Café de Nuit

Doing some story notes for one of those inevitably not-going-to-get-off-the-ground "If I ever get around to running a campaign" kind of projects, and realized I couldn't find this anywhere in the 3rd Edition literature...if someone could help me out, I'd be much obliged.

Anyways, apart from being a tremendous jerkwad (and the whole lycanthropy thing), what exactly was the Renier patriarch's curse before Jackie offed him?

Not likely to have been detailed. Claude himself hasn't gotten much more detail than you can find in his Gaz III sidebar. He appears in the Tales of Ravenloft story, Nocturne, but not too actively. His major character trait appears to be "domineering jerk." I'm not going to check the other sources that the Kargatane Catalogue reveals, but here they are if you are interested.

Secrets of the Dread Realms - pp47-49
Domains of Dread - pp47-48
Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Domains and Denizens - p81
Tales of Ravenloft:Nocturne - pp100-110
Realm of Terror - p111, p125

I don't expect you'll find it. You've got free rein (free Renier?) to make it up.

Thanks! As far as "messing with canon" goes, I'm pretty much gutting Richemulot and stapling it back together, so a little extra creative license never hurt anybody.

I like to think that his curse was, "Getting gutted by the one relative he actually kind of liked.", but I'm sentimental like that.

For my money: "To betrayed by those he loves (or at least likes)."

I'd give him the curse of being hated by his family. He loves his brood immensely and wants to give them the world, and dotes on his children and granchildren. But his actions are always seen as manipulative or controlling and they hate him.

Ooh, sweet--definitely running with the "hated/betrayed by his family" theme. It's a nice counterpoint to Jackie's particular "needs to be around her family (or someone) at all times" neurosis.

That'd be fun.

"Oh snap, Grandpa's back for his horrible revenge!"

"No, Jackie, I just want to warn you about the-"

"Cuuurrrseee you pop-pop! I'm falling to my death! My agonizing death!"

"...trick stairs..."

It's interesting, but doesn't it contradict what we already know about Claude? LotB claims that his relatives hated him because he was a manipulating SOB who played them all against each other, stringing them along and playing head games and whatnot.

Call me conservative, but I prefer to play within canon as much as possible.

DeepShadow of FoS wrote:It's interesting, but doesn't it contradict what we already know about Claude? LotB claims that his relatives hated him because he was a manipulating SOB who played them all against each other, stringing them along and playing head games and whatnot.

But they would say that, wouldn't they?

I am actually not super-fond of this idea for a curse, but it certainly could work in concert with his family's (and history's) perception being that he was a manipulative son-of-a-gun to the fam.

cure wrote:For my money: "To betrayed by those he loves (or at least likes)."

I don't know if it matters, but that falls fairly close to the curse laid out for Camille Boritsi in Gaz III -- to be betrayed by every man who gains her trust.

DeepShadow of FoS wrote:It's interesting, but doesn't it contradict what we already know about Claude? LotB claims....

Ah, I'd forgotten LotB as a source for Claude. Never made it into the catalogue. Maybe someday...<foreshadowing....>

How about being unable to identify plots and scemes from family members until they near compleation. If he is aware of his curse it would encourage him to manipulate he family to a staggering degree, after all they can't go after him if they are chasing their own tails. it would also introduce a level of extreame paranoia in his dealing with anyone as they could be a threat he was unaware of from his family.

I don't recall what LoB did to Claude, but I always imagined (and this is perhaps not supported by canon) that he was genuinely fond of his grand daugther Jacqueline, and this proved to be his undoing.

There's very little in LotB about him. Only that he sent Jaqueline, trusting her, to lead a party to eliminate the Renier in Darkon but instead she choose to let them live and shield them from Claude to use them for her own purpose.