Esteemed members of the Fraternity,
Another month, another domain ! The land of the good Tristan and the evil Malken!
Third edition: RL3E / RLPH, Gaz 5, LotB
Second edition: Black Box (Realm of Terror), Red Box (RL Campaign Setting), Domains of Dread
Adventure: The Awakening
Novels: The Enemy Within, Tales of Ravenloft (The Weaver's Pride)
Created in 682
Part of the Core.
Darklord: Malken
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From now on, in these monthly adventure hook requests, we will eventually cover all domains, but will also offer brainstorming opportunity about famous NPCs of dread (back soon).
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So post here your adventure hooks or stories.
Reminder: This thread is not just for adventure hooks, it can also be to host short verbatim of local sayings or fireside tavern conversations, à la Gaz 1 web enhancement... or your DM thoughts about this domain.
This thread is for posting adventure hooks or comments / suggestion / improvements on another poster's hook. Other comments will be deleted.
Joël
The return of the dog of domain of the month - Nova Vaasa
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Joël of the FoS
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The return of the dog of domain of the month - Nova Vaasa
Last edited by Joël of the FoS on Tue Feb 21, 2006 11:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
"A full set of (game) rules is so massively complicated that the only time they were all bound together in a single volume, they underwent gravitational collapse and became a black hole" (Adams)
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Joël of the FoS
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- Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2003 1:24 pm
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I have saved this discussion about Malken, from December 2003. It will be added to this section.
Dominique - Dec 2003: My players are going to start a cat-and-mouse game of trying to hunt down Malken soon, and I'm not entirely sure how to roleplay him. Malken is one of those darklords that I'd like to see some other GM roleplay creepily, but I'm not sure if I can roleplay him creepily myself (and it doesn't help that his whole sexual predator streak that could come across as completely laughable coming from me since I'm a girl). Does anyone have any tips of how to play him, both as a character and in how he would react to these sorts of cat-and-mouse games? (Incidentally, he really hates the party's gnomish rogue because she used to work for Hiregaard, so he's already initiated some cat-and-mouse games with her. And by "cat-and-mouse games," I of course mean horribly murdering her father. )
Gemathustra : It may be just me, but, think about how Hannibal Lector behaves/thinks/acts. Now, once you're in the mood, imagine how Hannibal Lector would be like if he used profanity too much.
ScS of the Fraternity : Malken is a tough one, since his nasty habbits mark him more like slime than scary. Today's boogeymen are the smooth criminals, the cold and ruthless villains who kill with style. From what's written, Malken seems more like a scummy brute who beats women to death. Truth is, its hard to be scared of someone who's evil is limited to "I beat up people weaker than me". Call it the stench of the bully - no matter how creepy he becomes, no one forgets that beneath the Hannibal Lector routine, he's just another lout.
Even disregarding that, it remains difficult to reconcile the two warring themes of Malken; the first being the criminal mastermind and the second being the serial killer. Despite both being villians, they remain diametrically opposed.
I guess the important question is, how have you presented Malken. Is he a serial killer, or is he the mafios darklord?
For a serial killer, you’re best to go with Gemathustra's suggestion. Or perhaps look to Jack the Ripper for some inspiration. Heck, how about "Scorpio" from Dirty Harry. Don't roleplay Malken - instead, be the messenger for his ghastly letters. Send the PCs a scarf in a box with a message that tells them that he has kidnapped a young woman - and if they can't catch him he will send her back to them, one piece at a time.
Jasper: I see Malken as the embodiments of how evil a person could be is they had no moral voice telling them to stop. Malken is created from all those times when you wanted to just strangle that bratty kid crying in the movie until he turns purple and is quiet forever, the times you thought about pushing that person who rushes in line in front of you on the subway and take the last seat on the third rail and watch her fry, the times you thought about taking your grandmothers pill money to buy that new dress or 8-ball of crack.
The only thing that holds you back is that loud voice telling you its wrong and that it will lead to punishment in this life and possibly the next.
Malken doesn’t have this voice. Anything he wants, he takes. Anything he wants to do, he does. If he wants sex, he rapes a woman. If he wants an item, he kills the owner and takes it.
His criminal empire is based off this feeling of "killing the angel". His lackeys have almost as little morals as does. They revel in the fact no one will judge the debauchery but at the same time they know at any moment they could be sport for Malken twisted whim.
Manofevil : There's a word for what you're describing: sociopath. Also the Malken I saw in the novel seemed to like a good (or rather evil) laugh. Perhaps a bit of The Joker is called for when playing the role
gonzoron : I really like Jasper's sociopathic analysis of him. Mainly because no matter what Malken is, he must be a dark mirror of Tristen. And Tristen is the guilty conscience. It's no coincidence that Malken's "good side" is Lawful neutral, not lawful good. He fights Malken because he fights his own loss of control. He enforces the laws (both natural law and man's law) because Malken has no regard for either.
David of the Frat : Depends on what type of villain you want. Pick brutal serial killer or smooth criminal as you see fit.
Or do a mixture of both.
Malken is smart; he knows how much more fear a brutal, unpredictable killer inspires. Plus he might enjoy brutal acts; they're some quick stress relief and reputation builder. He would also know that a brutal killer would be underestimated more often. No one expects back-up plans and cunning from a serial killer.
He may have started as a brute and savage monster but that was decades ago. He's had years and years of close calls, adventurers, betrayal and the like with which to learn from and improve.
I personally like to think of him as more primal than bully-ish. He's unrestrained and uncensored and free to act upon him base desires and impulses but with the human mind and intelligence to back that up. He attacks, rapes and murders his victims like only a beast can but he is smart enough to remove evidence and choose his victims well.
Rotipher : BTW, if the "sexual predator" thing is something you're not sure you can pull off (whether because you're a female DM or just because it's not an appetizing role), you can play up the fact that POWER is what Malken gets a thrill from: the power to humiliate, to degrade, to destroy, irregardless of the gender or circumstances of his victims. Make every encounter with Malken about domination -- he scorns and humiliates the PCs, terrorizes any NPC bystanders who attract his attention (probably by failure to cringe), and browbeats his own minions like he's the biggest dog in the junkyard -- rather than lust, and it'll work. As Sarah on "CSI" said when she looked at a serial killer's twisted artwork, "This [domination & abuse] is his sex." Rape is just another means for Malken to disgrace a victim, before killing her and thus making his dominance over her total and irrevocable; yet, he should get just as much of a thrill from besting a (male) PC opponent and rubbing the would-be hero's failure in his face.
This, BTW, makes the Tristen/Malken curse more appropriately-painful for Malken's side of the character, too. It's Malken who's the darklord after all, so he's cursed to share bodies with a side of himself -- Tristen -- he'd love to dominate and expunge, yet he can't "kill" Tristen without destroying himself. For a domination-obsessed psychopath, that's got to be excruciatingly frustrating. In a way, Malken is the dark side of Tristen's obsession with control: while Tristen wants to control his own base impulses, Malken wants to control the world and make it and all its people comply with those same dark, horrific urges.
David of the Frat : One thing to think of is cat themes. Cats are big in Nova Vassa. Plains cats and paka and the like. To say nothing of the Claws of Sehkmaa.
I’d play Malken as very feline, he toys with his enemies as a cat toys with a captured mouse; Malken essentially plays with his food. He sees the people he kills as mice beneath his paws, pathetic creatures he can just stretch out and crush.
But beware being the subject of his affections or interests or you might find someone who bothered you dead on your doorstop.
At the same time I’d present Malken as attentive and graceful with smooth slinking motions as he slides about a room almost as if he were stalking anyone he is present with. Or sitting perfectly still watching from a shadowed corner. I might even give him a pet cat to draw attention to this, some almost familiar that he actually cares for in some twisted way (but would not hesitate to throttle if the urge struck him).
DeepShadow : I'm not sure exactly how it affects roleplaying him, but there have been strong hints in the past that Malken is actually an extension of Romir Hiregaard, Tristen's father. There were hints of this in SotDR that were brought out in a discussion of what Malken did to deserve DLship. If Romir committed suicide not in grief, but out of spite against his own curse, that gives you some hints toward his personality.
As for the serial killer problem, I don't see how Malken's sociopathology is different from that of Ivan Dilisnya, or Azrael, or many other villains in RL. He likes to hurt people who are weaker than him.
IMO, the key to getting into Malken's head is his obsession with matching Tristen deed-for-deed. Why does he need to do this, and what does he expect to happen from it?
Rotipher : Where was this discussion, DeepShadow? Is it a recent one? I'd be interested in starting it up again, if so; Malken's a lord I'm rather curious about.
DeepShadow : I don't know think it's off topic, really, because it could give a lot of clues to build on regarding Malken's personality and motives.
Unfortunately, the discussion took place back in the Goat, in a thread about what various DL's did to deserve their state. The question came up as to what Malken did to deserve DLship; after all, he wasn't even a separate personality from Tristen when Nova Vaasa became a domain, so it seemed kinda wierd to have him as DL.
JWM pointed out a passage in SotDR where it says that only after all all the males in Tristen's line have perished will Malken "and perhaps Romir," finally be laid to rest. Thus, the implication is that Romir is suffering for his own crimes somehow, and that "Malken" did actually do something to deserve his fate.
There wasn't much more to the discussion after John pointed out the quote. Perhaps he will see fit to expound upon his ideas now? (hint hint!)
Mangrum : Originally, the curse was just that Romir would kill those he loved, and that was the ancestral curse he passed on to his son Tristen.
Then the Dark Powers stepped in, and that curse gained an independent mind and shape. Where did that "identity" come from? It's a tattered, surviving fragment of Romir's spirit.
To be specific, Malken isn't Romir. Malken is what little is left of Romir, merged with the curse he killed himself to escape.
That's the idea.
David of the Frat : What Mangrum just said makes for an interesting twist on his curse.
Malken kills everyone Tristen gets close to and loves. Everyone he cares about ends up dead. However, whom does a father love more than his kids? And Tristen strikes me as someone who is a caring father. Malken must loath and despise his alter-ego's offspring and feel compeled to do them harm. And yet he cannot. This might be the one restraint he has. He cannot harm or kill Tristen's kids because they're required for the continuation of the curse and his very survival. Kill one and he might as well kill himself.
That must be maddening.
Rotipher : Okay, thanks for the summary of the "Goat" discussion, guys!
FWIW, I've often thought the whole domain of Nova Vaasa would make more sense if, unknown to even Tristen, Malken *had* once been an actual sociopathic killer, who'd existed in some horrid urban-wasteland environment (perhaps on Gothic Earth?) independently of the Hiregaard family line. Finding this horrible man, the DPs wanted to make the killer a darklord. However, Malken-the-man's sociopathy posed an interesting problem: how could the DPs torment and mock him with the stigma of his past crimes, as they do for most other darklords, if he literally had *no* conscience and hence, no capacity for shame or regret? The very nature of his evil, that perked their interest in Malken as a darklord, would have made it all but impossible to badger him for his wrongdoing.
Solution: They *gave* him a conscience. They located an otherwise well-meaning man (Romir) who'd just been cursed (through no intervention of the DPs; his *wife* did it) for a murder committed mistakenly and in the heat of passion. They graft Malken and Romir together, thus forcing the sociopath to share the body and mind -- and remorseful thoughts -- of a killer who was sickened and shamed by his own misdeeds. The DPs let Malken listen in, helpless and confused, as Romir mentally worked up the self-loathing to kill himself -- an experience Malken, who didn't know that his own mind would survive, found terrifying -- and then proceeded to transfer the new darklord's essence to Tristen: yet *another* conscience-plagued soul, whose regrets would nag at Malken and provide the voice of criticism Malken's non-existent conscience never could.
This isn't canon, but it would certainly resolve such quandries as why the domain of Nova Vaasa seems so civilized, compared to the undeveloped wilderness of FR's Vaasa: like Tristen/Malken, the domain is a *hybrid* of Vaasa (the Hiregaard's homeland) and the unidentified urban blight that Malken-the-man originated from. It'd even account for that business of the half-golem ranger's encounter with Malken in the identity of a doctor, if Malken once tried to "jump" to a different body via Magic Jar or other magical means ... only to wind up, thanks to the DPs' machinations, in the body of yet *another* conscience-afflicted do-gooder!
It ain't canon; it ain't even "Jekyll and Hyde". But it makes more sense than some interpretations of the character, and it resolves the issue of why Romir's crime-of-passion got the Hiregaards into this mess: the DPs were after bigger game. The books' account of events, with Romir (and Tristen after him, for not having himself confined better to restrict his nemesis's actions) being solely responsible, would merely be the story Malken's convinced *Tristen* to believe, in his ongoing effort to torment his Lawful-aligned symbiotic partner in retaliation for the guilt that Tristen harasses him with.
Or maybe I just read too much "Grendel" back in the 80s. Who knows?
Greywolf : I would also agree with the Hannibal Lector theme, and also a bit of the Joker theme as well, in that Malken enjoys having a laugh at other peoples expense when it comes to their suffering through his hands. This might be a stretch but also throw in a dash of the killer from the movie SAW that comes out in a few days to DVD: how he toyed with his victims and set them in scenarios where their life where in their own hands in his death traps. How has the Pc encored his wrath? Talior it to that.
Malken also loves cats since he can control and summon them.
I would have the PC gnome be captured and placed in a narrow corridor. When she awakes she finds bars on all sides of her going down the one way corridor, as she crawls, or walks a claw swipes at her, narrowly missing her. As she jumps back, another claw swipes at her head, this time from the other side. As she realizes that the only way to go is forward she advances. After about twenty feet she notices that the bars are set closer to her and that the cats swipes are getting closer to the mark. As she reaches the end (minus parts of her clothing, with minor damage done) she comes upon a locked door and a table with only a note and a hour glass with its rotation almost done.
Note says: find the key and escape, when the time runs out the cages open.
the key is back at the beginning in one of the cages with the plains cats and the cages just start to open as she runs halfway through the hallway.
If not, try and play on the characters fears of being gotten at any moment, have Malken go on a gnome killing spree(who wouldn't want to do that ) just to drive the message home, or have him kill all people that resemble the PCs in terms of how they look or act, that would be unsettling to find a female gnome that looks like you gutted and killed right outside your favourite bar or inn.
If nothing else Malken can be smooth with the voice and culture of a nobleman, but from the Ravenloft book, hes also ugly and has no sense of decincy or restrain when it comes to what he wants (moments of fancy and making Tristens life misarable) When I say lack of restrain I dont mean that he'll act foolishly or childish to get it, instead he must have it and will do anything in his power to get it without taking any stupid or needless risks, At least thats how I would play it, otherwise he would have been caught long ago for killing someone in public for a moment of fancy. I guess what Im trying to say is that Malken does have Some restrain to what he wants, he just has to have to wait until the right time to get it thats all.
Grigg_Deadbreaker : It's been a while, so bear with me.
A few of my thoughts on Malken,
1. He doesn't care about his criminal organization. He only uses it to get what he wants (To give Tristen grief, and satisfy his current desires). Any plans he makes are whims that strike him at the time, or that ensure his eventual triumph over Sir Tristen. He doesn't even truly run the criminal empire, he just knows how to threaten the ones who do. Sort of, "Nice little racket you've got going here. Now give me 20% or I'll feed your lovely little daughter to the plains cats, after I've had my fun with her."
2. IMC, Malken can see a persons Dark Half, the evil that exists in all sentient beings. And he knows how to bring that evil out. With enough time (hours, days, whatever works), he can cause an alignment change to chaotic evil unless they are able to resist by a will save/wisdom check (depending on 2e/3e rules). The effect of these "Dark Whispers" as I call them last only so long as it takes for the subject to surrender to his desires. Once he's murdered his friend over a petty childhood rivalry, or forced himself onto the woman he lusts after, does he return to his original alignment. Unsurprisingly, most of those who have heard Malken's Dark Whispers go mad in short order.
3. Malken is unaware that he will pass on to the next oldest Hiregaard when Tristen dies. But he will not harm Tristen's sons, because he dimly senses that to do so would be detrimental for him in the long run.
And just an Idea that I utilize in Tristen's background IMC, Tristen was pulled into the Mists not because of the Curse on his head, but because he willingly murdered his first wife. I used to have a longer version of this written down, but to simplify, he killed his first wife because she had gone mad after their firstborn son (Ivaar I believe was his name) was stillborn. She continued to treat the child as if it were still alive, and so when he began to wish she was dead, instead of madly trying to care for a dead child, he killed her. Knowing that it would be blamed on his "condition". Of course, being the noble man he was, he could not live with the guilt, and when he tried to destroy himself, the Mists intervened and fractured the curse from his soul.
Tristen does not remember these events, but Malken does. Malken plans to reveal this dark truth to Tristen just before the aging nobleman dies, to make his victory all the sweeter.
Anyway, just my two bits.
The Lesser Evil : I always thought an interesting alternate (though noncanon) take of Malken/Tristen would be along the theme of the tripartite evils of extreme rationalization, denial, and self-hatred. Romir committed suicide not as an act of grief or guilt but because he didn't want to take an honest look at himself and admit that he did bad things. Romir was jealous of other men with his wife because deep underneath his proud, honorable facade, he questioned his own worth as a human being. Somebody taking his wife away would be a blow to his pride. When Romir killed his wife, he was unwilling to face up for his crime, so he took the easy way out and killed himself, using grief and the curse as an excuse.
Meanwhile, young Tristen idolized his father since that is where he got most of his values from and that he saw Romir as a "fair ruler and a caring father". Tristen adopted all of his father's traits and values, including his father's jealous rages. When his father killed his mother, Tristen willingly denied it or rationalized it away, unwilling to admit to himself that his father was a brutal killer. Though deep down Tristen knew the truth, and to deal with the moral dissonance having someone he idealized so much being a murderer, he secretly thought that what Romir did must have been justified. To admit that his father was evil in anyway would be to question his own self-worth. Tristen would keep all this in the back of his mind until well after he fell in love with a peasant girl and 9 more women later. After he killed her and feeling shame and self-doubt about this act, he eventually came back to his father's curse and used it to rationalize his crime; the curse only existed as an excuse. Tristen was going to commit suicide like his father, unwilling to take responsibility for his crimes. Like his father Romir, Tristen was unwilling to admit his own self-loathing. Each love and subsequent murder served to distract Tristen from his inner feelings about himself; each killing gave him a temporary sense of (false) power.
The Dark Powers have intervened and given Tristen (and perhaps Romir) his wish. Now the one who commits vile acts of depravity is another man, Malken, allowing Tristen to deny responsibility for his actions through rationalization of a curse or possession. Beneath Malken's sociopath illusionary self, he does have a conscience; he just chooses not to follow it in order to help maintain his self-delusion. Malken is like a drug addict or alcoholic, but his addiction is evil. Every murder, every crime gives Malken a temporary sense of invulnerability or power, giving short-term reprieve from his true inner discontent. Tristen can walk a path of apparent law and goodness while all of the evil and chaos can be displaced to Malken. The curse, sociopathology are merely excuses. Deep down, Tristen (and Malken) knows this.
The scary part comes in when seeing through all of the illusions Tristen/Malken/Romir has surrounded themselves with in order to deceive themselves. To me it seems scarier for a person with a conscience to do these evil acts than just a sociopath. An interesting clue to the dual identity of Tristen and his displaced identity of evil might be that bits of each identity bleed through into the other’s lives. Tristen occasionally does a tiny act of evil while Malken occasionally does a minor act of good.
Igor the Henchman : The Lesser evil pretty much explained my own take on Tristen and Malken. The key, I think, is to remember that, even before his personality got split, Tristen throughoutly enjoyed every single murder he commited. I won't go into guessing if the curse was real or not (I still like curses, they're gothic and all), but I think Tristen was of Evil alignment when the DPs spotted him: a throughoutly corrupt noble that craved murder like a drug (much like of most current nobles in Nova Vaasa, only meaner). His problem was that he still wished to be just and good, despite all the atrocities he commited. The Dark Powers granted Tristen his wish: the freedom of doing all the evil he wanted, yet having a free conscience and a spotless reputation. They imposed only one condition for their gift: Tristen's dark side would turn on every one he truly cares about.
Also, I don't think the difference between Nova Vaasa and its Faerunian counterpart is that much of problem, seeing that the domain serves as a symbolic representation of Tristen, first and foremost. Free grassed steppes to represent Tristen, dark, dirty cities to represent Malken. Noble and free horses representing Tristen, feral plaincats representing Malken, and so on. Vaasi culture doesn't need to reflect that of FR Vaasa, so much as that of only one of its former inhabitants, Sir Tristen.
Dominique - Dec 2003: My players are going to start a cat-and-mouse game of trying to hunt down Malken soon, and I'm not entirely sure how to roleplay him. Malken is one of those darklords that I'd like to see some other GM roleplay creepily, but I'm not sure if I can roleplay him creepily myself (and it doesn't help that his whole sexual predator streak that could come across as completely laughable coming from me since I'm a girl). Does anyone have any tips of how to play him, both as a character and in how he would react to these sorts of cat-and-mouse games? (Incidentally, he really hates the party's gnomish rogue because she used to work for Hiregaard, so he's already initiated some cat-and-mouse games with her. And by "cat-and-mouse games," I of course mean horribly murdering her father. )
Gemathustra : It may be just me, but, think about how Hannibal Lector behaves/thinks/acts. Now, once you're in the mood, imagine how Hannibal Lector would be like if he used profanity too much.
ScS of the Fraternity : Malken is a tough one, since his nasty habbits mark him more like slime than scary. Today's boogeymen are the smooth criminals, the cold and ruthless villains who kill with style. From what's written, Malken seems more like a scummy brute who beats women to death. Truth is, its hard to be scared of someone who's evil is limited to "I beat up people weaker than me". Call it the stench of the bully - no matter how creepy he becomes, no one forgets that beneath the Hannibal Lector routine, he's just another lout.
Even disregarding that, it remains difficult to reconcile the two warring themes of Malken; the first being the criminal mastermind and the second being the serial killer. Despite both being villians, they remain diametrically opposed.
I guess the important question is, how have you presented Malken. Is he a serial killer, or is he the mafios darklord?
For a serial killer, you’re best to go with Gemathustra's suggestion. Or perhaps look to Jack the Ripper for some inspiration. Heck, how about "Scorpio" from Dirty Harry. Don't roleplay Malken - instead, be the messenger for his ghastly letters. Send the PCs a scarf in a box with a message that tells them that he has kidnapped a young woman - and if they can't catch him he will send her back to them, one piece at a time.
Jasper: I see Malken as the embodiments of how evil a person could be is they had no moral voice telling them to stop. Malken is created from all those times when you wanted to just strangle that bratty kid crying in the movie until he turns purple and is quiet forever, the times you thought about pushing that person who rushes in line in front of you on the subway and take the last seat on the third rail and watch her fry, the times you thought about taking your grandmothers pill money to buy that new dress or 8-ball of crack.
The only thing that holds you back is that loud voice telling you its wrong and that it will lead to punishment in this life and possibly the next.
Malken doesn’t have this voice. Anything he wants, he takes. Anything he wants to do, he does. If he wants sex, he rapes a woman. If he wants an item, he kills the owner and takes it.
His criminal empire is based off this feeling of "killing the angel". His lackeys have almost as little morals as does. They revel in the fact no one will judge the debauchery but at the same time they know at any moment they could be sport for Malken twisted whim.
Manofevil : There's a word for what you're describing: sociopath. Also the Malken I saw in the novel seemed to like a good (or rather evil) laugh. Perhaps a bit of The Joker is called for when playing the role
gonzoron : I really like Jasper's sociopathic analysis of him. Mainly because no matter what Malken is, he must be a dark mirror of Tristen. And Tristen is the guilty conscience. It's no coincidence that Malken's "good side" is Lawful neutral, not lawful good. He fights Malken because he fights his own loss of control. He enforces the laws (both natural law and man's law) because Malken has no regard for either.
David of the Frat : Depends on what type of villain you want. Pick brutal serial killer or smooth criminal as you see fit.
Or do a mixture of both.
Malken is smart; he knows how much more fear a brutal, unpredictable killer inspires. Plus he might enjoy brutal acts; they're some quick stress relief and reputation builder. He would also know that a brutal killer would be underestimated more often. No one expects back-up plans and cunning from a serial killer.
He may have started as a brute and savage monster but that was decades ago. He's had years and years of close calls, adventurers, betrayal and the like with which to learn from and improve.
I personally like to think of him as more primal than bully-ish. He's unrestrained and uncensored and free to act upon him base desires and impulses but with the human mind and intelligence to back that up. He attacks, rapes and murders his victims like only a beast can but he is smart enough to remove evidence and choose his victims well.
Rotipher : BTW, if the "sexual predator" thing is something you're not sure you can pull off (whether because you're a female DM or just because it's not an appetizing role), you can play up the fact that POWER is what Malken gets a thrill from: the power to humiliate, to degrade, to destroy, irregardless of the gender or circumstances of his victims. Make every encounter with Malken about domination -- he scorns and humiliates the PCs, terrorizes any NPC bystanders who attract his attention (probably by failure to cringe), and browbeats his own minions like he's the biggest dog in the junkyard -- rather than lust, and it'll work. As Sarah on "CSI" said when she looked at a serial killer's twisted artwork, "This [domination & abuse] is his sex." Rape is just another means for Malken to disgrace a victim, before killing her and thus making his dominance over her total and irrevocable; yet, he should get just as much of a thrill from besting a (male) PC opponent and rubbing the would-be hero's failure in his face.
This, BTW, makes the Tristen/Malken curse more appropriately-painful for Malken's side of the character, too. It's Malken who's the darklord after all, so he's cursed to share bodies with a side of himself -- Tristen -- he'd love to dominate and expunge, yet he can't "kill" Tristen without destroying himself. For a domination-obsessed psychopath, that's got to be excruciatingly frustrating. In a way, Malken is the dark side of Tristen's obsession with control: while Tristen wants to control his own base impulses, Malken wants to control the world and make it and all its people comply with those same dark, horrific urges.
David of the Frat : One thing to think of is cat themes. Cats are big in Nova Vassa. Plains cats and paka and the like. To say nothing of the Claws of Sehkmaa.
I’d play Malken as very feline, he toys with his enemies as a cat toys with a captured mouse; Malken essentially plays with his food. He sees the people he kills as mice beneath his paws, pathetic creatures he can just stretch out and crush.
But beware being the subject of his affections or interests or you might find someone who bothered you dead on your doorstop.
At the same time I’d present Malken as attentive and graceful with smooth slinking motions as he slides about a room almost as if he were stalking anyone he is present with. Or sitting perfectly still watching from a shadowed corner. I might even give him a pet cat to draw attention to this, some almost familiar that he actually cares for in some twisted way (but would not hesitate to throttle if the urge struck him).
DeepShadow : I'm not sure exactly how it affects roleplaying him, but there have been strong hints in the past that Malken is actually an extension of Romir Hiregaard, Tristen's father. There were hints of this in SotDR that were brought out in a discussion of what Malken did to deserve DLship. If Romir committed suicide not in grief, but out of spite against his own curse, that gives you some hints toward his personality.
As for the serial killer problem, I don't see how Malken's sociopathology is different from that of Ivan Dilisnya, or Azrael, or many other villains in RL. He likes to hurt people who are weaker than him.
IMO, the key to getting into Malken's head is his obsession with matching Tristen deed-for-deed. Why does he need to do this, and what does he expect to happen from it?
Rotipher : Where was this discussion, DeepShadow? Is it a recent one? I'd be interested in starting it up again, if so; Malken's a lord I'm rather curious about.
DeepShadow : I don't know think it's off topic, really, because it could give a lot of clues to build on regarding Malken's personality and motives.
Unfortunately, the discussion took place back in the Goat, in a thread about what various DL's did to deserve their state. The question came up as to what Malken did to deserve DLship; after all, he wasn't even a separate personality from Tristen when Nova Vaasa became a domain, so it seemed kinda wierd to have him as DL.
JWM pointed out a passage in SotDR where it says that only after all all the males in Tristen's line have perished will Malken "and perhaps Romir," finally be laid to rest. Thus, the implication is that Romir is suffering for his own crimes somehow, and that "Malken" did actually do something to deserve his fate.
There wasn't much more to the discussion after John pointed out the quote. Perhaps he will see fit to expound upon his ideas now? (hint hint!)
Mangrum : Originally, the curse was just that Romir would kill those he loved, and that was the ancestral curse he passed on to his son Tristen.
Then the Dark Powers stepped in, and that curse gained an independent mind and shape. Where did that "identity" come from? It's a tattered, surviving fragment of Romir's spirit.
To be specific, Malken isn't Romir. Malken is what little is left of Romir, merged with the curse he killed himself to escape.
That's the idea.
David of the Frat : What Mangrum just said makes for an interesting twist on his curse.
Malken kills everyone Tristen gets close to and loves. Everyone he cares about ends up dead. However, whom does a father love more than his kids? And Tristen strikes me as someone who is a caring father. Malken must loath and despise his alter-ego's offspring and feel compeled to do them harm. And yet he cannot. This might be the one restraint he has. He cannot harm or kill Tristen's kids because they're required for the continuation of the curse and his very survival. Kill one and he might as well kill himself.
That must be maddening.
Rotipher : Okay, thanks for the summary of the "Goat" discussion, guys!
FWIW, I've often thought the whole domain of Nova Vaasa would make more sense if, unknown to even Tristen, Malken *had* once been an actual sociopathic killer, who'd existed in some horrid urban-wasteland environment (perhaps on Gothic Earth?) independently of the Hiregaard family line. Finding this horrible man, the DPs wanted to make the killer a darklord. However, Malken-the-man's sociopathy posed an interesting problem: how could the DPs torment and mock him with the stigma of his past crimes, as they do for most other darklords, if he literally had *no* conscience and hence, no capacity for shame or regret? The very nature of his evil, that perked their interest in Malken as a darklord, would have made it all but impossible to badger him for his wrongdoing.
Solution: They *gave* him a conscience. They located an otherwise well-meaning man (Romir) who'd just been cursed (through no intervention of the DPs; his *wife* did it) for a murder committed mistakenly and in the heat of passion. They graft Malken and Romir together, thus forcing the sociopath to share the body and mind -- and remorseful thoughts -- of a killer who was sickened and shamed by his own misdeeds. The DPs let Malken listen in, helpless and confused, as Romir mentally worked up the self-loathing to kill himself -- an experience Malken, who didn't know that his own mind would survive, found terrifying -- and then proceeded to transfer the new darklord's essence to Tristen: yet *another* conscience-plagued soul, whose regrets would nag at Malken and provide the voice of criticism Malken's non-existent conscience never could.
This isn't canon, but it would certainly resolve such quandries as why the domain of Nova Vaasa seems so civilized, compared to the undeveloped wilderness of FR's Vaasa: like Tristen/Malken, the domain is a *hybrid* of Vaasa (the Hiregaard's homeland) and the unidentified urban blight that Malken-the-man originated from. It'd even account for that business of the half-golem ranger's encounter with Malken in the identity of a doctor, if Malken once tried to "jump" to a different body via Magic Jar or other magical means ... only to wind up, thanks to the DPs' machinations, in the body of yet *another* conscience-afflicted do-gooder!
It ain't canon; it ain't even "Jekyll and Hyde". But it makes more sense than some interpretations of the character, and it resolves the issue of why Romir's crime-of-passion got the Hiregaards into this mess: the DPs were after bigger game. The books' account of events, with Romir (and Tristen after him, for not having himself confined better to restrict his nemesis's actions) being solely responsible, would merely be the story Malken's convinced *Tristen* to believe, in his ongoing effort to torment his Lawful-aligned symbiotic partner in retaliation for the guilt that Tristen harasses him with.
Or maybe I just read too much "Grendel" back in the 80s. Who knows?
Greywolf : I would also agree with the Hannibal Lector theme, and also a bit of the Joker theme as well, in that Malken enjoys having a laugh at other peoples expense when it comes to their suffering through his hands. This might be a stretch but also throw in a dash of the killer from the movie SAW that comes out in a few days to DVD: how he toyed with his victims and set them in scenarios where their life where in their own hands in his death traps. How has the Pc encored his wrath? Talior it to that.
Malken also loves cats since he can control and summon them.
I would have the PC gnome be captured and placed in a narrow corridor. When she awakes she finds bars on all sides of her going down the one way corridor, as she crawls, or walks a claw swipes at her, narrowly missing her. As she jumps back, another claw swipes at her head, this time from the other side. As she realizes that the only way to go is forward she advances. After about twenty feet she notices that the bars are set closer to her and that the cats swipes are getting closer to the mark. As she reaches the end (minus parts of her clothing, with minor damage done) she comes upon a locked door and a table with only a note and a hour glass with its rotation almost done.
Note says: find the key and escape, when the time runs out the cages open.
the key is back at the beginning in one of the cages with the plains cats and the cages just start to open as she runs halfway through the hallway.
If not, try and play on the characters fears of being gotten at any moment, have Malken go on a gnome killing spree(who wouldn't want to do that ) just to drive the message home, or have him kill all people that resemble the PCs in terms of how they look or act, that would be unsettling to find a female gnome that looks like you gutted and killed right outside your favourite bar or inn.
If nothing else Malken can be smooth with the voice and culture of a nobleman, but from the Ravenloft book, hes also ugly and has no sense of decincy or restrain when it comes to what he wants (moments of fancy and making Tristens life misarable) When I say lack of restrain I dont mean that he'll act foolishly or childish to get it, instead he must have it and will do anything in his power to get it without taking any stupid or needless risks, At least thats how I would play it, otherwise he would have been caught long ago for killing someone in public for a moment of fancy. I guess what Im trying to say is that Malken does have Some restrain to what he wants, he just has to have to wait until the right time to get it thats all.
Grigg_Deadbreaker : It's been a while, so bear with me.
A few of my thoughts on Malken,
1. He doesn't care about his criminal organization. He only uses it to get what he wants (To give Tristen grief, and satisfy his current desires). Any plans he makes are whims that strike him at the time, or that ensure his eventual triumph over Sir Tristen. He doesn't even truly run the criminal empire, he just knows how to threaten the ones who do. Sort of, "Nice little racket you've got going here. Now give me 20% or I'll feed your lovely little daughter to the plains cats, after I've had my fun with her."
2. IMC, Malken can see a persons Dark Half, the evil that exists in all sentient beings. And he knows how to bring that evil out. With enough time (hours, days, whatever works), he can cause an alignment change to chaotic evil unless they are able to resist by a will save/wisdom check (depending on 2e/3e rules). The effect of these "Dark Whispers" as I call them last only so long as it takes for the subject to surrender to his desires. Once he's murdered his friend over a petty childhood rivalry, or forced himself onto the woman he lusts after, does he return to his original alignment. Unsurprisingly, most of those who have heard Malken's Dark Whispers go mad in short order.
3. Malken is unaware that he will pass on to the next oldest Hiregaard when Tristen dies. But he will not harm Tristen's sons, because he dimly senses that to do so would be detrimental for him in the long run.
And just an Idea that I utilize in Tristen's background IMC, Tristen was pulled into the Mists not because of the Curse on his head, but because he willingly murdered his first wife. I used to have a longer version of this written down, but to simplify, he killed his first wife because she had gone mad after their firstborn son (Ivaar I believe was his name) was stillborn. She continued to treat the child as if it were still alive, and so when he began to wish she was dead, instead of madly trying to care for a dead child, he killed her. Knowing that it would be blamed on his "condition". Of course, being the noble man he was, he could not live with the guilt, and when he tried to destroy himself, the Mists intervened and fractured the curse from his soul.
Tristen does not remember these events, but Malken does. Malken plans to reveal this dark truth to Tristen just before the aging nobleman dies, to make his victory all the sweeter.
Anyway, just my two bits.
The Lesser Evil : I always thought an interesting alternate (though noncanon) take of Malken/Tristen would be along the theme of the tripartite evils of extreme rationalization, denial, and self-hatred. Romir committed suicide not as an act of grief or guilt but because he didn't want to take an honest look at himself and admit that he did bad things. Romir was jealous of other men with his wife because deep underneath his proud, honorable facade, he questioned his own worth as a human being. Somebody taking his wife away would be a blow to his pride. When Romir killed his wife, he was unwilling to face up for his crime, so he took the easy way out and killed himself, using grief and the curse as an excuse.
Meanwhile, young Tristen idolized his father since that is where he got most of his values from and that he saw Romir as a "fair ruler and a caring father". Tristen adopted all of his father's traits and values, including his father's jealous rages. When his father killed his mother, Tristen willingly denied it or rationalized it away, unwilling to admit to himself that his father was a brutal killer. Though deep down Tristen knew the truth, and to deal with the moral dissonance having someone he idealized so much being a murderer, he secretly thought that what Romir did must have been justified. To admit that his father was evil in anyway would be to question his own self-worth. Tristen would keep all this in the back of his mind until well after he fell in love with a peasant girl and 9 more women later. After he killed her and feeling shame and self-doubt about this act, he eventually came back to his father's curse and used it to rationalize his crime; the curse only existed as an excuse. Tristen was going to commit suicide like his father, unwilling to take responsibility for his crimes. Like his father Romir, Tristen was unwilling to admit his own self-loathing. Each love and subsequent murder served to distract Tristen from his inner feelings about himself; each killing gave him a temporary sense of (false) power.
The Dark Powers have intervened and given Tristen (and perhaps Romir) his wish. Now the one who commits vile acts of depravity is another man, Malken, allowing Tristen to deny responsibility for his actions through rationalization of a curse or possession. Beneath Malken's sociopath illusionary self, he does have a conscience; he just chooses not to follow it in order to help maintain his self-delusion. Malken is like a drug addict or alcoholic, but his addiction is evil. Every murder, every crime gives Malken a temporary sense of invulnerability or power, giving short-term reprieve from his true inner discontent. Tristen can walk a path of apparent law and goodness while all of the evil and chaos can be displaced to Malken. The curse, sociopathology are merely excuses. Deep down, Tristen (and Malken) knows this.
The scary part comes in when seeing through all of the illusions Tristen/Malken/Romir has surrounded themselves with in order to deceive themselves. To me it seems scarier for a person with a conscience to do these evil acts than just a sociopath. An interesting clue to the dual identity of Tristen and his displaced identity of evil might be that bits of each identity bleed through into the other’s lives. Tristen occasionally does a tiny act of evil while Malken occasionally does a minor act of good.
Igor the Henchman : The Lesser evil pretty much explained my own take on Tristen and Malken. The key, I think, is to remember that, even before his personality got split, Tristen throughoutly enjoyed every single murder he commited. I won't go into guessing if the curse was real or not (I still like curses, they're gothic and all), but I think Tristen was of Evil alignment when the DPs spotted him: a throughoutly corrupt noble that craved murder like a drug (much like of most current nobles in Nova Vaasa, only meaner). His problem was that he still wished to be just and good, despite all the atrocities he commited. The Dark Powers granted Tristen his wish: the freedom of doing all the evil he wanted, yet having a free conscience and a spotless reputation. They imposed only one condition for their gift: Tristen's dark side would turn on every one he truly cares about.
Also, I don't think the difference between Nova Vaasa and its Faerunian counterpart is that much of problem, seeing that the domain serves as a symbolic representation of Tristen, first and foremost. Free grassed steppes to represent Tristen, dark, dirty cities to represent Malken. Noble and free horses representing Tristen, feral plaincats representing Malken, and so on. Vaasi culture doesn't need to reflect that of FR Vaasa, so much as that of only one of its former inhabitants, Sir Tristen.
"A full set of (game) rules is so massively complicated that the only time they were all bound together in a single volume, they underwent gravitational collapse and became a black hole" (Adams)
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Undead Cabbage
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Wow, that whole text now reallymakes me want to do a campaign in Nova Vaasa.
On this note, I always pictured a little of 'The Butcher' from Gangs of New York in Malken. Especially when it comes to his relations with Othmar Bolshnik. Malken can over take Othmar any time he wants, but so far playing Othmar's little game is fun, and beneficial. The minute Othmar turns 'luke warm', he spits him out. Not that there is any need for more notes on how to play Malken, mind you.
Dread possibility:
In His Good Graces
Othmar Bolshnik has done some talking with the Law Giver clergy. Seeking to finance his kingdom further, while creating even closer ties with the Law Giver clergy, Othmar Bolshnik and the Law Giver pope have instituted an Indulgence system. The way this works, by paying a sum to the Law Giver church, you can be remitted of your sins, whatever they may be. Of course, Othmar made it very clear that he was to recieve some of these profits.
Indulgences become a hit in Nova Vaasa, because this means that the rich can give into their desires without fear of falling out of the Law Giver's Favor. Reluctant to allow a good idea to become stagnant, the Law Giver Clergy begin to sell indulgences for sins that have not yet been commited, but the buyer plans to do.
Tristen knows deep down inside that this is horribly wrong, however he also does not question the words of the Law Giver. Malken finds this amusing, since it ultimately makes Nova Vaasa a much more interesting place. If it ever doesn't tickle his fancy, though, he'll just black mail Othmar into withdrawing them.
Here's the Twist. Indulgences aren't the idea of Othmar, nor the Law Giver Clergy, but of a strange Barovian business man who just a few months ago accepted the job of being treasurer for the Law Giver Church. He personally designed Indulgences so that everyone purchasing them would be required to put their signature in his book. As you can probably already tell, this business man is actually none other than Inajira (Gaz 1 appendix) collecting more tainted souls. He has already collected many of the Law Giver clerics, as well as dozens of members of the five royal families. The only thorn in his side is that that pesky hiregaard family is too resiliant to this boon.
On this note, I always pictured a little of 'The Butcher' from Gangs of New York in Malken. Especially when it comes to his relations with Othmar Bolshnik. Malken can over take Othmar any time he wants, but so far playing Othmar's little game is fun, and beneficial. The minute Othmar turns 'luke warm', he spits him out. Not that there is any need for more notes on how to play Malken, mind you.
Dread possibility:
In His Good Graces
Othmar Bolshnik has done some talking with the Law Giver clergy. Seeking to finance his kingdom further, while creating even closer ties with the Law Giver clergy, Othmar Bolshnik and the Law Giver pope have instituted an Indulgence system. The way this works, by paying a sum to the Law Giver church, you can be remitted of your sins, whatever they may be. Of course, Othmar made it very clear that he was to recieve some of these profits.
Indulgences become a hit in Nova Vaasa, because this means that the rich can give into their desires without fear of falling out of the Law Giver's Favor. Reluctant to allow a good idea to become stagnant, the Law Giver Clergy begin to sell indulgences for sins that have not yet been commited, but the buyer plans to do.
Tristen knows deep down inside that this is horribly wrong, however he also does not question the words of the Law Giver. Malken finds this amusing, since it ultimately makes Nova Vaasa a much more interesting place. If it ever doesn't tickle his fancy, though, he'll just black mail Othmar into withdrawing them.
Here's the Twist. Indulgences aren't the idea of Othmar, nor the Law Giver Clergy, but of a strange Barovian business man who just a few months ago accepted the job of being treasurer for the Law Giver Church. He personally designed Indulgences so that everyone purchasing them would be required to put their signature in his book. As you can probably already tell, this business man is actually none other than Inajira (Gaz 1 appendix) collecting more tainted souls. He has already collected many of the Law Giver clerics, as well as dozens of members of the five royal families. The only thorn in his side is that that pesky hiregaard family is too resiliant to this boon.
A Stallion for Strahd
A Stallion for Strahd
This adventure begins in Barovia. The young and foppish Boris Von Zarovich, little loved by his immediate family, has decided that his fortune lies with proving his worth directly to the great family patriarch and ruler of Barovia, Count Strahd von Zarovich XI. As there can be no question of going to Castle Ravenloft empty-handed, Boris has hit upon the perfect gift: the most fearsome blacks stallion roaming the plains of Nova Vassa. Boris confided his intentions to the Vistani in the hope that they could be hired to find and steal the creature. Although they declined politely the insultingly small sum on offer, the rauni of the tribe was kind enough to consult, “for a minor service to be named later,” her tarot deck as to where and when the stallion might be found. With the answer in hand, Boris retired to reformulate his plans.
Being a wizard, and not an especially distinguished one at that, Boris had no appetite to see to the business himself. And the more he considered spending his beloved gold on hired mercenaries the less he liked that alternative. Instead, as a von Zarovich lord should, he would delegate the deed to adventurers. And to insure that his commands were scrupulously heeded, he would appear before them in the guise of the lord of Barovia himself.
Thus the adventurers while in Barovia suddenly find their sleep disturbed by the melodramatic entrance and presence of his exalted lordship, Count Strahd von Zarovich XI, who charges them with the recovery of the fiercest black stallion roaming the plains of Nova Vassa and gives them the Vistani directions (which should be at least slightly cryptic) as to place and time. Asked about a reward, Boris attempts his best malevolent smile and replies: “The goodwill of the Lord of the land.”
The party should have some chance of unmasking the ruse without further ado. Should they do so and visit some fitting punishment upon Boris, they will have thereby come into the good graces of the real lord of Barovia who will recompense them for their intelligence and effort. At the extreme this could be in the form of a friendly invitation to Castle Ravenloft. Equally, they will have nothing to fear from Boris (whether they leave him dead or alive) for Strahd and/or the Vistani will see to him once and for all.
Should the ruse not be uncovered forthwith, the party is off to Nova Vassa. A hint that all is not well is the constant harassment of wolves so long as the party is in Barovia. The adventurers will be challenged at the frontier and will be attacked should they be suspected of being horse thieves. Within Nova Vassa the plain cats will occasionally make their presence known but will not attack unless given an irresistible opening.
The true danger rears its head when the party arrives to claim the stallion for it is a hell-blooded Nightmare. And it leads a half-dozen like-minded horses. All are likely to fight to the death and none will be taken alive save by extraordinary measures.
Should the adventurers fail in their mission, they may be loathed to return to Barovia. But staying in Nova Vasa is not a happy alternative for they will soon be pursued for the capital crime of horseslaughter. And the plain cats will likewise begin to take an intense interest in them.
Should the adventurers put their hands on some credible alternative or recall that nothing was said about the stallion being alive and escape Nova Vassa, awaiting them patiently, under the stars, leaning against a tree, at the site where they were charged with returning to, is Boris von Zarovich. Only he is nailed to said tree and quite dead. The body is still slightly warm and there isn’t much blood left in or about it (should the party care to notice). Affixed to him is the sign: “Here hangs a man guilty of the high crime of impersonating his exalted lordship of Barovia, Count Strahd von Zarovich XI.”
Taking down the corpse for burial would be a dreadful mistake. Strahd would be displeased and Boris would rise as a vampire under the former’s control, pretty much assuring a third meeting with the upstart. Whatever their decision, the adventures may not have seen the last of Boris, for he still owes the Vistani a service . . . .
This adventure begins in Barovia. The young and foppish Boris Von Zarovich, little loved by his immediate family, has decided that his fortune lies with proving his worth directly to the great family patriarch and ruler of Barovia, Count Strahd von Zarovich XI. As there can be no question of going to Castle Ravenloft empty-handed, Boris has hit upon the perfect gift: the most fearsome blacks stallion roaming the plains of Nova Vassa. Boris confided his intentions to the Vistani in the hope that they could be hired to find and steal the creature. Although they declined politely the insultingly small sum on offer, the rauni of the tribe was kind enough to consult, “for a minor service to be named later,” her tarot deck as to where and when the stallion might be found. With the answer in hand, Boris retired to reformulate his plans.
Being a wizard, and not an especially distinguished one at that, Boris had no appetite to see to the business himself. And the more he considered spending his beloved gold on hired mercenaries the less he liked that alternative. Instead, as a von Zarovich lord should, he would delegate the deed to adventurers. And to insure that his commands were scrupulously heeded, he would appear before them in the guise of the lord of Barovia himself.
Thus the adventurers while in Barovia suddenly find their sleep disturbed by the melodramatic entrance and presence of his exalted lordship, Count Strahd von Zarovich XI, who charges them with the recovery of the fiercest black stallion roaming the plains of Nova Vassa and gives them the Vistani directions (which should be at least slightly cryptic) as to place and time. Asked about a reward, Boris attempts his best malevolent smile and replies: “The goodwill of the Lord of the land.”
The party should have some chance of unmasking the ruse without further ado. Should they do so and visit some fitting punishment upon Boris, they will have thereby come into the good graces of the real lord of Barovia who will recompense them for their intelligence and effort. At the extreme this could be in the form of a friendly invitation to Castle Ravenloft. Equally, they will have nothing to fear from Boris (whether they leave him dead or alive) for Strahd and/or the Vistani will see to him once and for all.
Should the ruse not be uncovered forthwith, the party is off to Nova Vassa. A hint that all is not well is the constant harassment of wolves so long as the party is in Barovia. The adventurers will be challenged at the frontier and will be attacked should they be suspected of being horse thieves. Within Nova Vassa the plain cats will occasionally make their presence known but will not attack unless given an irresistible opening.
The true danger rears its head when the party arrives to claim the stallion for it is a hell-blooded Nightmare. And it leads a half-dozen like-minded horses. All are likely to fight to the death and none will be taken alive save by extraordinary measures.
Should the adventurers fail in their mission, they may be loathed to return to Barovia. But staying in Nova Vasa is not a happy alternative for they will soon be pursued for the capital crime of horseslaughter. And the plain cats will likewise begin to take an intense interest in them.
Should the adventurers put their hands on some credible alternative or recall that nothing was said about the stallion being alive and escape Nova Vassa, awaiting them patiently, under the stars, leaning against a tree, at the site where they were charged with returning to, is Boris von Zarovich. Only he is nailed to said tree and quite dead. The body is still slightly warm and there isn’t much blood left in or about it (should the party care to notice). Affixed to him is the sign: “Here hangs a man guilty of the high crime of impersonating his exalted lordship of Barovia, Count Strahd von Zarovich XI.”
Taking down the corpse for burial would be a dreadful mistake. Strahd would be displeased and Boris would rise as a vampire under the former’s control, pretty much assuring a third meeting with the upstart. Whatever their decision, the adventures may not have seen the last of Boris, for he still owes the Vistani a service . . . .
Last edited by cure on Fri Mar 10, 2006 10:38 pm, edited 9 times in total.
The cure for what ails you
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Kessler
- Agent of the Fraternity
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- Contact:
Horse seller's slang in Nova Vaasa:
can be catched easily in paddock - very old, barely moves
prospective gallop-horse - not possible to make gallop even on flat ground
has bypassed veterinary control just now - has serious health problems
with stout bones - not much different fro a cow, except tail and encolure
without bad habits - hasn't bitten anyone in last few days
will grow till 180 cm - right now 130 cm, mother and father the same and all ancestors are also no more than 150 cm, but THIS horse will definitely best them
general-purpose horse - last owner tried it on many riding areas, no use anywhere
don't give leg easily - no blacksmith wants to manage it within 100 km
prospective hiking horse - will go anywhere as long as it sees another horse in front
prospective cross-country horse - big, quick, endurable horse
prospective schoolhorse - big, lazy horse
hobby horse - horse of interesting colour
prospective skatckahorse - not big, but boisterous horse
distinguished appearance - with "socks"
attractive - buckskin
meant only for good hands - expensive
meant only for professionals - very expensive
only for experienced rider - the ride may end fatally for the rider
elegant - thin
well fed - fat
with beautiful, free moving - so quick that don't understand anything, birdbrain
calm- limps first leg
very calm - limps all four legs
tranquil - limps all four legs, deaf and blind
loves children - bites and kicks
looks like pony - small and hairy
looks like pureblood - startles easily
lookslike quarter - fat
warm blooded - big and hairy
much like draft horse - very big and very hairy, slow
can be catched easily in paddock - very old, barely moves
prospective gallop-horse - not possible to make gallop even on flat ground
has bypassed veterinary control just now - has serious health problems
with stout bones - not much different fro a cow, except tail and encolure
without bad habits - hasn't bitten anyone in last few days
will grow till 180 cm - right now 130 cm, mother and father the same and all ancestors are also no more than 150 cm, but THIS horse will definitely best them
general-purpose horse - last owner tried it on many riding areas, no use anywhere
don't give leg easily - no blacksmith wants to manage it within 100 km
prospective hiking horse - will go anywhere as long as it sees another horse in front
prospective cross-country horse - big, quick, endurable horse
prospective schoolhorse - big, lazy horse
hobby horse - horse of interesting colour
prospective skatckahorse - not big, but boisterous horse
distinguished appearance - with "socks"
attractive - buckskin
meant only for good hands - expensive
meant only for professionals - very expensive
only for experienced rider - the ride may end fatally for the rider
elegant - thin
well fed - fat
with beautiful, free moving - so quick that don't understand anything, birdbrain
calm- limps first leg
very calm - limps all four legs
tranquil - limps all four legs, deaf and blind
loves children - bites and kicks
looks like pony - small and hairy
looks like pureblood - startles easily
lookslike quarter - fat
warm blooded - big and hairy
much like draft horse - very big and very hairy, slow
Last edited by Kessler on Sun Feb 12, 2006 11:00 am, edited 2 times in total.
P((hρ (A)- ρ/<έ) →n-∞1 (∑>0)
P(x=k)=(n/k)ρk(ˇ1-ρ)n-k
P(x≥1)=(10/1)•(1/6)•1(1-1/6)10-1+…1
+(10/10) : (1/6)10(1-1/6)0
=0,8385
P(x=k)=(n/k)ρk(ˇ1-ρ)n-k
P(x≥1)=(10/1)•(1/6)•1(1-1/6)10-1+…1
+(10/10) : (1/6)10(1-1/6)0
=0,8385
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Kessler
- Agent of the Fraternity
- Posts: 59
- Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2005 12:32 pm
- Location: Estonia
- Contact:
Inspired from book "King Stahh's Battue", a brief summary.
PCs are travelling across the plains (or swamp) of Nova Vaasa. Night comes incredibly stormy and rainy. Rain soaks the land and ground becomes muddy and soft. Far away there seems to be light, on closer look it's a small manor.
If the PCs look for shelter, there is only old housekeeper and very old servant. They give dry clothes to PCs and send to meet the owner, who is 17 years old girl, Ethel Janovskaja. They live in this big house with procurator Berman.
It's a degenerated manor, everything is out of fashion and falling apart, including people. But the manor is full of past glory. Girl has some unnamed fear in her eyes, she's a wreck. Also she seems to be a bit aloof.
The problem is: they have a family curse because their ancestor betrayed and killed king Stahh during battue, who cursed the family for 12 generations. She's the last. None of her ancestors have died in natural causes, there is always either violence or mystery around their deaths. And the curse is called King Stahh's Battue: sometimes ghostly battue appears on the plains, generally in autumn. Stahh and 12 his companions ride in deadly silence, across the pains, no bridoon clangs, cheetahs/dogs don't bark. Sometimes only awful, ghostly hunt cry is heard, that freezes everybody's blood.
Now it has appeared again, several peasants have died, the cry have been heard and few weeks ago Ethel's father was found dead, trampled by horses.
However, that curse is not enough. One of her ancestors is haunting the place (the Blue Lady), also creature called the Dwarf of Janovski. The Blue Lady was sentenced to death for murdering her husband and step-son. For two hundred years she's been haunting the place. The Dwarf is also family curse: when he appears, member of Janovski family will die. Ethel's father saw him and also Ethel herself: he was looking through her window, standing outside where no mortal man can stand.
Background:
King Stahh's Battue can be either true with ghostly horses etc. or neighbouring small noble Dubatovk is plotting. He is very far relative of Ethel and will inherit the manor if latter dies. He and his men have some horses ironbound with old horseshoes that are in a shape of crow claw (used during Stahh times), sometimes he wraps clothes around horses legs to make them silent, they use old fashioned cloaks to seem like Stahh and his company. They have been practicing specific hunt cry and always cover their tracks carefully. Dubatovk has two uses for the battue: kill old Janovski, Ethel's father, kill Ethel or drive her mad with fear, keep the discontent peasants humble. Recently some of them have upraised against nobles, but "battue" killed them, so there is no more upraise. Dubatovk is a good "friend" and godfather of Ethel, who suspects nothing.
Blue Lady is truly ghost, or Ethel sleepwalking (Berman and housekeepers have seen the "ghost" and are truly scared).
The Dwarf of Janovski is Berman's half-witted brother. Berman is also far relative of Janovksy's and hopes the same that Dubatovk. That is the reason why he came back from Bergovitsa to this lone place. He has studied family's history, found some secret passages in the manor. He dresses his brother into old fashioned clothes and lets him wonder around the castle sometimes: in secret passages he makes strange ghostly sounds that can be heard in the whole manor by some strange acoustic phenomena. Also he sometimes climbs with astonishing skill on manor's cornice and peeps into the rooms: that's how Ethel has seen him. Also, housekeeper has seen him in the manor, but when she followed, the dwarf was gone (actually slipped into secret passage). The dwarf looks hideous. Berman and Dubatovk have no idea about each other. Yet.
PCs are asked to stay in the house - at least as long as weather goes better. And as they talk with Ethel and bring news from outside (Ethel has ever been away from her small lands), they make Ethel more happy and sometimes she forgets her fear - something not good for Dubatovk nor Berman, who take their steps...
PCs are travelling across the plains (or swamp) of Nova Vaasa. Night comes incredibly stormy and rainy. Rain soaks the land and ground becomes muddy and soft. Far away there seems to be light, on closer look it's a small manor.
If the PCs look for shelter, there is only old housekeeper and very old servant. They give dry clothes to PCs and send to meet the owner, who is 17 years old girl, Ethel Janovskaja. They live in this big house with procurator Berman.
It's a degenerated manor, everything is out of fashion and falling apart, including people. But the manor is full of past glory. Girl has some unnamed fear in her eyes, she's a wreck. Also she seems to be a bit aloof.
The problem is: they have a family curse because their ancestor betrayed and killed king Stahh during battue, who cursed the family for 12 generations. She's the last. None of her ancestors have died in natural causes, there is always either violence or mystery around their deaths. And the curse is called King Stahh's Battue: sometimes ghostly battue appears on the plains, generally in autumn. Stahh and 12 his companions ride in deadly silence, across the pains, no bridoon clangs, cheetahs/dogs don't bark. Sometimes only awful, ghostly hunt cry is heard, that freezes everybody's blood.
Now it has appeared again, several peasants have died, the cry have been heard and few weeks ago Ethel's father was found dead, trampled by horses.
However, that curse is not enough. One of her ancestors is haunting the place (the Blue Lady), also creature called the Dwarf of Janovski. The Blue Lady was sentenced to death for murdering her husband and step-son. For two hundred years she's been haunting the place. The Dwarf is also family curse: when he appears, member of Janovski family will die. Ethel's father saw him and also Ethel herself: he was looking through her window, standing outside where no mortal man can stand.
Background:
King Stahh's Battue can be either true with ghostly horses etc. or neighbouring small noble Dubatovk is plotting. He is very far relative of Ethel and will inherit the manor if latter dies. He and his men have some horses ironbound with old horseshoes that are in a shape of crow claw (used during Stahh times), sometimes he wraps clothes around horses legs to make them silent, they use old fashioned cloaks to seem like Stahh and his company. They have been practicing specific hunt cry and always cover their tracks carefully. Dubatovk has two uses for the battue: kill old Janovski, Ethel's father, kill Ethel or drive her mad with fear, keep the discontent peasants humble. Recently some of them have upraised against nobles, but "battue" killed them, so there is no more upraise. Dubatovk is a good "friend" and godfather of Ethel, who suspects nothing.
Blue Lady is truly ghost, or Ethel sleepwalking (Berman and housekeepers have seen the "ghost" and are truly scared).
The Dwarf of Janovski is Berman's half-witted brother. Berman is also far relative of Janovksy's and hopes the same that Dubatovk. That is the reason why he came back from Bergovitsa to this lone place. He has studied family's history, found some secret passages in the manor. He dresses his brother into old fashioned clothes and lets him wonder around the castle sometimes: in secret passages he makes strange ghostly sounds that can be heard in the whole manor by some strange acoustic phenomena. Also he sometimes climbs with astonishing skill on manor's cornice and peeps into the rooms: that's how Ethel has seen him. Also, housekeeper has seen him in the manor, but when she followed, the dwarf was gone (actually slipped into secret passage). The dwarf looks hideous. Berman and Dubatovk have no idea about each other. Yet.
PCs are asked to stay in the house - at least as long as weather goes better. And as they talk with Ethel and bring news from outside (Ethel has ever been away from her small lands), they make Ethel more happy and sometimes she forgets her fear - something not good for Dubatovk nor Berman, who take their steps...
P((hρ (A)- ρ/<έ) →n-∞1 (∑>0)
P(x=k)=(n/k)ρk(ˇ1-ρ)n-k
P(x≥1)=(10/1)•(1/6)•1(1-1/6)10-1+…1
+(10/10) : (1/6)10(1-1/6)0
=0,8385
P(x=k)=(n/k)ρk(ˇ1-ρ)n-k
P(x≥1)=(10/1)•(1/6)•1(1-1/6)10-1+…1
+(10/10) : (1/6)10(1-1/6)0
=0,8385
-
Joël of the FoS
- Moderator
- Posts: 7107
- Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2003 1:24 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location: St-Damien, Québec
Dear members of the Fraternity,
While this thread isn’t anymore the featured adventure hook thread, it isn’t closed!
If you have more adventure hooks about this domain, post them here – I will collect them and add them to the site .
Post here adventure hooks, short verbatim (conversation by the fireside), or other thoughts about this domain.
Regards,
Joël
While this thread isn’t anymore the featured adventure hook thread, it isn’t closed!
If you have more adventure hooks about this domain, post them here – I will collect them and add them to the site .
Post here adventure hooks, short verbatim (conversation by the fireside), or other thoughts about this domain.
Regards,
Joël
"A full set of (game) rules is so massively complicated that the only time they were all bound together in a single volume, they underwent gravitational collapse and became a black hole" (Adams)
-
DeepShadow of FoS
- Evil Genius
- Posts: 2923
- Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2003 1:43 pm
- Location: Heinfroth's Asylum
I was going to post this on the "Invincible DL's" thread, but I suppose it fits better here.
Shortly after her madness was exposed by the PC's (LotB p. 46), Illyana Hiregaard died, apparently of suicide. In the wake of her death, a flurry of underworld activity brings new threats and hints to the PC's on the hunt for Malken. It appears the crime lord has returned to his old roots as a serial killer, leaving a string of bloody deaths across the country in a veritable frenzy.
As the PC's pursue the mysterious killer, they slowly unravel the clues, usually just after Malken himself catches on. Illyana's degeneracy into evil created a psychic link with Malken, and upon her death her psychic power was added to those of the infamous killer. Fragmentary memories returned to him, but they were not Illyana's; they belonged to someone from before he became a DL. Malken now recalls that he existed before Tristen, in some form, and that his psychic energy has been spread out somehow, shared among all with Hiregaard blood. Somehow, Malken is the madness that afflicts their bloodline, and whenever a Hiregaard dies, the DL grows stronger. The effect wasn't noticeable from those who hadn't failed several powers checks themselves, but now that he knows of his connection with the Hiregaards, Malken has begun a systematic effort to corrupt individual Hiregaards as far as possible before killing them to reclaim his lost essence.
The awful truth is that "Malken" is actually Romir Hiregaard, Tristen's father, now an unusual form of reincarnated ghost. As Romir slays his own descendants, he gains such powers as closing borders, jumping from body to body, and so forth, but he also approaches his own destruction. He won't be satisfied with anything less than a single, complete body, but that would also exterminate his line and--as the body wore out--himself.
PC's fighting this war with Malken could include Hiregaards who are trying to expunge this stain from their line. By tapping into their psychic connection with the DL they might gain clues as to his nature and motives. The risks are certainly high, but this is Malken we're talking about; he plays for keeps, and the stakes can't get any higher!
Shortly after her madness was exposed by the PC's (LotB p. 46), Illyana Hiregaard died, apparently of suicide. In the wake of her death, a flurry of underworld activity brings new threats and hints to the PC's on the hunt for Malken. It appears the crime lord has returned to his old roots as a serial killer, leaving a string of bloody deaths across the country in a veritable frenzy.
As the PC's pursue the mysterious killer, they slowly unravel the clues, usually just after Malken himself catches on. Illyana's degeneracy into evil created a psychic link with Malken, and upon her death her psychic power was added to those of the infamous killer. Fragmentary memories returned to him, but they were not Illyana's; they belonged to someone from before he became a DL. Malken now recalls that he existed before Tristen, in some form, and that his psychic energy has been spread out somehow, shared among all with Hiregaard blood. Somehow, Malken is the madness that afflicts their bloodline, and whenever a Hiregaard dies, the DL grows stronger. The effect wasn't noticeable from those who hadn't failed several powers checks themselves, but now that he knows of his connection with the Hiregaards, Malken has begun a systematic effort to corrupt individual Hiregaards as far as possible before killing them to reclaim his lost essence.
The awful truth is that "Malken" is actually Romir Hiregaard, Tristen's father, now an unusual form of reincarnated ghost. As Romir slays his own descendants, he gains such powers as closing borders, jumping from body to body, and so forth, but he also approaches his own destruction. He won't be satisfied with anything less than a single, complete body, but that would also exterminate his line and--as the body wore out--himself.
PC's fighting this war with Malken could include Hiregaards who are trying to expunge this stain from their line. By tapping into their psychic connection with the DL they might gain clues as to his nature and motives. The risks are certainly high, but this is Malken we're talking about; he plays for keeps, and the stakes can't get any higher!
The Avariel has borrowed wings,
The Puppeteer must cut the strings
The Orphan Queen must take the throne
The Queen of Orphans calls them home
The Puppeteer must cut the strings
The Orphan Queen must take the throne
The Queen of Orphans calls them home