Café de Nuit

DocBeard wrote:But, I digress! Back to transposession;

Ah but it was a very interesting thoughtful digression. Keep'em coming

Ideas:

- Easan learns of The Apparatus, is the benefactor of the PCs who are on a quest to obtain the blueprints for Easan. But will Easan use the Apparatus to split himself from the demon, or will he first test it by merging demons into other people (what *did* happen to those two demons from Chilling Tales?) and then re-seperating the two individuals?

- Easan and his demon split, but who ends up being the greater threat? Demon unleashed being more threatening than demon bound, or demihuman proving that no demon could ever be as horrible as a mortal for no demon knows the secret depravities of life so well as those who live as we do...

- Whats-his-face (Malistroi?) from "Circle of Darkness" decides to challenge for rulership of Vechor after his failed attempt at ruling G'Henna.

- If one elf's spirit is insufficient to overpower the demon, what if one had *two* elf/demihuman spirits within oneself? Current experiment dealing with Rank 3/4 ghost with ability to possess, but is permanently bound to a particular individual. This makes an individual with two demihuman spirits bound within; is there a noticeable increase in spiritual/moral strength, sufficient to throw off corruptions from an outside source? Can demihumanity really work together under such horrible circumstances? Could Easan be freed by grafting another elf's spirit onto his own, giving him an upperhand against the demon?

- Ethereal warping of entire area by Legion, elf with numerous elf spirits grafted together

- More clockwork horrors, like whats-name from RLMCII, studying the notion of demihuman soul without the distractions of the flesh; without the biological precursors of emotional outbursts, is the soul more prepared to rally against invaders? Or, alternately, after transferring a soul to a mechanical body, how long can the organic body survive and thus, could Easan split his own soul into a mechanical body and leave the demon to his own fleshly body, defeating it there?

- Or, is the body an aid in repelling spiritual corruption, if the body is sound? What kind of experiments may be done to unwilling participants, in mutations, grafts, golem-parts, etc to alter the body-mind-spirit harmony and thus improve the spirit by altering the body?

- Slave trade in kidnapped elves from Nevuchar Springs hauled off to Vechor for lab experiments?

- Slave trade in kidnapped elves from Nevuchar Springs hauled off to Vechor for lab experiments?

There's an interesting thought. What if our old buddy Mulgar was behind it, as part of a plan to secure more resources for the dwarven colonization of the Arak coast?

"Well, my Lord Azalin, if we had the resources to /really/ defend our eastern coast, we could certainly show those meddling Velchorite pirates what for! As it is, we can barely try and trace the route the vile kidnappers use..."

Here's another thought: Vechor's northern border just kinda... vanishes into the mists. Was there anything cannon on what happened if you went in there? I know it's a metaphor and all that but it really just seems like the Dark Powers are getting sloppy. How about we at least suggest what might happen to hapless adventurers that blunder over that way. Maybe there's a mistway to the Nightmare Lands. Or Bluetspur. Or the Shadow Rift. Or a thousand different mist oubliettes, Lemont Juste's stage, or maybe it just dumps you into the Call of Cthulhu campaign setting and you have to redo all your character sheets. Something like that.

I figure the closer you get to the misty border, the more insane and surreal it gets. All the cities, in an attempt to force law onto an inherently nonsensical environment, implement crazier and crazier laws that any person with common sense could see are completely crazy. (Easan in Wonderland? )

Some inspirational films for Vechor:

Saw (and its sequels), Equilibrium, Minority Report, Cube, etc. Basically films that center around dystopian societies going to absurd lengths for the greater good, like the serum that deprived emotions or the judicial system that put people away for crimes they "would have" committed. Of course, there's also many examples from real life, like the "science" of determining someone's intelligence and character from the bumps in their heads (phrenology) and determining their career based off that (actually a suggestion of Plato), or enforced sterilization for "unproductive" members of society. For a less grey societal policy, "unproductive" members might be hauled off to prison as an example to others.

The Saw and Cube represents the kind of experiments Easan might perform; placing people in extreme situations to see what happens, how far he can push people before they crack. He might give someone the ability to read thoughts to see if he turns on his friends, or tells them to electrocute living people "for an experiment." He's not forcing anyone to, say, push the button and torture a stranger. For more horrific experiments, he really does put people in death traps that require extreme means to get out of - like gouging out your own eye to get the key or killing another person.

I think Easan should be involved with his nearby cities - after all, he needs a lot of lab assistants (and I actually mean assistants, not "assistants"). There are probably great learning opportunities at Easan's lab. PCs could talk to these junior scientists and magicians if they don't want to deal with Easan.

Also, although a lot of Darklords seem inaccessible to PCs due to their bad habit of turning nasty, the scientist types are always good for "deals with the devil". Infected with lycanthropy? Easan can fix that! But could you help him with a small experiment, first? Missing a limb? He'll make you a new one! He's always wanted to examine the effect of replacement limbs on the mind and soul; would organic transplants affect it more than mechanical? What if they work without major problems? Does that justify all the terrible experiments he did to get to that point?

I always considered Easan to be based on Abdul Alhazred, with a bit of Neero's (spelling?) insane rule. What was that movie that had to deal with him? Anyway, what if he wrote a book, like my bases for him did, and that book drove the reader insane. This has probably been down already, but I'd thought I'd say so.

Hello peoples, you may notice that I'm new here...

Welcome to our vile nest of Powers-accursed vipers, Georg!

One "e" in Nero.

Isabella wrote: And the people don't want to change. It comes down to the question of sacrificing one person so that everyone else will be happy.

Quick addendum to this now that I've thought about it - most people don't want change. To reflect the chaos in Easan's mind, all of his cities are probably teetering on the edge of total rebellion. The system is fantastic until some crisis hits - it doesn't matter if that crisis couldn't possibly have been prevented or handled better - and then it starts riots in the streets, mad bombers, or even total revolution. But it doesn't matter who wins, the government or the rebels, since whatever new (and likely just as oppressive and terrible) system is put in place is just as likely to fall apart. Easan either leaves his cities to their own devices because he's curious to see what happens or steps in and implements whatever new system he's favoring at the moment. So, Vechor's cities are either the nicest place in Ravenloft (if you ignore the enforced sterilization or preemptive imprisonment that happens to other people), or a civil war zone.
The outskirts of Vechor, as I mentioned before, are probably a Wild West type zone where the strong rule, but the law (maybe not even Darkon's Kargat) can touch anyone there.

As a further thought on Easan's professional curiosity toward other Darklords, here's a DP:
Easan's been around enough to realize that certain individuals have a heavier impact on the land of mists. When fancy strikes him, Easan has taken a liking to learning about other lands through books or travelers. Core politics has occasionally peaked Easan's curiosity, at least enough that mention of certain people catches his attention. Like many of his plans, Easan forgot about them and they fell by the wayside, but a single right word at the right time could suddenly convince him that he's interested in examining and experimenting on the region's political leaders. He has dozens of hastily scrawled experiments scattered about his lab for that sole purpose, and dozens of eager lab assistants willing to make the trip for him.

One more inspiration for Vechor, from video games this time: Portal.

Because really. Why wouldn't all of Easan's inventions and equipment be needlessly sentient, haphazardly designed, and more than a little twisted?

Portal is too silly as it stands, but wouldn't it be creepier if the turrets were begging the PCs to help them instead of what they normally said?

See, for me, Portal's silly side adds to the horror. The smiling, user-friendly, oh-so-chipper computer pals that kill you with a and consider it all in a good day's work.

The whole, 'Help us, heeelllppp uuusss!' might be good for farther /down/ in Easan's labryanth, but a friendly veneer makes that 'oh /snap/' moment that much more powerful.

YMMV, I'm willing to bet that some GMs would find the portal turrets a bit to silly as is. But yeah, I figure, just like the rest of Vechor, Easan's labs are clean, happy, and utopian, getting worse as you go further in, until you hit the big rotten center of it all.

How about some kudzu from Rokushima Taiyoo being imported, and Easan found it. It escaped from his lab, and is now on the rampage. (remeber the 80's Godzilla cartoon show? Good. Now, remember the sea weed monster?)

I also think that vechor deserves the "skeins of life" moreso than Darkon.

Vechor is a really tough domain to get a handle on. The way it's written there's practically no way to run a campaign in it. It just kind of sits there off to the side of the Core, daring you to look at it so it can pounce on you and smother you in its chaotic miasma.

I mean, how does anyone really live in this place? How can you grow crops if the weather changes from a blizzard to a drought from one week to the next? How can you build a home one day, then have the entire neighborhood moved to the other side of town the next? It's these types of mechanics that I hope the Fraternity will iron out in its Nocturnal Sea Gazetteer.

All that being said, I do have a few ideas to try and make Vechor a possible destination for travelers and make it interact with the other domains of the Core.

The Morpheus Cult - because of the ever changing nature of the domain, Morpheus (one of the darklords of the Nightmare Lands) has taken a special interest in it. He found that the sleeper's dreams are filled with such fantastic scenarios, that he "borrows" some of the nightmarish aspects to use on his victims. His presence has not gone unnoticed to the dreamers, however. Many people recognize this wispy figure cropping up repeatedly in their dreams, and they have started a cult around him. He is not viewed as a savior, but more as a patron saint. They clearly recognize his mastery over change and metamorphosis, rating his power to be almost equal to their lord Easan. They tend to pray for changes that will positively impact their lives and the surrounding environment, mistakenly believing that their faith will have a collective impact on the shifting landscape. Some have even taken to making a pilgrimage to the Nightmare Lands. Whether they come back sane, or even at all, is a mystery.

Change Blades - a little known smithcraft that has its origin in this unique domain. Using the metals mined from the ground, blacksmiths here can create special weapons that have a variety of unique characteristics. Some swords can change their metallic composition - a steel blade may morph into gold, or iron, or maybe even obsidian and bone. Others can change their hardness and sharpness, leading to anything between -4 to +4 attack bonuses or penalties. Still others gain special efficacy against certain creatures - such as vampires, werewolves, ghosts or the ancient dead. The timing of these effects are unknown, however, as the weapons may have a natural cycle they run through. Only through experience can these effects be used to the wielder's benefit.

Strange Skies - the sky over Vechor do not appear as they do around the rest of the Core. Sometimes the stars shine as bright in the day as they are at night. Sometimes the sun rises red and sets yellow. Strangely colored glowing shapes are seen at night, ranging from geometrical patterns (circles, triangles, cubes, etc.) to animalistic forms (such as birds, lizards, or fish). On some rare occasions, fireworks have been known to go off for extended periods of time, creating giant cracks and rolling booms all day, and lighting up the sky all night.

Blood Diamonds - Vechor also has a booming business in precious gems. There is extensive cave systems and mining excavations that have found rubies, emeralds, sapphires and diamonds. These operations are extremely dangerous, however, because of the shifting terrain. Some caves have suddenly sprouted teeth and swallowed miners whole. Other shafts disappear and then reappear hundreds of feet away. The openings to some tunnels seal themselves suddenly, trapping those working within. Because of this situation, many owners have taken to using slaves to tend their shafts.

An interesting development in this business, is the arrival of the Boritsi Trading Company. The Boritsi have sent several emissaries to the domain to try and set up their own mining operations there, but every person they have sent has gone mad. Some simply disappear, others return catatonic. One such unfortunate fellow suffered from delusions of grandeur and set himself up as "The King of the Earth" and worked all his employees to death. As a result of all this mishaps, the Boritsis have taken to using this post as a way to get rid of troublemakers in their organization.

For people wishing to use Easan in their campaigns: Easan probably sends various things into the Core as parts of his social experiments (Death Note, anyone?), then usually forgets about them. People who confront Easan for his misdeeds in sending the items will be thanked and rewarded for telling him how the experiment went.

Interesting Tangent: I don't know if Easan has been updated to 3.5, but his stats in Secrets of the Dread Realms don't make him invincible. He may not take any normal damage, but he can still be poisoned; even though he can't take ability damage, he still dies when his Constitution hits zero.
I just recall always believing him invulnerable so I thought it was interesting.

Edit: Sorry, ability drain, my D&D terms are fuzzy. Easan takes ability damage instead but still can die from it.

Easan is one of those darklords whom you can't reasonably expect to kill, but you might be able to incapacitate for the long term. Knocking him unconscious isn't necessarily a good idea, given the nature of Vechor -- who knows what kinds of nightmares he might have, while comatose, and how those might affect the landscape? -- but locking the guy in temporal stasis or turning him to stone might be feasible.