As I mentioned previously, one of my favorite Expert Modules is Castle Amber. I LOVE the Edgar Allen Poe / Lovecraft vibe of the cursed De'Amberville family. I plan to incorporate a similarly twisted family of royals in Terra Incognita. I won't be stealing whole cloth, but the themes will be very similar. If all goes as planned, I'd like to see the royal family playing the characters against one another in pursuit of the crown. In this post I'll give some background on the family as a whole, and talk about members who are no longer living. Later I'll go into detail on the current members of the family and their whereabouts. REMEMBER, this is just a draft.
The Accursed House of Patrof
Since ancient times, a scion of House of Patrof has ruled Corvinium from the lion-throne of Crespeculum. Their pedigree was legendary - Patrof the Conqueror, Lear the Pious, Elkay the , and many others of note. But as their fortunes and reputation grew, the Patrofs also grew in vanity, cruelty, and greed. In the last generation, their house has met with disaster.
King Steven Patrof was already a very old man when he married the beautiful Matilda de'Courvey. The King had no heir, and many feared that his storied line would end. But to the surprise of all, the de'Courvey bore Steven five sons and four daughters. Some suspected dark magic, but for the love of their monarch, these rumors soon subsided.
Whatever the cause for the old King's fertility, with each new child Steven seemed to grow weaker and more feeble. On the night Matilda gave birth to their final son, Victor, Steven lay on his own deathbed. Steven held his child just once, before the fever took him. The kingdom was heartbroken at the loss of the beloved king, yet they took heart that his line would continue and looked forward to the days ahead.
As the young royals grew, it soon became apparent that something was terribly wrong. Damian was the eldest, and he was hardy and strong. Unfortunately he was also bloodthirsty and a bully. He terrorized the weak and urged his countrymen to war.
His brother Oliver was sickly and frail, but well-spoken and clever. He was no less a bully than his brother, and he cared only for himself and his experiments.
Vivian and Cassandra were twin girls, matched in beauty. At first Vivian was as kind as she was beautiful, but an accident disfigured her face, and forever after she was known for her bitterness and jealousy. Cassandra grew even lovelier than her sister, but she was cold and venomous, and delighted in the misery of others. Many young men died foolishly pursuing her favor.
Andrew was solemn and stern, and obsessed with religion and the church. As he aged, he became sanctimonious and fanatical, and eventually he joined the ranks of the dreaded Immaculates.
Next were the twins, Baffin and Beatrice, two rude tricksters, strange and unnerving. The two kept their own company, and took twisted pleasure in unwelcome jests and ruses.
Deidre was born blind and crippled, and the constant torment of her siblings filled her with hatred and gloom. Eventually she retreated so far into herself that she would not speak for months.
Victor, the youngest, was a handsome and charming, but he proved himself an incompetent dreamer, wasting time in brothels and playhouses.
20 years after the death of the King, the greatness of House Patrof seemed a dim memory. The Dowager Queen was not blind to the many faults of her children, and she feared for her kingdom should they ever reach the throne.
NEXT: The Fall of House Patrof
No comments:
Post a Comment