Mordent
The Land: Mordent's western shore borders the Sea of Sorrows. Sheer cliffs overlook the turbulent sea, though few exceed one hundred fifty feet in height. The beaches are rocky, and in most places, the waves break over boulders, erupting into spray. Beyond the cliffs, the land stretches into great expanses of forest or rolls gently, becoming moors, and a few small pockets of land lie below sea level.
The Arden River flows north through Mordent to Mordentshire, the domain's only major settlement. There, the river turns abruptly and empties into the Arden Bay. The town, located high on a chalky cliff, overlooks the quiet harbor. Mordentshire boasts a population of about two thousand people. It also houses the lawful good temple of the Church of Ezra (see Chapter Five).
Two noteworthy estates are located near Mordentshire: the House on Gryphon Hill and Heather House. Locals know the House on Gryphon Hill as the haunting grounds of Lord Godefroy. It is an evil place filled with terrible creatures. Heather House is the Weathermay family estate. This family owns most of the land directly southwest of town.
Cultural Level: Renaissance.
The Folk: Mordent's natives are of every size and color, but all are human. The language spoken here is identical to that of neighboring Dementlieu, except that residents of Mordent have a slight drawl.
Laborers in Mordentshire are mostly fishermen, taut and lean from their work. The sea is their livelihood, and they reserve respect for those who also make their living from the sea. Peasants who reside away from the village tend to be herders.
Nearly everyone in Mordentshire knows the House on Gryphon Hill is haunted by the restless spirit of Godefroy Mordent. These highly superstitious people believe strongly in ghosts and other creatures from "the other side" (with good reason). However, they do not think such creatures can invade their homes. As the local saying goes, "Don't visit evil, and it won't visit you".
Most folk are well mannered and friendly toward strangers, yet they remain polite, reserved, and often secretive. Mordentish folk have mastered the art of verbal evasion. They will chat for hours about meaningless trivia, but they will rarely answer a personal question. When a storyteller is pressed into action, he will usually share an old tale about an alchemist in Mordentshire who invented an Apparatus that some say could take the soul from any being and cast it into oblivion, or even implant it in another body. (Mordentish parents often scare their children with this version or teasingly say, "You cannot be my child. The Apparatus must have sent you".) Others claim the Apparatus can separate the good and evil in a person, creating two individuals. The Apparatus was supposedly destroyed, but no one knows for sure. Most natives believe the entire tale is fiction.
Native Player Characters: Heroes from Mordent may be of any character class allowed to natives of the Demiplane. Due to the fact that they have been exposed to tales of ghosts and other noncorporeal creatures since childhood, they receive a +2 bonus to all fear and horror checks involving such creatures.
Personalities of Note: Gennifer and Laurie Weathermay-Foxgrove are the twin daughters of Daniel Foxgrove. Their mother, Alice Weathermay, died giving birth to them. At nineteen, the two young women have exceptional analytical and fighting skills that Mordent's more proper folk feel are unladylike. Following in the footsteps of their life-long idols, their uncle George Weathermay and the famous scholar of the macabre Dr. Rudolph van Richten, they have embarked on a career of investigating and defeating evil supernatural creatures and phenomena.
At one time, Dr. Rudolph van Richten was Mordentshire's most famous resident. In his apartment above his small herbalism shop in Mordent, Dr. van Richten penned such works as Guide to Vampires, Guide to Fiends, and Guide to Ghosts, all drawn from personal experience with the dark creatures that haunt the lands of the Core and beyond. Van Richten, however, disappeared recently, so the herbalism shop is being managed by Gennifer and Laurie on behalf of the doctor until he resurfaces or an heir comes forth.
The Law: The mayor of Mordentshire, presently Daniel Foxgrove, is politically the most powerful person in Mordentshire. However, whenever laws are passed or civic decisions are made, the mayor always first considers the possible reactions of the restless spirit of Lord Godefroy. The mayor is supported by a police force of 1st-level fighters who typically wear leather armor and carry footman's maces.
Encounters: No incidental encounters with monsters occur in or around Mordentshire. This does not include the forests near the town, where creatures of the night are as plentiful as the wildlife, just the town itself and the nearby farmlands. Encounters in town may include Vistani, strange folk, or ordinary animals, however. In contrast, the Gryphon Hill area teems with horrid creatures, especially undead (excluding vampires and liches). Lycanthropes, particularly werewolves and werefoxes, may be encountered in the southern portion of the domain. Away from Gryphon Hill, characters have a 25% chance of encountering one of these beasts by day; after nightfall the chance doubles. On or near the infamous hill characters have a 20% chance for an encounter, twice each day. At night on Gryphon Hill, this roll should be made every hour.
Further Reading: Mordentshire was first featured in the classic 1st edition AD&D adventure Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill. Howls in the Night is a more recent visit to the domain.
Lord Wilfred Godefroy
Ghost, Chaotic Evil
| Armor Class | 0 | Str | - | ||||
| Movement | 9 | Dex | - | ||||
| Level/Hit Dice | 10 | Con | - | ||||
| Hit Points | 40 | Int | 14 | ||||
| THAC0 | 11 | Wis | 11 | ||||
| No. of Attacks | 1 | Cha | 15 | ||||
| Damage/Attack | Nil | ||||||
| Special Attacks | Ages victim 1d4x10 years | ||||||
| Special Defences | Immune to spells that affect the mind and biological functions | ||||||
| Magic Resistance | Nil | ||||||
Lord Godefroy is a ghost. As such, he appears most often as a transparent figure. He wears a high-necked, ruffled shirt and a close-fitting black coat with tails. His gray hair is pulled back tightly and worked into a complex knot on the back of his head. He appears as an old, stooped man in his seventies, his face deeply lined, brows knit together, and eyes squinting harshly. He sometimes wears pincenez fastened by a chain. His expression is always severe and unforgiving.
Background: Lord Wilfred Qodefroy inherited the Gryphon Hill estate in Mordent. He married Estelle Weathermay and they had a single child, a girl. Godefroy was disappointed, and he was an evil man with a vile temper. During a fit of rage he killed his wife, and when the little girl attempted to intervene, he killed her as well. Then he made it look like an accident in the stable, shooting his best stallion to prove the point.
For the next year, Godefroy was haunted by the spirits of his wife and daughter, until he finally committed suicide. By his own last request, he was buried in the mausoleum of Heather House, the largest estate in Mordent, although his wife and child are buried in the Gryphon Hill cemetery. He did not want their spirits haunting him in death as they had in life.
Though Godefroy did not yet realize it, his activities had captured the attention of the dark powers, even though Mordent was not yet a domain. Then Strahd von Zarovich came to Mordentshire in an ill-fated attempt at escaping his prison in Barovia. Rather than entering the prime material, though, all he managed to do was to draw Mordentshire and the surrounding lands into Ravenloft. Thus, the domain of Mordent was formed. When Strahd returned to Barovia, Lord Godefroy was the most powerful evil force in the area, so he became its lord, thereby increasing his powers.
Current Sketch: Godefroy is an arrogant, conceited snob. He has a hair-trigger temper and a creative bent toward evil. As a ghost, he can roam freely around the entire domain, but he usually restricts himself to Mordentshire and its surroundings, including Gryphon Hill and the Weathermay estate.
This vicious spirit fears only his wife and daughter. Each night, Lady Godefroy and her child hunt down Lord Godefroy and tear at his incorporeal flesh, cursing him for their murders. Lord Godefroy always does what he can to hide from them, which is very little. He vents his fear and frustration on those foolish enough to visit Gryphon Hill, which is uninhabited.
Closing the Borders: When Godefroy wishes to seal his domain, the Mists roll in from the sea and blanket the land. Characters who wander out-of-doors in these conditions find that every road, path, and game trail leads back toward Mordentshire.
Combat: Godefroy is a normal ghost, with the following changes: Any priestly attempt to turn him has no effect. Furthermore, any undead creature within one hundred yards of Godefroy gains a +2 bonus against turning attempts (the "sinkhole of evil" effect is described in Appendix Three: Character Classes).
