Mists over the Musarde OOC

[Le Noir Faineant]

Cool enough, though then I will demand that you share a bit of your thoughts on the other campaign.

Also, when will the sequel start? - In a week? A month? A year?

As to the story so far, my main question would be, did you have an inspiration or a model you created the story after? - Like, a movie, or a novel?

I ask, because I think the story fairly reminded me of something I read years ago, but I am not sure from which author... Rudyard Kipling, by chance?

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

1) What did the raunie's prophecy mean?

2) What was up with the Three Mikloses? I've got an idea but I'd like to hear your perspective.

[steveflam]

First off - so a MoM sequel will be coming, not a game in Westeros, or something else?

Just to clarify.

There were more votes for a Ravenloft sequel, so that's what it will be.

When?

[ewancummins]

When?

Not next week. It may be a few months- I'm very busy with school, and I've been doing other gaming stuff.

[ewancummins]

Cool enough, though then I will demand that you share a bit of your thoughts on the other campaign.

Also, when will the sequel start? - In a week? A month? A year?

As to the story so far, my main question would be, did you have an inspiration or a model you created the story after? - Like, a movie, or a novel?

I ask, because I think the story fairly reminded me of something I read years ago, but I am not sure from which author... Rudyard Kipling, by chance?

No, none of it was based on anything by Kipling, at least not consciously so.

I didn't follow a rigid plotline, but instead created characters, history, and situations. These were drawn from what must be dozens of sources, but I wasn't following any single novel or movie as a guide.

Influences included:

Raymond Chandler's crime stories

various Gothics

ghost tales from around the world, including Norse stories about the draugr

bits of fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm

Ravenloft lore

etc.

I threw in some literary and gaming allusions. Most were detected, i think.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

I threw in some literary and gaming allusions. Most were detected, i think.

My favorite was Ignatz the Rat, ripped from the pages of 2e's player's handbook opening vignette.

[ewancummins]

1) What did the raunie's prophecy mean?

2) What was up with the Three Mikloses? I've got an idea but I'd like to hear your perspective.

1) Are you referring to the raunie of the Tinkers who visited Wat's country, the Wood?

2)
Perhaps Dorgio should ask his patron god, rather than his player asking the DM?
Sorry to be cryptic, but events that involve the gods or perhaps the powers (if such things exist) are best left murky.
I can at least give you feedback of some sort on your theory, of course.

I will tell you this much:

• The names were not a coincidence.
  
  Dorgio is being watched.
  
  The first Miklos was lost because of Dorgio's actions.
  
  The second Miklos, the young mercenary, was saved by Dorgio's actions.
  
  The third Miklos, the Tinker head-man, lost those whom he loved because Dorgio failed to act in time to stop the evil.

[ewancummins]

DM: As the first wererat appears in the doorway with a spear in his paws, you hear a slam behind you.

Cleric: I spin around. What is it?

DM: The door in the back of the room is broken off its hinges. Standing in the doorway, holding a mace in each paw, is the biggest, ugliest wererat you've ever seen. A couple more pairs of red eyes are shining through the darkness behind him. He's licking his chops in a way that you find very unsettling.

Cleric: Aaaaarrrgh! I scream the name of my deity at the top of my lungs and then flip over the cot with the dead wererat on it so the body lands in front of him. I've got to have some help here, guys.

Fighter 1 (to fighter 2): Help him, I'll handle this end of the room. (To DM:) I'm attacking the wererat in the first doorway.

DM: While fighter 2 is switching positions, the big wererat looks at the body on the floor and his jaw drops. He looks back up and says, "That's Ignatz. He was my brother. You killed my brother." Then he raises both maces and leaps at you.

[ewancummins]

I threw in some literary and gaming allusions. Most were detected, i think.

My favorite was Ignatz the Rat, ripped from the pages of 2e's player's handbook opening vignette.

Did a short quote for ya.

IGNATZ!

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

1) Are you referring to the raunie of the Tinkers who visited Wat's country, the Wood?

Yep.

2)
Perhaps Dorgio should ask his patron god, rather than his player asking the DM?

You know I tried that, but when Dorgio went to go talk it over with his mentor, turns out a rat-thing got there first!

Okay, so Dorgio was able to know it was some sort of sign, but he misinterpreted it. He thought that the succession of Mikloses was his god's way of telling him not to make rash judgments. After all, the first Miklos died in part because Dorgio was quick to suspect him of being a Barovian agent. And the seconed Miklos nearly died because Dorgio counterattacked instead of parlaying. As for the third Miklos, Dorgio was suspicious of Jon by then, but he thought that Lathander was telling him to quell his suspicions, or else Dorgio might turn Jon into a monster if he pressed his suspicions. So basically Dorgio pulled a Hamlet. Perhaps he won't be so indecisive in the future...

[Adam]

There are a lot of things I'd like to know, like how long Jon was on the other side and if/when we were pursuing Van Deicks vs. when it was actually Jon, but I assume we can't know. Also if Pierre Renault was still running around somewhere, if a certain curse roll I threw out behind the scenes actually did anything...etc.

In any case, I shall wait anxiously to see what happens in the continuing adventures of Dorgio and Bennedict and whatever hapless fools happen to be around them (creating trouble) from one minute to the next.

It does kind of suck that basically we just lost at the end of that. I guess we helped Galandel, but Hunger's now on the loose and it's our fault, Jon's...well I think we all know what's going on with Jon, but as far as the party/Denys knows he got away Scott free, and ultimately we don't know any more than we did before.

Sigh. I guess a lack of conclusion makes us keep coming back.

[JMaytr]

Jon was a serial killer from day 1 with a list of victims before he joined the group.

He destroyed Van Dieks's corpse long ago, and delighted at watching the party chase ghosts.

Jon killed the captain leading to Galandels arrest.
Jon killed Rosiland and Evie because they had red hair, like his mothers.

Jons victims:

Richard Maytr
Geofrey Maytr
Robert Tatenna
Whore on boat
Rosiland
Van Dieks (killing blow)
Vistani girl
her guard
Buckman
Cirdan
Miss Evie
Falkovnian guard

Jon's story was hinted at by his association with Van Richten. Investigation into this hint would have revealed Jons back story to the party and likely prevented some deaths. Benn had some van Richten knowledge so Ewan and I thought that would be pursued. We were wrong.

I honestly thought the party would catch me. A re read of all Jon's entries will make it clear he was the killer all along.

I wanted to play an evil pc who wasn't just a "bad-guy" but true evil. An iconic Ravenloft doomed pc. I played Jon as someone who thought he was good but due to his sociopathic and psychotic nature, didn't understand he wasn't. Without the ability to feel emotions, Jon sought out the company of others to see how normal people acted towards each other. He eventually believed that if he killed someone he would free those emotions so he could steal them, and the dark powers answered this belief. When Jon killed, he experienced the final emotions of his victims. As he continued to kill the effect grew more intoxicating as it shortened in duration.

I drew inspiration from the films the good son, the omen, and Henry: potriat of a serial killer. Dexter on Showtime was an incredible help to keep the psychopath part feeling genuine.

My fav moment was using the Batman dialog back at Cirdan before Jon killed him.

I am satisfied with the journey we went on for the last 2 years

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

As I have so endlessly harped, I had a pretty good idea of what Jon was early on. And you're right, if you read all of Jon's posts it's pretty obvious he was a serial killer. But putting the pieces together would have required a massive abuse of OOC knowledge. Also, it's probably more apparent to us OOC because we're all familiar with serial killers, but can the same be said for our PCs?

Dorgio flat out accused Jon at one point, right after he killed Van Diecks, but a couple of things kept him from pursuing it. First, I wrote it into Dorgio's history that he was already guilt-ridden about killing one innocent person in the pursuit of justice, so he was kind of traumatized about making the same mistake. And you remember when the raunie prophesies that one of us would commit a great act of evil in the pursuit of good? Dorgio thought that was referring to him and his "mistaken" belief that Jon was the killer.

Second, Dorgio totally failed his horror check when Jon turned were for the first time. And once he entered Sithicus, that whole weird magical guilt thing made Dorgio brood over his accusation and feel terrible for the "trouble" he'd caused. So basically Jon got away because my PC's unhinged. But hey, on the bright side, you may have just turned Dorgio into Ravenloft's first forensic psychologist.


Tell me something though, Rob. Back in The Wood, when Dorgio first got suspicious about Jon, he decided to stay awake one night and watch over two girls, Nissa and Heda, because he was convinced Jon wanted to kill them. Would Jon have killed them if Dorgio wasn't keeping watch?

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Hey guys at least we stopped the Incabulos cult from taking over.

Right?

Right?


Because Incabulos and Hunger aren't the same demon. Right?

[ewancummins]

Hey guys at least we stopped the Incabulos cult from taking over.

Right?

Right?


Because Incabulos and Hunger aren't the same demon. Right?

Naw, it's not Incabulos. He's a god.
You did stop the gangster cultists, yes. You smashed them.

Your party did a lot of good, guys!

- rescued Anja from the sewers.
- took down a whole ring of gangster cultists: Van Diecks, the Doctor, Pierre Reneualt, and Clement Malreux.
- saved little Marie from a horrible fate.
-freed the people of the Wood from the evil Wolutha, destroying her, and set the spirit of the Rider-in-Iron free from his long bondage.
-defeated and destroyed a maruading band of werewolves and rescued a priest of Ezra.


Rob's PC was in a good position to do bad things and get away with it. Still, he came very, very close to being caught a couple of times.
Someone was asking me about Zone of Truth and 'Detect Lies', and I thought : 'You're fooked now, weasel-boy!' No one used such means to question Jon, though. Events interfered, distractions arose, etc.

Interesting note:
The party had many options to leave Farelle.
I had seperate adventure notes for each likely route out of Farelle.

Two of the three likely routes would have avoided Sithicus altogether. Ironically enough, Jon had been plugging for the Valachan-Mordent-Richemulot route. That would have meant that the Guilt of Sithicus never struck the party.

Dorgio's guilt led him to doubt his accusations against Jon, as Brock has stated. That was a very good roleplaying call from Brock as a player.

Cirdan's geist was empowered by Sithicus, and this mocking spirit drove Jon even crazier. Thus, the man-boy fled. He had been planning on sticking with the party.

Looking back, it seems that any route but through Sithicus might well have put a sudden, violent stop to Jon's career of evil. If Dorgio had been in his right mind and Jon had stuck around...

There are always what ifs. What if Glandel hadn't attacked the gendarmes?
What if John Strange had not stolen the scroll and summoned Hunger?

You guys all played well. I enjoyed running the game.

There will be a sequel, if players want one.