History Headscratchers / Ravenloft

* Wasn't Addar kinda right at first? With all the talk about equals and partners and great honor, the first thing the elders came up with was to make a princess tame him, and the scene clearly describes the ritual as a compelling magic that was trying to bind his will. He's still an asshole since he allowed her to die, and it's possible that the princess herself didn't even know how the spell actually worked. Wouldn't it be better to simply exile him? That would even serve as a far better lesson - initially believing himself to be free, but then most likely abandoned by the nightmare (no power to be summoned - no profit), lonely from being shunned by his kin and outmatched by whatever forces he would try to take on he would reconsider his pride. Or at least denied a valid point if he doubled down on his beliefs and done something atrocious anyway.

** While Ravenloft is mostly GothicHorror, the setting incorporates all kinds of horror, including CosmicHorror. The domain of Blutespur was intended to be more like HP Lovecraft with its mind flayers. One could argue that Vecna and Kas don't fit the GothicHorror model either, but in each adventure the module explains how the adventure can be scary and what themes should be brought out (Vecna and Kas represent ancient secrets and prehistoric horror). Some domains' lies in their ability to mock or twist the expectations of standard fantasy settings, like the Wildlands mocks Disney/TheLionKing with its talking animals. Personally, I think that Gwydion is an expy of Morgoth or Sauron in a Tolkien setting, except in this case, he's an ancient evil mocking the hope that the true king will return to the throne.

** While Ravenloft is mostly GothicHorror, the setting incorporates all kinds of horror, including CosmicHorror. The domain of Blutespur was intended to be more like HP Lovecraft with its mind flayers. One could argue that Vecna and Kas don't fit the GothicHorror model either, but in each adventure the module explains how the adventure can be scary and what themes should be brought out (Vecna and Kas represent ancient secrets and prehistoric horror). Some domains' lies in their ability to mock or twist the expectations of standard fantasy settings, like the Wildlands mocks Disney/TheLionKing with its talking animals. Personally, I think that Gwydion is an espy of Morgoth or Sauron in a Tolkien setting, except in this case, he's an ancient evil mocking the hope that the true king will return to the throne.

** While Ravenloft is mostly GothicHorror, the setting incorporates all kinds of horror, including CosmicHorror. The domain of Blutespur was intended to be more like HP Lovecraft with its mind flayers. One could argue that Vecna and Kas don't fit the GothicHorror model either, but in each adventure the module explains how the adventure can be scary and what themes should be brought out (Vecna and Kas represent ancient secrets and prehistoric horror). Some domains' lies in their ability to mock or twist the expectations of standard fantasy settings, like the Wildlands mocks Disney/TheLionKing with its talking animals. Personally I think that Gwydion is an espy of Morgoth or Sauron in a Tolkien setting, except in this case he's an ancient evil mocking the hope that the true king will return to the throne.

** While Ravenloft is mostly GothicHorror, the setting incorporates all kinds of horror, including CosmicHorror. The domain of Blutespur was intended to be more like HP Lovecraft with its mind flayers. One could argue that Vecna and Kas don't fit the GothicHorror model either, but in each adventure the module explains how the adventure can be scary and what themes should be brought out (Vecna and Kas represent ancient secrets and prehistoric horror). Some domains' lies in their ability to mock or twist the expectations of standard fantasy settings, like the Wildlands mocks TheLionKing with its talking animals. Personally I think that Gwydion is an espy of Morgoth or Sauron in a Tolkien setting, except in this case he's an ancient evil mocking the hope that the true king will return to the throne.

** While Ravenloft is mostly GothicHorror, the setting incorporates all kinds of horror, including CosmicHorror. The domain of Blutespur was intended to be more like HP Lovecraft with its mind flayers. One could argue that Vecna and Kas don't fit the GothicHorror model either, but in each adventure the module explains how the adventure can be scary and what themes should be brought out (Vecna and Kas represent ancient secrets and prehistoric horror). Some domains' lies in their ability to mock or twist the expectations of standard fantasy settings, like the Wildlands mocks TheLionKing with its talking animals. Personally I think that Gwydion is an espy of Morgoth or Sauron in a Tolkien, except in this case he's an ancient evil mocking the hope that the true king will return to the throne.

* Gwydion just bugs me. He does not seem to fit within the GothicHorror theme of the setting. He seems like more of a CosmicHorror creature. I have to wonder what the designers were thinking when they added him in.