Post/Author/DateTime	Post
krocha 10-15-06, 08:12 PM	Okay so I'm looking to flesh out a good way to use EtCR in Eberron. So here's where I am. - I'm okay with the suggested location of Karrnath - Getting the PC's involved. I'm thinking of having the PC's contacted by an agent of the Emerald Claw posing as a representative of some Eberron orginization. He will offer to pay the party well if they'd retrieve the Tome of Strahd from Barovia. - If the party asks why he doesn't get it themselves he will say because he can't get the proper traveling permits for Karrnath due to past problems there he'd rather not elaborate on. - I'd replace the Lightbringers party with a group from Thrane. - The dead body in the chapel will be a member of the Emerald Claw. Upon him the party will find his journal which show that he was sent here by his superiors to find the Tome of Strahd and it also mentions the name of his superior and it's the same name as person who hired the PC's in the first place. I'm looking for further suggestions and help with: - What does does their original patron tell the party if they ask what the Tome of Strahd is? - Anything else people can think of that will help with the getting started story
kelvinaw273 10-16-06, 12:28 AM	If this is JUST castle Ravenloft, I would suggest some of the islands in the Lhazar Principalities might be a better locale - Strahd would be absolute ruler there, lack of escape is ensured, and the presence of Vol in the vicinity makes a vampire ruler very likely! If it was the entire Ravenloft setting I would instead postulate a link between the borders of the mournlands and the Mists of Ravenloft, and use them to transport back and forth. In fact ... <evil thought> A large chunk of Cyre might now BE a Realm in Ravenloft, though seriously lacking in a lot of the inhabitants having been killed in the cataclysm that caused it ... perhaps the person behind the cataclysm is the Dark Lord of the realm ...
krocha 10-16-06, 09:37 AM	If this is JUST castle Ravenloft, I would suggest some of the islands in the Lhazar Principalities might be a better locale - Strahd would be absolute ruler there, lack of escape is ensured, and the presence of Vol in the vicinity makes a vampire ruler very likely! If it was the entire Ravenloft setting I would instead postulate a link between the borders of the mournlands and the Mists of Ravenloft, and use them to transport back and forth. In fact ... <evil thought> A large chunk of Cyre might now BE a Realm in Ravenloft, though seriously lacking in a lot of the inhabitants having been killed in the cataclysm that caused it ... perhaps the person behind the cataclysm is the Dark Lord of the realm ... It will be just the EtCR new book. No Demi-plane of Dread stuff.
krocha 10-17-06, 10:53 AM	Okay how's this for another option: The party is contacted by a scholar of pre-Galifar history. He wants to hire the party to to escort him to a remote village in Karrnath. He claims to have discovered the location of an ancient relic from the time of Karn the Conquerer called the Icon of Ravenloft. In truth the "scholor" is actually a member of the Blood of Vol(or possibly some other orginization) who wants the icon for their own tiwsted reasons. Once in Barovia, the scholar will ditch the party as soon as he can. Once there the adventures follows it normal track (I'd also switch the Lightbringers as in my first suggestion). The party will find the scholar again as it's his body which shows up in the chapel of Ravenloft. On his person will be a journel detailing his deception. Questions I not sure of: - Why would a BoV member need an escort through Karrnath? - Would it be better to switch the Lightbringers with Red Watchers? - What affiliation should the scholar originall have (Morgrave University, the Twelve, Thrane, One of the Dragonmarked houses, none????) - Would it be better to have the scholar a member of the Emerald Claw? But that would bring up the question of whay he would need an escort in Karrnath Other thoughts or suggestions.....
Kreistor1 10-17-06, 11:21 AM	- If the party asks why he doesn't get it themselves he will say because he can't get the proper traveling permits for Karrnath due to past problems there he'd rather not elaborate on. It's easier than that. The guy claims that he fought against the Karrnathi during the Last War, and doesn't feel comfortable returning to places where he witnessed horrible events.
krocha 10-17-06, 11:23 AM	It's easier than that. The guy claims that he fought against the Karrnathi during the Last War, and doesn't feel comfortable returning to places where he witnessed horrible events. Nice suggestion. Thanks...
Dekrain 10-17-06, 09:28 PM	My first thought on picking the book up was "Wow. It would be so easy to convert this into Illmarrow Castle and have Strahd as a minion of Vol's. Then I would just have to stat out Vol!" And then I realized just how difficult a character Vol is to stat out, and my head nearly exploded.
demonic_dante 10-17-06, 10:11 PM	If this is JUST castle Ravenloft, I would suggest some of the islands in the Lhazar Principalities might be a better locale - Strahd would be absolute ruler there, lack of escape is ensured, and the presence of Vol in the vicinity makes a vampire ruler very likely! That is a genious idea. YOINK!!! HaHa the idea is now mine and I will use it and my party will praise me for my brilliance, then I will conquer the world. Muhahahahaha. Also demi-plane of dread is a good idea and a good name. The ramblings of Demonic_Dante
Antioch 10-18-06, 01:15 PM	I'm currently planning on runnig EtCR in Eberron as well. So far I got a paladin and a cleric. My hook is that the paladin has had a vision about the sunblade, and the cleric is sent by the Silver Flame as well. If I have any people from Karnnath, or necromancers, I might link them with the Blood of Vol idea.
Taeldrin Laesrash 10-21-06, 12:32 AM	Also demi-plane of dread is a good idea and a good name. You realize that the name's been applied to Ravenloft since the setting was released in the 90s? I'm not a Ravenloft expert, but who would make a good replacement for the Vistani residents of Barovia? While I can think of wandering races of Ebberon, none of them quite fit the mold, except for maybe the Talenta halflings.
primemover003 10-24-06, 07:19 PM	Vistani are really just human Gypsies... sure they're rewritten as halflings, but that's creative license for you.
Quicksilver 10-24-06, 09:52 PM	I'm not a Ravenloft expert, but who would make a good replacement for the Vistani residents of Barovia? While I can think of wandering races of Ebberon, none of them quite fit the mold, except for maybe the Talenta halflings. How about changelings? They're thought of as shifty and untrustworthy, just as the Vistani (and gypsies) are. There's a fleet of changeling ships in Lhazaar somewhere. It's pretty easy to swap the wagons for boats and set them up as island-hopping traders. Add in some dopplegangers and mind-reading to substitute for Vistani prophecy and curses. Maybe involve the Cabinet of Faces as the architects of the bond with Strahd. Keith Baker has an interesting take on sea-faring dopplegangers in this encounter: www.atlas-games.com/pdf_storage/BloodVessel.pdf (http://www.atlas-games.com/pdf_storage/BloodVessel.pdf)
Antioch 10-25-06, 12:27 AM	I'm changing vistani to dwarves from the Mror Holds.
FenrysStar 11-12-06, 09:48 PM	Actually in the hardcover they give some notes on how to adapt it to Eberron. They shoved the castle itself in Karrnath.
Soloran 11-13-06, 02:38 PM	Hm, as I don't own the book yet, I won't be able to offer any pertinent advice. I have some questions though: how have you 'Eberronized' Strahd? What is his relationship with Vol and the Emerald Claw? If his realm is in Karnath, what is his relationship with Kaius? Why do these powers allow him to operate?
Kensan_Oni 11-13-06, 08:22 PM	If it was the entire Ravenloft setting I would instead postulate a link between the borders of the mournlands and the Mists of Ravenloft... COOLEST IDEA EVER! Which brings the thought of what if Cyre got swallowed up by Ravensloft? Which brings up several different questions, not the least of which is what happens when it shows back up?? (The Lord of Blades vs. The Liche Lord of a Ravensloft Realm. Oh, there's a war I wouldn't mind seeing. :D)
FenrysStar 11-14-06, 02:30 AM	Niceties like Strahd's relationship to Kauis wasn't really explained. It does hint that Strahd is far older than Kaius as his book, the Tome of Strahd predates the formation of Galifar itself. The Emerald Claw wants it for the sheer historical value as well as necromantic tidbits that would greatly enhance their own considerable power. Barovia itself lies somewhere between civilized Karrnath and the Mror Holds. According to what is written in the book itself.
Azazyll 11-16-06, 12:30 PM	I'm already in the middle of RHoD, but I did buy ravenloft because both my fiance and I are big fans of the setting (I have nearly every arthaus ravenloft product as well). She's been asking me to send her party into ravenloft for a while. I really like the Lhazaar Princes option. It lets Strahd be free to be himself, it allows him to be ancient and talk of having a kingdom (being the first human settled part of Khorvaire), and it's a natural link to Vol, who I see more as a rival than a master. Strahd is never anyone's pawn. The changeling idea is good for vistani, but a thuranni outcasts from the carnival of shadows might work too, although that would make them a pretty recent addition to strahd's minions. Maybe they're the descendents of immigrants from Sarlona who never gave up their culture? Or even planar travelers seeking refuge with Strahd. Anyway, what they did to the vistani and particularly to Madame Eva is totally innapropriate. They're not thugs, and they're not minions; they're uneasy allies. Eva should never have been turned into a monster to kill. and of all things, an annis! That's just not right. Enough old timer griping though. The adventure's pretty good, but to spice it up, I'd make the emerald claw an adversary to Strahd. He has something that Vol wants. He could even be a patron for parties against Vol, or vice-versa. I'd hate to think that Vol had a monopoly on Undeath, or that she even had total control of her cult (which we know she doesn't, since Kaius has at least got his own cult for a harem). I'd make Strahd a new power player on the board between Kaius and Vol. Maybe he and Kaius even met up while Kaius was in hiding trying to break Vol's control. Maybe Kaius promised him something in return for help breaking her dominance, and hasn't paid up, and that's why he's finally coming out of seclusion. Just some thoughts.