Café de Nuit

So, I know we're all waiting to see what, if anything, WOTC is going to do with the Ravenloft license now that they've got it back, but even though that prevents us from getting started on fan-made Gaz's just yet, I thought I'd post this idea of mine before I forget it.

The intro for each Gaz mentions how adventurers could possibly intercept a Gazetteer on its way back to Azalin, so what if the future Gaz's (the ones made by us fans) were all...intercepted? Calling them the Waylaid Gazetteers or the Lost Gazetteers would differentiate them from the 'official' ones that S&S put out. Also, it keeps us from having to worry about what Azalin's grand scheme was supposed to be (unless we want to).

For that matter, since they've been intercepted by...someone...they could have marginal notations by someone other than Azalin - maybe someone with plans of their own for the Gazetteers? Could be pretty much any mastermind RL villain - Strahd, or perhaps the GC decided he was even more interested than he let on? Heck, I'd personally like to see an unusual match-up of villains - perhaps the Brain (with a vested interest in books about places that he could never physically experience) has to match wits with Azalin? Since, of course, Azalin would want his stolen books back...

Obviously, you could easily spin out a whole new meta-plot for the books in short order. Anyway, one of the things about the Ravenloft books I've always loved is the parallels between the books in the real world and the in-game versions of the books, so having the ones that S&S will never get to us also never get to Azalin struck me as a neat idea. Assuming, of course, that these hypothetical fan-made Gazetteers ever come to be.

What do you all think?

I like your idea Matthias. It seems better to me than just taking on the Gazs.

On the Other hand: Azalin seems to ponder whether to change S for someone else or not in Gaz V as he seems displeased with her. Also he may decide that she has guessed too much and that the GC, Hyskosa's tribe etc know her very well by now so he may have decided to kill her.
So the new Gaz's could be from another scholar.

This may be far out there but I'd like to see them intercepted by the illithid. It's in their blood to plot and mastermind epic, world-shattering events. They would naturally be interested in Azalin's plans and would seek to turn them to their advantage. Besides the alien perspective would be interesting,.. and unsettling.

Pretty hard to read their marginal notes, though, if they use those weird five-horizontal-bar writings of theirs.... :-/

Better yet, how about if we *don't know* who's intercepted the books, but have to guess from the notes they make, bit by bit? That'd recapitulate our previous, gradual discovery of who S is, with the added element that we won't know for sure if it's an established Ravenloft character, or a new player in the great game of powerplay in the Land of Mists!

The book-thief might also be someone who honestly doesn't realize what it is they've gotten their hands on, and only writes margin-notes to scoff at S's ridiculous allegations! I can just picture some Lamordian toff who'd gotten ahold of the books by sheer accident, and doesn't believe a word of S's accounts of "supernatural hokum", scribbling his own explanations for the events she's reporting ... explanations, which can give DMs ideas for "red herrings" to toss into their adventures.

Good idea. Or we have the GC poring through S's notes. These notes too could be stolen.

Joël