Ravenloft's Dementlieu a Domain of Dread | D&D Lore

[@Patch3xe]

Good video as always ! French here, not to be rude or anything, and I'm not entirely sure if it's the meaning behind the author's mind but, "d'Honaire" is said like "Donaire" instead of "D. Honaire", the "d' stand for "Of" like Bob of Dementlieu. A lot of noble in french history had the name of the land where they came from in their name. Actualy even the presence of the "d" or "de" in the name prove the nobility title. Trivia : Dementlieu means in french : Crazy or Mad for Dement and land or place for lieu. A lieu is basically a place or a village. Keep up the good work, I look forward for the next video too !

[@Jorphdan]

Thank you! I didn't know, and good info to know! 🙂

[@Patch3xe]

@@Jorphdan You're welcome ! :) And last one, there is some puns in the cities names it seems, like Port-A-Lucine which sound like "Ha-llucinate Harbor" in french, it could be fun to get every one of them !

[@raydaveed]

Also the lieu part it's pronounced "ly" (as in heavenly) - "uhh" (like the interjection) if you are going for the French way :)

[@genghisgalahad8465]

@@Jorphdan the puns and pronunciations, I mean, even for being a stickler about grammar etc, having this imposed on players especially if new to the language makes me less likely to pick it up. Making players and DMs work more than needed on the pronunciation rather than just giving them a more feasible name. They couldn’t do something feasible and fun like Count of Monte Cristo or Chateau D’If, or at least include a glossary of pronunciation? It’s way overwrought and even pretentious in my opinion just for its contrived translated names. Cmon, WebDM! It’s not cool to put your DM’s or players on the spot! takes away from the fun! They couldn’t do Bonnehomme or something vaguely Anglo?

[@bunnyrollscrits]

@@genghisgalahad8465 pronouncing 5 words correctly is perfectly feasible, no? You can even make them sound more french by putting on an accent and still mispronounce it, no one will notice. Day-mont-lee-uhh and don-air. It's not a big effort.

[@CanonThought]

I enjoy the new version much more because the Darklord is more relevant to the location's obsessions. The first one was combining several ideas and seemingly shifts gears from an homage of Damien and The Omen, into a class-war obsessed setting. The new dark lord's backstory fits the theme of the setting's obsessions perfectly, almost as if it were crafted from her own fantasies and nightmares blending together.

[@sagesheahan6732]

Jorphdan. Please do ALL of the Domains of Dread like this. Please? 🙏🙏🙏

[@Grrrr1997]

Pleaseeeee

[@valvadis2360]

I really like the Evil-Cinderella backstory to the new Dementlieu. The old version i could'nt really see the connection between "lord with mind control powers since birth" and a country where everyone just pretends to be rich.

[@LunaticReason]

Except the original Dementlieu wasn’t about pretending but rather about Machiavellian politics in the older versions. Dominic was someone lacking in a female presence in his life taught to get what he wanted through manipulation and lies. What drew him into the mists was the sexual assault he committed and the lies and murders covering up his crime and the social and political influences he uses to do so Thus his curse with women seeing him as vile

[@khamulthewack4732]

That weird wastelands set looks like it would be a perfect supplement to use for an Eberron campaign in the Mournland.

[@powerist209]

Plus the choo-choo

[@WebDM]

We agree!

[@herkles5416]

A few comments. 1.) there were several adventures in Dementlieu, mainly in anthologies including the Children of the Night series. The golem one had the wax museum, the ghost one had Marcel Delacourte and his undead workhouses, and werebeasts had one involving the opera house. They all take place in Port-a-Lucine so you could use them for either version. And what I like about them is that the Darklord isn't part of the horror for these adventures. 2.) the map that you show on 3:40 isn't canon but instead the map for the Neverwinter nights server, Prisoners of the Mists that I play on. Specifically it was during a civil war plot that we ran for a few years between the Council of Brilliance and more reactionary nobles called the Covenant; the covenant managed to take over only to later be deposed and Dominic returned to power(with the help of some players). 3.) The third edition/second edition of Dementlieu didn't have people eating out of the garbage. Though you are right that things are based on appearances, and everyone trying to out do one another, and they don't really help the poor. The theme of class struggle was spot on though. 4.) You didn't talk about the Brain. In 2nd/3rd, the living Brain, otherwise known as Rudolph von Aubrecker,. The living brain is a brain in the jar and a powerful psionicst(if you use those rules). He is the main antagonist to dominic and the two are trapped in a game of shadows against one another. 5.) One plot hook thing from third you didn't mention was the Treaty of four Towers between Dementlieu, Mordent, Richemulot, and Borca. This is a defensive treaty against Falkovnia who has attacked them all. So if you want to use Falkovnia and its ministry of intelligence 6.) You left out that Dominic's curse is that any woman he truly desires regards him as the uglist and vilest person imaginable and will rebuff his advances. As well as the fact that he has obidents, basically dominated people at his command.

[@KnicKnac]

I like the twisted take on the Cinderella story. Very good for a investigation style chapter of a campaign.

[@chaosundividedreborn]

Another thing to add about the backstory for the duchess is that the new duke, who admitted to being the son of a servant, says that his parents were thrown out for stealing silverware, which could imply that he is her brother or step brother, as her father said he was thrown out for the same thing.

[@flamethrowerdude]

I do like the name chateu faux is french for 'false/fake manor' which makes perfect sense considering the darklords backstory.

[@blenderbabysrevenge]

To me this is the only revamped domain that really seems any good. I really like Saidra. I am currently running a campaign in Port a Lucine, though masks play almost no part in the game itself.

[@polygon2745]

6:48 i like how this guy looks mildly inconvenienced at being stabbed in the chest

[@genghisgalahad8465]

He’s not mad, he’s just disappointed.

[@HouroftheRaven]

Great video, as always! I like the new idea of Dementlieu, but I find the reduced domain very limited in terms of adventure potential. The older Dementlieu was a fantasy portrait of France during the revolution, with a lot of intrigues, backstabbing and mind-influencing Darklords. The new one is just a city, and all ideas revolve around the gala ball of Sadira D'honaire. As much as I like the concept, she could have been the Darklord of a new domain, or even an evil monster of the old Dementlieu, without replacing the previous existing domain of dread.

[@VoidR]

If I start back in with Ravenloft, I think I would keep the old domain and use the new rules for the city itself. I imagine letting the adventurers travel through the country and seeing the contrast between rich and poor benign a big part of an adventure leading up to a final confrontation.

[@HouroftheRaven]

@@VoidR Great Idea. The old setting feels like the social inequality is the setting for an upcoming Revolution (just like the French Revolution), but the horror behind it all is that the domain is manipulated and disputed between the counselor Dominc D'Honaire, and the Brain of Von Aubrecker (a psionic Brain in a Jar) influencing minds to revolt. Sadira D'Honaire could be easily adapted to the classic setting. I would put her as the leader of Chateaufax, which in the classic setting was another city in Dementlieu.

[@jacobhope6164]

What a great video! This Domain of Dread reminds me of the masked ball from Labyrinth. Perhaps a crystal sphere somewhere provides the gateway.

[@johnstuartkeller5244]

So the D&D version of Versailles. That's disturbingly cool.

[@davezenz]

and having watched the TV series Versailles I have plenty of ideas!

[@goldschoalr770]

My idea is to have both dominic and lady de jonair at the same time. So image this when lady de jonair kill the duke son the domain of dementiue is created and around the same time dominic and his family settled down on the domain. Dominic use his power to grab the lower class people from the domain and form his own city. A city which he use his power to make everyone look rich but in reality anyone is poor. So de jonair discovered this and blackmailed him but he find out her secret of being a wraith. So both of them are stuck in a statement if one tell they secret the other one would do too and both would lose they power. The party job is to either side with one or the other or bring both down. I would also add to make everyone on lady de jonair side undead. So essentially with have a city full of poor people living the lie of being rich and a city full of undead living the lie of being alive

[@dreamingdark1817]

Fun item of note, in the plot hooks for the domain, one seems to indicate Dominic may be in the 5e setting but not free to act.

[@dezopenguin9649]

One idea that I thought was fairly brilliant was suggested by one of the mods at the Fraternity of Shadows, to have both original and new Dementlieu exist at the same time, and that Saidra came from the original Dementlieu, and that her domain was itself an imitation of the real Port-a-Lucine, which fits perfectly with the theme of new!Dementlieu being all about illusion and false claims.

[@iftheworldfantasy6386]

It may spoiler i don't know. hi Jophdan we have a Adventures hook in Dementuleu Adventure table in the book say "A Phlegethan Hospital patient contacts the party, claiming to be the rightful Duke d'Honaire. He has a preternatural ability to bend others to his will." i think this is a Easter Egg for old Darklord or this is a true story why we have new darklord and why he end up in Hosptal like crazy person

[@A7XvDisturbed]

Got anything fun to tell us about the Mourning Rail? It got such a small spot in the book.

[@Jorphdan]

Nothing except what was in the book. Keith Baker mentioned the Mournland could be interpreted as a domain of dread. Mists, and a terrible tragedy are common signs of Ravenloft. I talk a bit about how it could work in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZDXlJZto9yYmKs Which I made that before the 5e Ravenloft book was released.

[@Janshevik]

Looks like a moving domain, train itself being the whole domain, could be uses as literal transporting device between other domains. With some extras, it would not be a comfortable ride ;)

[@gabrieladerre2862]

Great video as always, Jorphdan! I won't yuck anyone else's yum. But I prefer 2nd Edition, to 5th Edition, in general. I do, however, like this Dark Lord, unlike the some of the other new ones.

[@mikegould6590]

Always love the Ravenloft uploads.

[@Eireanngobrach21]

French here, Port-à-lucine when said in french means "Hallucination port". Fauxchateau means Fake castle.

[@vemynal]

Loved the Gray Gardens reference lol

[@derekjoyce6152]

It is truly a Cinderella / Masque of the Red Death Tale. My question is, why is Dominik no longer the Dark Lord ?

[@r4z0rv1n3]

They don't actually explain and I don't think there is any intention to doing so.. The whole book is a full reboot of the setting so it's just best to think of it as not a continuation but rather a completely different setting with a lot of the same ideas.

[@InquisitorThomas]

In universe? Probably no reason just a retcon. As for why the retcon? I’m not really sure, I’ve noticed that a lot of the Dark Lords in the Van Ricten’s were changed from male characters to female: Vlad Drakov became Vladeska Drakov, Victor Mordenhein became Victoria Mordenheim, Pieter van Reise became Pietra van Reise, etc. I think a lot of the changes were kinda meh, and didn’t do a whole lot to change the dynamic of the domain and the character so you can probably use the male or female version depending on what you prefer. I actually do prefer the new 5e version of Dementlieu and Saidra to Dominik because I really like the twisted Cinderella theme.

[@Jorphdan]

It was just a different take. Maybe there are hundreds of Dementlieu's in the multiverse and this one has Saidra.

[@Sir_Lorekeep]

More Ravenloft videos please!

[@danielhadfield708]

Oh yes. I'm running a Ravenloft game right now and these are super useful for inspiration. More please!

[@cameronpearce5943]

I love tying the old domains to the new ones, remnants of the old lurking in the shadows. Playthings of the Dark Powers left forgotten, and now with the freedom afforded to forgotten things

[@Phoebe5448]

Omg yes!! One of my favourite Domains!! Maybe G'henna next??

[@stugod5000]

so what I planned for mine was the fake duke was pulled into the domain as well as a dhampir and now runs a local crime gang known as the broken mirror, a series of people who see the true issues of this domain and attempt to sabotage carnivals and lavish parties just so more masks are stripped away or even destroy/ employ the party into destroying the main way the dark lord controls everyone minds into seeing what she wants, an elixir named green fairy (named after the fey who helped Saidra and previously helped dominic who was the duke who had died previously)

[@Insane-Howl-Cowl]

I love learning about new domains. Thank you for the video! Also that clock is great!

[@mibsweden]

When you describe Dementlieu I think of the US :-)

[@zachcarpenter3903]

You aren't wrong

[@devonharmon2245]

As an American, I'm offended by the accuracy, lol

[@sdagoth3037]

Sounds more like Europe to me, since in America no one gives a damn about appearances. I've talked to a Canadian who moved here and he said he was surprised how casual everyone was. It's really Europeans, not Americans, who consider themselves "highly civilized".

[@Alpha___00]

This is one of few domains they did not shit upon and actually improved its darklords backstory. But they are going to writers hell for Falkovnia anyway.

[@oldfartrick]

Looking to use this as a trap for the party as they are teleporting everywhere

[@Toolray6985]

Why can’t this awesome channel make 100k?

[@Jorphdan]

#soon

[@genghisgalahad8465]

Figured out phonetically finally: Day-Mon-Lew! For Démentlieu. And I would say I guess: Don-air!

[@screamingiraffe]

such a great story adventure, thank you for sharing

[@VoidR]

Dementlieu was always one of my faves in 2e but this is interesting too. This new Ravenloft makes me want to dive right back in!

[@Gen-Rev]

both stories are really good, I think I'd try to mash them together. What if Dominic is the son of the servant who posed as Duke? What if Saidra giving birth to him is what killed her, allowing her to become a wraith? Dominic can control others but his mother controls him... I don't know. I'll have to think about that.

[@detectivelizard9532]

Since the new book came out do you think you could cover some of the domains you previously covered for 5e? Lamordia in particular got a hefty overhaul.

[@Jorphdan]

I'll take a look!

[@detectivelizard9532]

@@Jorphdan Awesome! Thank you very much. Great video by the way.

[@bigreaderpike]

So I have a question about I think it was your video about the domains of dread and the shadow fell so did this person have any chance to be good cuz I think one of the other videos I saw about the shadow fell so that people born in the shadowfell have a kind of darker twist cuz of the plane and they're usually darker versions of reflections of people in the real world so for people who got taken into the mist with their dreadlord in the domain does the next generation become the same kind of people as the people who are reflected in the normal Shadowfell? I hope you know what I'm talking about since I don't know how to explain it more

[@briancorvello3620]

Not bad. Can you do Falkonovia?

[@FoxBatinaHat]

Dey-ma(n)-lee-euh. In french it means a place of Insanity. "Dément Lieux"

[@withaz6232]

you should do the rat one next.

[@WWEisnotPunkrock]

Love your videos. Curious why you skipped 3.X Ravenloft material?

[@Jorphdan]

I did dig into it, but lore wise there wasn't that many changes from 2e! 2e also had waaaay more material to read.

[@John-Val056]

Fantastic thanks

[@serelwen3984]

"Dominic was an evil boy" Me: what he do? "His mother died at child birth" Me: oh.

[@Jorphdan]

well... he wasn't evil for that per say. But the mind controlling people and driving them to kill themselves.

[@herkles5416]

@@Jorphdan I think in second edition the book said he was born evil, while in third edition said it was more due to his evil actions IIRC.

[@leonardofariasflorentino7657]

when you described dementlieu i thought of brazil.

[@ThePhlegming]

De hornair lol Jordphan, the H is silent silly!

[@Jorphdan]

My Ravenloft French is terrible...

[@ThePhlegming]

@@Jorphdan your content is still quality tho friend, keep it up!

[@Jorphdan]

Thank you sir :)

[@atomicash2475]

6:32 I mean he was adopted then, so technically he had claim to the title. His secret was just yeah, I was adopted.

[@InquisitorThomas]

Also wasn’t he also heavily implied to be Saidra’s Brother? Like Saidra’s Father was the servant the Duke adopted his son from?

[@chandlerpearce6213]

@@InquisitorThomas yeah haha, he was the son of a noble that fled and only took his daughter

[@wolfherojohnson2766]

I must say I love the new one. Dementlieu’s story is very intriguing and I love the concept

[@hermeticbear]

I think I like the original more. The whole idea that everyone is really socially dancing to the demands of a mind controller is much more tantalizing than the wonton destruction to a class obsessed wraith

[@starblaze27]

is it me, or does this Weird Wastelands kickstarter sound a similar to Dark Sun but with less desert?

[@Mortablunt]

I think this is just called living in the suburbs.

[@wanderdragon1075]

I think the new one makes more sense as a Domain of Dread honestly. It’s more... appropriately poetic to Saidra’s crime than to the kid’s

[@natekite7532]

Gotta say, I prefer the new one. Much more fantastical and sinister than "everybody is pretending they're rich."

[@krgood9008]

So basically this domain is twitter personified

[@danielhadfield708]

5e Dementlieu is far superior to 2e

[@DarkAutumnScribe]

I got annoyed with some of the changes they did in 5th ed Ravenloft from 2nd Ed. That being said, this is one of the domains that I thought they did a nice job with some of the changes...

[@Phoebe5448]

I still have the 2e source book and I'd love more lore on that!! Ah, memories.

[@pizzaman1973]

Do sithicus..oh wait wotc cut it out

[@InquisitorThomas]

Well not exactly, Sithicus is heavily implied to be in the domain where all the abandoned Domains are slowly consumed by a massive black hole.

[@coffeemugjeff]

For sure the original, Dementlieu and Richemulot were my favorite lands. My characters when I played Ravenloft where often for these lands. As a DM, I liked the fact that D'Honaire wasn't a supernatural oh I'm a 80 level Lich I can disintegrate you in a second. He was the one playing 4d Chess, was the merchant's wife really trying to help me by showing her husband was a obediant, or is she the obediant and you jusrt murdered a innocent man... To be fair I didn't read the newest version 5e Ravenloft but I fear it wil be like the other resent module where anything goes Ie: Strahd starting a Zombie apocalypse :/ 2e & 3e felt beter

[@wellsb973]

Okay, WoTC, if I wanted to play a game where everyone’s financial and social status were tenuous at best and essentially illusions to keep up appearances in a desperate race to the bottom, I would just go have another day in late stage capitalism.

[@ianluetkehans7822]

Why not both at once like 2 next door neighboring cities under corrupt leadership and players need to liberate both

[@AAron-gr3jk]

I prefer the new one.

[@jongroskin729]

Thank you so much for not pronouncing it "Dement-lee-oo".

[@themonolougist]

Dear Jorphdan when you take the time to pronounce Dementlieu like a French word please do it with the d'Honair too cuz it's horrendous with that h

[@Jorphdan]

sorry~~~