The Land: Richemulot is a land of forested wilderness. Here and there, travelers will find isolated farms, woodsman's cottages, monasteries, or even a wizard's compound, but the majority of this domain's sparse population is centered in and around its three large towns: Pont-a-Museau, Ste. Ronges, and Mortigny. At least a third of the buildings in each settlement lie empty or in ruins. Sixteen thousand people live in Pont-a-Museau, but the city could house nearly twenty thousand comfortably. Much of the city is boarded up and infested with all manner of vermin. Similarly, about sixty-five hundred folk inhabit the once-grand city of Ste. Ronges, leaving homes for another twelve thousand citizens vacant. Mortigny houses eight thousand people, but if the buildings are any indication, another five thousand folk once lived there. No one knows where the inhabitants of these cities vanished to, but they were already long gone when Richemulot was first noticed southwest of Falkovnia. Not even the natives of these cities know where those other residents have disappeared to. As far as anyone can remember, the cities of Richemulot have always been partially abandoned. Rumors abound that items of arcane power and great caches of gems and gold still lay undiscovered in the crumbling structures.
Richemulot's settlements are known for their finely constructed sewer systems. Wererats live in these labyrinthine tunnels.
Cultural Level: Chivalric.
The Folk: The people of Richemulot are generally fair of hair and skin, with blue being the most common eye color. Black hair is generally found only among the land's more powerful families, particularly the Reniers - the domain's ruling family - and their cousins.
Every family in the cities of Richemulot inhabits a large home or series of buildings - as much as they can fill comfortably. Most edifices have fallen into ruin or disrepair. The people of Richemulot are not possessive about the things they own - almost everything they have was abandoned by someone before them. Also, every person in this domain appears affluent, and the poverty and starvation found in neighboring lands is not typically found in Richemulot.
Material possessions do not equate to status in Richemulot. Instead, information means power in this land. For this reason, fashion and jewelry are less important in Richemulot than in other lands (although there are still sharp differences between the loose shirts and trousers both men and women wear normally, and the extravagant silk waistcoats of the men and voluminous, bare-shouldered dresses of the women when it comes to formal occasions and balls).
The population of Richemulot is slowly growing. Many folk flee their homelands in Falkovnia, Invidia, or Dementlieu in hopes of making a better life in Richemulot. Some succeed, but others vanish without trace. Many of those who vanish do so after attempting to challenge the Reniers or one of Richemulot's other powerful families.
Many tongues are spoken in Richemulot, but the two most common are Falkovnian and a dialect of the language spoken in Dementlieu. The difference between the languages is most obvious on the written level, as the written language of Richemulot tends to be more phonetically oriented than that of Dementlieu. (Educated men in Dementlieu tend to view natives of Richemulot as borderline illiterates, while the folks of Richemulot view themselves as practical.)
Native Player Characters: Every class allowed in Ravenloft may be found in Richemulot. Wizards and priests tend to be highly respected, due to their ability to wrest magical secrets from inanimate objects and even the air itself. All Richemulot natives may take the local history nonweapon proficiency for free. However, they do not have much information about their cities and who built them, instead possessing information on what families are currently allied with whom and which factions might be planning to move against another.
Personalities of Note: The Renier family and their relatives are the center of power and social life in Richemulot. None of Richemulot's single women receive as many suitors as Jacqueline and her twin sister Louise. Both sit at the center of an extensive net of informants (although only their relatives realize that the sisters are wererats and that their information network includes all manner of vermin as well as human spies).
Most folk in Richemulot know that an intense rivalry exists between the Renier twins. Despite the many suitors each receives, neither has yet married, nor has either been known to have been courted by a man for more than a few months. Eventually, all of their suitors either vanish or are found dead.
The Law: Jacqueline Renier has ruled Richemulot for almost twenty-five years. She inherited the rulership when her grandfather Claude died in 726. Devoted to Richemulot and keeping her family in a position of power, Jacqueline has attempted to enforce precious few laws, save one: Each citizen is required to own at least one weapon and swear fealty to the country of Richemulot, promising to rise in its defense should it ever be invaded by Falkovnia or another enemy. Other than needing to adhere to that minor guideline, any person is welcome to settle in Richemulot's cities or empty countryside.
Wererat refugees from other domains are particularly welcome in Richemulot, although they must swear fealty to Jacqueline personally. Most folk do not know that wererats infest the land, but those who do have not yet determined who leads them.
Encounters: Richemulot is not a safe place to wander alone. During the day, the chance for a group of characters to encounter a band of wererats set on sport is 50%. Roll once for a group of player characters. At night roll twice. (If a character is alone or has just one companion, roll for two encounters each day and three each night.) Night encounters are with either wererats or some form of undead.
Jacqueline Renier
Wererat, Chaotic Evil
| Armor Class | 10 (6) | Str | 11 | ||||
| Movement | 12 | Dex | 16 | ||||
| Level/Hit Dice | 3+1 | Con | 15 | ||||
| Hit Points | 18 | Int | 15 | ||||
| THAC0 | 17 | Wis | 9 | ||||
| No. of Attacks | 1 | Cha | 17 | ||||
| Damage/Attack | By weapon | ||||||
| Special Attacks | Suprise | ||||||
| Special Defences | Need silver or +1 or better magical weapon to hit | ||||||
| Magic Resistance | Nil | ||||||
Jacqueline is a wererat, beautiful but sinister in human form, with just a trace of ratlike features. Her eyes are green with flecks of gold, and her hair is black and sleek, the streaks of gray that have recently appeared at the temples only heightening her beauty. She tends to dress simply, yet alluringly, avoiding extravagance. She is a brilliant conversationalist, well-versed in a wide variety of topics.
Background: Jacqueline was a child when her family discovered a portal into Ravenloft. A team of dogs and a group of vigilante swordsmen were pursuing them through the sewers beneath the city. The Reniers were cornered. Before them lay certain death by a glowing sword. Behind, in an open vault, lay a strange portal filled with Mist. They chose the Mists.
The family entered Ravenloft on the borders of Falkovnia and quickly made their home in the passages beneath the town of Silbervas. Many years later, Drakov finally tired of the wererats' murdering and pilfering. He dispatched a huge expeditionary force to sweep through the sewers, exterminating every creature they encountered. Some of the wererats, including the Reniers, escaped to the countryside. Drakov had anticipated this flight, so his horsemen were ready. When the Reniers fled into the Mists once more, the sound of pounding hooves followed close behind them.
The Mists opened up new lands for Jacqueline and her family. Her grandfather Claude became darklord of Richemulot. The family found the land to their liking, for it appeared complete with cities and sewers. Jacqueline was a dark star, schooled well by her evil grandfather. In the year 726 of the Barovian calendar, she murdered him and took control of the domain. Since then, the population has grown even more with the arrival of refugees from other lands.
Current Sketch: Jacqueline is domineering, manipulative, and mean, reveling in her animal nature. Rats are lusty creatures, and so is Jacqueline. Her curse in Ravenloft is to automatically revert to rat form in the presence of anyone she loves. Normally this would not have affected her; wererats usually do not form bonds of love and marriage. However, it has also been Jacqueline's curse to fall in love. She is enamored of a human male named Henri DuBois. Since her last unsuccessful attempt to make him her wererat slave, his whereabouts are unknown.
Due to her curse, Jacqueline is extremely afraid of being alone. Her monophobia is so severe that anytime she is encountered without her allies and companions, she suffers a -2 penalty to all attack rolls and saving throws.
Jacqueline's sister Louise, her identical twin, is not so cursed, but the jealous darklord usually arranges the death of Louise's lovers in short order.
Closing the Borders: When Jacqueline wants to seal her domain, a horde of giant rats surges from every dark corner and shadow, forming a border at least fifty feet thick. These monsters literally hang from trees if there is no more space to occupy on the ground. Creatures who would fly over them find that the air does not support them. They sink slowly into the throng of rending teeth unless they turn back immediately.
Combat: Jacqueline enjoys all of the normal powers ascribed to a wererat (see the MONSTROUS MANUAL tome). In addition, she can become a foul-smelling mist at will. She does not, however, smell like a sewer when in human form, and neither do members of her family. In human form, the wererats of Richemulot are indistinguishable from normal humans.
If wounded to the point of death, she automatically assumes gaseous form and flees. Jacqueline regains 1 hit point per day while in this form. She remains gaseous until her total hit points rise above zero once more.
Regardless of form, Lord Renier can climb any surface, including glass, and she can even cling to the ceiling. When not in human form, she can gnaw through virtually any material if given time. Anyone she injures has a 10% chance per point of damage of becoming a wererat under her control.
