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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Remathilis" data-source="post: 9342747" data-attributes="member: 7635">The trick is, the absurd IS normal to them. It's the equivalent of whistling past the graveyard. They will go see a play about a vampire because that's what they know. But they still freak out when rumors of a real vampire start to spread. The trappings of horror never leave, so they do what they can to make them tolerable. Trying to make Ravenloft function like the real world is different, I would say impossible, so I highlight the surreal aspect of it. What would a world so steeped in horror that you cannot escape it look like? It would be a bit of a fun house mirror, warped but recognizable, normal but grotesque. Look, Ravenloft is a place where monsters roam the forest, killers stalk the alleys, and even the local entertainment (theaters and carnivals) are run by darklords. You can't get normal with that. So creating a functional society where the normal and the surreal sometimes exist side by side makes it easier to explain why people go to the Carnival or the Grande Masquerade.</blockquote>