Could anyone tell me if there are sources that involve the Duke prior to the release of the PS boxed-set? If so, do they give much detail to his life before Sigil that isn't mentioned in the boxed set, Factol's Manifesto, or Faction War? I'm looking at you, Rip. 
Pre-PS Rowan Darkwood
Mon, 2008-04-14 10:49
#1
Pre-PS Rowan Darkwood
Wed, 2008-04-16 06:44
#3
Pre-PS Rowan Darkwood
Thanks for the info.
I remember stumbling upon that bit you wrote a while ago, but thought it suspect that he would be the one to defeat all of those 1st ed modules.
Wed, 2008-04-16 09:02
#4
Pre-PS Rowan Darkwood
I wrote this.
And Rip Van Wormer for the win!
Thanks for the info.
I remember stumbling upon that bit you wrote a while ago, but thought it suspect that he would be the one to defeat all of those 1st ed modules.
Well, historically whats important is that some did solve them, and canon-wise its impossible to say that any single group of PC's did it. At least this way it isn't described as being done by yet another "unidentified group of adventurers" like half of the important events in Dnd history.
Wed, 2008-04-16 11:40
#5
Pre-PS Rowan Darkwood
Thanks for the info.
I remember stumbling upon that bit you wrote a while ago, but thought it suspect that he would be the one to defeat all of those 1st ed modules.
Rowan Darkwood strikes me as the ultimate powergaming, story-light 1st edition character who moves between classic adventure modules without bothering for much of an explanation - that's why he starts out on Oerth but turns up in the Forgotten Realms later on, just as the H series of modules did (the first one mentions Greyhawk, but they were retconned into FR by the third); I wouldn't be surprised if he ran through the original Dragonlance modules too. His whole personality is "I've got a ridiculous dual-class 40th level ranger/cleric. I can kill giants, drow, demons... I can do whatever I want! I can kill the Lady of Pain!"
The modules I chose to mention were once staples enough that many thousands of high-level munchkins probably burned through them all at some point. The point I was trying to make is that Darkwood is the archetypical form of this. I'm imagining that he was someone's PC that got really, really cocky before he accidentally blundered into a Planescape campaign.
Naturally, he wasn't the only one to complete those adventures. But he's the only one to complete all those adventures and rise to become one of the most important people in Sigil.
In other words: it's all for rhetorical effect, a way of establishing character and context. I could have as easily invented original adventures for him to have had, but they wouldn't have had the same resonance.
Wed, 2008-04-16 11:55
#6
Pre-PS Rowan Darkwood
Rowan Darkwood strikes me as the ultimate powergaming, story-light 1st edition character who moves between classic adventure modules without bothering for much of an explanation - that's why he starts out on Oerth but turns up in the Forgotten Realms later on, just as the H series of modules did (the first one mentions Greyhawk, but they were retconned into FR by the third); I wouldn't be surprised if he ran through the original Dragonlance modules too. His whole personality is "I've got a ridiculous dual-class 40th level ranger/cleric. I can kill giants, drow, demons... I can do whatever I want! I can kill the Lady of Pain!"
He definitely struck me as a power-gaming character.
And I guess when he gets sent back in time the 2nd time, he goes through some retraining to become a mega-epic level wizard.
Thu, 2008-04-17 09:34
#7
Pre-PS Rowan Darkwood
He struck me as someone's pet power fantasy.....possibly a former PC, possibly just some lame wank.
If my ensuing Planescape game goes long enough, I suspect he's going to die a horrible, horrible death. The PCs had a thing for killing signature characters in our last game (it was Exalted), and I don't see any reason why we shouldn't continue the habit. Hell, we may even plan an excursion to the Forgotten Realms.
Thu, 2008-04-17 14:21
#8
Pre-PS Rowan Darkwood
I think he was included in the Planescape boxed set as an example of what prime characters could strive to be. The "two most important people in Sigil" described there were Rowan Darkwood, a prime, and Erin Montgomery, a planar. In that way they showed that not all primes are clueless berks; some can grow to be real bloods. Players were meant to be able to look at him and say, "Even though my character's from Toril, she can grow to be as important as Rowan Darkwood is in Sigilian politics."
Of course, Darkwood did end up dying a horrible death in Planescape canon, so he's not the Elminster of Planescape by any means. The cluelessness he ultimately ended up showing probably doesn't help the cause of primes in general.
Still, I like him a lot.
Thu, 2008-04-17 18:14
#9
Pre-PS Rowan Darkwood
I think he was included in the Planescape boxed set as an example of what prime characters could strive to be. The "two most important people in Sigil" described there were Rowan Darkwood, a prime, and Erin Montgomery, a planar. In that way they showed that not all primes are clueless berks; some can grow to be real bloods. Players were meant to be able to look at him and say, "Even though my character's from Toril, she can grow to be as important as Rowan Darkwood is in Sigilian politics."
I think this is very true, in fact I'd go even farther and say that, considering Darkwood was far more powerful than Montgomery, the designers were trying to make a point that: there are a whole lot of really powerful primes out there who have managed to figure things out and calling them clueless is a great way to get your head smashed in. To me it always served as a reminder that a whole lot of the denigration of 'the clueless' in PS products was there for retorical effect and it didn't reflect the planes at all, just what planars thought was the reality. I think a lot of people forgot that later on though.
There was a character named Rowan Darkwood in the adventure anthology Treasures of Greyhawk (published in 1992, two years before the Planescape Campaign Setting). This Rowan Darkwood was a lawful neutral fighter rather than a chaotic good ranger, however, and it isn't clear that they're supposed to be the same guy.
Rowan Darkwood is supposed to be from Oerth, though, so it's possible that this is our Duke long before he left his homeworld and changed to his present class and alignment, or conceivably a little-known life he experienced while being thrown through time and space on the way to meet his destiny. Other possibilities are that this Rowan is Rory or Reuel Darkwood, adventuring under their father's name, or the Duke's grandson, named after his grandfather.
No, there's not any detail on his life. He's just blocking a trail, challenging random people to (honorable, non-lethal) duels to prove he's the toughest guy there is. It's implied he may be a knight of some sort, since the encounter is titled "the Knight Errant."
There aren't any other mentions of him in non-Planescape books.
I wrote this.