Setting Information

[Penny Dreadful]

General Setting Information:
Ravenloft is a campaign setting for the d20 game system published by White Wolf under their Sword & Sorcery imprint. It concerns itself chiefly with a dark romantic or gothic atmosphere, as opposed to the more traditional D&D settings which don't usually have such a dark mood.

Ravenloft is a setting based on the gothic literary tradition, and as such the game is more introspective and personal. Heroes do not necessarily act in a very heroic manner all the time, or even most of the time, and the very rare exceptions only confirm the rule. Likewise, the foulest villains are all the more monstrous not because they're evil and that's just what they do, but rather because they commit their vile deeds for very human reasons and often showcase just how far a person can fall in pursuit of a seemingly noble cause.

Morality matters here, and Paladins or Monks are no longer the only ones who have to worry about what happens when their alignment shifts. A fighter whose main way of solving problems is to go on the rampage without even considering if there might be an alternative is going to come to the attention of the darklord of his domain fairly soon, or perhaps even the dark powers themselves. Characters who routinely commit evil deeds soon find themselves on a very slippery slope that they can only escape with difficulty.

[Penny Dreadful]

Starting Area:

The player characters will begin play in the medium sized town of Von Ziyden, in Borca. The player characters will be natives of Borca, though if they want to hail from Von Ziyden or from some other place within the domain is up to the respective players. If they are from elsewhere they'll just need some reasonable reason for being in Von Ziyden.

The following information is straight out of the source material, provided here for your convenience, and represents the sort of common knowledge that every Borcan could reasonably be assumed to possess.

The Domain:
Borca is beauteous domain scarred by betrayal and ruthlessness. The domain lies along the northwestern edge of the Balinok Mountains, in the rolling dales that stretch out beyond the icy crags of Mount Gries. Borca is a green, fertile land blanketed with wild flowers throughout the spring and summer. Ancient, verdant forests cover much of the domain, overgrown with tangled brambles and twining ivy. The trees and shrubs are heavy with nuts and fruits, and the ground is blanketed by spongy little toadstools. Most of these morsels, however, ooze with sweet-smelling toxins, a notorious feature of Borcan foodstuffs fortunately betrayed by a telltale purplish tinge. The domain is also known for its geothermal activity; hot springs bubble up from the ground everywhere, spewing steam and sulfurous fumes into the air. The Luna and Vasha Rivers flow gently east through the realm, fed by the crystalline snowmelt of the Balinoks.

Homes and shops in Borca are broad, massive buildings of plastered and whitewashed brick. The gabled rooftops are shingled in thin, charcoal-gray wood and topped with slim, knobby spires. Wooden trim of dark green or blue, carved with stylized vines and mushrooms, graces the doors and windows. The smooth stone streets of villages are narrow, shaded by the overhanging upper floors of buildings. Borca has a temperate climate, leaning toward severe winters and cool, pleasant summers.

The People:
As a people, Borcans have a sullen air about them, an attitude that has permeated all aspects of daily life. This is largely due to the crushing taxation most folk endure, combined with the cruel, arbitrary rule of Borca's mistress. The oppression has worn down what was once a lusty, life-loving attitude among Borcans, leaving a defeated people who go about their business with a resigned fatalism. A weary, pained look clings to their features; they shuffle through their tasks as if afflicted by a numbing poison.

The Law:
Pseudofeudal despotism. Ivana Boritsi, commonly known as the Black Widow, is the current mistress of Borca. Having inherited the rule from her mother, Camille, who met an unexpected death, Ivana's only political interest seems to be indulging herself at her subjects' expense. Her sobriquet is derived from her infamous fatal romances, as Ivana's lovers have a habit of ending their lives in her bedchamber. Although the realms is ostensibly governed under a feudal system, Ivana is the only true landowner, with all citizens in direct vassalage to her. Borca's prominent aristocracy is a mere plaything for Ivana; nobles enjoy their status only as long as it pleases the Black Widow. Ivana grants and revokes noble titles erratically, creating a perpetual flux in the makeup of Borcan nobility.

Ivana demands severe taxes from her nobles of the moment, who in turn demand tribute from the commoners. Prominent nobles retain enforcers to collect these taxes, but it is the notoriously corrupt forces of Ivana's cousin, Ivan Dilisnya, that maintain order in Borca. Ivan is the only noble who seems to resist Ivana's cruel whims, and the only Borcan who truly holds his own estate. Curiously, however, there is rumoured to be little love lost between the cousins.

Little more than glorified thugs and leg breakers, Ivan's enforcers never pass up an opportunity to extort the meager funds Borcans have to their names. Protection rackets are an epidemic, with payment required from anyone unfortunate enough to run into a roving band of Dilisnya enforcers. Bribery is required merely to prevent a business from being vandalised or to keep enough food to live through the winter. There is virtually no criminal or civil law in Borca, save what can be bought through dirty coin.

Culture:
Despite the corruption that plagues Borca, the realm is politically and culturally active. Although it is not the cultural equal of Dementlieu, Borca does export its rich traditions of visual arts, music, and architecture to other realms. Ivana has overseen the establishment of a trading alliance with the neighbouring realms of Dementlieu, Mordent, and Richemulot. This has kept foreign wealth flowing into Borca, and thus into Ivana's coffers. The four realms have also arranged a mutual defence pact to protect against the military aggressions of Falkovnia to the north. Borca is further plagued by clandestine incursions of Vistani-hunting mercenaries from Invidia. Although the gypsies are not loved in Borca, Ivan Dilisnya has warned that further threats to Borcan sovereignty results in armed retaliation.