New Blog Launch

I've launched Lunching on Lamias, which is a new blog for documenting a PbP Campaign I'm in, as well as any other games I get into and/or run. Thanks to Patrick W. for letting me use the "eating a monster concept.

Scratch That

I'm going to create a new blog for the PbP Campaign. Disregard the post titled "New Content".

New Content

While this is still going to be mostly used for discussing Hulgren, there's not that much more I can do in it without players. As such, while I will continue to post about Hulgren, as well as other stuff that has a bearing on it, I may be posting adventure logs for the play-by-post D&D 4e campaign that (should) start soon as well.

Under the Microscope - Part 1

Alexis at The Tao of D&D posted a series of questions about a campiagn. I'm going to answer them from the point of view of a player in the play by post campaign I'm in.

1. How long has this present campaign been in existence?

It hasn't started yet.

2. How many players do you have, and how many right now were present at the beginning of the campaign?

As far as I know there will be six, not counting the DM.

3. How many of your players are family members?

None that I know of.

4. How many of your present players began playing after the halfway point in the existence of your campaign? How many in the last year (if that applies)?

N/A

5. How many long-term players (played for more than a third of the campaign) have you had that dropped out? Were any reasons given?

N/A

6. How many short term players have you had since the campaign started who did not come back? How many of them gave a reason?

N/A

7. How many of the players in your world have never played a role playing game before?

There's one that has never played a pencil and paper game before. She has played things like Dragon Age, and other RPG computer games though. Not sure about the others.

8. Estimate the appearance rate of your players. How often does your campaign run?

N/A

9. Name the three principle reasons for people not appearing in your campaign.

N/A

10. How often is it that players in your campaign do not appear without having given a reason?

N/A

Item - Blade of the Solstice (winter)

Blade of the Solstice (winter): This powerful weapon is made from everlasting ice and has an intricate tracery of runes along the blade. Anyone that touches it is immediately frozen, and will melt unless taken to a skilled Iceweaver. As it approaches the winter solstice and the nights grow longer it gains power, and the runes take on a strange glow. Its also gains strength when there is a solar eclipse. If the winter solstice and a solar eclipse combine, it forms a shield and set of armor of the same material. They also have runes running over their surfaces, as well as deep within them. In addition the current owner will be bonded to the sword, gaining strength in the same cycle as the blade. The blade and wielder no longer lose power beyond the "halfway point" or when their strength returns to normal. They also gain Iceweaving abilities, and the power to transform themselves into an Ice Prince or an Animated Storm.

The Vaenar

Otherwise known as the Realm of Dreams, the Vaenar is a twisted shadow plane, filled with the tormented minds of those trapped within by the many fell creatures it has spawned. These include:

Draehir: A form of incorporeal undead. The Draehir are a friendly race, to most. The calming, peaceful thoughts that those in their domains have influenced the Vaenar to the point that their homes have become an idealized world, resembling a form of heaven. However, they should not be underestimated. They have the ability to channel these thoughts and dreams to create lethargy and apathy. (See the planet of Miranda in Serenity, but without the Reavers.)

Night-ghasts: Trapping living foes within nighmares, the territory of the Night-ghasts is a twisted, foul realm. They can channel the dreams of those they have trapped to inflict pain and terror.

Winter Theme - Winter War

Since it's A. The holidays. And B. Frigging cold out. I figured I'd do some winter themed posts. So here's a version of Winter Wonderland:

Death bells ring, are you listening?
In the snow blood is glistening,
A terrible sight, but we're hunting tonight!
Stalking in a winter-sundered land.

Swiftly now, look up above!
Do you see the Blood Dove*?
Kill it fast, there's a night-ghast.
Stalking in a winter-sundered land.

In the city we can slay;
Kill as we please!
But not today,
For I'm starting to sneeze.

To return to the fire,
Is our desire.
Tally our kills, and cure the ills gained,
Stalking in a winter wonderland.

*The Blood Dove is taken from Telecanter.

Sneaky Oddness - We Did What!?!

Again, for a reddit challenge, this time the same one:

Okay, I wouldn't suggest doing this often, lest you lose your players.

Here goes: The players have found a tower, or some other structure. It's pretty obviously abandoned but there are preserved - smoked, pickled, etc. - meats there. This should come after a long time out, and be reasonably easy to fortify, so that they have a reason to stop and stay there. The next morning after a feast on these (of course you can't force them to eat them, but it's up to you to give them a good reason for it.) they are awakened by an attack from whatever the local Orc-Equivalent is. When they arrive at the next town, they find that it's almost depopulated. When they ask around they find that the things that attacked you at the structure were taking and eating, and those preserved meats they ate were actually villagers.

Character - Created By Other

Someone on reddit offered to create characters for any system. As such I've commissioned five characters in my system.

Mythology - Part 1: Kaserathi Legends: The Protectorate

Long ago, in the Getring, we were one. Then came the Protectorate. For years we lived in peace with them. But as time went on, more and more of the Kes-kin were... Taken. They returned, yes, some of them. But they were covered in wounds that did not bleed, and began to stink. Protectorate. Pah - They did nothing to protect us! We fed them, housed them, raised their young as our own, yet what we got in return was death! In the end we fled their rule, and left our homes far behind. When we arrived here we split apart, and swore never to come together again that our people might survive if the land turned on us once more.

Sneaky Oddness

Inspired by the second weekly challenge in /r/rpg (Yes, I know that I posted one from the same inspiration yesterday. I got in on it late.):

The party arrives in a small town (For my game The Hamlet of Hysionat) in the center of a massive storm system. The party has obviously wandered astray somehow, but they shouldn't realize how badly yet. The town has a completely random population, composed of young, old, and in between. The exception is that no-one under the age of 13 lives there. They will gradually become more and more uneasy as half remembered faces assail them from every side. What it is, is the City of Suicides. All those who kill themselves non-altruistically go here after dying. If the party stays too long, they will begin to see the wraiths of those who killed themselves in their individual pasts. This will eventually lead to pleas for them to stay and "help".If they agree they will be found dead the next morning unless they pass a skill check.

Creatures and Cultures

The Warg:

From the histories of Clan Torvin, presumed lost in the Mage-tears Range ten years ago:

The first Warg was found by Clan Morgris, starved and near to littering. They took it in, found that they could bond the pups to their own, and that the change bred true with the dog packs they had. Much of the Morgris wanted to keep this new advantage for themselves, which led to the Clan-Wars [history kept by Clan Kaevorn]. In the end all the Clans received a Warg-bond. But while it provides an advantage in battle, those who have bonded take on the characteristics of the Warg, and the Wargs take on the traits of their partners, with the end result being a complete change of form for both, and by this means the Clans and Packs are strengthened. But until the change is complete they pay for their choice; they become outcasts, forming their own groups until the self-shifting is complete.

Later note: Created for a Reddit challenge in /r/rpg.