Paridon Gazetteer

[Moral Machivelli]

Can I get Dibs on the section about trade (I'd offer to do goverment as well, but i Think someone has alredy clamed that.)

[Tobias Blackburn]

I'm willing to lend a hand developing Sodo's character sketch. I have a few ideas about what he could possibly want from the depths of Timor, beyond the extermination of the Marikith.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Can I get Dibs on the section about trade (I'd offer to do goverment as well, but i Think someone has alredy clamed that.)

Wanna share it with me? I've already got the Captains of the Mists prestige class in the works, which is heavily trade oriented, so I'd be very interested in contributing to this section.

[William Blackmoor]

I agree with David; I think it should be left that Sodo cannot close the border between Timor and Paridon. Otherwise, he'd just close it everytime the Marikith started to attack in any significant numbers.

That's the general Idea. No, repeat NO! 2nd Timor City! This is Paridon. The Timor neighbour should be a threat but not this constant. Marikith hunter's, should always be portrait more like wandering werwolfs from Verbek and not like an invasion force. There is no other domain that allows another darklord to attack it's neighbor in numbers with a chance to win (not counting the Burning Peaks), because the "victim"-Darklord can't close it's border. Imagine Falkovnia's neighbors without it's borders. Right, which neighbors?
There still must be a regulation-mechanism why the Marikith havn't swarmed over the city. Sodo's one defense:the border. Why can't he keep it closed all the time? Because the food must come in.

[Moral Machivelli]

Can I get Dibs on the section about trade (I'd offer to do goverment as well, but i Think someone has alredy clamed that.)

Wanna share it with me? I've already got the of the Captains of the Mists prestige class in the works, which is heavily trade oriented, so I'd be very interested in contributing to this section.

Sure.

From what I remember, their was also the idea of a trade consortium. Could whoever proposed that Idea speak up, then we can split the section three ways? (Independent agents(Captains of the mist, Consortium, Inter city trade+Merchant class)

[William Blackmoor]

From what I remember, their was also the idea of a trade consortium. Could whoever proposed that Idea speak up, then we can split the section three ways? (Independent agents(Captains of the mist, Consortium, Inter city trade+Merchant class)

That would be me.
I suggested the:

Colonial Merchant Company of Zheresia
Paridon is the bleeding heart of the Zheresian Empire. Although the maps of the old Zherisia have been lost, it’s believed by Paridon’s Carthographers that ‘near’ lands like Avonleigh, Nidala, Mordent and even Nosos were once provinces of the Empire. But non of these lands have a special economic appeal to the Zherisians and so the Council invented the “Colonies-Concept”. The council proclaimed that Paridon and all of Zheresia needs resources to rebuilt it’s former glory. These resources must be obtained from the ‘old’ colonies, conquered by King Albric II. Following this decree Paridons captains set sail and ‘rediscovered’ the colonies of Zherisia. Up to now Zherisia of course rules non of these lands but the newly formed "Colonial Merchant Company of Zheresia" has set up small merchant settlements.

Sri’Raji (xy)
H’arkir (Paridons people are facinated by the treasures of the land. Needless to say that the number of cursed people has risen. One of the “historians” wants to find the grave of a pharao called Ankhtepot!)
Rokushima Tayio (xy)
N’doki Roho (here the the Philosophy of the Divinty of Mankind shows it’s ugly face, to the “superior” Zherisians it’s only natural to presume to be the rulers of “inferior” dark-skinned Rohoni. Recently the efforts of the Zheresians have come to a halt. The colonists have been attacked by two murderous lions, who have been dupped “the Demon” and “the Darkness”.)
Darkon /Martira Bay (Although not considered a colony, Zherisian merchants have set up a small Zherisian quarter within Martira Bay’s harbor.)

[Don Fernando]

Hi all,
I just was wondering if Secret societies are going to included in the Gaz. I have one on my mind and would be really glad to write about it

[Undead Cabbage]

We're trying for our own format that will likely evolve over time and shift to meet the requirements of each Gaz.
For example, the geography section isn't really needed or relevant for Paridon, neither are a list of towns. However, the city can and should be divided into buroughs and districts and attention paid to each.

We've already got the city divided into 7 boroughs. My thoughts were that if there were to be 'Landscape' and a 'Sites of Interest' sections, Landscape could describe the feel of each borough, whereas Sites of Interest would be more locational, saying exactly what's in each borough.

[Pamela]

Hi all,
I just was wondering if Secret societies are going to included in the Gaz. I have one on my mind and would be really glad to write about it

Hello, Don Fernando!

There will be secret societies, and we're happy to accept your idea. I would suggest waiting till the Souragne Gaz is out so you (and we ) can get a good idea of the expected format, but please do submit it once that's done.

[Tobias Blackburn]

I agree with David; I think it should be left that Sodo cannot close the border between Timor and Paridon. Otherwise, he'd just close it everytime the Marikith started to attack in any significant numbers.

That's the general Idea. No, repeat NO! 2nd Timor City!

Oh thank god!

This is Paridon. The Timor neighbour should be a threat but not this constant. Marikith hunter's, should always be portrait more like wandering werwolfs from Verbek and not like an invasion force. There is no other domain that allows another darklord to attack it's neighbor in numbers with a chance to win (not counting the Burning Peaks), because the "victim"-Darklord can't close it's border. Imagine Falkovnia's neighbors without it's borders. Right, which neighbors?

Right. The same should be done with Doppelgangers. After Shadow, Sodo would have worked to shift Bloody Jack from actual doppelgangers onto constructs. After all, they have a body for Bloody Jack this time around and the populace would likely jump on a chance not the be utterly terrified of being alone.

There still must be a regulation-mechanism why the Marikith havn't swarmed over the city. Sodo's one defense:the border. Why can't he keep it closed all the time? Because the food must come in.

I think this needs discussion. Old Timor suffered from a number of problems. First of all, everyone knew for a fact that they were surrounded by horrible monters, both below and in the general population. After the militia was slaughtered in the sewers they gave up fighting back, or even patrolling the streets. The social order began to fall apart as people broke off to family groups that only watched out for themselves. As society segmented it was unable to defend itself from either threat. On top of that, people who did evil were transformed into monsters, further whitling down the population. As things grew harder, people would lash out and be more likely to become Marikith.

Paridon has a number of things going for it. Even when afraid of the doppelgangers they didn't break apart completely. They didn't decide that it was better to let strangers be "offered" to the beasts. And unlike in Timor, the Marikith queen doesn't get automatic reinforcements. She also has another darklord opposing her.

Unlike Timor, Paridon has Sodo, another Darklord to oppose the Hive Queen. He ensures that there are patrols at likely entrance points, can manipulate city council to fund better blocks into the sewer because he knows that it is necessary for his survival, whereas the doppelgangers of Timor lacked as strong a leader and didn't have as much of a vested interest in keeping human society calm. The marikith Queen also cannot rely on the same methods she used before because Paridon lacks the twisting effect. As much as she feels her brood is disposible, there is only so much food they have to use and she can't depend on a steady supply of extra troops (which grows as things get worse above) to waste them on needless terror raids. No matter how much she hates her spawn her safety comes first, and she now has reason to fear the shadows just as much as Sodo.

A city the side of Paridon is going to need a constant supply of food and goods to keep it at the technology level it currently enjoys, and the Mists aren't known for being temporally stable. I would put forward that Sodo has come to realize that it is easier to control society if it is calm than in a state of panic and fear. The marikith do not come up enmass every night to kidnap and slaughter, so there is no reason to leave the border closed at night (as it could hamper his own interests in the land below if his agents are stuck). There are times when he locks the city for days at a time, when he feels he is working on something important or a plot against him is coming to fruition, but he usually leaves it open (possibly because he has realized that exits from the sewer randomly stay open anyway?).

The Hidden War is even less direct than it was in Old Timor. The Marikith might try to set up a mini-hive of delivered eggs in an old warehouse every once in a while, and the doppelgangers send down forigeners and other disposibles who won't rock the boat to below to do some damage. There are times when the doppelgangers and the marikith actually fight one on one, but these events are rare. And Sodo isn't going to care that much about a single poor person snatched here or there. Not enough to lock the city down at night.

Sodo wants the city placid and stable because it is easier to control. If there is going to be fear, he wants to be the one causing it (because there is less threat to him and nothing for him to worry about). The Hive Queen wants to learn more about the city above, explore the "new" portions of her realm that were tossed down during the creation of the cluster, and figure out a completely new mode of fighting the creatures above.

[Nathan of the FoS]

I agree with David; I think it should be left that Sodo cannot close the border between Timor and Paridon. Otherwise, he'd just close it everytime the Marikith started to attack in any significant numbers.

[soapbox]

The thing that really bugs me about including the "Sodo can't close the border, the Hive Queen can" is that this was pretty obviously a kludge to make the events of "Shadow of the Knife" plausible. Heaven knows, the history of Ravenloft is full of such kludges, but to have to enshrine this one rankles.

First of all, the idea of "the border is closed, but not in this one place" is really off. So certain darklords can't close the border by mystical means; not a problem. But if the darklord can't close the border to som places, but can to others? Wha...? And "Sodo would just close the borders any time the marikith attack" is really the point. Almost all darklords can do this, and those who can't (Falkovnia, Verbrek, Nova Vaasa) have nothing at all to fear from their neighbors, militarily. Why doesn't Sodo have this privilege? (Sorry for picking your post to unload on, Mortavius. I just had to start somewhere.)

If we had a really convincing explanation for why the Hive Queen can close this border and Sodo can't, I'd go for it. Otherwise, my favorite solution is the one proposed by Rotipher--the boundary between Paridon and Timor is extremely unstable, and at the time of "Shadow of the Knife" the Dark Powers were cheating extensively on behalf of the Hive Queen, while under more ordinary circumstances the Darklords are on more equal terms on this point.

[/soapbox]

[Tobias Blackburn]

Would these be an appropriate list of the themes of Paridon?

1. Fear of the Unknown. (Are there Doppelgangers? What is in the sewers? When, where and who will Bloody Jack strike next?)

2. Isolation While Surrounded. (Low class in a high class area. Not sure if the people around you are who they say they are. Dark city streets that can be just as dangerous as the most wild and unexplored forest.)

3. What Lies Beneath. (Beneath the street, behind the face of the person next to you , Between the way things are presented and what actually happens.)

[Undead Cabbage]

Here's a thought,

Why not cap the number of Marikiths the Queen can control at any one time? This adds to her paranoia, as she knows that any Marikiths out there that are not under her control will want to come and replace her.

Likewise, Tobias has submitted a Dread possibility that would make this very interesting...

This way, there's something stopping the Marikiths from just sweeping through Paridon.

[Tobias Blackburn]

I think we can explain away the "Sodo can't close the border to Timor" down to something the Dark Powers did in order to complicate the last Bloody Jack cycle and possibly wrest the Knife from Sodo.

At all other times, the only reason Sodo would close the border is if he believed that the Marikith were rising up enmass. It's more important to make sure there is a steady supply of food than it is to lose a few beggars into the darkness each night. If Sodo got his hands on some of the old Timorian records ( ) he'd realize that letting the people get scared and isolate themselves will ensure his downfall (as it did to Hemlest's crew in Timor). Now Sodo has to keep the city working and calm their fears of things that go bump in the night, all while fighting his secret war against the Marikith and watching his own back.

[Tobias Blackburn]

Here's a thought,

Why not cap the number of Marikiths the Queen can control at any one time? This adds to her paranoia, as she knows that any Marikiths out there that are not under her control will want to come and replace her.

Likewise, Tobias has submitted a Dread possibility that would make this very interesting...

This way, there's something stopping the Marikiths from just sweeping through Paridon.

Old Timor said that there were approximately 175 marikith at any given time. I'd say that the Queen is likely to be able to control more (giving her a buffer zone should she need more troops).