Prianna's Favorite Recipes from Other Domains: 2 / 25
There are dishes I respect, dishes I enjoy, and then there are the ones I love enough to build parts of my life around. Gnocchi falls firmly into that last category. Borca does many things well in the kitchen, but nothing captures its quiet indulgence quite like these small, unassuming pillows of potato. The first time I tasted them, dressed simply in butter and sage, I understood immediately why people linger over meals there. It is not a food meant to be rushed. It asks you to slow down, to savor, to let warmth settle into your bones. I also quickly understood how easily people became poisoned in the upper crust populace - who has time to check for poison when there's fresh gnocchi to eat?
I have returned to Borca more times than strictly necessary, and I am not ashamed to admit that food has always been part of the excuse. I once paid actual gold to learn gnocchi properly from a master cook, and without a spell to bridge the language between us, I would have learned nothing at all. It was worth every coin. Since then, potatoes have become a quiet staple in my gardens, despite their relative rarity in Barovia. They grow for this purpose alone. When the mists press close and the cold sinks deep, I make gnocchi, coat them in butter infused with sage, and remember warmer kitchens, long tables, and the simple luxury of a dish made with care. In moments like that, the world feels a little less heavy.
Domain: House of Lament
Domain Formation: Unknown; settled in Borca in 746 BC
Power Level: 💀💀💀💀 ⚫
Sources: Domains of Dread (2e), Darklords (2e), Gazetteer IV (3e) VRGTR (5e)
The House of Lament was a once pocket Domain that could manifest in any other Domain, until it settled in the Blightwood of Borca in 746 BC. Why Borca is unclear, yet Borcans are not known for taking the restless spirits of the undead seriously and often view them solely as parlour tricks or sources of entertainment. Perhaps, in knowing this, the House can claim more souls in Borca than it would be able to elsewhere. A pity, I always enjoyed sending meddlesome fools to explore it whenever it visited Darkon.
What is now known as the House of Lament was once the castle of Lord Dranzorg, a warlord who encouraged his followers to ravage the surrounding countryside as a form of entertainment. Upon rampaging through Lord Silva’s lands, Silva negotiated a peace treaty with the Dranzorg by offering him his daughter Mara’s hand in marriage and in exchange asked for Dranzorg’s to cease his senseless violence. Mara was a beautiful, innocent woman with coppery red hair as many innocents in Ravenloft tend to be…
Silva was more than a fool to sell his child to Dranzorg. He went back on his word before Mara even arrived at his castle. Dranzorg’s thugs slaughtered Mara’s escort, then captured her. Claiming that Silva deceived him and Mara never arrived, then Dranzorg continued his assault against Silva’s people.
Meanwhile, Dranzorg ordered the fortification of the northern tower of his keep and upon its completion had Mara sealed within as an offering to some nameless deity. Many superstitious types believed that making such sacrifices were necessary to fortify a keep, though in most cases an animal, such as a stag, was sealed within the walls, not young ladies.
Mara cursed Dranzorg and his men as they sealed her fate. It was thought she would survive a day or so, but her screams echoed throughout the castle far beyond what any deemed capable. Unable to rest with her continual screams, Dranzorg ordered her tomb opened to ensure she would haunt them no more.
As soon as her tomb was open, the screaming came to an abrupt end and there was no sign of Mara within. The next evening, the guards on watch heard a woman singing from the tower and ascended to its top. Upon the morrow, they were discovered laying at the tower’s base, their forms shattered as if they had jumped. For several months this occurred on a nightly basis with more and more of Dranzorg’s people seemingly flinging themselves from the top of Mara’s tower.
These deaths slowly drove Dranzog into despair and madness. One evening, alone in his castle, Dranzog heard a woman calling to him. Unable to resist her call, Dranzog followed her voice to the tower. He crawled within the space that was once Mara’s tomb and died.
Centuries passed and the castle fell to ruin, until only the tower remained. A merchant, Loren Halvhrest, purchased the land and admiring the tower, built a house attached to it. Perhaps it was all the unearthly screams and perpetually cold stones that made the tower so desirable to Loren. Whatever his reasoning, it is no surprise that his entire family disappeared in mysterious ways shortly after settling within their new home.
The House of Lament is unique in that the spirit of evil that once possessed Dranzog’s castle fused with Mara’s innocent one and it is through her the house can lure other’s to their doom. It’s only goal is to capture as many souls as possible so Mara is never alone. The House cannot be physically nor magically harmed and it will not let anyone foolish enough to enter its premises leave unless someone is left behind.
In Van Richten’s new guide, Mara is no longer an innocent spirit corrupted by an unknown evil sealed within the remains of a once great fortress. Instead, Mara is said to be a Knight who swore to retake her family’s home after Dranzog seized their castle. In this version of the tale, both Mara and Dranzog were bitter enemies who both sealed countless individuals in the walls of the castle. The remaining tale is similar, the castle became a house and Dranzog is sealed within its walls and Mara acts to ensure more spirits are trapped within the House and perhaps escape herself.
@gay-loser-tibalt's D&D character and my favorite sorcerer, Promised Purity Ruined! just was thinking about her as i often do and decided to draw her for fun.
The national shortage in Borca has food + drink connoisseurs starving for cheese. Apparently Ivan Dilisnya allocated so much of the fussbudget for whine production that he left out cheese subsidies almost entirely.
Barovia: A dryad in Svalich woods punched a vampire through his chest, almost staking his heart. In retaliation the vampire severed the dryad's arm and then ran away, he probably died somewhere. The Dryad would like her arm back and is willing to give a reward.
Bluetspur: Welcome to the Dangerous Knowledge Quarantine District, citizen! You will be working alongside Grimlocks to transcribe and find applications for possibly cursed knowledge. This arcane lore could kill the entire illithid psionic network or any foolish mortals, so caution is mandatory. As you were listening to this message, knowledge of a simplified version of Qualith has been uploaded to your brain.
Borca: Ivana Boritsi has a acquired a list of Ivan Dilisnya's sleeper agents and needs them assassinated. These agents are animated toys who look and act just like real people. Nobody else knows or realizes these people are just toys, least of all the toys themselves. Show no mercy for these impersonators and Ivana might just find you interesting.
The Carnival: Redcaps have been soaking their caps in the viscera drawn from Professor Pacali's Hall of Horrors and are undergoing strange mutations. Eliminate them and the Carnival will go to any realm of Ravenloft that you desire.
Darkon: Alcio "Baron" Metus needs an artifact recovered from Castle Avernus in Lychgate. It's a standard cursed glowing sword, can absorb magic or the life force from it's wielder. Grab it and haul ass back to Martira Bay.
Dementliu: No one wants to admit it but visitors have been disappearing from the Bonniville Museum of the Sea. Also, no one wants to admit that the new creatures on display are disturbingly familiar. On behalf of the Lord Governor could you figure out why that is?
Falkovnia: A rumor has been going around that Vladeska Drakov's birthday is coming up and everyone is making plans and gifts for the feared warlord. Either help Drakov stop this party from happening by executing people or join the secret planning committee.
Har'Akir: A band of wandering tabaxi have rolled into Muhar. Everyone loves their music and art. They have crafted a legendary magical musical instrument and will trade it for an urn filled with water from the Red Oasis.
Hazlan: Construction of a mobile stilt-legged refinery has finished in Sly-Var. The magical construct has to be escorted to The Brew where it will extract useful alchemical compounds. The route will be dangerous and non-magical mercenaries are being hired. Some apprentices have muttered that the refinery might have a mind of it's own...
I'Cath: The city is being invaded by Yatsukahagi (functionally Chitine from Volo's Guide to Monster) from another dark realm. Tsien Chiang's is annoyed at having to use her magic, Jiangshi, and wits to combat this threat while her great city still isn't finished. The spider-people believe a fugitive has fled from their realm and has taken shelter somewhere in the city.
Kalakeri: Help some Yuan-Ti purebloods escape Arijani and Reeva's clutches and get them back to Naga Island and their people. These snakeskins happen to have valuable information about Ramya's undead condition.
Kartakass: A trading card game called "Wolves and Deer" has become popular throughout the realm. This irks Harkon Lukas because it's distracting people from his performances. He wants to find the printer making these cards and kill them. Fanatics of this card game want adventurers to stop him.
Botefin dex entry
They are rather playful and spend most of their carefree days chasing one another. Though, if they’re not careful or cautious enough they do end up becoming prey to much larger and fiercer Pokemon- but most of the time they can merely jet themselves away. Some smaller Pokemon have been seen resting on Botefin’s back or allowing Botefin to carry it somewhere.
Borca [Water]
Species: Ship Pokemon
Length: 3.5 m (11’06’’)
Weight: 120.0 kg (264.6 lbs)
Ability: Competitive
Hidden Ability: Rain Dish
Borca dex entry
Borca are more reckless and bold now that they’ve evolved, as they can defend themselves properly. At this stage they essentially have little to no predators, and should any Pokemon be foolish enough to attack them, they will make them regret it. They have lights on their bodies so they can easily see their surroundings at night, to prevent them from crashing into large ice flows, but most of them are too confident and will probably just charge right for the ice flow to see if they can break it.
Titanalot [Water/Ghost]
Species: Titan Pokemon
Length: 7.0 m (23’00’’)
Weight: 360.0 kg (793.7 lbs)
Ability: Cursed Body
Hidden Ability: Rain Dish
Titanalot dex entry
As opposed to their respectively bubbly and cocky pre-evolutions, Titanalot are much calmer and swim through the deep depths at a slow pace. At night they surface, and their eerie lights plus haunting song sends chills up most people’s spines. Local folklore states the smoke plumes coming from Titanalot are the souls of people who have drowned to death in the merciless, black waters of the ocean, and its song is to mourn the lost souls.
Shea, no. No no no no NO you did not-
Oh, I did.
I made a Fakemon based on the Titanic.
Hey, if Herman Melville is allowed to publish a book heavily based on the Essex Incident while there were still survivors from it alive, and if three animated Titanic movies exist, two of them completely disrespecting the actual events and the lives lost by having a puppy-faced octopus save everyone, then I can make a Fakemon based on the Titanic.
Also I initially wanted to add a kinda skull motif for Titanalot, but.... it just didn’t work. Plus I mean cachalot skulls are kinda weird and funky and- nothing I did felt right. So I decided to just go with the design I had now instead of trying to complicate it more.
Another thing- Botefin evolves through leveling up, but Borca evolves through leveling up.... in hail.
Yes, I went there.
Boatefin is based on a typical small motor boat, and its name comes from the Spanish (yes I know I said I wouldn’t do Spanish again but this time I had to) word, ‘bote’, and ‘dolphin’. I tried to combine those with ‘boto’, the word for Amazonian river dolphins, but I couldn’t find a way to make it work.
Borca is based on a cabin cruiser. Its name derives mostly from ‘orca’ and the Spanish word, ‘barco’, which specifically refers to larger boats as opposed to bote. And I just kinda rearranged the letters around.
Titanalot is a combination of ‘Titanic’ and ‘cachalot’, because NO, I am not going to use the other name for cachalots. You cannot make me.
Now, again, I know I haven’t made shinies for any of my Fakemons, BUT I have very specific ideas for shiny forms for Botefin and Titanalot. Botefin is a light pink, to reference pink Amazonian river dolphins and also allude to the ‘boto’ bit more. Titanalot, meanwhile, shall be albino. To reference Moby Dick.
