African Core

[alhoon]

For the colonial domain, I was actually thinking... no other domain. The Colonists are cut off from their Motherland through the treacherous actions of the darklord or something. No more support in case of rebellion, no taxes.
But it's your choice.

If you want to make a motherland domain that will be able to send support... I suggest you put it elsewhere, not in the "Africa Cluster". A populous domain somewhere in the mists that gets a 3-4 lines of mention or something and a note that "they get 30% of the colony's products, governors have 5 year mandates that can be renewed and in case of trouble they can send 300-400 soldiers within 3 weeks". No need to define the mother nation better IMO. We can get their culture from the Colonists.

[vyshan]

I have some ideas on what the colonial domain will be like, but I am right now working on a few other domains, most notably wrapping up Wolyata and figure out what the darklord should be cursed with, as well as writing up the Tamaan states(which I am basing off of the Swahili city states)

[The Lesser Evil]

I agree that any "homeland" of the colonists should be removed from the Africa cluster. Perhaps with some work a version of Ryan Naylor's Holy Empire could be used: http://fraternityofshadows.com/wiki/Holy_Empire

Another thing to consider with the colonial presence is how long they've been in the cluster, and how has that impacted the development of the native Ezra church which was supposed to have developed on its own without regard to outside factors like the Great Schism, etc.

[vyshan]

I agree that any "homeland" of the colonists should be removed from the Africa cluster. Perhaps with some work a version of Ryan Naylor's Holy Empire could be used: http://fraternityofshadows.com/wiki/Holy_Empire

Another thing to consider with the colonial presence is how long they've been in the cluster, and how has that impacted the development of the native Ezra church which was supposed to have developed on its own without regard to outside factors like the Great Schism, etc.

That is a great idea to use the holy empire. so thanks

Though speaking of religion, that does make me wonder. what religions should exist in this cluster?

I have the native church of Ezra, and I do plan to do something with the Orishias or a similar sort of faith for some areas.

However, what I am wondering is what sort of faith might be the equivlent of Islam, as both west africa kingdoms and empires like Mali and Songhai were muslim as were the city states of the swahilli coast. I have thought maybe basing it off of Sarenrae's faith from Pathfinder, as she is my favorite deity from that setting, but I am not sure. So I am open to ideas.

[The Lesser Evil]

Sarenrae could be fun, especially if you pull some Ravenloft shenanigans with the http://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Cult_of_the_Dawnflower and http://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Dawnflower_dissident Definitely plenty of potential for hypocrisy/intrigue built into the campaign setting lore, so multiply that by x100 in Ravenlot.


As for Ravenloft's "native" religions, my best guess would a Lawful Good/Lawful Neutral strain of the Lawgiver worship that ran along the lines of the http://fraternityofshadows.com/wiki/The_Duremkites (the man behind Duremkite heresy is talked more about in the Book of Secrets p.112-114)

Lose the tyranny schtick and focus on submission to the Higher Power (which is the Lawgiver) and obeying the sacred rules as ways of keeping society pure and just. A ruler has the obligation to serve his people as the people have an obligation to serve him.

In QTR 21, there's also a remodeling of Pharazia into less of an isolated realm ruled by thugs and a more developed, expansionist, multiethnic empire (though with plenty of strife and inequity, as per usual with Ravenloft domains.) It's more Middle Eastern than African, but it might have some version of the Lawgiver that could be of inspiration too.

[ewancummins]

What about some sort of African inspired civilization colonizing or conquering a Medieval European inspired country?

It's a tangent, I know, but it could be fun.

If you are including North Africa, what I'm describing certainly has historical precedent.

I ask because sometimes people use ''Africa'' without qualifiers as meaning the Sub-Saharan geographical realm and sometimes they mean the whole continent.

But since Ravenloft isn't Earth, I see no reason not to branch out even further. Moors in Spain? Sure, but one could also have a Bantu type kingdom invading Nova Vaasa or something like that.

[ewancummins]

I originally wrote this up for a gaming thread in another forum. It was meant for a GURPS game with travel sideways in time, to alternate histories.



1898 A.D.

The timeline shows minor differences from Homeline’s late 19th Century historical records, but other tracks closely with what is known about that period. Homeline historians working on the history of European colonialism often come here to compare notes.

Quite by accident, two hungry interns from a research team working in Léopoldville, Congo Free State, stumbled across the best little restaurant in town. They loved the food so much they brought some back. But they declined sharing it with their dorm mates.

Word got around and less ethically correct people with very fine palates and deep pockets started making trips to Léopoldville on the Kongo timeline. There they dined and partied with adventurers, demimondaines, bohemians, big game hunters, and other colorful—if seedy—clients.

Schmidt’s doesn’t look like much from the outside; dingy clapboard in need of a white wash, half-naked jungle tribesmen lounging and smoking out front with prangas set across their knees. A bill posted by the entrance reads: Réservé aux Blancs. Inside, the visitor finds a classy, well-appointed eatery that would fit in just fine in Brussels if one ignores the shifty-eyed half-castes serving the tables. A faded daguerreotype over the bar depicting a much younger and slimmer version of the eponymous proprietor. M. Schmidt spends most of his time behind the closely-guarded kitchen doors, cooking up mouth-watering combinations of European and African dishes, with a selection of bush meat of all kinds.

All kinds.

Registered members of the club may dine in the private rooms and order from the special menu.

The owner maintains excellent connections with FP men and certain Congo Company officials.

Since Schmidt’s opened three years ago, disappearances among the local noirs have increased. Some people say the Force Publique took them away to work in the rubber forests.
Other people know better.


Infinity note: A corrupt White Star Trade agent knows what's on the full menu, but he's accepting bribes from Schmidt (who thinks the man is a Belgian official.)
The sadistic agent always takes a little gold to maintain the illusion of bureaucratic penury. But the real pay off is that Schmidt lets him "tenderize" the women and girls before they go into the pot.



One might be able to adapt some of this to a Ravenloft game.

[Manofevil]

Hokay. Whole buncha stuff here.

Posible Colonialist Darklords:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_of_Darkness http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurtz_(Heart_of_Darkness)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Rhodes

Possible tribal Darklords
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abubakar_Shekau
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Lubanga_Dyilo

Possible religion:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoruba_religion
Also you might be able to do something with this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santer%C3%ADa

Things to possibly build domains around:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_sold ... _the_Congo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chibok_sch ... kidnapping

[jules]

what sort of terror tracks w/could be used for the African core?

[vyshan]

good stuff there, Manofevil, though a number of it is modern, and Ravenloft does not really use modern locations.


Though I did come up with a curse for the darklord of the Malian sort of kingdom. Based on a few things I read about the Songhai emperor, particularly Askia Ishaq I, which the Tarikh al-Sudan stated "If he imagined anyone was making the least move against the throne, he would, without exception, have him killed or banished. This was his consistent practice."

So I thought that a curse that those whom become close to him, will grow to hate him and maybe plot against him, which invetiably means that the poor man/woman who gets close to him will die. His court offcials live in utter terror of him, for the emperor needs them to run his country, but if he thinks any are plotting against him, then they will surely die. this is frustrating to him for he desires companionship and trust, weather that comes from friends, family or lovers. His curse consistently interferes with it, because he is just that paranoid.

[Quinntonia]

Can I just say how amazing this thread is?

I especially love both the ideas of an Ethiopian Kingdom, with an Ezran monarch of some type, as well as an onmipresent Ezran Church as well as the idea of a "colonised" realm wherein the colonisers are cut off from wherever they came from but exist as a Renaissance level elite among a bronze or stone age level population.

Both ideas jump out at me as being something I could build a huge campaign around.

[alhoon]

I would say not stone age please... Bronze or better Iron age. So they have some big towns and weapons of some quality to be of threat.

[vyshan]

I would say not stone age please... Bronze or better Iron age. So they have some big towns and weapons of some quality to be of threat.

Nah, I don't plan to do any stone age domains. The bronze, iron and classical age is probaly what I would use for the natives of the natives in the colonial land.

I am wondering how many would be interested in reading a gazetter on these domains, as well as providing feed-back?

[alhoon]

I would say not stone age please... Bronze or better Iron age. So they have some big towns and weapons of some quality to be of threat.

Nah, I don't plan to do any stone age domains. The bronze, iron and classical age is probaly what I would use for the natives of the natives in the colonial land.

I am wondering how many would be interested in reading a gazetter on these domains, as well as providing feed-back?

I would love to provide feedback.
Reading a gazetteer... I'm afraid that would be too large for my time
I would love to read 3-4 pages on each domain's culture so I can run it with some believability, and I would love a "suggestions for the DM on African themed adventures" of a few pages. But 120 pages? That would require many hours for me.
To be clear: I'm not against a Gazetteer, I'm all for it. There are people that can take the time to appreciate it and there's a lot of stuff that can be explained there.
But personally, I'm looking for something quick to read and implement (while I wait for the Gaz ).

I have no idea of what happened in Sub-Saharan Africa before ... the internet I'm ashamed to say. Yes, I know Europeans went there and conquered parts of it, and then colonialism ended and that the African nations were fighting poverty and disease and there were missionary missions there before the internet. And that's the total sum of what I know about Sub-Saharan Africa pre 90s. Oh, and that English lost a war to Zulu and Italians conquered Ethiopia before WW2.
Swahili city states? That's news to me. Sounds interesting. I have no idea what they were like or where they were. I'm tempted to use Wikipedia, but I don't even know where to start.

[Jester of the FoS]

Check out this map:
https://developmentdaily.files.wordpres ... n-1260.jpg

From this presentation:
http://www.cyon.se/#!alkebu-lan/ck0q