Richemulot
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This section contains canon Ravenloft information from officially published sources; see the References below. |
A domain where life is centered around seemingly egalitarian, urban life, the Free Peoples of Richemulot is a nation based more on merit than material wealth. The citizens are able to lead mostly clean lives, without fear of the overt oppression or abuse of other lands. Yet none can escape the darkness of the Domains of Dread, and beneath this façade of opportunity and equality, corruption festers like a hidden tumor. From the sewers beneath the streets to the closed doors of the elite, wererats and other horrors eat away at Richemulot in secret.
Geography
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This section contains canon Ravenloft information from officially published sources; see the References below. |
Richemulot is a domain within the southwestern Core of the Domains of Dread, sometimes classified as part of the the Southern Core.[1.1] Though the majority of its land is covered in forests, the majority of the population resides in and around three urban communities: Pont-a-Museau, Ste Ronges, and Mortigny.[1][1.2] Though the total population of Richemulot numbers into the hundreds of thousands[2][2.1] and dwarfs the populations of neighboring domains[2.2], the number of abandoned and bricked up houses seem to indicate the population was once much larger. With empty structures that could hold a third more people,[1.3], the atmosphere of Richemulot's urban communities is strangely (and perhaps disturbingly) quiet given their relative populations. The origins of Richemulot's depopulation remain unknown[2.3]. Even magic fails to divine Richemulot's history (and often in a horrific fashion).[3][3.1]
Culture and Society
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This section contains canon Ravenloft information from officially published sources; see the References below. |
Richemulot has a culture that values intelligence, guile, and professionalism[3.2]. As such, Richemulot has much more of a cultural affinity to Borca, Dementlieu, and Mordent than to the feudal Barovia, or the comparatively brutish and hostile Falkovnia[3.3], the latter of which has attempted an invasion twice.[4][4.1] As a signature of the Treaty of Four Towers, Richemulot is one of the nations entered into an allied defense against Falkovnian aggression. However, the diplomatic policies of Jacqueline Renier remain more elusive, as she has had some diplomatic dealings with Vlad Drakov. The details of these negotiations are not particularly transparent.[3.4]
Despite the clear rule by the nobility, Richemuloise society shows less signs of social inequity or social excesses that might characterize other realms. The majority of people can afford a reasonably secure roof and clean living space. Thanks in part to the Richemuloise valuation of knowledge and skill over affluence and wealth, Richemulot's cosmopolitan remains a haven for immigrants and even refugees from other lands.[3.5]
Dark secrets and elements of corruption remain hidden inside the atmosphere of opportunity. Those imperceptive of the social landscape of Richemulot often wind up a part of the silent lower class, a hidden population of debtors that go unnoticed by their neighbors.[3.6] The importance of information is eclipsed by a specific type of information: rumors, gossip, and the type of information that can be used to subvert or destroy. The truly powerful in Richemulot are elite not by material property but rather by secret knowledge. Within the shadows of this society of secrets, there dwells perhaps the true masters of Richemuloise society, that of the wererats. Richemloise culture and legend portrays them as filthy, disgusting savages that dwell in rat warrens beneath the streets of Richemulot. However, this accounts for only part of their number.[3.7] Their treatment as murderous bogeymen masks the wererats that have infiltrated the movers and shakers of Richemulot's aristocratic society and use their dark knowledge of both human and rat sides to corrupt society for their own ends.[3.8] The Renier Family is at top of the heap, with the crafty Jacqueline Renier as the matriarch of both her family and the nation. She is recognized as a tyrant but also respected as a great maternal symbol of Richemuloise patriotism.[3.9]
References
- ↑ Canon:(?) Domains of Dread, TSR, Inc. (Steve Miller, and William W. Connors), 1997, ISBN: 978-0786906727
- ↑ Canon:(?) Ravenloft Player's Handbook, Arthaus Publishing (Nicky Rea, Jackie Cassada, Andrew Cermak, John Mangrum, Andrew Wyatt), 2003, ISBN: 9781588460868
- ↑ Canon:(?) Gazetteer III, Arthaus Publishing (John W. Mangrum, Stuart Turner, Peter Woodworth, Andrew Wyatt), 2003, ISBN: 9781588460868
- ↑
Canon:(?) Gazetteer II, Arthaus Publishing (John W. Mangrum, Ryan Naylor, Chris Nichols, Andrew Wyatt), 2003, ISBN: 1-58846-830-5
- ↑ p. 94
