Paridon Gazetteer

[Tobias Blackburn]

On Sodo:
IMO Sodo is just screwed up. They tried to put to much into him at once.
He can't do the killings himself? Can't keep his form? He feels pain every 5 Days if he doesn't inflict pain? That last one must be Hell on Earth for a sadist like him...

Sodo's addiction to pain come from the Fang, not the Dark Powers. They cursed him with the inability to hold his shape which keeps him from truely enjoying his position.

He can kill for himself, just not with his bare hands. He heals with a touch, not with an aura, so he can still use weapons to cause damage (though it is difficult due to his shapeshifting). Can you imagine what a gift that would be for asadist like him, being able to bring a victim back again and again, not having limits to what sort of pain you can inflict on them?

He probably has torture chambers spread throughout a number of abandoned buildings in Paridon where he has his minions bring him victims. Heck, he could have a single victim set up in every chamber that he raises whenever he wants to play. And because he's a sadist it means that he isn't going to go long without hurting someone.

He can even use the Fang, but it just means that he has to take his time (though the victim might mind).

His greatest fear should be discovery: He's after all a doppelganger (who fear discovery by nature) and also an ursurper who hid behind the mask of an elder. His greatest fear should be that the other dopp's finally discover that he actually is Sodo and not the clan elder. (I know it happend a long time ago, but that would've been a better curse, maybe there is some sort of racial memory about the traitor Sodo)

Either they already know that Sodo is the clan leader or they still think he's the old elder and has begun to suffer from some degenerative sickness that messes with his shapechanging. The point is that Sodo keeps too tight a grip on them. Since he can't enter into human society he can grant the choicest positions to his most useful minions. Those that fail him suffer for as long as he deems necessary, regardless of how many times he kills them. It would be a carrot and stick approach. Not only are they afraid of him (what if it fails, he'll never let us die?) but there are a number who have a vested interest in keeping him around (I'll lose my position to the next chief and his minions if Sodo falls). He has such a tight grip on the Doppelgangers that he was able to have them perform the Bloody Jack cycle for him 12 times before there was a problem with loyalty, even though he had skinned one of them in order to make a glove for his chosen killed (the 14th time would have worked if not for the Marikith involvement).

And if the Doppelgangers wanted to get rid of him what they the to do? He's effectively immune to anything they could do to him. He probably made sure they knew that very early on.

Instead of pain he should loss his ability to change, leaving him exposed.
As the 5 days pass, the "flickering" slows down on day 4 to the point of him being able to change normally (forcing him to wait to the last possible moment to inflict pain, that might be quite hard for a sadist ). That still would leave him unable to do the serial killings himself, as they've to happen in 6 night in a row.

No, because it would never come up. He's a sadist. He enjoys causing pain. If he could hold his form he would just have someone brought to him and beat them once a night for fun. He'd never find out about losing his shape.

On that note, I don't like the idea of him being able to use any form of magic to disguise his problem. After all, the Dark Powers wouldn't let Hazlik get away from his nightmares by casting a Sleep spell on himself.

It would also compliment Paridon's nature in a way that everything is about appearance, no one want's the other's to discover, who oneself really is (Paridon wants to appear progressiv but is a racist society, the nobels want to appear powerful, but fear the masses, the people want to appear self-governed but actually feel more save under the nobility's reign, the courtesans/ dopp's and serial killers want to appear beautieful/ normal for obvious reasons, and so on)
There still would be fear and paranoia aplenty.

At the moment it compliments the more selfish nature of the society. Of people who claim to be enlightened and progressive but are mired not only in racial bigotry but in social as well. It's the idea of something horrible lying underneath, which is the entire point to the cluster. Sodo epitomizes that. He is all that is wrong with Paridon and is completely unable to hide this wrongness from those that see him, just as the bigotry would appear wrong to any that took off their social blinders.

On a completely unrelated note, would it be appropriate for matchgirls to work in some of the poorer sections of town, or is that not appropriate for the tech level?

EDIT: We also need to write up some more marikith breeds. We have hunters and queens, so we should probably add Drones/Workers (for minor stuff in maintaining the Hive) and Handmaidens (the Queen's "elite" guard).

[Undead Cabbage]

In times like this, all I can say is:
WWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

I'm AFK for 24 hours, and look what I missed.

Ok, lets settle a few things here:

Rene and I have got the locations and the sites of interest, no contest! Through numerous emails we've been discussing a lot about the areas in Paridon (Llana and Sam included). Furthermore, I am currently constructing an over view Map of Paridon. We will be posting the general idea behind each of the locations once we've settled a few small details. At that point we'd like suggestions on it. Otherwise, We've had 'dibbs' on that area for quite some time now. I'd even say we'd have the final text on certain areas finished if the hold until the souragne gaz wasn't up.

William, I agree that Sodo is screwed up. I'd also like to call 'dibbs' on his write up, however once again my ideas will be posted for suggestions. One is that Sodo has one natural form: the stereotypical form of 'Bloody Jack'. He is able to reach this form with the aid of his Hat of Disguise. I haven't read all the way through on your notes on Sodo though, Rene. Perhaps you and I could partner up on this one as well.

Artwork: Rene has already constructed a portriat for Sodo and the Marikith queen. Rene will also likely (if he's still up for it) be our man for portraits in general. As stated before, I am constructing a map (I will finally be able to finish it once we have locations down). Furthermore, I have some in-city drawings to lend. If someone wishes to submit art, please do so, however recognize that we are not in need of portraits or maps(I could always use help for in-city pictures).

Introducing Eberron Changelings into Paridon. (Finished)

Do you have a legit reason for a race in Ebberon to be in the dread realms? I'm a little leary about mixing around with monsters from different settings. It creates headaches when peopple don't have certain products.

I would like to lay claim to a section in the appendix dedicated to the game mechanics of pshychological disorders. This topic was skimmed in Champions of Ruin (I believe), but personally I found it a bit unsatisfactory. These disorders (such as masicism, or sadism) will be applied via template. This will also aid drastically when constructing Sodo, as his current form of 'sadism' makes little sense.

Samuel has already got dibbs on a healthy portion on a section about societies in Paridon.

I'm tempted to say that I call a dread possibility about Paridon Bridge, but so far we're looking at quite a few already. I'll put int the dread possibility of someone else before mine. My Paridon Bridge Dread possibility might be good to use if we need a back up.

Just yesterday I thought of a 'special' flora for Timor that would aid in having a society of non-Marikiths (as is the popular demand). For so the special flora (ala Wraithroot for Mordent, Meelkebern for Kartakass) for Paridon, I call dibbs. Pretty much, I was thinking of a fungus that helps keep the nonmarikith population safe (perhaps by repulsion).

I will be composing a section on Urban Legends, however I want this section to recieve input from many people. So to say I call dibbs on it isn't quite right.

As a final note for this monster of a post, If it's getting close to the deadline and a section is not being filled in/submitted, I have already stated that I do not mind playing the role of swing author.

[Tobias Blackburn]

William, I agree that Sodo is screwed up. I'd also like to call 'dibbs' on his write up, however once again my ideas will be posted for suggestions. One is that Sodo has one natural form: the stereotypical form of 'Bloody Jack'. He is able to reach this form with the aid of his Hat of Disguise. I haven't read all the way through on your notes on Sodo though, Rene. Perhaps you and I could partner up on this one as well.

Unfortunately, that would be too large a break from Canon. And as I said above, the Dark Powers aren't going to let him undermine his curse in such a simple fashion.

Introducing Eberron Changelings into Paridon. (Finished)

Do you have a legit reason for a race in Ebberon to be in the dread realms? I'm a little leary about mixing around with monsters from different settings. It creates headaches when peopple don't have certain products.

Actually, I do. People that don't want to include them won't have a problem, but it is quite easy for those that enjoy the idea to put them in. At the very basic level, Eberron Changelings (I just need to find a different name for them) are Doppelganger Calibans. And considering the Changeling is contained within three seperate products (Eberron Campaign Setting, Races of Eberron, and Monster Manual III) it's fair to at least offer their inclusion. We don't have to make them an intrigal part of the setting after all.

I would like to lay claim to a section in the appendix dedicated to the game mechanics of pshychological disorders. This topic was skimmed in Champions of Ruin (I believe), but personally I found it a bit unsatisfactory. These disorders (such as masicism, or sadism) will be applied via template. This will also aid drastically when constructing Sodo, as his current form of 'sadism' makes little sense.

His current sadism is because of his long use of the Fang of the Nosferatu. It drives him to cause pain and he feels empty and suffers when denied the opportunity to do so. I don't think we need to start pulling out the Book of Vile Darkness in order to flesh out why he likes hurting others if there is an artifact involved. That said, if you really want to add sadism quality to him in addition to the addiction, go ahead.

Is it too late to call partial dibs on locations and sites of interest in Timor?

[Undead Cabbage]

The trick with Sodo is that his character sketch was made back in the days when liches and vampires could be found in regular occurance around Gryphon Hill. Unfortunately, the break from canon also can not be too big.

My idea with Sodo being able to take the form of Bloody Jack was that however the Dark Powers would never allow Sodo to transform to his own benefit, they would allow him to indulge in the very sins that made him a Darklord.

For instance, the Dark Powers allow Dr. Mordenheim the ability to create constructs, and do other forms fo mad science. However, they do not allow him to do what he REALLY wants, which is to ressurect Elise. I was thinking of something similar with Sodo. No where in the Canon material does it mention whether Sodo can use his Hat of Disguise to aid with his condition. Now really, the Dark Powers wouldn't let Sodo off this easy (as you stated). However, they would allow him to wriggle in his own curse.

I always envisioned Sodos Doppleganger clan as simply using him. Sodo looks for the acceptance of his clan, but he cannot have it due to his curse. He can, however, be used by them, by using the hat to play the role of bloody Jack. Sodo thinks that he can gain genuine acceptance by doing their dirty work. In truth, he's only making his own problem worse.

This is one way I that want the connection between Timor and Paridon to be made. Both Sodo and the Queen are social creatures, both are bound to a relationship where its hard to tell whether they're are serving others or if others are serving them, both writhe in their inability to have true relationships.

In regards to the sadism, you're right, its more the influence of the dagger. I'd just like to emphasize that its only with his own hands that Sodo is unable to kill. Once again, the Darkpowers are allowing Sodo to make his own problems worse by his using the dagger to harm people. Every time he uses the dagger, it should never be enough to satisfy his needs, as the dagger should constantly increase his lust to harm.

[Mortavius]

I agree that Sodo should not be able to avoid his curse by something as simple as a Hat of Disguise. It's a simple magic item, not even an artifact.

One of the major aspects of Sodo's curse is that he can't hold his shape. Allowing him to thwart that, even a little bit, basically allows him to flaunt the Dark Powers. Strahd cannot ever get Tatyanna, no matter how he tries. Adam can never find acceptance or kill Mordenheim. Azalin cannot learn new magic.

I'm also wondering about the development of the Marikith. *Should* we really develop more castes? Why couldn't the Hunters do everything for the Queen?

By developing more varients of Marikith, we begin to classify and categorize them. It also compares and makes them similar to many existing insect colonies. This takes away the fear these creatures engender. They are alien, unknowable. They should not be like existing societies, no matter what life-form.

Just some thoughts.

[Jasper]

I like the idea of Sodo only being able to turn into the Bloody Jack character with the hat as it gives him a double edged sword. On one hand he can now enter sociaty -if only for a few hours- but at the same time if the DPs curse him to take the Bloody Jack form during the killings there is an increasing chance he will be seen in that form and be caught.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Okay--here's a point that needs to be settled. How does Secret of the Knife end? Presumably the Hive Queen didn't succeed, so the question is, did the Mists bring the Fang back to Sodo, or did the heroes involved in the adventure get it out of Zherisia?

The simplest thing is obviously just to say that Sodo got it back, but the other possibility might make an interesting Dread Possibility.

[Boccaccio Barbarossa]

I know it's not likely to be a very prominent section of the Gaz (in fact, probably no more than a page or two) but I call dibs on writing something up about Pardon's arts. If there is one thing that Paridoners CAN export, it is things which allow them to best showcase their "advanced" technological and cultural acheivements. Thus, it's prefectly reasonable for Pardioners to be experts in various crafts and such. I know someone has already called dibs on trade. So, perhaps it might be a good thing to cast some brief light on their artisitc acheivements and social pursuits.

While large-circulation books in Paridon may be difficult to justify due to a lack of resssources for making paper (though as it was pointed out, they have some - they can publish a newsbill!). if these "nouveaux" books make their way to the Core, it may make for interesting publishing say, in places like Dementlieu.

I think that Paridon, much like late 18th - early 19th century England, might be experts of short and long fiction. Novels and short stories. I picture such works as heavily marked by Paridon's "prior" exitence as part of a larger comminuty? A real world?

While not as "game-ready' as some of the other material, I think it might make for some valuable extra colouring to the place.

A few things I might consider:

• It might be good to have 2 or 3 different newsbills, each reaching out to different segments of the population. If anything, Paridon's newsbills should reflect the newness of the concept of "news." Not to mention, that journalistic accuracy is not the most important characteristic of early newbills.
  
  Dementlieu art vs. Paridon's art: While Dementlieu seems to be in the throes of a Renaissance in art and culture, Paridon has seen it's bygone Golden Age fade away to be replaced by cynicism and stalward adherence to propriety. If Dementlieu has a more Romantic feel, then the arts of Paridon have to be more Victorian, regardless of the technology. So, I think it might make for some excellent amateur philosophers, social critics, scientists, etc. While Paridon's society is strictly class differentiated, it's arts are remarkably democratic.
  I can see, though, how spending a summer in Dementileu would be mandatory training for Paridon's artists.
  
  Boxing: While the divinity of Mankind seems to push the "martial arts" factor of the monk, I think that most well-to-do citizens would pursue things like fencing, dueling and boxing/pugilism. Perhaps there is a legitimate "boxing circuit?" Or maybe a not-so-legitimate circuit.
  
  Low art/High Art: Poetry would be high art; prose, low art. Also, tied in to this, I think that Paridon's false history should include a strong literary tradition - an "Odyssey" and an "Iliad" - there was alwasy something missing in Ravenloft and this might be a good way to slip it in: the ability to say "By Jove!" and have it mean something in game!

Anyways - these are just a few unassessed brainfarts. But I think that something can be made of all this stuff. Either way, I'll write it up and see what we get.

Suggestions more than welcome!!!!

[Undead Cabbage]

Okay--here's a point that needs to be settled. How does Secret of the Knife end? Presumably the Hive Queen didn't succeed, so the question is, did the Mists bring the Fang back to Sodo, or did the heroes involved in the adventure get it out of Zherisia?

The simplest thing is obviously just to say that Sodo got it back, but the other possibility might make an interesting Dread Possibility.

Very much the ending where Sodo gets the knife. The idea of the knife having left Paridon should be issued as a dread possibility to be respectful to Secret of the Knife. Otherwise, to make it factual would be treating Paridon as nothing more than the washed-up remains of an old adventure. This requires that we make an assumption, but in truth its the likely ending to happen, and it's an assumption that has to be made.

I agree that Sodo should not be able to avoid his curse by something as simple as a Hat of Disguise. It's a simple magic item, not even an artifact.

The fact that his hat is not a powerful magic item is something easily changed without harming canon material.

The thing is that by allowing Sodo to become Blood Jack, we're only enhancing his curse, not diminishing it or letting him off of it. Sodo wants acceptance, but if the only form he can take is that of a serial killer, acceptance is about the last thing he can ever get. And yet, he continually falls into his own curse by assuming this role to find acceptance with his doppleganger clan.

If we cut off Sodo from thinking he can make a difference, we suffer the same problem there was with Soth. A Darklord needs room to wiggle, because its his/her own wiggling that continues to hurt him/herself. Not allowing Sodo to take the form of Bloody Jack would be like putting Dominic D'Honaire in an all male realm: it would leave him no way to screw himself over.

[Mortavius]

Okay, here's another question then: What does Bloody Jack look like? He's had 14 incarnations! So you sketch out the details of what he looks like, but would anyone recognize him if he walked down the street in broad daylight as Bloody Jack? I doubt it. He's always been recongized by his handiwork, not his appearance.

[Undead Cabbage]

A good point to bring up, Mortavius, as this addresses how Paridon even further relfects its Darklord.

In a city as dense as Paridon, there is going to be a lot of talking going back and forth. Every time a story is told in Paridon, it is NEVER the same as it was before. Eventually, from this fact spouts urban legends, spreading out throughout the populace like plague. This is the cause for Bloody Jack's 14 incantations.

Furthermore, Sodo's Bloody Jack Form should be very indistinctive. We associate Jack the ripper with white gloves, a top hat, a cape, and a medical bag. As far as I'm concerned, Sodo's Bloody Jack form doesn't need to be anything more. Thus, Sodo's curse is once again increased in severity, as his one form he can do is essentially formless.

but would anyone recognize him if he walked down the street in broad daylight as Bloody Jack?

There would be no such concept: there doesn't have to be. The idea behind Bloody Jack is that he NEVER comes into total visualization. Having Bloody Jack come out in daylight would be like having Mr. Mordenheim pray to Ezra: it goes totally against the concept of the character.

Bloody Jack is very much an ambigious figure. It may even be convenient to rule that the spell deeper darkness is cast upon him at all times. That is what Bloody Jack is supposed to be: absolutely unknown. Fear of Bloody Jack is fear of the unknown.

Thus, the 14 incantations are a product of his story being told again and again by the people of Paridon. We're even including a whole section souly on Urban Legends, so it may be a good place to make note of his tell-tale appearances.

[Tobias Blackburn]

How does allowing Sodo to turn into Bloody Jack enhance him as a Darklord? We're forgeting a few points here:

-Sodo became a darklord by killing the Clan Elder and using a Hat of Disguise to copy his "natural" form. That was his sin and the punishment was the inability to control his shape.

-His sadism (while probably there in the first place) grew due his use of the Fang of the Nosferatu, not because of his curse. Bloody Jack did not exist until he got the knife and he did not get the knife until AFTER he was a Darklord.

-How much Sodo wants to fit in is up to question. I would say that what he wants more is to enjoy the perks of his position, to take the highest, most powerful positions in Paridon society instead of having to hide in shadows and let minions take out his orders. It's more about direct power than any social needs.

-If you allow Sodo to turn into Bloody Jack you aren't going to make him loath himself. He is a sadist who feeds on pain and fear. Being able to go out and do the Bloody Jack killings himself would be a dream come true for him! He would enjoy every minute and it would allow relief from his constant paranoia of other doppelgangers betraying him. I believe that Shadow of the Knife even mentions that he feeds on pain and fear, so it would be a fresh banquet for him every night. That's why he was cursed with a healing touch! Mordenheim can make constructs because he does it in order to test out new theories to heal Elsie. Sodo has nothing like that.

I know that Sodo needs work, but you have to remember that his biography lookst at 6 nights every 13 years. What does he do the rest of the time? He has the ability to control of of Paridon from the shadows. Work on improving him there. Treat him as a mastermind villian, not some beefy fighter. He has to stay in the shadows. That's his curse. He doesn't need to face the players, or even be a physical threat to them in order to be a good villian.

[Undead Cabbage]

Sodo became a darklord by killing the Clan Elder and using a Hat of Disguise to copy his "natural" form. That was his sin and the punishment was the inability to control his shape.

My thoughts on how this reflects his being Bloody Jack are that the Bloody jack murders themselves were actually a physical reflection of murdering the clan , or at least in relavence to Sodo(I believe it was plural). To make this appropriate, as opposed to using his talents to obtain power, he's now wasting them on peasant rabble. For six nights every 13 years, he has to face losing power. If he doesn't make the killings, the doppleganger clan will 'replace' him (much like dopplegangers do). He is then forced into a reminder of why is he what he is.

-His sadism (while probably there in the first place) grew due his use of the Fang of the Nosferatu, not because of his curse. Bloody Jack did not exist until he got the knife and he did not get the knife until AFTER he was a Darklord

I always pictured Sodo obtaining is knife as sort of like how Harkon Lukas was given his berserking sword. Upon becoming a Darklord, the doppleganger clan looked to Sodo for an answer to the problems he caused. To do this, he created the character 'Bloody Jack' upon recieving the knife (or more the Dark Powers created it for him, as far as he is concerned it was his own creation).

-How much Sodo wants to fit in is up to question. I would say that what he wants more is to enjoy the perks of his position, to take the highest, most powerful positions in Paridon society instead of having to hide in shadows and let minions take out his orders. It's more about direct power than any social needs.

Once again, his role of Bloody Jack enhances his curse. He knows that he will not be able to strangle any of his victims (his favorite means of killing), and he knows that he (with all of his ambition) should be dealing with the upperclass members of Paridon, as opposed to the lower class members.

When I was thinking about Sodo being bloody Jack, I realized that there is the problem of this presenting him the ability to harm others, as you said Tobais he feeds on Pain and Fear. There's one solution to this though: Sodo is an ambitious Glutton (and I don't mean in terms of food). No matter how many killings he makes with the fang, he can never get enough. To make matters worse, these killings are confined to (as you reminded us), only 6 days every thirteen years. This short period of unsatisfactory killings, however, is just enough to keep him coming back for more. To cut him off completely would probably have sent him into depression, succumbing the same way as Soth did. This way, he's being suckered in every time.

We have to remember that the idea of a Darklord is that each Darklord traps itself. Ivana Boritsi constantly looks for love, but every time ends up killing her lovers. Vlad Drakov longs to conquer Darkon, but fails due to his own tacticle mistakes. Darklords are their own worst problem.

I know that Sodo needs work, but you have to remember that his biography lookst at 6 nights every 13 years. What does he do the rest of the time? He has the ability to control of of Paridon from the shadows. Work on improving him there. Treat him as a mastermind villian, not some beefy fighter. He has to stay in the shadows. That's his curse. He doesn't need to face the players, or even be a physical threat to them in order to be a good villian.

A very good point Tobais, and one that I've still got to get my head around a little. He needs to still be able to manipulate the doppleganger clan, or at least be leader in title (as the canon material states). At the same time, he should constantly be on his toes from them.

[William Blackmoor]

As Tobias and I already had long arguments about Sodo:

IMO Sodo isn't a mastermind like, say Moriarity. He is more like a "Don" of the Mafia clans. But one of the more brutish character. I think he isn't even overly intelligent. He's a petty tyrant, who rules through fear and the fact, that it's quite difficult to kill him. He's like an serial killer who's been given a small disloyal army. The dopp's loath him as he isn't even a proper Doppelganger anymore and would jump at his throat if they had a chance of beating him.

(Maybe someday he runs out of luck and will be overwelmed by to numerous a force of dopp's, who lock him away. As Sodo is not overly powerful and doesn't have mindeffecting or teleporting powers, the dopp's have a chance to succcede. After about 30 days the constant pain probably will have robbed his mind. Less then 13 years later he's dead. New, better Darklord arises. )

[Tobias Blackburn]

As Tobias and I already had long arguments about Sodo:

IMO Sodo isn't a mastermind like, say Moriarity. He is more like a "Don" of the Mafia clans. But one of the more brutish character. I think he isn't even overly intelligent. He's a petty tyrant, who rules through fear and the fact, that it's quite difficult to kill him. He's like an serial killer who's been given a small disloyal army. The dopp's loath him as he isn't even a proper Doppelganger anymore and would jump at his throat if they had a chance of beating him.

To be fair, he's only been betrayed once over the course of 182 years and it was only by a very small portion. He is a coward and a bully (I particularly like the mafia don analogy, I never said he was a Moriarity), but there is no sign that the others loath him. Bloodsworth tried to take over because he had a chance to become extremely powerful and become the chief of the clan, not because he loathed Sodo. He was an opportunist who found other opportunists. If they did they would have ALL turned over to Bloodsworth's side the instant he had the Fang. Instead they worked to help get the knife back from the other faction (collecting the PC's for example).

To hold onto power for the past (what, almost 200 years?) he would have had to be intelligent, knowing when to use a threat and when to use a reward. How to shift around his minions in order to optimise his control over Paridon's society while allowing him to keep all evidence of Doppelgangers from being discovered. Add in his extreme paranoia that he will be deposed (that's why he sought the Fang in the first place) and he would have to be intelligent to keep his paranoia from making everything fall apart.

(Maybe someday he runs out of luck and will be overwelmed by to numerous a force of dopp's, who lock him away. As Sodo is not overly powerful and doesn't have mindeffecting or teleporting powers, the dopp's have a chance to succcede. After about 30 days the constant pain probably will have robbed his mind. Less then 13 years later he's dead. New, better Darklord arises. )

It's always about destroying what we don't understand. Falkovnians are more likely to have a popular uprising against Vlad that sweeps the nation than the Doppelgangers are of overthrowing Sodo. They had their chance and didn't take it. That's because all Vlad can do is torture you for a while and then kill you, he can't torture you until you die over and over again for months if not years.