Café de Nuit

Having previously looked at and suggested revisions for Tepest in my last thread, I thought I'd move on to the next Domain on my list - Forlorn.

Whilst I appreciate that there exists a whole boxed set dedicated to this Domain (Castles Forlorn), which I did own at one point, the depiction of this realm just didn't do it for me.

Now, I'm not denigrating the work put in by Lisa Smedman on this product and rate her Ravenloft scenario Sea Wolf quite highly, it's just that it doesn't feel right.

I like the idea of a Domain influenced by Scottish myth and legend, so will be keeping the Scottish flavour and the landscape, just revising everything else.

So, if we jettison Tristen apBlanc - vampyre by day, ghost by night - who do we replace him with? The answer lies in a historical personality with a lot of myths and legends surrounding him, namely William de Soulis. The text below has been cribbed from various sources and reassembled into a readable whole.

William de Soulis was a huge and physically powerful man, and when he became Lord of Hermitage in 1318 he rapidly demonstrated a deep vein of cruelty that quickly had him loathed by all who came into contact with him. Stories began to circulate that he practiced the Black Arts, kidnapping local children and using their blood in dark rituals at Hermitage Castle. During these rituals, de Soulis would summon up his familiar, Robin Redcap, using the blood of the abducted children.

A redcap, also known as a powrie or dunter, is a type of evil goblin, typically found in British folklore in ruined castles along the border between England and Scotland. Once summoned they roam the area, killing travellers and residents in order to keep fresh the bloodstains on the redcap's hat: because if these stains dry, the redcap dies. Redcaps are very quick, despite their metal-bound boots and the heavy pike they carry, and the only way to escape one is to quote a passage from the Bible at it, whereupon it loses a tooth.

Robin Redcap was especially feared, and after being summoned by de Soulis committed many evil deeds in the lands around Hermitage. Robin Redcap promised William de Soulis that he would not be harmed by forged steel or ever be bound by rope. With such a reassuring guarantee of safety, de Soulis had no qualms about dealing with his tenantry as he pleased.

One day in 1320 he kidnapped a young Armstrong woman and tried to return with her to Hermitage Castle. When her father tried to stop him, de Soulis killed him on the spot. However, by now a crowd had gathered, and de Soulis was on the verge of being lynched when Alexander Armstrong, the Laird of Mangerton, intervened, calming the crowd and advising de Soulis to return to Hermitage without his captive. De Soulis was far from grateful, instead developing a hatred for someone who, as his social inferior, had demonstrated the power to influence the crowd and save de Soulis's life. De Soulis therefore invited Alexander Armstrong to a banquet at Hermitage, and when he arrived, stabbed him in the back.

The local peasants appealed to the King Robert the Bruce for help. It was rumored that the final straw came when the evil lord of the castle invited the Cout of Kielder and his party to a banquet at the castle. The entire group of dinner guests was treacherously massacred.

Finally, the king was so fed up with being bombarded with the daily pleas of the people that he was reported to have said, “Boil him if you must but let me hear of him no more.”

Taking this as a royal command, the people around Hermitage Castle did just that. First they consulted a wizard, Thomas of Ercildoune aka True Thomas. They wanted to know how to get round the unholy enchantment of Robin Redcap regarding immunity from injury by forged steel and ropes.

The good wizard put on his thinking cap and came up with a simple solution. A belt was made of lead, thus bypassing the mantra against forged steel. Then sand was poured into the belt, thus nullifying the defense against rope. With this special device, the peasants stormed the castle. De Soulis was bound in the rope of sand and taken to Nine Stane Rigg, an ancient megalithic circle of nine stones on top of a nearby hill, two miles north-east of the castle.

Thus ended the reign of terror with the perpetrator boiled in a brass cauldron of molten lead wrapped in a sheet of lead. His ghost and those of his victims still haunt Hermitage Castle. The screams which were part and parcel of his nefarious rituals can still be heard coming from inside the castle walls.
Sometimes the sounds of demoniacal laughter can also be heard coming from the deserted ruins at night. The pitiful souls of the children he used in his satanic practices are said to still wander around the castle with broken-hearted sobbing. His dark presence still shrouds the ambiance of the surroundings with an evil foreboding.

Once, every seven years, his ghost keeps a tryst with Robin Redcap at Hermitage Castle, according to the words of the ballad,

“And still when seven years are o’er,
Is heard the jarring sound,
When hollow opes the charmed door
Of chamber underground.”

Incidentally, Robin Redcap is said to be still lurking somewhere in the shadows of the castle grounds, waiting for lost travellers.

The final chapter of this reign of terror has a touch of ambiguity as is common with most tales associated with Hermitage Castle. About a quarter of a mile to the north-west of the castle there is a small mound next to the ruins of a chapel. This mound is said to be the grave of a giant of an Englishman, a Tynesdale baron called the Cout of Kielder.

This cout is said to have terrorized the area wearing magical chain-mail armor which was impervious to blows. He was finally killed by drowning in a deep pool of water in the river. This pool, which is very near to the grave, is known as the Drowning Pool. Whether he was the one and same man as the Cout of Kielder massacred by the de Soulis is open to conjecture.

Could have been designed specifically for Ravenloft, don't you think?

I heartily enjoyed your rework of Tepest and I feel like your revised Forlorn might end up being even better. See, I went to Scotland with the wife last August and absolutely fell in love with the culture, the legends, the Jacobite Rebellions, the music, the mythology, EVERYTHING. I've been devouring any kind of Scottish folklore I can get my hands on in the last ~7 months. I was doing a tentative rework of Nova Vaasa, accentuating the aughisky and other Scot-inspired equine fey, but Forlorn is obviously the better fit. Also, and by pure coincidence, the powrie (redcap) has always been my absolute favorite dark fey, so the fact that you are utilizing the Robin Redcap mythos in building your new Forlorn darklord has me tingling with anticipation.

When reading your recap of William de Soulis, particularly the part about him being boiled alive and the souls of the dead children sacrificed in rituals hopelessly milling around, I immediately got a Freddy Krueger vibe. Now, obviously Freddy became goofy over the years and the more recent films are almost a parody of himself, but the original Nightmare on Elm St. was actually pretty chilling and horrific. I can see some kind of vendetta killings, where William vows to exterminate all progeny of the original crew that bound him and burned him to death. Maybe a decent adventure hook to entice players into the domain would be for a grandson or granddaughter of that mob is being hunted in his/her dreams, and approaches the PCs to assist. To make it more impactful, this NPC could be someone the players already know and have a relationship with, and he/she only just recently discovered her heritage and that he/she is "up next" on William de Soulis' kill list.

Thanks VikingLegion.

When I was posting about Tepest, I did say that certain Celtic horrors deserved inclusion within the Land of Mists, I just felt Tepest wasn't the right place for them. That's because I had this is mind.

Interesting take on comparing de Soulis to Freddy Kreuger and whilst that's not quite what I have intended for him, I like the idea and think it may get used elsewhere.

So, having detailed the inspiration for the new Darklord of Forlorn, we need to adjust him slightly for Ravenloft...

Lord Guillame de Soulis was installed as the Lord of Armitage Castle in the country of Forlarn (sounds more Celtic - the surrounding Domains regularly mispronounce the name, hence the alternative spelling). Armitage Castle lies on the shores of Loch Ruadh (pronounced 'roy' and meaning 'red lake'). He was an Arcanist of evil bent and the majority of his tale follows the that of his inspiration.

Upon the point of his death, the Mists rose up, drawing a small portion of Forlarn, containing the two mountains, Armitage Castle, the nearby village of the same name, Loch Ruadh and the stone circle known as Nine Stane Rigg.

De Soulis is now a (8HD) Spectre, bound to Armitage Castle and unable to leave its environs. His bones, encased in lead, are mounted as a statue in the ruined fort's courtyard, where most visitors assume it is a macabre statue. De Soulis cannot be permanently destroyed as long as this statue (and his remains) still exists.

Robyn Redcap lurks within the keep, preying on those foolish enough to enter and ignores the ghostly de Soulis, as his pact was to serve de Soulis for as long as he lived. However, every seven years, de Soulis is returned to mortal form (as an 8th Lvl Arcanist, with the immunities he gained in life) on the aniversary of his death, at which point Robyn Redcap becomes his servant once more. This only last for 24 hours, for at sunset, the inhabitants of Forlorn acting under a compulsion they cannot resist or explain, find de Soulis and take him to Nine Stane Rigg to re-enact his death once more. De Soulis is convinced that a ritual exists that will restore his life permanently and desperately searches for this during his brief period as a mortal. What he is unaware of is that as long as anyone with Armitage blood remains alive, either in Forlorn or elsewhere on the Demiplane, the recurrence of his death is inevitable.

During his spectral existence, he is constantly tortured by the cries of his previous victims, whose ghostly remnants haunt the castle...

See, I would have found a way to re-tell Macbeth, but that's just the English major in me.

IrvyneWolfe wrote:See, I would have found a way to re-tell Macbeth, but that's just the English major in me.

I thought the same thing when I read the above. Also (not that you seemingly need it, but may find it interesting), there was a Dungeon Magazine adventure (#54 called Dark Thane Macbeth) written for 2nd edition that poses an interesting retelling of the story, FYI.

Carrion Crow wrote: However, every seven years, de Soulis is returned to mortal form (as an 8th Lvl Arcanist, with the immunities he gained in life) on the aniversary of his death, at which point Robyn Redcap becomes his servant once more. This only last for 24 hours, for at sunset, the inhabitants of Forlorn acting under a compulsion they cannot resist or explain, find de Soulis and take him to Nine Stane Rigg to re-enact his death once more. De Soulis is convinced that a ritual exists that will restore his life permanently and desperately searches for this during his brief period as a mortal. What he is unaware of is that as long as anyone with Armitage blood remains alive, either in Forlorn or elsewhere on the Demiplane, the recurrence of his death is inevitable.

I like it, but why every 7 years? Is there a lore reason to that or just an arbitrary number you're working with? It's your creation of course, but I'd change that to every year on the anniversary of his death. It's just 1 day out of 365 and it gives a sort of annual dark holiday to the domain, like Samhain (ok, so that's more Celtic than Scottish, but there's a lot of overlap in the Gaelic regions thanks to Viking "Gall Gaidel" cultural cross-pollination). If his active time is reduced by a factor of 7x I worry he becomes less a factor in the domain, only appearing a handful of times in any given citizen's lifetime. Also you have to handwave a bit when pulling PCs into Forlorn for an adventure, making sure - by amazing coincidence of course! - that they visit on that 7th year so they can participate, perhaps even necessitating a retcon in Forlorn's history to fix the math. By making it one night a year, every year, it adds a bit more identity to the domain. Just a suggestion of course, take it or leave it as you will.

**EDIT** Ah, nevermind, I see where the 7 years thing comes from - the ballad. Still, I'll maintain such a long interval between appearances makes de Soulis less of a prominent player.

**EDIT #2** Oh, one more point I meant to make. Guillame looks very similar to Guillaume, which is French for William. Was that intentional? It was a bit of a cultural disconnect for me when I first read it, I immediately starting thinking of Richemulot, Dementlieu, and the other French inspired domains. If you wanted to give a nod back to the roots of the original ruler, Drostan (anglicized into Tristan) might be appropriate. Again, just a suggestion, I'm not trying to be pushy, I just thought Guillame was a culture clash.

The seven years cycle was based on the original ballad, but it makes more sense to have him active each year. An intresting twist would be for the PCs to be hired by de Soulis to search ofr the spell/ritual, only to find him long dead when they return...it would certainly creep them out.

And I was over-thinking the name - de Soulis appears to be French, suggesting a family of Norman stock, etc, etc. However, it does jar, so I think going back to William is more sensible, as his legend is not that well-known.

Yeah, you caught me in mid-edit. I went back and read your original post and caught the ballad reference on the 2nd go around

You've inspired me to read a bit more into the legend and I love the idea of Ninestane Rig making an appearance in this domain in place of the old druid presence. Also, do you have any plans to adapt Michael Scot - the black magician that tutored William in the arts? I'm reading up on him now so I don't as yet have any suggestions on how he could be incorporated. Maybe a lich that roams the countryside as an optional encounter for PCs before they reach Hermitage Castle (or whatever you will call it).

Thanks for the input VikingLegion. I had no plans on including Michael Scot, as the other (non-human) inhabitants of the Domain will cause enough problems with out adding a Lich to the mix.

Forlarn is sparsely populated, with the village of Armitage being the only permanent settlement. Various crofts dot the landscape, occupied by farmer's, shepherds and cowherds. In fact the latter outnumber the former, as the Forlarn Longhorn Cattle are the major resource of the Domain, and its meat is much sought after in other Domains.

The folk of Forlarn are a hardy folk, the majority of which have red or brown hair. Whilst they are all part of the the extended Armitage clan and no longer have other clans to compete with, they still maintain a strong martial heritage, and Clansmen from Forlarn are much sought after for their fighting prowess.

Due to the fey inhabitants of Forlarn, the folk have a healthy respect for magic and the village Wise Man (arcanist) is well-respected member of the community, as is the village priest, due to their abilities in defending their charges against the unnatural creatures of the realm.

During the day, Forlarn, although bleak when the weather is inclement, can be beautiful, with the wind swaying the heather. However, when night falls, every Forlarni knows to be inside, as the hours of darkness belong to the fey.

All fey creatures share a distaste for the trappings of religion and cannot enter consecrated ground and are repelled by strong faith...

So, in populating the Forlarni nights, I have turned to Scottish mythology and adapted existing creatures from 2e AD&D that match the legendary creatures. The majority of these have the suffix 'Sith', which is pronounced 'shee'.

First, the Cat Sith or 'Fairy Cat'. Whilst there does exist an Elven Cat and a Cait Sith, neither of these cretaures matches the description of the abilities of the legendary beast, so the best fit is the Midnight Cat from the Ravenloft MCIII.

The Cu Sith, or 'Fairy Hound', matches the Yeth Hound pretty much spot on.

The Leannan Sith, or 'Fairy Lover', was the inspiration for the Lhiannan Shee (the Manx spelling of this creature) and can be pretty much be used as is.

The Baobhan Sith (pronounced Baa-van Shee) exist as a race of evil sprites in 2e, but the actual creature was a Highland vampire, for which the Nosferatu Vampire matches quite well, although needing a few tweaks (including their fear of horses!)

And you can't really have a Scottish Domain without including the Bain Sith (pronounced Ban Shee), although the Groaning Spirit/Banshee may be a little tough for the average PC group. I am aware there are stats for the Celtic Banshee in one of the netbooks, but have yet to read the description on that one yet (still ploughing through the Books of S), so it might be a better fit.

As for Robyn Redcap himself, I'm leaning towards using the Buckawn as a base for this character, as this seems more suitable than using the Arak Powrie, as they are winged and smaller than what I think a Redcap should be. (I can't imagine them wielding pikes!)

As noted above, as legendary fairy creatures were effected by 'all that is holy', I will be adding that all 'fey' creatures can be Turned, effected by Holy water, etc. hence why the wizards of Forlarn are arcanists.

A really nice take on a Scottish setting. It wouldn't take much to add a Sawney Bean/Christie Cleek band of cannibalistic bandits/ghouls for a slightly different type of menace.

De Montour wrote:A really nice take on a Scottish setting. It wouldn't take much to add a Sawney Bean/Christie Cleek band of cannibalistic bandits/ghouls for a slightly different type of menace.

Oooh, I love that. I'm not sure the population of Carrion Crow's Forlarn vision could support it though. Well, on further review maybe it could. I guess I always associate Sawney Bean's clan with a larger metropolis like Edinburgh, but that's only where he was tried, they did their damage on small roadways between villages on the west coast, so it could work.

There's so much good folklore to draw on:

- each-uisge (aughisky) and/or kelpies dragging/luring peasants to a watery grave
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Each-uisge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelpie

- a "ghost soldier", perhaps drafted to fight against the armies of another domain (Gundarak, far-off Falkovnia) who dies away from Forlarn but has his spirit returned, as in the ballad "The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond" suggests, forever pining for the lost love he will never again see in this mortal world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bonni ... och_Lomond

- a Campbell/McDonald type clan blood feud, specifically something along the lines of the Massacre at Glencoe when Campbell troops, while billeted peacefully in McDonald homes, ignored traditional Highlander hospitality and slaughtered men, women, and children in the early morning. Many of the men were killed while trying to rise from their beds. A number of women and children who fled later died of exposure (February in the Highlands during a snow storm). Two of the Campbell lieutenants broke their own swords, rather than carry out the orders, they were arrested but later exonerated, while many of the aggressors were later found guilty of "murder under trust" - a crime severely looked down upon as being far worse than ordinary murder [GRRM's "Red Wedding" borrowed many themes from this event]. There are so many possibilities of spiteful spirits, themes of revenge, oath-breaking, etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_Glencoe

- Changelings - not sure exactly how to implement it, but it's such a widespread folk tale it's hard to ignore:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changeling

Whilst I was aware of Sawney Bean, I didn't know the details, so had a little bit of a dig and can see how this would fit in quite well.

As previously Forlorn was a bit of a no-go zone, due to the Goblyns, my revision populates the Domain with actual people and gives outsiders a reason to visit, so cannibalistic bandits preying on travellers wouldn't impact too much on the population.

If you run a road from Ramulai in Hazlan North through the mountains into Forlarn, joning the canon road, placing this 'clan' in the South of Forlarn would mean they were a threat to travellers, but far anough away from the main village of Armitage (near Loch Ruadh) in the North that news of the depredations may not filter through.

Actually, whilst thinking about it, I was put in mind of Lovecraft's tale 'The Lurking Fear', which features a group of degenerate underground dwellers that only come out at night, travelling beneath the ground through tunnels which mainfest on the surface as what appear to be 'earthworks' or burial mounds. This led in turn to being reminded of the ecology article/scenario featured in the 1st edition FR supplement 'Lords of Darkness' about wights, namely 'The Tombs of Deckon Thar' (I think that's what it's called), which I've been looking to place somewhere in Ravenloft. I think I may have found the ideal place!

The people of Forlorn might not be accepting of Calibans. They don't murder them, but drive them from their villages and assume them to be disposed of by Mother Nature. Once out of sight and out of mind they are forgotten about. A group of them have survived and formed a small clan of cannibal bandits in southern Forlorn.
Having them as Calibans adds a certain 'Hills have Eyes', 'Wrong Turn' vibe. Perhaps even a Celtic version of Bone Tomahawk beckons?

Thanks De Montour.

As all my Ravenloft 'stuff' is 2nd edition, I was a little unclear on what Calibans actually were, as it appears they only made an appearance in 3rd edition. However, now I've done a little research, I am better informed.

My understanding is that Calibans are humans (or other racial stock) born 'different', due to magical interference or curses. From the description I found online, it is suggested to create a Caliban character, you essentially treat them as Half-Orcs stat-wise. All well and good, but 2e doesn't really give you a great deal of info on how to do this...

So, bearing in mind what I could glean from various sites on the internet, I'd suggest that 2e Calibans would have a stat adjustment of +1 to STR and CON and -2 to CHA. For the additional "deformity" that makes them a Caliban, perhaps utilising the tables for the first failed Power Check would give them an additional ability and detriment, whilst also providing a degree of variation. Obviously, this wouldn't actually count as a failed Power Check. Does this seem reasonable?

In regards to our clan of cannibalistic bandits, now that I know what Calibans are, I think they are a more suitable fit, so thanks for the suggestion.

My pleasure Carrion Crow.

Your use of the powers checks idea is a good one, but it might be just as easy to reskin assorted Humanoids and Giants as the Caliban Clan.

I would like to offer a few ideas myself over this clan and their origins. I hope you don't mind.

Near the summit of Torr Dubh, a small mountain in southern Forlorn that overlooks the Pass of Gleann Dreich, is a cave. In this cave lived a hideous old witch whose true name is unknown but who is commonly referred to as the Crone of Torr Dubh or Granaidh Dubhar.

Granaidh Dubhar stole into the nearby village of Crimmon by the dark of the moon and abducted Anna, the five year old daughter of Dugald the weaver. The entire village was panicked by the child's disappearance and there was much relief when Anna wandered home, out of the braes, a few days later, seemingly unharmed but with no memory of who she was or where she had been.

Annie continued to live a normal childhood, until the day of her thirteenth birthday when the awful truth became apparent. Her skin became mottled and took on a greenish caste almost overnight. It was horrifically obvious to the folk of Crimmon that she was not poor little Anna but a changeling creature that had been sent among them in her place.

Fergus, the Druid, had watched Annie with some suspicion since her disappearance and now he demanded that she be weighed down with chains of cold iron and drowned in a nearby loch, but Dugald would not believe that this was not his beautiful daughter. He refused to give her up for execution and arranged for her escape. For this crime, he was sentenced to death by burning in the cleansing fires of Belenus. His wife, Ailsa, was shamed into exile by the sharp tongues and scornful glances of her neighbours, especially Lady Margo, the wife of Laird Mungo. As she departed Crimmon, she left with hatred in her heart and a curse upon her lips. Lady Margo too would know the pain of the loss that she had suffered and that never again would the fruit of her womb be unblemished.

The terrified Anna ,not understanding what was happening to her, had fled south along the road that led to Gleann Dreich. Upon the road she was met by Granaidh Dubhar who took her to the cave upon Torr Dubh and taught her of her true heritage. She, Anna, was a changeling and one of the Fey folk, a Green Hag.




She adopted the name of Annag Dorcha and set out to take her revenge upon the folk of Crimmon, not for their treatment of her supposed parents, but for driving her forth from their village.

She returned to Crimmon after several years absence, having been more or less forgotten about. Disguised as a woman of middling years, handsome to the eye but not so much as to attract too much attention from the men of the village, she set about gaining the confidence and good graces of the local women before confiding in them that she was skilled in midwifery.

The Lady Margo of Crimmon was with child. In her disguise, the evil hag worked many wicked magicks in the vicinity of the expectant mother, all the while pretending to provide nothing but care for both her and her unborn twins. She had been taught by Granaidh Dubhar that the wild magics would leech into the womb of Lady Margo and that her children would be deformed of body and mind.

The children, when they were born, were a hideous sight to behold. Annag Dorcha had made her escape in the days approaching the imminent birth and was hidden upon the braesides, watching in malevolent glee as her wicked scheme unfolded and screams of horror echoed around the hillsides.

The two boy children were abandoned upon the braesides for Mother Nature to deal with them, as was Forfarian custom, but Annag Dorcha was there to scoop them both up and spirit them away to her home in Gleann Dreich.

She named the boys Athach and Fachan.

Athach was the older by twenty minutes and the bigger of the two, for they could not by any means be construed as identical twins. By the time Athach had reached his fifteenth summer, he was close to seven feet tall and heavily built. Although as strong as an ox, his strength was belied by his immense gut and the layer of flabby flesh that cloaked his muscles. He was almost hairless and had deep set, piggy eyes and boar like tusks that jutted upwards from his lower jaw.
Perhaps the most horrific thing about Athach, however, was a third arm that protruded from his chest, enabling him to wield a shield in battle as well as his favoured great club.

His younger brother Fachan was somewhat smaller with a lop sided face and a milky eye that was blind. He could see well enough though, through the other eye which glowed red, like a burning ember in the darkness of his cavern home. He has a shock of jet black hair that juts upright from his head and a wide mouth with teeth like a tow of broken tombstones. Fachan has emaciated and wasted limbs on his left side and wears a great black cloak of crow feathers to disguise this deformity. The disguise serves to give the impression that he is possessed of only a single arm and a single leg.
Fachan's functional limbs are immensely strong to compensate for his deformity and he wields a great axe quite easily in one meaty fist.

Over the years, other children arrived at Torr Dubh. These too were born with deformities of their body that had caused their kith and kin to drive them forth from their homes. They had come to find a place to call home. Some, such as two headed Etain possessed innate kindness and a certain nobility of spirit but these were not qualities that Annag Dorcha found useful and like all other new arrivals, she was brutalised until such notions were forgotten about or abandoned. Now, she too is a brutal and insane killer with a taste for human flesh.

The Clan Dorcha grew steadily to number more than a score of wretches, who live in a cluster of caves on the lower slopes of Gleann Dreich. Food is scarce and they have turned to preying upon and cannibalising travellers from Hazlan to feed themselves.