mikhailmorgenschild

[mikhailmorgenschild]

I have a raging hard on for medieval/armor inspired fashion

[mikhailmorgenschild]

Virtue requires a delicate balance. 

[mikhailmorgenschild]

TEX SAVERIO The Revelation Collection

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Ralph Lauren F/W 2019

[mikhailmorgenschild]

Http://www.instagram.com/p/adkilqqbhv

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[mikhailmorgenschild]

Tailored Cincher

A very popular style tailored towards a more masculine figure.

[mikhailmorgenschild]

Ok so imagine your fantasy setting with your typical giant spiders.

Ok, now imagine that these spiders have largely been domesticated for their incredibly valuable silk. They help make clothes, rope, textiles, even ARMOR. They’re almost treated like carnivorous cows in the regions that can support them. They might even name these girls the classic names like “Bessie”. They’re great mothers and produce many young; useful for trade and… even food if you like The Crunch.

People in this world are hardly afraid of big spiders the same as we’re hardly afraid of big dogs. Wary of wild ones, but not scream and cry terrified. Smaller spiders…it depends. Would you be scared if you suddenly saw a tiny cow crawling on your wall? The only type of spider people collectively fear are the hunting types: the ones that don’t spin webs, and instead attack their prey with brute force and a much stronger venom.

These large domestic spiders are incredibly lazy. They’ll sit in their webs and wait for their handlers to put their food on the web. Unless you get tangled, they don’t see you as food. This makes them great guards as well. They build traps for you. The venom isn’t deadly to humans…but can still be used as a weapon or in medicine. They’re just so damn useful that millennia ago, people put aside their instinctual fear just to get those sweet benefits.

Thank you for attending my TedTalk.

[mikhailmorgenschild]

Auntie Mengybone & the Marquis of Idyllrise – a Legend of the Shattered Pact

Deep in the Feywild lies Idyllrise, the Alabaster City. It rests at a crossroads of the fey paths that link some of the major cities of the faerie lands and rests on an island in the middle of the Alathalass River, which cascades in crystal waterfalls down below the city. Idyllrise is generally ruled by a Marquis or Marquesa…or is it?

The current ruler is Marquesa Amarantha ap Leanhaun, a heroic figure who freed the city from the grasp of a terrible hag. This hag, known as Auntie Mengybone, lived in the too-close-for-comfort swamps of the Murkendraw. The former ruler, an archfey called Marquis Damarion ap Tythion, went with Amarantha, who was his squire at the time, into the Murkendraw to end the hag’s depredations. Although the battle was a victory, and Amarantha brought back the hag’s dreadful eye as proof, the Marquis was slain in the battle. In honor of her victory, the people of Idyllrise called for Amarantha to be the new Marquesa, and she reluctantly agreed.

Since then, she has ruled the Alabaster City fairly and well for many decades in the tradition of eladrin rulers, and she is much beloved by her people. Those who visit Idyllrise find it to be beautiful and enchanting, and many remain. Over time, however, they might come to feel that something is wrong, as though there were a canker gnawing at the roots of this wondrous city.

The truth is more perilous by far. Auntie Mengybone is not dead, and both the Marquis and the Marquesa are under her powers. The Marquesa truly believes that the hag is slain, and even truth-revealing magic will fail to detect any lie in her words. The hag’s eye remains in the throne room as a grisly trophy, and through it, the hag sees all that transpires. Through dreams and nightmares, she guides the Marquesa to do her bidding, and Amarantha is her unwitting catspaw.

The Marquis has suffered a worse fate. He remains in the ruins of a castle in the Murkendraw called Blackthorne, trapped n enchanted sleep. Seated on a throne of stone, he is pierced by terrible thorns that slowly drain his life essence. As long as he lives, the hag is able to draw on his potent archfey essence. It makes her all but undefeatable in battle, as normal wounds can’t cause her end. Furthermore, because of his sovereignty over the land and its inhabitants, Auntie Mengybone can draw on all manner of plants, beasts, and fey to defend her.

In order to finally slay her, someone would need to free the Marquis. This would require a combination of physical and magical effort to remove the thorns and wake him from the spell the hag has cast over him. And needless to say, the hag isn’t likely to sit still while this happens. She will use every nasty power at her disposal, mocking the hero who tried it, and basking in her invulnerability.

If someone succeeded in freeing the Marquis, however, while he would be slow to waken and give aid, those who had been under Auntie Mengybone’s control would be freed and could aid in the battle. She would also no longer be invulnerable to damage, so she could be slain normally (although she’s very likely to flee if this happens. She’s too wise to stick around without the certainty of her victory.)

In my own campaign, we played through this situation during the party’ first foray into the Feywild. I wanted this encounter and everything about it to feel familiar – like something out of a faerie tale – so I used elements like the thorns and the slumber of the Marquis to evoke that atmosphere. The players enjoyed the time in Idyllrise, until it became clear that something was very wrong. They were suspicious of the Marquesa, but they came to realize through gathering information that she was just a pawn. They then headed into the Murkendraw to end the hag.

While the paladin, cleric, ranger, and fighter held off Auntie Mengybone, the Warlock and Mystic worked on freeing the Marquis. This was played as a skill challenge, where rolls of Arcana were needed for undoing the hag’s spell, and other rolls, such as Athletics, were needed to remove the thorns. Since Auntie Mengybone was invulnerable to damage, the players concentrated on the minions she had summoned (a number of plant monsters) and the skill challenge, as well as keeping her away from the skill challenge. Once the Marquis was freed, the plants went back to normal, and Auntie Mengybone tried to flee, but the party was able to lock her down long enough to end the threat that she posed.

In your campaign, you could have your own version of these characters and locations with your own names. If you do, let me know how it goes. I’d love to hear that Auntie Mengybone is being awful in other worlds.

[mikhailmorgenschild]

Our DM’s Guide to D&D Classes

[mikhailmorgenschild]

Use this as a battlemap in your next D&D game

[mikhailmorgenschild]

today mika gets kicked off a mountain for not trusting his brother to win in a fight against a yeti

said brother is level 3 and had 8 max hp at the time

[mikhailmorgenschild]

Good DM Dan.

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Viv Tanner  -  http://vivtanner.tumblr.com  -  https://twitter.com/viv_Tanner  https://www.instagram.com/viv_tanner  -  https://vimeo.com/vivianetanner  -  https://vivianetanner.carbonmade.com  -  https://www.inprnt.com/profile/munkel  -  https://www.facebook.com/V.TannerArt  -  https://www.patreon.com/heartofgoldcomic

[mikhailmorgenschild]

Perhaps a little bright summer orange to start off March just right?

Commissioned dice bag for a client, who wanted a home for their mighty collection of orange dice. I’m so pleased how it all matches. Thanks for the picture!

[mikhailmorgenschild]

I made a statblock for an exceptionally powerful creature in the lore of one of my game worlds. Needless to say, the statblock is far messier and cruder than the lore. Still, if anyone needs a dragon that’s more dangerous than an ancient and vaguely tarrasque-like, I present the Grandwyrm.

Edit: For some reason, Draconic won’t show up on its list of languages. I’ll see if I can fix that.

[mikhailmorgenschild]

50 Rumors And Hooks...

A bandit gang preys on wounded and weary adventurers as they straggle down the road from the dungeon to the city. 

A black cloak was stolen from the Burnt Bridge tavern last night; sewn into the hem is a treasure map.

A gigantic egg appeared in the town square last night. No one knows what might hatch out of it, but it’s going to happen soon.

A deity walks the city streets disguised as a humble mortal. 

A hot-tempered knight has promised all his lands to his brother if he is bested at the upcoming jousting tournament.

A leading churchman has announced a heretical doctrine; his fellow priests have demanded that he recant, on pain of excommunication. 

A wrestler named Drón Goldentress will perform three great quests for anyone who can beat her in a match. 

Agitation grows in a neighboring land for a renewed war against the kingdom. 

An eerie dog with glowing eyes stalks the city at night. The magnificent sorcerer Furioso was bitten by it, and now he can barely remember his own name.

Ditchdiggers unearthed an ornate tin casket the other day. They can’t figure out how to open it, but won’t let anyone else try, either. 

Drinking a poison surely meant for someone else, the meek baker Oswald dropped dead in a tavern last night. 

During the day, the headsman’s daughter appears rather homely, but under the moonlight, she is the fairest young maiden in the realm.

Every hundred years or so, a black, venomous rain falls on the city, killing hundreds of people. A recurrence is months overdue. 

The Superordinate Six, a band of famed adventurers, have failed to return from an expedition to the Rat City ruins. 

Goblins tunneled a good distance under the city walls last year, but the authorities covered it up. 

Grave robbers have been digging up the bones of slain adventurers. They must be working for a lich or evil wizard. 

Luriez the horse trader is auctioning off Bravo, a clever and magnificent steed. His former owner, a luckless mercenary, lost him in a dice game. 

Magic items sold by Antesos Three-Beard have a peculiar way of finding their way back to his shop after the purchasers die. 

Many of a famous knight’s heroic feats were in fact performed by his squire, a young girl dressed as a boy.

Mercenaries have taken sanctuary in the temple; the high priests want them out but are forbidden by the tenets of their faith to expel them. 

Pound for pound, the most valuable treasure in town is not silver or gold, but the cache of saffron hidden in the spice merchant’s shop. 

Priestess Ciana has great healing powers, but those she raises from the dead sometimes take on her personality traits. 

Pulsing green lights are frequently observed near the abandoned mines south of the city. 

Recent rains flooded the catacombs beneath the city; strange things are floating to the surface.

Someone is stealing all of the town’s church bells. 

Somewhere in the city, the priceless Altar of Kych is hidden in plain sight.

The armorer Casabon just received a shipment of Zhenish steel, which will make fine blades for those who can afford them.

The astronomer Harun the Subtle reports sighting a circle of new red stars in the sky. The Royal Astrological Society has offered a reward to anyone who can conclusively explain the meaning of this omen.

The beloved singer Dulari has fallen prey to a terrible illness, one the healers can’t cure. 

The bullying city watchman Moyalva has been extorting money from the weak and helpless.

The courtier Vivando has fallen out of favor with the king, who suspects him of having eyes for the princess.

The exiled prince of Cadis unwisely dismissed a churlish servant who knows too much about his master’s business.

The feathers that rained down on Beggar’s Alley last night came from the wings of battling archons.

The floorboards beneath the Trembling Pig Inn are hollow and full of stolen gold.

Pirates have disrupted grain shipments meant for the kingdom; starvation looms if traders cannot resupply in time.

The high sheriff becomes violently enraged if anyone accuses him of having orc blood. 

The king is a usurper who has the real heir to the throne chained up in his basement.

The king plans to build new watchtowers around the city. Laborers, once desperate for work, will soon be hard to hire.

The king’s chief minister plans to step down, making way for his clever but abrasive protégé. 

The philosopher Frabreck has released another pamphlet arguing for the conquest of the orc lands, so that its peoples can be liberated from evil and placed under the king’s benevolent rule.

The rancher Septimus is raising a flock of strange reptilian beasts on his farm.

The retainers of an unpopular knight quelled an uprising on his lands by fi ring crossbows into an unarmed throng.

The rich merchant Zaguant has learned that pirates have sold his son into slavery.

The son and daughter of two rival merchant families eloped a few weeks ago. Both fathers offer a reward for the son: his father aims to protect him, but the girl’s wants him dead.

Whenever a member of the murderous Lampedusa clan is slain, the weapon used to deal the death blow is permanently imbued with powerful magic.

The young adventurer Brialda carries a shield bearing the crest of the Acatero family, even though, as an illegitimate daughter of that clan, she is not entitled to it. 

An ancient throne lies buried in a field nearby. Anyone who sits on the throne for an entire night will rise from it a wise man or a lunatic.

They say that if you listen long enough to the water lapping against the shore near the statue of King Brand, you will hear the name of an innocent person you are fated to kill. 

They’re slaughtering more than just cows and sheep at the old abattoir down by the piers.

Whenever ravens gather on the clock tower, a mighty hero dies.