Ravenloft a journey into Madness or Reason? -Interest check

[Sabriel]

And when I looked out I saw that we where heading fast upon a series of iron gates set in stone wickedly arched and crowned with tall spikes.

But what unnerved me completely was beyond the gates?

A set of doors heavy and wooden pointed arched higher than any entrance to any building I had ever  seen before.

Crossed with iron bars and feathered with heavy bolts the doors where set in a great wall that appeared to be protecting whatever waited inside.

So paralysed was I by the sight before me, I did not notice that we had already driven past the first of the three spiked gates guarding access to the door until I heard it crashing to a close behind us.

WHERE AM I ???

The short drive onward and we where at the second gate I turned to look behind me and saw the gates closing one after the other by power of unseen hands or simply through years of habit more accustomed where they to be closed than opened.

Where these gates erected for protection of this great establishment ?

For the security of these honourable administers of magical medicine ?

Where these prison bars meant to keep intruders out, or to keep its inhabitants......in?

With each turn of the wheels that brought me closer to the last gate, I tried harder to drown out the answer to my question with whatever  music I could conjure into my head.

Approaching the third I began to loose my grasp of reality.   

I imagined we where going in circles, driving through the same gate over and over again.

Endlessly circling as though there where a certain number of rotations that must be completed before access to this unknown world was granted to us.

I thought of the lock on the cabinet in my music masters study the one with four lettered plates that had to be rotated in an indefinite amount and then aligned in a perfect secret order before it would open.

I had once unlocked it....

I felt dizzy

And much to warm

The wind screamed around the carriage the wheels rattled and though the gate was close ahead we seamed to be eternally racing towards it making no progress.

A bird

Something like a raven but a great deal larger soared overhead and emitting a strange metallic growl into the blacking sky circled above the ever approaching gate, as it did so I caught sight of the sharp spikes bleeding in the pummelling rain.

Still galloping at full speed, I heard the muffled squeals of what sounded like a swarm of insects. Looking out I swore saw though did not believe my eyes at the time, a great pack of rodents. Perhaps a hundred, perhaps more sleek furry bodies skimming the earth and leaping over each other black eyes sparkling.

A quivering mass they swarm over the cobble stones like one creature, squeezing spilling into water and infecting it with deep black in seconds. How they where able to keep up with the horses mystified me, and when the swarm disbursed and shot on ahead of us they darted in and out beneath the wheels of the carriage and around the horses hammering hooves yet where never trampled.

I followed them with my eyes as they melded together again and slipped beneath gate to the other side like a gush of dark water the tide coming in. It was all so ghastly, so intoxicating, my body convulsed  in a quivering wave somewhere between  horror and wild anticipation.

And then the final gate having slammed closed behind us we where at the ultimate precipice at last .

Three

Two

One

The door began to open, there was an awful grinding of metal  a clashing of loosened chains and with the sky seaming to come down around us...

It appeared.

THE ASYLUM

-Emilie Autumn

This is an interest check for a game set in the Domain of Dread (Ravenloft) in a custom domain called the Isle of Reason (Madness by some), It is a dark Steam-punk/Victorian style setting filled with  “science”, horror and madness. Being a place of reason the land is home to its own institution for those poor souls who have gone mad and lost all grasp of reason and sanity. Such unfortunate souls find there home in the Asylum a city on to itself on the island,  the “sane” inhabitants obviously wish never to be sent to such an establishment and  are vastly unaware what goes on there as they are mostly unaware or ignorant of what goes on behind closed door and curtains. 

So far I am just looking for interest in this Idea and opening myself up for questions and suggestion as to elements and characters which might be interesting to see. If you are unfamiliar with Ravenloft id be happy to elaborate a little on it but just a grasp of Lovecraft and the dark Victorian era depicted in many films would do, think of the dark cityscape's of Tim Burton's Sleep Hollow or Sweeney Todd and you have a fairly good idea.  Ravenloft is a realm filled with horror and all the great stereotypes and tales,  I.E the classic hammer style horror.  Your characters could be native to the Island or have found themselves suddenly being inhabitants of it not by there own choice, the nice thing about Ravenloft is it has that tendency to snatch people out of the ether and just plop people in places with no real explanation.

[Senti]

Well you have caught my interest certainly.

[Sabriel]

Hehe thats great Senti

If you have any questions feel free to ask away  ;D

[Senti]

I promise to be well behaved :)

[Duchess]

this sound extremely interesting.. i'll wait and see

[National Acrobat]

I love all things Ravenloft. I am interested.

[Chreestafer]

i am interested as well also being a D&D freak i do like the castle ravenloft adventures so im game

[Ixy]

I've always wanted to play a Ravenloft campaign.  Thought not specifically a veteran of the Steampunk genre, I consider myself a fan of much that is Victorian and fantastical, and the idea of playing about in Verne's and Shelly's and Byron's nightmares and secret fantasies just... well, just about does it for me. 

There are a few very, very good players on this site that would be perfect for this, too.  Maybe I can point them this way?

While I'm highly interested, I'd like to ask a couple quick questions before I apply for your consideration:
-Which, if any, system will you be using, and what resources should we rely upon?
-How many players would you like, ideally?
-Are there any specific story or sexual elements you'd like to incorporate?

Please let us know when we can begin to flood you with specific inquiries and character applications... I hope you're able to assemble a good group without feeling obligated to change your vision of the game.

Good luck, and I hope this takes off!

[Sabriel]

Hello Ixy thanks for your response and the questions I shall answer them for you of course.

First however I think I should say a little about the Steampunk bit which ill detail more later i suspect anyway, it is not a heavy influence on the setting but such things as a mixture of science and magic are in there. Like you might get the odd "Scientist" who is working on some strange contraption, or within the Asylum itself you might find there are strange otherworldly devices. "Science" is the new thing that very few people really get but well agree is awfully fascinating, Magic is the old "Science" and well that's a bit more traditional but many believe it is very silly and well you know its all quite unrealistic really. Basically the general populace of the Island do not see magic very often other than parlor tricks and the usual Victorian "loves" seance's etc, Those that practice Magic usually do so in secret and are very few now days, most of this is due to the fact that those who do practice the arcane arts have been so secret and tight with there works that they have dwindled down there numbers in the populace. They of course have to be quite careful as to not appearing Insane since well everybody on the Island fears being sent to the Asylum, they say that those sent there never leave at all or if they do they are never quite the same person. Most the people who are sent to the Asylum claim such crazy notions that they hear the voices of god's or see monsters prowling the streets.   

OK now for the questions

-Which, if any, system will you be using, and what resources should we rely upon?

Now I will likely rely upon the D&D 3.5 rules but this story I hope will progress without much of a need for reliance upon the systems. I mean I would be fine doing it completely without a system at all really but sometimes it can be useful and if people want to include for of a game element then id love that too so its easily negotiable. As for resources well you won't really need anything other than the basic book or access to the System reference document I suppose, If you wish to use things from other sources I will of course be open to consider and discuss them.

-How many players would you like, ideally?

As a storyteller I have always run my stories with the concept that players make the story and well I simply fill in the gaps and weave a tapestry for them to play with and effect and hopefully enjoy ;D I think that really is the role of a storyteller to work with what is on offer and get creative. I am open to having quite a few players really of just a few, Ideally I would like at least 4 players but I am sure I can cope with anywhere up to double that number if not more but in the end I would like a group that felt comfortable with itself and allowed me to involve everyone equally.

-Are there any specific story or sexual elements you'd like to incorporate?

To be honest as a Storyteller I always try to not plan things out to much, because if you do this you often leave the story unopened to possibilities and the players effect upon it. It is afterall everyone together who makes a story not just me Its  my task to focus upon that and try make it as enjoyable as I can. There is some specific story elements and themes however every setting really has to have some of those of course, I am very open to players either playing people from the Island itself or elsewhere and it will have various effects upon the story based on these choices.  The base themes of the setting will be I hope Horror, Secrecy and the unknown, Madness, Reason, Black and White and delusion. I will also gladly attempt to incorporate and themes others wish to introduce or include, I have no plans for sexual elements but am willing to consider them if they are wished for.  I will work out more of a story based around the character's that will be used really, I.e if generally everyone is new to the place then it will likely focus on discovery and perhaps attempt at escape, perhaps suspicion and a fight to prove you are not mad or figments of someone's  imagination  ::)

I hope that helps with your questions and well you can flood me with specific inquiries and character ideas now really if you want. I mean I am sort of looking to get an idea of what interest there would be and the types of things people would want to see anyway  :-)

[Caliban]

I'm also a big fan of steampunk, of horror, of Ravenloft as a setting and of "system" games in general and D&D 3.X in particular.  And like you, I also prefer a game which doesn't rely on the mechanics for decisions, but rather uses them for clarifying a character's description and capabilities.

Please count me as very interested!  My only concern is how often you would you want us to post.  (And unlike most people, I have no objection to people "poking" me to remind me to post, because I admit I am absent-minded, under-organized, and over-scheduled, as well as prone to illness.)  At the very least, I want to watch...

[Sabriel]

Well myself I am a very patient person (too patient for my own good really) but I also have a lot of time to dedicate to my hobby really so people usually don't find themselves waiting for me to post for very long :P  I guess how often everyone posts would be open to discusion really since I'm perfectly happy for it to go at whatever pace is chosen.

[Chelemar]

paint me interested!

I like both steampunk, and the little I know of Ravenhurst.

:)

What game format will you use?

[Chelemar]

Ooops my eyes must have skipped where you said the DnD 3.5 if you use a system at all. 

[Chreestafer]

so how many people do you need for this rp?

[Sabriel]

I am open somewhere between 4-8 although if people are interested I will generally allow more.

[Chreestafer]

cause i am very interested in this

[Sabriel]

Some more info  ::)

Londinium “The County State of Victoria”- The Isle of Reason 

Londinium is an Isle of Terror floating far from the core of the dread realms It is an unknown and those that do manage to find it never usually wind up within its Asylum, or live with scarred minds for the rest of there lives whispering of the madness and terror within. Very few people have ever escaped the Isle however and most of its populace never even try despite the fact that some of them seam interested in exploration. Perhaps the most bizarre thing about Londinium is the fact that its populace act as if they are a part of a greater whole, they speak of there great and bountiful empire of reason as if it where larger in there minds than actuality and seam unaware of the fact that in reality there island is rather small.

Cultural level: Victorian Steam punk, things such as airships, steam and mechanical ships are not that uncommon in the State of Victoria. Many of its residents study Science and are students of reason, Magic is also practised by some there are quite a few cults of mystery and the unknown the work behind the curtains and closed doors of society.

Landscape: Temperate/Plains/Forest/Hills/Mountains/Marsh/Underground

Unknown to is inhabitants the land of Londinium is much different to there view of it in there heads. In reality it is not an Island at all but the sizeable chunk of a much large country  ripped from the ether and placed with the seas of mists for unknown reason. The Islands shorelines are jagged and steep impassable cliffs for the most part only the eastern shore is less of a precipice and has access to the seas of mist. There a several abyssal like gorges within the island and the whole continent is very different from what it once was a fact which is clear to anyone who looks at the maps and photographs of the populace, they however seam unaware of this fact. Much of the island is made up of flat lands covered with forest or hills there is a mountainous region however and several areas of marsh land. Less known and explored are the various underground networks that litter the island.  The Island has several rivers the largest being the Thames river which is often littered with all kinds of boats and serves as a direct route out to the sea of mists. The buildings of  Londinium mostly have Victorian style and Gothic architecture but some have older styles these are few and far between however. 

Major Settlements: Victory -Capital City, Port Town -Coastal town, Warwick -Both a Town and Castle, The Asylum- The Asylum is a city unto itself and one of the most fortified locations on the island.

Minor Settlements: Tudor- A small village nestled in-between forests and rolling hills it lives up to its name being a Tudor style settlement.  Stone Henge- Not so much a settlement but a location it is rumoured and told by some less reasoned people that there are secret society's based around these monoliths. There are other settlements also but these are mostly unknown or hidden away and all have reasons for lack of contact with the general populace.

The Folk: Population- Unknown.  Humans 98% Other 2%. Languages- Brittany, Neo-Victoria, City speak, Paganini. There are a number of other languages which are known to some or included within tomes and secret society's. Religions-  See bellow.

There are many ethnic human groups that live within the island although the majority are natives there are builds and appearances of all types and some dress in less Victorian fashion and style but most keep to this code, beards are quite popular among the gentry. The folk seam unaware of there dark world and none really speak of the dangers that lurk in the shadows or out in the wilderness only the mad believe in such things. The Reasoned seek the truth and explanation everything that exists can be defined and explained by a well reasoned mind and Science. Speak of monsters and such is often seen as a sign of madness or the delusions of fiction, they are quite popular subject for debate and conversation but everyone knows they are only the works of fiction. Real horrors are often much more mundane much like the Murderous legend that is Jack the Ripper who people still whisper lurks the streets of Victory. Religion is almost unknown although many treat science and reason as such and there are many orders and cults of mystery. There are no real religious orders however within the cities although tales speak of Pagans in the wilderness.

The Law: Monarchy, Londinium is ruled by Queen regnant Alexandrina Victoria who resides mostly within the capital state of Victory the city itself was renamed although nobody remembers its original name and all texts seam to be blank where the name should be. The Queen is a figure of absolute authority and is respected almost all of society she is responsible for the current era and is a strong supporter of Reason and Science, she is hardly ever seen and constantly guarded. She is in some respects an almost mythical figure to anyone who is not native since she is rarely seen although her agents and government is more ever present in day to day life. In general it is a Victorian civilization with all the laws and enforcements of such.

Trade: One of the most fascinating things about Londinium is that it seams to have a thriving trade empire although most of this trade seams to come into the realm rather than out of it.

Rumours and Gossip:

Queen Victoria is dead, and is being impersonated by a member of the government to prevent widespread panic and grief. It is believed that she was assassinated by a foreign power in an attempt to cause a collapse of the great empire and bring chaos and madness into the world.

Queen Victoria is a supernatural being who has set out to create an age of reason, she is not human and seeks to control all of humanity and bring them under the sway of Reason and Science.

Jack the Ripper is an Agent of the Royal Household, he is alive and well and has never been caught for these very reasons.

The Queen is seriously and thus not seen in public often, She tirelessly continues her tasks despite doctor's urging her to rest. The nations greatest scientists and those of an arcane bent have been gathered to find a cure.

Vampire's are real Scientific evidence has been gathered to explain the existence of these creatures, vampire spread through a disease that makes the body appear dead and victims of vampire often become deranged. The myths and legends of vampires that can turn into wolves and bats are the foolish delusions of the deranged victims of disease.

The Druidic orders of the wilderness worship pagan gods and primal entities that have no basis in reason or reality. These hermits live out there lives in delusion and practice dark and bizarre rituals that only heighten there insanity.

The government regularly sends “disruptive citizens”  to the asylum to keep them from interfering with society.

The Asylum is run by the government and used as a scientific testing ground.

People in the Asylum don't ever actually die of natural causes. They're chopped up and served to the other inmates as food

Claims of the Insane:

Monsters are real, dark forces work behind the scenes and control the population of Londinium.
The Queen is not the true ruler of Londinium, a darker power sleeps within.

Jack the Ripper is not a man but a monster .

Werewolves roam the countryside and forests and live in seclusion.

God's are not the voices of the insane they exist as do darker powers which seek to destroy all hope and sanity to bring about an age of madness where people are naught but sheep, unable to glimpse the truth of the world they live in.

The Queen is a Hag and a Witch she controls the populace and feasts upon the flesh of the living.

The Queen is an Undead monster having been Assassinated several years before she was raised by loyal agents as a Lich she now avoids contact with the living for fear of her nature being discovered.

The Asylum is home to many monsters and serves as a temple to a dark power that none may know of.

The world is but dreaming, awaiting its awakening, the time comes, they wait the awakening of the dark master.

Those that have visited the Asylum glimpse nothing but the truth there is no reason only madness!

To understand the full scope of the nature of Londinium you must let go of sanity.

Horrible things control the Asylum and lurk in their underground lairs, they feast upon brains and practice dark arts of magic and scientific procedure.

The undead infest the world hidden by reason and science, they go unnoticed there numbers ever growing.

[kylie]

          The genre seems interesting...  I'll wait and see if it's going to be system or not and how the particulars seem to be lining up.

[Sabriel]

I am happy to run this story as simply a group based story or as a more traditional system game.

I have added a little vote thing so that people can give me an idea of what would be a popular choice, I don't think it is down to me decide since well it does not matter to me either way and I would rather go with what people will find the most enjoyable.

[Sabriel]

It seams like the most popular option for this story would be to have character sheets in place but to focus on the story.

So I will be open to character concepts and sheets now

I would like characters to be of no level higher than 6th and have no more wealth than 13,000gp, (no item of magical value with a worth of over 5000g will be permitted) Character attributes should be distributed using the 32 point buy system.

[wildstar]

I love D&D and am very interested in Ravenloft. never played a Ravenloft game on paper but I have Neverwinter Nights and I have a fan made game based on Ravenloft I have played. I'd be interested in joining this.