#mordent

Reborn Nun of The Eternal Order and Mordentan College of Spirits Bard.

I spent nearly a year in Mordent, and I will admit it tested my patience in ways I had not expected. The streets were perpetually damp, the sky a stubborn light gray, and the cuisine… restrained, to put it kindly. I have no desire to sound like a food snob, but there were days I wanted to seize someone by the shoulders and demand an explanation for their fear of seasoning. Porridges, custards, puddings, jellied constructions of questionable texture, one after another, as though the entire domain had collectively agreed that subtlety must always triumph over pleasure. I endured it politely. I did not enjoy it. What saved my days were crumpets and tea. Simple, unassuming little rounds with their honeycombed tops, toasted just enough to crisp the edges while remaining tender within. I slathered them with butter and jam in quantities that earned me more than a few raised brows, but after a day of culinary restraint, I felt justified. Paired with a hot cup of tea against the chill of an overcast morning, it was a small, steady comfort. Even in a land where flavor seemed rationed, that little ritual was something I could look forward to.

Editing to add that it was a great session. We got to use a Tarokka deck, which was amazing. I want to buy my own deck now.

Last Thursday I reviewed Mordent’s Darklord, Lord Wilfred Godefroy. Today I shall review his latest rendition. Much of his history has remained the same – he inherited Gryphon House and murdered his wife and daughter only to become haunted by them until he, in desperation to be rid of them, took his own life. Yet, that was not the end for Godefroy, he rose again as a ghost where his family continued to haunt him. The main difference in this tale is van Ritchen now claims that Godefroy committed patricide prior to inheriting the estate. The good doctor does not specify why this was done and one can only assume it was so Wilfred could inherit the estate early. His daughter is named “Penelope” here, which contradicts the rendition before this one that named her “Lilia”. Though in other sources she was named “Amanda”. This is likely because Godefroy cared so little for her that he never bothered to learn her true name. In past renditions, Godefroy influenced the world of the living through his bullying nature. In this version, Godefroy longs for true rest and it is said that he convinced an alchemist named Rastinon to assist him in this desire. Rastinon created a device known as the Apparatus, which, theoretically can translocate souls, separate a soul from a living body, and manipulate the energy contained within spirits of the living and dead. All of this is nonsense, of course. The Apparatus is only consistent at not working as intended and as the second most commonly used plot device in Ravenloft (myself being the first). Quite predictably, when used to send himself and all the spirits of Gryphon Hill to ‘rest’, the Apparatus, instead, killed everyone in Mordentshire and every single one of these individuals rose as a ghost to ‘haunt’ Godefroy. However, later it is stated that these spirits are bound to the Gryphon Hill estate and serve the Darklord.   In conclusion, Godefroy’s story has been altered to make him responsible for the nonsense related to the Apparatus instead of von Zarovich and I. Otherwise, it remains mostly the same expect for the fact that he is haunted by numerous ghosts…or perhaps he lords over them. I found this to be a bit unclear. I suppose a ghost could haunt and serve the same individual, but those roles are, by nature, rather contradictory. OOC A few Easter Eggs in the Mordent write up: “Tinatantiuls” is described as a quasit that guards the secret magical laboratory in Heather House, the home of the Weathermay family. In the House on Gryphon Hill adventure module, Tinatantiuls was Azalin’s quasit familiar. “Mystery enthusiast Beatrice Polk” is likely a nod to Mrs. Polk from a Dragon Magazine 260 Article “Van Richten’s Legacy: The Herbalist's Shop” which details Ricky’s shop in Mordentshire. Mrs. Polk was said to visit the shop on a daily basis, keeping an eye on it for van Richten, even well after he vanished. The name given to the alchemist “Rastinon” is a reference to The Rod of Rastinon, which was used to activate The Apparatus.

What do you think about our new logo?

Strange Music For Strange Times

"Leave. Leave now; I’ll permit you and your soldiers to go. Next time, I won’t be so kind. Tell the Senate everything that I have told you, and tell them I will not dissolve my legions. Tell them they have failed Daernika, and are a disgrace to the name Boros.”