Café de Nuit

... The Calamities foretold in prophecy had all come true. And it was even worse than anyone had imagined. And the disasters I'd faced, along with the account of poor Gagné's latest tribulations, had landed me in the "care" of the Dr. Heinfroth's asylum. In my fever dreams there, I'd caught a glimpse of girl with a promising future, knowing full well she'd meet a terrible end... a painter, whose past caught up to him... a band of heroes protecting their land, betrayed by their liege lord himself. Their personal calamities amplified my own, until the burden .... broke something... within me. I peered deeper, deeper than thought, deeper than dream, deeper than a mind was meant to go... past these lands, past the mists, past reality itself, to other worlds. Some very like ours, some quite different. There was Darkon, but not Darkon, Sithicus but not Sithicus, and Arlington... now Harrington. These glimpses showed me that there was more than a world of suffering. That surely if there were other versions of our world, there might be a version that was better, that was healed. My catatonia lifted, I had renewed purpose. First, to escape this so-called hospital, and then to escape... this so-called world. It was time to visit the lands that could have been. Meet the people that lived a different path. To learn What Might Have Been...

The Fraternity of Shadows is now accepting submissions for the 28th installment of Quoth the Raven, the annual Ravenloft netbook that endures even in the darkest of times. The theme for the 2021 issue will be What Might Have Been.

False History, Alternate Reality, Parallel Worlds, Variant Domains, Reimagined Characters. Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft has given us a new take on our beloved demiplane, but it's not the first such take. Since Ravenloft began, we have twisted its lands, stories, and people to our own purposes, for what works best in our own games. And Quoth the Raven and other netbooks have been a home for these variant spins on the canon. Let your imagination run wild, free of the bounds of what has come before. Give is us stories set in the old continuity with The Core and S and Victor Mordenheim, or the new one with Saidra d'Honaire and Chakuna and the land of Klorr, or your own version that blends the two, or re-reimagines either or both of them. Nothing is set in stone. Ravenloft is what you make it.

As always, we are looking for anything related to Ravenloft, Masque of the Red Death, or horror in general. The theme is deliberately open ended, but still a suggestion, not a restriction. If you have something great that doesn't fit in with the theme, send it in anyway!

Ruleset doesn't matter! We accept articles using any edition of D&D rules, or even other systems. Some of the best articles don't have any rules text at all! And if you're interested in having your rules converted to another system, let us know. There are lots of volunteers eager to help.

See our submission guidelines for official rules.

Submit your articles to QTR@fraternityofshadows.com. The deadline is September 30th, 2021, but feel free to send your articles in early, especially if you're looking for feedback.

And remember, anything is possible, even the thing you fear most....

I've been involved in at least three different alternate takes on this board. I will take it upon myself now to gather them up and refine them for publishing in this issue of QTR.

Manofevil wrote:I've been involved in at least three different alternate takes on this board. I will take it upon myself now to gather them up and refine them for publishing in this issue of QTR.

Thought you might.

I have three retelling of classical domains ready to be submitted with the usual modifications (Borca, Lamordia and Dementlieu) and a fourth one (Invidia) on the table.

Now that the announcement has been posted, I have a question that doesn't seem to be answered anywhere else. Obviously it's ok to use WotC-property characters as this goes on all the time. But where is the line drawn? If I were, say, going to submit a redone narrative for Feast of Goblyns (clearly not a redone module) since that's what I'm running atm, could I just...... do that? Or is that stepping on too many toes?

Precise details regarding what to worry about would be appreciated.

— onmyoji

onmyoji wrote:Now that the announcement has been posted, I have a question that doesn't seem to be answered anywhere else. Obviously it's ok to use WotC-property characters as this goes on all the time. But where is the line drawn? If I were, say, going to submit a redone narrative for Feast of Goblyns (clearly not a redone module) since that's what I'm running atm, could I just...... do that? Or is that stepping on too many toes?

Precise details regarding what to worry about would be appreciated.

As long as you're not cut and pasting text from (non-OGL) published works, you're good. What you describe is fine.

Gonzoron of the FoS wrote:As long as you're not cut and pasting text from (non-OGL) published works, you're good. What you describe is fine.

I'm still uncertain what sort of form it might take, but I was absolutely not intending in any way to copy-paste anything from FoG. Thanks!

— onmyoji

Firstly, I'm working on a project to provide lore and 5th edition mechanics for a number of new PC races for Ravenloft campaigns; is that appropriate to submit to this QtR in general?

Secondly, is it okay if that project provides races built with the Natural Inclinations system from the Chronicles of Aeres setting (at character creation, you get +2 in one of three ability scores based on your race, and a +1 ability score bonus you can put wherever you like, so long as it's not in the same as the one you put +2 in)?

Finally, this might be too ambitious, but would it be permissible to do an article discussing incorporating the subclasses from the Grim Hollow Player's Guide into Ravenloft settings, in the vein of similar articles based on the early 3.0 classbooks from the earliest issues of QTR?

Hell_Born wrote:Firstly, I'm working on a project to provide lore and 5th edition mechanics for a number of new PC races for Ravenloft campaigns; is that appropriate to submit to this QtR in general?

Always.

Secondly, is it okay if that project provides races built with the Natural Inclinations system from the Chronicles of Aeres setting (at character creation, you get +2 in one of three ability scores based on your race, and a +1 ability score bonus you can put wherever you like, so long as it's not in the same as the one you put +2 in)?

Sure. Whatever rules you want to use are fine.

Finally, this might be too ambitious, but would it be permissible to do an article discussing incorporating the subclasses from the Grim Hollow Player's Guide into Ravenloft settings, in the vein of similar articles based on the early 3.0 classbooks from the earliest issues of QTR?

Sure.


Generally speaking, two questions to ask yourself about whether a QtR submission are:

1) Is it potentially useful or interesting for Ravenloft Players and/or DMs?
2) Is it your own work and not a cut and paste of copyrighted material?

If the answer is yes to both, barring anything egregiously offensive, you should be good to go.

First article, the one on Invidia submitted.

Gonzoron of the FoS wrote:

onmyoji wrote:Now that the announcement has been posted, I have a question that doesn't seem to be answered anywhere else. Obviously it's ok to use WotC-property characters as this goes on all the time. But where is the line drawn? If I were, say, going to submit a redone narrative for Feast of Goblyns (clearly not a redone module) since that's what I'm running atm, could I just...... do that? Or is that stepping on too many toes?

Precise details regarding what to worry about would be appreciated.

As long as you're not cut and pasting text from (non-OGL) published works, you're good. What you describe is fine.

Didn't WotC give out some Ravenloft adventures for free?
Also, I think we are within our rights to post 5e versions of past adventures. I have seen it done in DMGuild

The Qtr 28 list of articles so far:

Let me know if I missed something!

Authors : let me know if you wish to be named differently than how it is written after the title of the article. Also, let me know if you do not want your email published in the book.

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The Grand Estate Cluster (new domains) By: HyperionSol )

Hands Stained With Shadow (subclasses) By : Jonathon Crawford

The Spawn of the Lizard (The Basilisk and the humanoid coalition of Falkovnia) By Michail “Mephisto” Adamis

The Conch Shell of Sorrows (more dread FoS NPCs) By Michail “Mephisto” Adamis

Invidia: The Land of Conflicts and Demagogy (domain rewrite) by Tomasso “Mistmaster” Mazzoni

Olerick’s Colloquial Guides Presents… (Sacred Sites and Legendary Landmarks:
Part Four in the Traveling Cloakman Series) by Jeremy Roby

Plus :

A fun cartoon by Mark « Rock » Bartels

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About a month more to contribute!

@Gonzoron it might not fit in a QtR, but I’m hoping the two vanity projects you have of mine can find a home here soon as well!

Wow! new Olerick’s Colloquial Guide article, can't wait to read that one. My Conch shell of Sorrows article was inspired by one of Jeremy's guides.

I'd very much prefer my e-mail address NOT be published.