So here's a little something I wanted to share. I have a running list of questions about Ravok, some of its factions and the game in general. Recently, I was able to get a few of those answered and while the Codex rewrite is in a state of flux, I wanted to put it here so that you would all know what I now know about our fair city.
What kind of clothes do people in Ravok wear?
What's the REAL story behind Ravok and its families?
I really enjoyed this and I also have some ideas regarding other aspects of the city which I'd like to discuss and will start threads for those too. Well, Ravokians? What do you think? Was this helpful information? Is there anything you'd like to see expanded? What does it make you think of? Does this make you want to change things about your PC?
What kind of clothes do people in Ravok wear?
My Question :
I've been giving a lot of thought about things like style and clothing. Obviously, the city guard, Ebonstryfe and Black Sun have basic uniform styles relating to black armor, robes, etc. Given the wildlands and lack of well-traveled roads, I would think furs and leather or even some kind of woven fiber would be prominent. Things like silk and even cotton seem like they'd be rare and reserved for those with larger funds. I think of late Imperial Russia where everyone wore furs but the rich wore them in elegant ways with lavish cuts and contrasting fabrics. The normal folk would just have plain or mismatch furs and average thatch britches. Do you have any thoughts on this? Sidenote: SHould we give them all lederhosen?
Gillar's Answer :
On the outskirts of Ravok, what you mention would be appropriate for sure. However, keep in mind that save for the times when Rhysol is feeling more out of sorts than usual, the climate surrounding the city of Ravok is pretty moderate. Generally, I see citizens of Ravok dressing somewhat ancient Greek/Roman-like as far as wearing simple robes or togas for both men and women with the more influential individuals having it a bit fancier. Linen, furs, leather, etc., for the average citizen, silks and cotton as you mentioned, for the more well-off. Slaves would wear whatever their owners were comfortable paying for.
What's the REAL story behind Ravok and its families?
My Question :
There's a lot of speculation as to the Ravokian families and how the city actually grew into what it is now. I would love to be able to clear some of that up and give the players a concrete THIS IS IT feel. The lore clearly states they're involved in everything but it isn't well-defined. I want to avoid the clash with Kenash in that the Ravok families loaned money to others so they could build up a shop or a farm, etc. Did the first settlers venture out and bring in more people as a way to strengthen themselves against one another? The Nitrozians own everything housing related so perhaps the various Inns and Taverns all come from lineages that were initially aligned with the Nitrozians while Ravok was being built. Is there a model in history you had in mind when you created Ravok in terms of social structure? I almost get a feudal vibe sometimes. "Yeah, you can have this floating frame for your store but you'll have to swear to be loyal to me and support my endeavors."
Gillar's Answer :
A good question, I will write this out for you here but will also include this in my scrap as part of my creator insights. Ravok didn't exist before the Valterrian. Lake Ravok however was a center of life and prosperity as it provided a seemingly endless supply of food. There were small fishing fleets that trolled the waters while various fishing towns lay on its shores. When the Valterrian happened, the fleets were shattered and the towns laid to waste. The survivors of both the fleets and the towns found themselves fleeing the horrors that wandered the shores and taking refuge on the lake. They cobbled together crippled ships and debris to form a floating makeshift town; a place for people scattered and broken by the Valterrian to find some form of safety and security.
The influential families of Ravok came from those early survivors. The early organization of the survivors involved leadership comprised of the few remaining influential merchant families who operated the fishing fleets and controlled the towns. From these early merchant families came the Nitrozians, followed by the other present day families. On the mainland, the after effects of the Valterrian was still being felt and rumors of a safe haven in the center of Lake Ravok began to spread among various survivors throughout the surrounding region. Driven by fear of the horrors that hunted them, numerous people braved the journey across the great lake in search of safety.
As more and more people discovered the floating makeshift haven, there was a growing need for rules and laws as well as a need for a way to support security as well as tend to the basic needs of the growing population. The entire place was largely chaotic and unpredictable. There was plenty of fish and fresh water but other needed goods and services were not easily met. This caused no small amount of conflict among the survivors who then numbered a few hundred. It was soon after a strange, darkly beautiful and enticingly charismatic arrived at the haven.
The woman was rather quiet at first but brought with her the uncanny ability to inspire and lead people. It all started small. She would help people with chores, tend to the injured and aid the sick and all around act selflessly for the people. She was able to inspire others to do the same until they were able to begin establishing the foundation for a functional society. The surviving merchant families (who eventually evolved into the Nitrozians) were voted on by the people to provide a structure for goods and services as well as to set up an early bartering system. A security group was formed (this would evolve into the City Guard) to keep the peace. Basically the haven became an organized town. As more survivors trickled in, the city began to physically grow as teams were sent out on the few surviving ships to gather building materials from the mainland.
The young woman who had inspired all of this was chosen by the people to be their leader. She modestly accepted and continued her work toward establishing a strong, secure, flourishing town floating in the center of Lake Ravok. When the town had grown to several thousand people and had physically expanded both in size, building quality and overall social structure, roughly over a hundred years after the Valterrian, the woman, who remained young, beautiful and strong, revealed to the people that their growing prosperity was thanks to the God, Rhysol. She revealed herself to be His Voice and that it was His wish to provide a new beginning for those who had suffered and lost so much in the Valterrian. She pointed out the plentiful food, the relative health of the people, the lack of any real dangers from environmental factors or really anything else as being the blessings of Rhysol. Everything she claimed could be backed up by the facts of the people's relatively blessed existence at the time.
The Voice established the first organized faith in Rhysol in the form of The Black Sun and established a small temple (which would grow much larger). It was shortly after the creation of the temple that a mountain of a man appeared in the city and accompanied The Voice. He was introduced as Gru'tral, a friend of The Voice and a devout follower of Rhysol. Wherever The Voice went, Gru'tral was at her side. As the city continued to grow and prosper, The Voice attributed it all to the mercy of Rhysol. Generations of people grew up experiencing prosperity that they were told was thanks to the God. The town turned city was named Ravok after the lake that cradled it.
The families of Ravok that had helped establish the foundations for the city, eventually evolved into the great Nitrozian family which dominates most of the city's current business climate. Other smaller families were able to claim their own societal niche as well. They laid claim to various aspects of city function and would grow their influence by maintaining a stake in any smaller businesses and operations that may crop up through offering loans, buying out, intimidation and extortion. It was actually the various Families that established something of a dangerous, unpredictability to the city that required The Voice to take action.
Roughly a couple hundred or so years after the Valterrian, the influence of the Families was becoming something of a threat to what The Voice had helped build. Rhysol, who had yet to reveal his full presence to the city, enjoyed the conflict and corruption that the Families brought. However, The Voice reminded him that if the people didn't believe they were better off living in Ravok and giving thanks to Rhysol, the whole thing would collapse and Rhysol would lose thousands of people worth of faith. She proposed the establishment of an organization that could better control the Families and crush them if need be. It was then that the Ebonstryfe was born and Gru'tral was tasked to command it. To help him, The Voice also proposed the creation of superior beings who would infiltrate the families as well as all other areas of the city and aid The Ebonstryfe and The Black Sun in maintaining a form of ordered chaos within the city. They would work to create conflict as well as squash it if necessary. Through this controlled chaos, the city could continue to function and Rhysol would maintain his center of power.
Thus the Druvin were born. A few existed already outside of Ravok while others were created later. Eventually they were all introduced into the city and took their positions. The Families were more or less put in their place and their influence was monitored and directed behind the scenes by the Ebonstryfe.
As time went on, Rhysol eventually revealed his full presence to the city. The moment was filled with the God walking the streets, answering prayers, performing miracles and overall showing the people of Ravok that he was the one deity who truly cared for them.
The city, having evolved from a floating collection of debris that a few haggard survivors clung to for safety into a prosperous yet unpredictable contradiction, now operates with a centralized government formed of representatives from the Ravok Families, The Black Sun, The Ebonstryfe and heads of the different organizations that make up the foundation of the city. This ruling council had always been led by The Voice. In the absence of a current Voice, another Druvin typically leads the council. While all representatives have some say within the council, The Voice or whoever sits in for that position, has the final say in all matters. Rhysol has been known to occasionally attend meetings but he seldom speaks and revels when conflict erupts.
The influential families of Ravok came from those early survivors. The early organization of the survivors involved leadership comprised of the few remaining influential merchant families who operated the fishing fleets and controlled the towns. From these early merchant families came the Nitrozians, followed by the other present day families. On the mainland, the after effects of the Valterrian was still being felt and rumors of a safe haven in the center of Lake Ravok began to spread among various survivors throughout the surrounding region. Driven by fear of the horrors that hunted them, numerous people braved the journey across the great lake in search of safety.
As more and more people discovered the floating makeshift haven, there was a growing need for rules and laws as well as a need for a way to support security as well as tend to the basic needs of the growing population. The entire place was largely chaotic and unpredictable. There was plenty of fish and fresh water but other needed goods and services were not easily met. This caused no small amount of conflict among the survivors who then numbered a few hundred. It was soon after a strange, darkly beautiful and enticingly charismatic arrived at the haven.
The woman was rather quiet at first but brought with her the uncanny ability to inspire and lead people. It all started small. She would help people with chores, tend to the injured and aid the sick and all around act selflessly for the people. She was able to inspire others to do the same until they were able to begin establishing the foundation for a functional society. The surviving merchant families (who eventually evolved into the Nitrozians) were voted on by the people to provide a structure for goods and services as well as to set up an early bartering system. A security group was formed (this would evolve into the City Guard) to keep the peace. Basically the haven became an organized town. As more survivors trickled in, the city began to physically grow as teams were sent out on the few surviving ships to gather building materials from the mainland.
The young woman who had inspired all of this was chosen by the people to be their leader. She modestly accepted and continued her work toward establishing a strong, secure, flourishing town floating in the center of Lake Ravok. When the town had grown to several thousand people and had physically expanded both in size, building quality and overall social structure, roughly over a hundred years after the Valterrian, the woman, who remained young, beautiful and strong, revealed to the people that their growing prosperity was thanks to the God, Rhysol. She revealed herself to be His Voice and that it was His wish to provide a new beginning for those who had suffered and lost so much in the Valterrian. She pointed out the plentiful food, the relative health of the people, the lack of any real dangers from environmental factors or really anything else as being the blessings of Rhysol. Everything she claimed could be backed up by the facts of the people's relatively blessed existence at the time.
The Voice established the first organized faith in Rhysol in the form of The Black Sun and established a small temple (which would grow much larger). It was shortly after the creation of the temple that a mountain of a man appeared in the city and accompanied The Voice. He was introduced as Gru'tral, a friend of The Voice and a devout follower of Rhysol. Wherever The Voice went, Gru'tral was at her side. As the city continued to grow and prosper, The Voice attributed it all to the mercy of Rhysol. Generations of people grew up experiencing prosperity that they were told was thanks to the God. The town turned city was named Ravok after the lake that cradled it.
The families of Ravok that had helped establish the foundations for the city, eventually evolved into the great Nitrozian family which dominates most of the city's current business climate. Other smaller families were able to claim their own societal niche as well. They laid claim to various aspects of city function and would grow their influence by maintaining a stake in any smaller businesses and operations that may crop up through offering loans, buying out, intimidation and extortion. It was actually the various Families that established something of a dangerous, unpredictability to the city that required The Voice to take action.
Roughly a couple hundred or so years after the Valterrian, the influence of the Families was becoming something of a threat to what The Voice had helped build. Rhysol, who had yet to reveal his full presence to the city, enjoyed the conflict and corruption that the Families brought. However, The Voice reminded him that if the people didn't believe they were better off living in Ravok and giving thanks to Rhysol, the whole thing would collapse and Rhysol would lose thousands of people worth of faith. She proposed the establishment of an organization that could better control the Families and crush them if need be. It was then that the Ebonstryfe was born and Gru'tral was tasked to command it. To help him, The Voice also proposed the creation of superior beings who would infiltrate the families as well as all other areas of the city and aid The Ebonstryfe and The Black Sun in maintaining a form of ordered chaos within the city. They would work to create conflict as well as squash it if necessary. Through this controlled chaos, the city could continue to function and Rhysol would maintain his center of power.
Thus the Druvin were born. A few existed already outside of Ravok while others were created later. Eventually they were all introduced into the city and took their positions. The Families were more or less put in their place and their influence was monitored and directed behind the scenes by the Ebonstryfe.
As time went on, Rhysol eventually revealed his full presence to the city. The moment was filled with the God walking the streets, answering prayers, performing miracles and overall showing the people of Ravok that he was the one deity who truly cared for them.
The city, having evolved from a floating collection of debris that a few haggard survivors clung to for safety into a prosperous yet unpredictable contradiction, now operates with a centralized government formed of representatives from the Ravok Families, The Black Sun, The Ebonstryfe and heads of the different organizations that make up the foundation of the city. This ruling council had always been led by The Voice. In the absence of a current Voice, another Druvin typically leads the council. While all representatives have some say within the council, The Voice or whoever sits in for that position, has the final say in all matters. Rhysol has been known to occasionally attend meetings but he seldom speaks and revels when conflict erupts.
I really enjoyed this and I also have some ideas regarding other aspects of the city which I'd like to discuss and will start threads for those too. Well, Ravokians? What do you think? Was this helpful information? Is there anything you'd like to see expanded? What does it make you think of? Does this make you want to change things about your PC?
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