seers, mediums, mistwalkers: non-Vistani

[ewancummins]

This is a thread for discussion of non-Vistani fortunetellers, guides through the Mists, mediums, etc.


I like mediums, as discussed in Van Richten's Guide to Ghosts. Ghosts may not know the future, but they could possibly learn many secrets things, as well as recalling lost and hidden information.

Akiri foretune-tellers with dikesha seem fun to me. Roll the bones!

In an old thread, I suggested as a gypsy variant a race of dwarves who travel in oxcarts and foretell the future with runestones. When they die, they slowly sublimate into the Mists.

Psionicists make really fun psychic fortunetellers with the right disciplines and sciences.

Mist ferrymen or something similar could replace Vistani as guides through the Mists. I doubt these creatures could have any interest in commercial traffic.

[Five]

I think it only makes sense for there to be several non-Vistani subcultures to take on the Mentor, Supernatural Aid, and Crossing the Threshold roles in our Ravenloft tales. Really depends on your Heroes and the themes you want to express as storytellers.

Obviously there should be limitations in regards to their knowledge and abilities, though, who's to say but the DM that these individuals or collective cultures aren't in fact agents of the Dark Powers, or manifestations of the Dark Powers themselves? Guides do only take travellers to destinations that they desire to visit...

Interesting topic. I look forward to the inspiration that'll no doubt be brought to my brain.

Concepts and skins. Hmm. Gonna think about this one.

Flipping through my notes for an as of yet undeveloped domain I see that I wrote:

"Tree of Destiny/Trees of Lost Souls:

A magic tree with powers of prophecy. It's limbs, very human-like, point the finder in the direction of their "destiny". One cannot wander from this path once the tree has appeared to and directed a traveler (a mental conversation occurs with travellers consent before tree points and "locks in" individual). One can refuse the tree's advice, but many cannot resist the urge...

Tree is macabre; sinister yet entirely neutral. It looks like there are humanoid bodies fused into the tree once the advice is requested. Glowing eyes and mouths. Is it truly destiny, or simply the direction/location the traveler truly desires?

It can appear anywhere in the Disputed Lands.

Said by "witches" to contain those who died along their "life path". There are many such trees/souls. Some contain multiple writhing souls."

Alternate note:

"Trees of Destiny (notes p.11,) point wanderers towards Miasmanthea. The journey is extremely taxing however, and all but the most driven/obsessed of people eventually stray from the path and thus never arrive in the (ancient) city..."

Maybe I can work that in. Not exactly in-line with thread topic but kinda. Sorta. Maybe.

[ewancummins]

The tree is an oracle. I'd say it fits the topic.

[ewancummins]

The Marvelous Mistmaster

An aeronaut--or maybe, nebulonaut-- who travels the Mists in a specially designed one-of-a -kind-balloon.
The balloon can fly over a number of border closing effects, escaping with a favorable wind.
The Mistmaster lacks any special ability to navigate in the Mists but he does have charts showing all known mistways.
He will transport small parties for pay.
No heavy baggage and no horses.

[Mistmaster]

Pathfinder 1 has the Oracle and the Medlum classes.

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

I remember in book 2 or 3 of the Beyonders trilogy, there was a group of priestesses out in the wilderness whose matriarch went through an elaborate ritual to see the future. She had to take some herbal cocktails and be sealed into a big block of clay (with only her face showing). Since she was getting older and the process was taxing, she passed away after delivering a prophecy to the protagonists.

In the third book, the main character, Jason, goes through this elaborate complex belonging to an even more famous seer. That seer's knowledge of the future was so great, that he had created a series of puzzles only those meant to receive his prophecies would understand, thus ensuring correct delivery. For example, Jason was able to select the correct button to push because it had a symbol from his world---a soccer ball. The prophecy was also delivered in a very thoughtful, personal letter, rather than a cryptic verse.

The tree is an oracle. I'd say it fits the topic.

In The Wise Man's Fear (the second book of Patrick Rothfuss' frustratingly unfinished Kingkiller Chronicle), Kvothe encounters an unseen being called the Cthaeh, living in a lone tree in the land of the Fae. It likes to kill giant butterflies and decorate the ground with their wings. The Cthaeh uses its ability to see the future to know exactly what to say to send someone down the worst path possible, causing major catastrophes. There are supposed to be guards around the tree that kill anyone who approaches, but apparently they can miss people. The tree itself is sought out for the medicinal properties of its flowers or nectar, which can cure any illness.

[ewancummins]

The Sign of Five

A boarding house which may appear along a lonesome road by night, but always vanishes with sunrise.

Within dwell three oracles , the landlady, and a servant.

The Historian

An old man with spectacles slipping down his Roman nose, dressed in scholar's robes of ancient black with a white linen collar. He never stirs from his musty garret study. The contradictions and gaps in his knowledge never trouble him, and probably won't be noticed by questioners in the duration of a visit.
Reading the books in his library erases some of the reader's memories and replaces them with historical information.

The Gossip

A lovely young woman dressed in a fashionable gown and jewels. She prates on about modish topics and inconsequential rumors, but a smart interviewer can cut through the jumble of words and learn of all sorts of current events, including clandestine activities and news of distant regions.
A mantel clock set behind her right shoulder never seems to click a gear nor twitch a hand, but always shows the correct time.


The Visionary

A thin, feverish man with a pallid brow and bloodshot eyes, dressed in new but poorly-fitted clothing. Talks to himself constantly. He reads newsbills from the future. If approached closely, he becomes irritated and throws down the papers which promptly vanish. One questions him by naming a future date and waiting for his reading material to change. Then one can glean news of what is to come from his comments.


Goodwife Fogg
This kindly old woman looks after the oracles. She seems tireless and is never observed to eat or drink.
Careful observers may note that her breath appears fogged with chill even in the warmest room. If asked for a room, she gives the asker an unoccupied chamber for the night.
Anyone who remains in bed at sunup will vanish with the Sign of Five.

The Servant
The role of the Servant falls to whomever last took a bed for the night. This person is compelled to remain at the Sign of the Five and obey Mistress Fogg's every command, offering no harm to her or her guests, until another accepts the hospitality of the house.

[Five]

Morclay

Whispers amongst the esoteric segments of the dwarves of Darkon have it that there is one who dwells somewhere, everywhere, in the infamous Montes Infelices ("Mountains of Misery") who can etch ancient, powerful, unworldly runes of protection that were lost to time, and alternately propel one into the Past and Future using similarly etched "waystones". None know of this one's name, for the whispers are vague and contradictory, but some call this runecaster "Morclay". "More clay for his/her/its (wildly speculative) summitless ambitions", in reference to those desperate and foolish enough to seek out his/her/its services. The only thing agreed upon is the price the seekers must pay: years siphoned from their natural lifespan, be it in service or traded up-front.

And watch out for his/her/its bargain enforcers, the "Runic Thralls". They are as loyal as a dwarf to the forge, ruthless in their pursuit of wordbreakers as a dragon guarding its hoard, and unmistakable in their appearance, what with those freakish runes sewn into their flesh.

"An' one udder ting. If ye ever come across apair o' dwarves, siblings they be, namesa Jurgan and Greshin, don't go mentionin' me. Ther forgeless an' 'ill hack any bit o' mention o' that one outta ye. Jus ask ol' Crag over ther."

The old stone-faced dwarf mentioned holds up a stump where his right hand was, grunts, then spits on the ground.

[ewancummins]

The Gliding Wolf


This mongrelman from Hazlan has berbalang wings, a head half lupine and half leucrotta, and a furry humanlike body.
In poor light or at a distance, with wings folded, he's easily mistaken for a werewolf.
The Gliding Wolf was born a man, but ran afoul of Hazlik's harsh laws and was sentenced to 'The Tables.' His magical transformation into monstrous form left him with a peculiar talent-- he can channel spirits by allowing them to take control of his vocal organs.
The spirits do not actually see the future, but they know many secrets.
The mongrelman shuns agents of Hazlik and clerics of the Lawgiver but offers counsel to others who approach him kindly with offerings of food and drink.
Local people greatly fear him, despite his apparent gentleness. Many believe that any attack upon the Gliding Wolf will incur the wrath of the spirits he communicates with, and bring disaster.

[The Lesser Evil]

-The Egghatcher has the usual Gnomish obsession with tinkering- but thanks to the horrors of the Demiplane of Dread, this obsession manifests in the opposite way of how it usually does. Rather than building new things, the Egghatcher enjoys taking them apart. the Egghatcher can manifest unusual ability to understand the operations and inner workings of an object through visual, tactile, and even olfactory (sniffing) inspection, its component parts. He can also determine how an object was destroyed (provided he didn't destroy it himself).

This deconstruction insight does not extend merely to mechanical objects but also to (formerly) living creatures as well. Through examining (i.e., cutting apart) a body, the Egghatcher can discern a cause of death for a creature/character, race/creature type, and a few facts about its life (treat the latter ability as a speak with dead ability).

-Berthold the Ghost Therapist is a psychologist and analyst in the Mousel tradition (see Legacy of the Blood), though his practice is quite unusual in that his practice focuses upon the spectral dead rather than the living. Originally from Lamordia, Berthold did not believe in ghosts- thinking them as simply a result of overactive psychical energies emitted from the living. However, these opinions changed during his training with the Mousels of Mordent- an encounter with the incorporeal undead unlocked a latent ghostsight and the ability to commune with ghosts and the like. After using his psychological and counseling expertise to help a ghost resolve its torment and pass on, Berthold has become a magnet for lost and wayward souls seeking to resolve the emotional issues binding them to the land.

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

The Gliding Wolf

It took me a day to catch this.

Is this what will happen to my character if he goes back to Ravenloft?

[Cromstar]

Psionicists make really fun psychic fortunetellers with the right disciplines and sciences.

Legends tell of a secret place, lost to all but those who need it most, where a mysterious old ascetic can use his strange powers to see things even many great mages and priests cannot. Some say he is a god made manifest, offering hope to the downtrodden; others say he's a harbinger of doom. All agree he uses nothing like any known magic, and in the Land of Mists, that is truly terrible.

Mist ferrymen or something similar could replace Vistani as guides through the Mists. I doubt these creatures could have any interest in commercial traffic.

A mysterious group of strangers, calling themselves the Mist Lost, occasionally appear before travelers seeking safe passage through the Mists. The Mist Lost are an eclectic group, dressed in various strange outfits. Though they willingly accompany those traveling through the Mists, they speak little of themselves. When they do speak of themselves, they talk of lands no civilized people have ever heard of. They refer to those who are not part of the Mist Lost as 'lost souls' or 'demons caged in human flesh' and other unusual expressions.

[ewancummins]

The Cromm-Star

There, between the trees at the crest--
A primitive, blocky statue stands atop the hill, half-hidden in the brush. It looks like an old man, bent and gray.
Drawing near, you see rusty smears in the deep-cut pentacle on the broad brow, and similar stains in the graven lines of the old man's mouth and long beard.
Crunch.
Looking down, you see a small white bone in the twigs and dead leaves, broken under your tread.
You pocket it for later study.

Your guide, Fergus, trudges up to join you.
"Best we get back now, sir. Getting dark."


It isn't.
But the man was right about that cave three days ago…
You agree to return, and Fergus relaxes a little, though you notice he clutches his sprig of mistletoe and mutters prayers until the bent old stone man on the hilltop lies a good half-mile behind you.

On the trail, you ask him about it.

“It’s not a thing to speak of in the woods.”

Later, at the village’s pub, you loosen Fergus's tongue with a dram of ‘the water of life.’

“Sir, you see, it wasn’t always we worshipped Belenus like we do. There were other gods once. Dark gods. The Cromm was one. 'Twas before my grandfather’s grandfather’s day that Blessed Belenus drove him into the sunless gray hell of the Mists. But his image remains on the hill, for it’s a curse to touch it and…”
He stares into the tavern’s hearth fire a moment before continuing in his quiet voice.
“Some there be who would bring a present to the Bent One, when the stars come right and the sign on his head burns with bale-light. Then they give him…the gifts. And he tells them secret things he learned walking the Mists.”

A servant girl clearing the neighboring table casts an uneasy glance at you and Fergus.

Your guide, not yet too drunk, notices. He gulps, wiping his sweaty forehead with the back of his sleeve.
“Now, about that hunting trip—"
--

[Five]

"The Sleeping Detective"

In an unassuming house in a typically quiet street of sleepy Mordentshire lives an odd ensemble of characters with rather unusual abilities. Harold Median (probably better remembered by past associates as "Median the Afflicted") retired from adventuring just over 10 years ago but old habits never die and restlessness keeps him up at night. Well, sort of. Median, now known in certain inner circles as "The Sleeping Detective", offers those in the know services ranging from locating hard to find persons, finding unfindable places, and providing insight into the minds of others, amongst other odd requests. He accomplishes this through reading psychic impressions of personal effects, followed shortly thereafter by consuming a mysterious herbal remedy which readily puts him into deep coma-like sleep. From his navigation of the object's "dreamscape" he uncovers relevant information which he in turn reveals to his clients upon waking.

A hulking foreign man with sad eyes and few words, Emeka, watches over Median's sleeping (and bound) form and it is said that he possesses the extraordinary ability to physically combat the stray evil spirits that may sometimes follow Median back into the physical world.

Providing the herbal mixes is Median's wife, Fionna, an herbalist of some local fame, though some whisper that her knowledge of her craft may be a bit beyond "natural".

Rounding out the household is Harold's and Fionna's adopted son, a young one-eyed man by the name of Benjamin Reade. It is he who is tasked to procure the items from which Median must psychically attune, should the client be unable or unwilling to supply them themselves.

Currently, Fionna and Median are contemplating taking on apprentices, to ensure the good work continues after their time is done. Emeka is sitting on the fence, in part wanting to do the same, but is unwilling to pass such grave responsibilities (and powers) onto just anybody. Young Mr. Reade is currently a part-time apprentice of both out of a compromise of sorts, though his personal responsibilities to the group, his "itinerant nature", is working against him. Perhaps there are others more suitable...?

With explicit consent Median will interview potential candidates through psychic examination of their adventuring gear, essentially reading flashes of the character's past. Only after this background examination is done will he and the others conduct further interviews and tests. As a former adventurer himself he knows too well the want and sometimes need for swapping gear, so he is fully aware of the limitations of this initial test.