104
  18. ↑ Book of Souls (Netbook) p. 9
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Book of Secrets p.121
  20. ↑ Book of Secrets p.101
  21. ↑ Gazetteer III p.136
  22. ↑ Gazetteer III p.107
  23. ↑ Domains of Dread p.17
  24. ↑ Tales of Ravenloft: Nocturne
  25. ↑ Gazetteer III p.88-89
  26. ↑ Gazetteer III p.88
  27. ↑ The date given by Realm of Terror p. 125 put together with who and how from Scholar of Decay
  28. ↑ The Price of Revenge, Dungeon Magazine #42, p.58
  29. ↑ Gazetteer III p.103
  30. ↑ Domains of Dread p. 17, as told in Scholars of Decay
  31. ↑ Gazetteer III p.106
  32. ↑ Gazetteer III p.100
  33. ↑ Children of the Night: The Created p. 57-58
  34. ↑ Children of the Night: The Created p. 59
  35. ↑ Quoth the Raven Issue 10 p. 34
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Souragne Gazetteer p. 5
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Fraternity of Shadows Message Board Post
  38. ↑ Quoth the Raven Issue 16, p. 39-43

Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue

Ravenloft Third Edition
Domains of Dread

Secrets of the Dread Realms - pp7,47-49
Ravenloft Third Edition - pp17,135-137
Domains of Dread - pp46-47
Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Domains and Denizens - pp26-28
Realm of Terror - p80

Secrets of the Dread Realms - pp8-9
Ravenloft Third Edition - inside cover
Domains of Dread - p42
Ravenloft Campaign Setting - poster map
Realm of Terror - poster map

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