Fiction - Black Crusade

[Mouseferatu]

Ooo I see on the June editorial calendar they are releasing a compilation of Black Drusade next friday.

Yep. I don't know what format it'll be in, but I'm looking forward to saving a copy myself.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Brilliant story, I felt really sorry for De Wyndt, did not and still does not strike me as the Dark Lord type, though I could see him turning bitter and bleak in the future as he is stuck in Malosia. It all depends on how he takes it, like many such things.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Brilliant story, I felt really sorry for De Wyndt, did not and still does not strike me as the Dark Lord type, though I could see him turning bitter and bleak in the future as he is stuck in Malosia. It all depends on how he takes it, like many such things.

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

As to Diederic's fate, I think this is one place where the weekly format of the novel wasn't optimal, because it's pretty subtle and drawn-out throughout the book. But...

[sblock]If you go back through it, you'll find a repeating pattern of behavior on Diederic's part, where he constantly puts his own desires ahead of what's good for others, even when it causes terrible harm. (Sure, he justifies it because he's trying to catch and punish Lambrecht, but his need for vengeance overrides everything else.) It starts when he uses the guy in Jerusalem to lie for him, to make sure Lambrecht is found guilty. He abandons Leona's cousin to death because he's angry that Leona lied to him. He murders redbreasts without hesitation even though not all of them are evil, and not even all standing in his way. But by far the greatest and most egregious example (and the one that arguably tipped him into true Dark Lord territory) was bringing the pages of the Grimoire to Caercaelum. He knew it would cause madness, bloodshed, and the deaths of innocents, just like he'd seen in Jerusalem. He was told it would happen. Yet he consciously and deliberately chose to do so anyway, because of his burning need for vengeance against Lambrecht, and in doing so caused more death and destruction than Lambrecht himself ever did.

It's more subtle than some dark lords' sins, but I think it holds together. Or at least, I certainly tried to make sure it did. [/sblock]

That said, I was indeed planning to explore Diederic's fate and motivations further in additional books, back when we thought the Ravenloft: Dominion line was going to be going on for a while. Alas, 'twas not to be.

 

[Pseudopsyche]

While I'll always regret that this book never saw actual print, I'm delighted that you were able to see it in some form. I had a blast writing this one; I hope you had as much fun reading it.

I too had fun reading this story. I don't have much time for reading these days, but each installment seemed just the right weekly dose of adventure. It was my first experience with Ravenloft in any form, so I enjoyed seeing a different take on fantasy. I'll also just say that at least once you really surprised me, in a good way.

Thank you.

 

[Pseudopsyche]

[sblock]It's more subtle than some dark lords' sins, but I think it holds together. Or at least, I certainly tried to make sure it did. [/sblock]

That said, I was indeed planning to explore Diederic's fate and motivations further in additional books, back when we thought the Ravenloft: Dominion line was going to be going on for a while. Alas, 'twas not to be.

[sblock]I noted more than once while reading that Diederic's actions weren't particularly heroic. I think the only reason I didn't see the ending coming was a lack of familiarity with the Ravenloft concept of dark lords (or maybe I'm just dumb like that). I definitely don't think his sins were too subtle. As soon as I saw the ending, I immediately acknowledged that I should have seen it coming--the best kind of twist ending![/sblock]

 

[Mouseferatu]

Thank you.

You're quite welcome.

Hey, where in Austin are you? I don't know if you're an Eberron fan, but I'll be doing a signing at Dragon's Lair when the Eberron Player's Guide comes out next month, if you want to swing by.

 

[Pseudopsyche]

Hey, where in Austin are you? I don't know if you're an Eberron fan, but I'll be doing a signing at Dragon's Lair when the Eberron Player's Guide comes out next month, if you want to swing by.

I actually just got home from Dragon's Lair; I live only a few miles away. I'll be sure to check out the signing. I regretted missing the last one, but I couldn't justify picking up Draconomicon. The Eberron Player's Guide, however, is a must-buy for me!