#AND ALSO WHAT STRAHD HAD PLANNED

[ghoulsmuses]

me, realizing i need to prep and get a recap ready because i'm running my first dnd session in a few weeks this coming tuesday:

[endless screaming as i scroll through 5etools]

[vspin]

Cazador could have been a much more interesting villain.

It's very obvious a lot of Act 3 content was cut just based on lose threads you find throughout the city that kinda lead to nothing.

I think Cazador was one of the biggest disappointments of Act 3. Don't get me wrong, killing him and completing Astarion's arc was an incredibly satisfying and emotional experience. But I think it could have been even better.

If you read the books and notes around his estate, it's obvious they were setting up Cazador as this big-time political player in Baldur's Gate. Astarion even alludes to this earlier in the game (this could have just been Astarion speaking out of fear). Cazador's been in Baldur's Gate a long time and hasn't had the cavalry coming down on him for being a vampire so the man is obviously cunning and has some type of influence.

Some things I would have liked to see concerning Cazador:

Cazador's letter to the other vampire in his sanctum says he was planning a political takeover of the city after his ascension. This wouldn't be possible with Gortash in power.

I think that Cazador should have been a potential ally against Gortsah. Hear me out, yes most likely we as the player could choose to refuse him or betray him later on, but I think it would have been interesting if Cazador approached the player looking to help take out Gortash.

More elaboration on Astarion's background as a Magistrate. More information on the other spawn. Maybe you learn that all of them were people of some type of power and influence and Cazador specifically chose them based on this.

There should have been a proper coronation for Gortash. Not this nonsense above a prison. Have the characters dress up. Meet and greet with the powers of Baldur's Gate. This is where we see Cazador for the first time. (Also, this could have been a cool opportunity to influence and build Wyll as the next potential Grand Duke but that's a whole other topic!)

Give an option to betray Astarion to Cazador in reward for some type of power (I know :( but come on, we can slaughter innocent children, you can't tell me an evil power-hungry character wouldn't rather hedge their bets on a Vampire Lord vs. a spawn)

Make the ascension tied to a specific date/environment event to justify Cazador not immediately taking Asatrion.

Idk this isn't very fleshed out. Just my thoughts on what I think could have made Act 3 stronger . I'm also a sucker for OP Vampire Lords (Castlevania, Strahd) so I really wanted to see that reflected in Cazador instead of this guy who reminded me of an Oblivion NPC.

[teeth-cable]

Im the CSA victim from UniformedArtists blog and I agree with you 1000% dropping everything Vivziepop.

Like I only watch Helluva even after the shit she's done to see how far it would sink but jesus christ.

You know her just saying the counselor is 18-19 isn't fucking good enough because the show says a different thing.

Like before people bring up the argument counselors can be adults... Most TV shows in media actually have minor counselors and we know Vivziepop doesn't research shit about hell or actual royalty so why the fuck am I supposed to believe Adam or her researched counselor age ranges.

Also nobody should have a twitter to figure out if you did or didn't make a grooming subplot.

You know in Curse of Strahd there's a controversial character Gertruda who 50 (500) year old Strahd is implied to planning take as another bride because of where you find her and in the book it states she's recently a teenager. However as much as I hate this plot line due to trauma I understand why it was added because WOTC portrays Strahd as a piece of shit. Like his goal is to chase down the reincarnation of his brother's fiance throughout time until he catches her, makes her a vampire and possibly brainwash/assault her to make her love him. Strahd is meant to be a gross creep. I as a DM and many other age Gertruda up to 18 because we don't want a pedo plot line and it keeps the predatory nature of Strahd intact.

Barbie seems to be portrayed in a significantly more positive light and her grooming behavior is never called out as a bad thing. Like Moxxie should say something at god damn least since he has morals.

There are so many things wrong with the EP. What gets me is writing has multiple stages, first the person needs to come up with the EP pitch, get the directer or network's approval, finish the first draft, then revisit it for grammar mistakes and continuity, then revise it a few more times for a stronger script, and send it to the directer or network again to approve of filming the finish script and that's not even counting how long animation takes too. So during the process of writing to animating, did no one at SpindleHorse see how weird and problematic the script was? The camp for pre-teens is called, "IWannaKumMore"(Their logo being a cum splat), Millie and Moxxie's human backstories of being siblings then making out at the end was unnecessary because they could have just been good friends whose mothers sent them to the same camp, Moxxie this grown ass adult who pretending to be a pre-teen is acting sexual and wants the kids attention, Millie who everyone else thinks is a young boy is getting sent nudes from kids and adults, and Barbie saying how easy teenagers are to manipulate then flash her ass to a boy is implying she grooms kids.

To be clear, I don't have a problem when a dark comedy make these types of jokes as all as they portray the topics and groomers as bad and show they understand that. SpindleHorse did not, like you mentioned they portrayed Barbie in the positive light and Moxxie never calls out her behavior despite being the voice of reason. In fact the tone of the Barbie's scene was supposed to funny but not in a dark ironic way. I don't understand why the camp couldn't be for college students and the consolers are stated and look like actual adults. Everything about the canon camp is childish and filled with teenagers, it's very uncomfortable to see them in sexual situations. In America the youngest a camp counselor can be is 15 y/o but that changes from states to states so no body has a clue, also with the camp counselor having a pitch voice, Barbie referring to him as kid and teenager and him, not once trying to correct her about his actual age, I'm convinced he was kid but Viv had to age him up for damage control.

I'm sorry if this response is all over the place because I'm having trouble describing my thoughts but the writers are in their 30s, and they saw nothing wrong? The writing for HB has been going down for a while now and it was fun to see how the writing could get worse but never in my years of watching awful shows did the writing get so bad, the writers had to resort to terrible jokes about sexualizing teenagers, making an incest joke, and a minor getting groomed unironically. I can't support a person or company that are fine making content like that.

"Unhappy Teenagers" was the first time, I have watched a show and felt a sinking feeling in my gut so much so it still lingers even a day later. I never felt so sick from watching a show and I'm sorry writers and companies think making this type of content and jokes of your trauma and abused experience is okay to do.

[dandelion-jester]

Writblr Intro:

Hello All!!!

I've been meaning to do a proper intro so better late then never!

Who Am I?

You can call me Dandelion. I'm 22 years old, I use they/them pronouns, I'm English and I am a queer, trans, neurodivergent fantasy writer. I've not had anything published yet but it's my aim.

I have a background in theatre and circus so performing arts tend to turn up in my work. I also love making maps and studying conlangs! I do a lot of art and reading as hobbies, but my favourite pass time is playing dnd!

What Do I Write?

I write mainly fantasy, but also scifi and historical fiction. I also dabble in poetry and I would like to learn how to write for games and screen at some point. For now though, it's all novel writing as far as the eye can see.

My favourite trope to write is found family (I blame all the dungeons and dragons I play). I also write a lot of queer characters and try to diversify my casts as much as possible. My work tends to be very character driven although I do love world building a lot, especially building different cultures and places. I'm best st dialogue and really struggle with building plots. I also have a deep love for history, specifically the 1700s and Anglo saxon - medieval Britain, so that's usually finds its way into my work as well.

You can find my work on Patreon here

What Do I Read?

Unsurprisingly, it's mostly fantasy. I used to read over 100 books a year, but university has made me hit a massive reading slump. So the main thing keeping me going right now is Robin Hobb. I also listen to a lot of audiobooks.

My WIPs:

Information on my current work is under the break!!

Feypocalypse

Feypocalypse is a queer, fantasy horror comic set in medieval England following the events of a Fey Apocalypse in the 1300s. It follows a group of knights trying to survive in a world that has been turned into a Fey hunting ground, whilst protecting the Changeling child they accidentally adopted. The current plan is eight issues, to be published on Patreon and then printed as a complete novel at the end! It will be written by myself and illustrated by my amazing co-creator @withlovefromthecrowss.

The Legend of The Rat Bastards (vols. 1 & 2)

I recently finished playing in a Curse of Strahd campaign that lasted about 2 years and was one of the best dnd experiences of my life. So of course, I decided to write it up in novel form so that I and the other players could always return to it. Our paladin was an extremely detailed note taker so I've been borrowing their notes. It's currently the longest piece of writing I’ve ever done and I add to it every day. It's from the pov of my character, a human necromancer called Sepulcrave who has a pretty crazy character arc and it's my current main WIP, even though its a personal project.

Eye of the Falcon King (working title)

A secondary-world medieval fantasy novel about identity, rebellion, and manipulation. In a world where some few people have the ability to shape-shift into birds, the king seeks out these people to be his personal servants, messengers and spies. Turik is a young boy able to turn into a falcon and becomes a member of the King's circle. But after a tragedy befalls his best friend it begins to become apparent that the king is not as benevolent as he seems and Turik must come to terms with the knowledge that his reality is a lie. This book is about breaking free from manipulative forces, the ways invisible disabilities are ignored and pushed aside, and mostly about how the monarchy is terrible. Also queer people because all my stories have queer characters.

Otherlings (working title)

It's 1875 and Eliza Farthing's twin brother Alexander has just reappeared in her life after seven years. Except he's not her twin, he's her changeling. And Eliza isn't always Eliza, sometimes he's Francis. The world's of the two twins - one fey, one queer - are about to become very intertwined against their wishes. The two have to fight against their family, the police, a morally corrupt scientist, inter-community distrust, and their own dislike for each other, or both of them will never regain the lives they so desperately need and desire. Also there's a circus. The book deals with identity, secrecy, hatred, and community. It's a book about found family, about accepting yourself and others, about not needing to be seen to exist and be worth something. Mostly it's about sticking together despite your differences.

So that's my current WIPs! I'll add more as I get them, but that's all for now! Thank you for taking an interest in my work and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to send me an ask :)

Tags I use

#legend of the rat bastards, #eye of the falcon king, #ask dandelion-jester #feypocalypse #otherlings novel

[asamis-jodhpurs]

Please tell me about your most chaotic D&D fic!

Okay this isn't a WIP it's fully complete and has been for three years but it is the most chaotic.

I'm going to have to read more this good god the amount of context I have to provide christ alive. I looked at this ask and I went I could like vaguely speedily sum this up or could make this a Whole Thing and it's a Friday night and I've had wine so I will be providing Full Context.

So. It was like a month after I'd graduated college, dem was like six sessions into running our Curse of Strahd campaign, and in Curse of Strahd there is an insane starving vampire spawn boy in the basement of the church in Barovia Village who you're typically intended to mercy-kill in the first act. His official character art looks like this:

However, because she is a genius and the most gifted woman on planet earth, dem went, "That priest's son who is going through it is my new comfort character. He's trans now and has a Cloud-Strife-esque desperate desire to prove himself on a grand scale that manifests as him trying to be cool and disaffected and also he has the worst ideas on god's green earth and is absolutely primed to become religiously obsessed with the first buff girl with a sword and traumatic mental illness who shows him kindness."

And well. I played Bath, a buff girl with a sword and traumatic mental illness who showed him kindness (also all art in this post that is not the official art above is dem's). The two of them were nice to one another for the span of a couple seconds and were doomed more or less instantly to mutual devoted weird obsession forever:

Dem and I would go on to spend an extremely funny year pretending that Bath and Doru (and that me and dem) were not wildly and embarrassingly in love. Bribe the Officials, Kill All the Judges was written very early in that year.

So in the sixth session of our campaign, we decided to break into Ravenloft with Doru (see above re: worst decisions on God's green earth) and steal a bunch of Strahd's stuff, unaware of the fact that dem was planning to gut-punch us with the canonical rule that vampires can control their spawn. Meaning Strahd could Ella Enchanted force Doru to walk away from the screaming, protesting, ugly-sobbing party and keep him prisoner before throwing the still screaming, protesting, and ugly-sobbing party out on his doorstep, leaving Doru to an uncertain fate that was definitely going to suck really profoundly:

So.

Rather than confront the agony of not knowing what was going to happen to mine and my paladin girl's favorite little graph paper guy for five months, I sat down with multiple tabs open with an encounter balancer and notes on the abilities all our party members would have at higher levels, and I said:

And I wrote 36 single-spaced pages in a week about how we could plausibly rescue our boy from the clutches of evil, featuring a full bossfight, fifth-level Wall of Force, and so, so much hugging and crying.

It is the only time in my life I have ever written fix-it fic, and it was for a narrative that was not finished and that me and my friends had total control over, and I felt like I had a fever the entire time I was writing it.

Anyway like a year after I shared it in the Discord I brought it up casually in a voicecall with dem and she laughed and said, "God, you're fucking insane, I love you."

It was the first time she said that. ☺��

[emcandon]

the ballad of fancy uncle chucklefuck pt. 6

(previously on fancy uncle chucklefuck: 1, 2, 3 (look at the reblog for the update), 4, 5)

a long one! so this time, a cut!

GUESS WHO HAD A BAD TIME THIS WEEK HAHAHAHAHA

my plans to have fancy uncle chucklefuck idly making breakfast for the recently re-traumatized (BY HIS GOD) party were thwarted bc he instead woke up to being physically threatened by another, different god

bc lol the party weren't the only ones his god had pissed off -- an old god of the land itself had come to menace this sad old dandy and make its complaints Known

old god was understandably pretty upset that yet another power was throwing its weight around in barovia -- and even worse, possibly making itself available to strahd?? you idiot!! you asshole!! what's wrong with you!!

sidebar: feral hagdaughter tried to wallop the old god MULTIPLE TIMES bc it was the sensible thing to do! something seem dangerous? whack it until it goes away! DUH.

anyway btwn the old god's ire + the rest of the party's comments about "worst night of our lives" and "truly fucked nightmare" and the like, fancy uncle chucklefuck started to piece together that his god had maybe FUCKED AROUND only to leave him to be the one to find out! come on!! ¯\_(ಠ_ಠ)_/¯

anyway he went from protesting that he didn't really know anything to, well, protesting that he didn't really know anything, but with more detail.

you know, like admitting this power is something he recognizes but could never have expected to wield bc he doesn't even go here. (in terms of both being not of the royal bloodline, also not even technically from the kingdom, so like ¯\_(ಠ_ಠ)_/¯ !!!)

but also in terms of how, well, the power doesn't look like he remembers it looking. he's used it to make light and to heal -- and he only ever saw it used for violence, or to change the course of a mind.

which, to be fair, it has very obviously been fucking around in everyone's brains so ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

tl;dr it's new, he doesn't like it, he's never seen the god -- or whatever it is -- do anything for anyone that wasn't directly harmful, and the only time it ever saw fit to talk to him! it gave him a migraine! so like! ¯\_(ಠ_ಠ)_/¯

but the worst part was arguably when the old god made some comment about how this god loves him.

uh oh

oh no

why

tangentially, uncle chucklefuck asked Seasonal Affective Disorder: the Warlock a thing he'd been meaning to ask her ever since she said something about how there are "different kinds of dead"

namely whether it's possible for the soul--the self--to be carved out of a body, only for the body to still be breathing

(which was probably the most intense rush of emotion i'd felt at the table thus far bc holy shit not the time he wanted to ask that, if he ever even actually wanted to)

turns out this question hit HER in a terrible and unexpected way, but tl;dr the horrible answer is "YUP"

anyway that was around the point the old god decided it was satisfied -- which it articulated by suggesting they all go walk into a lake so as to not bring any more problems down upon its people or its land. buh-bye!

to which the dragonborn herbo was like "actually that sounds great, byyyyeeeee" and promptly exited stage left

the dour divine bard and SAD: the Warlock went to go talk her through her stress/ongoing powerful aversion to God Shit

which was DARLING esp bc the dour divine bard proved far more emotionally deft and gentle than they had yet dared to be!

but THEN the dragonborn herbo was like "THAT. CHUCKLEFUCK. TOLD ME NOT TO BE VULNERABLE. AND THEN WENT AND EXPOSED HIS ENTIRE FUCKING RIBCAGE TO US." (see 3)

here pictured: me, offscreen, wailing with laughter

SAD: the Warlock's answer to this was along the lines of "to be fair, uncle chucklefuck's probably going through it, and i suspect that awful god is too -- but ALSO, if they touch our brains again, i will kill him :)"

which made the dragonborn herbo feel better so we're all good now! we're fine! we're great! it's chill!

meanwhile fancy uncle chucklefuck had offered to make food for the group before answering any questions they wanted answered and feral hagdaughter was Extremely Interested in breakfast.

which was the most sensible thing that happened all morning and made him finally confess she's his favorite.

while they tended to that, a very distressed farmer's wife politely asked the utena butch bard whether the party planned.....to stay....any longer..... and desperately pretended the farmhouse was SO haunted by the most OBNOXIOUS ghosts so they would probably be MUCH happier if they just CONTINUED ON DOWN THE ROAD...

breakfast ended up remarkably chill all things given. dragonborn herbo (NEEDLESSLY!!!) apologizing for her "outburst" and committing to sticking with the group -- and making clear she keeps her fucking promises.

followed by fancy uncle chucklefuck cautiously offering to part ways with the group bc lol! didn't expect to be contagious! sorry! haha! fuck!

tho he was also talked out of this by the double-punch salvo of 1) we've already caught the contagion and distance probably won't help, 2) strahd has already proved Interested in your god and none of us really want him to get it, so!

ultimately we hit the road again with fancy uncle chucklefuck having changed into the farmer's spare clothes bc 1) god he's tired of putting on fancy face, 2) when he runs out of money, the fancy clothes will also be good for bartering.

and we left off on debating how best to deal with hags who have the bones that we want, with the conclusion that we definitely should not bargain with them, probably could not kill them, and therefore ought to steal from them -- so uncle chucklefuck has a new mission! which is teaching these whippersnappers how to do CRIME.

relatedly, two of the party members who are decidedly not actually whippersnappers due to various circumstances (dour divine bard + SAD: the Warlock) had a sidebar where they were like "hey i maybe Get you in a weird way. anyway are you also feeling 'i just met this dragonborn herbo but if anything happened to her i would kill everyone in this room and then myself?' yes? awesome. good talk."

great and functional party with tremendously admirable coping mechanisms you got there. would be a shame if they were to trauma-bond or something.

[raviollies]

Hey! I love what you've done to characters and Lorelei is now living in my head rent free! Raha and Blythe are amazing and adorable!

It's very inspiring the way you keep yourself together even when everything falls apart! Keep it up!

If my question is annoying or if it bothers you, you may not answer on it.

Originally I followed you when I saw your Ireena and Blythe art. It amazed me how much both of them and Ireena in particular got fleshed out!

In my dnd game and tbh in many other games, players don't get invested in Ireena's journey, they don't fall for her and don't care for her sadly. That's why many DM's usually replace her with a player character, in order to raise the stakes. In half a year I will be running a new cos game, for the group of three and I am honestly considering to replace Ireena with the PC, but don't really want to (especially fearing how the game might go, if the player will turn into strahd-simp).

Could you please describe Ireena's character in your game? Perhaps her bonds and flaws? So other DM's and I can do a better job of her portrayal!

Thank you for the kind words! Here is an updated Lorelai WIP for your to pay rent

(and Blythe and Raha are very married yes)

So rather than referencing my game, as I am not the DM, I will provide my own suggestions as I was planning on running CoS as well. Spoilers for the campaign

I will also suggest against a Tatyana PC. Everyone is very much free to write and interpret the character however they want but to me it is very important that the Tatyana reincarnation does not want Strahd. In fact I would remove the interaction with Sergei too. Having her instantly forget herself as this new person in favour of Tatyana erases the entire point and kind of proves Strahd right in him refusing to see Ireena as her own person.

The way I would approach Ireena; she is her own person. She grew up with her family that wasn't Tatyana's. She lived a life that wasn't Tatyana's. She's met different people. It doesn't MATTER if she's a reincarnation of someone else, after all everyone in Barovia is a reincarnation of someone else. It's very important to establish that the main crux of the issue is that Strahd does NOT see her as Ireena, but Tatyana. He does not know Ireena. He only knows Tatyana. I would even have him call her that rather than "Ireena".

Ireena's story would be one of becoming independent and confident in her identity. To no longer be just Ismark's sister, Burgomaster's daughter, Tatyana's reaction, Evil's bride --- she is Ireena Kolyana. Nothing more, nothing less. I would start her off as unsure of herself, and being hesitant to take up space and over the course of the story become more confident in standing up for herself, with an eventual climax of expressing extremely clearly to Strahd that she is not Tatyana. She never was. He doesn't know her. That that person is gone, and she will never be back. He can chain her, do whatever but that will never make her Tatyana nor will it make her love him or know him. She is a woman who is constantly assigned identities by other's, but she want's to just be Ireena, she wants to do her hobbies, decide on where she wants to go, what books to read, what food to eat.

The relationship between Strahd and Tatyana is irrelevant. It could have been real, or a figment of his imagination, but the point is that...she is gone. If he had a soul of someone else, would it be fair for them to lay claim to him?

As for personality wise ; I would write her as sheepish at first, she is someone taking their first steps into adulthood in a way, outside the comfort of their home, their village. She should be curious and wonderstruck, curious and wishing to explore every nook and cranny. Because of that she would be unfortunately naïve to the problems that arise in bigger cities as Vallaki. A village and a town are very different - a big thing she's be stupefied by how impersonal everyone is. Rural villages often have people knowing everyone, it's commonplace to help your neighbor because you KNOW them. Vallaki is different...people go about their day and do not care, after all there is so many people. You physically can't know everyone.

She is down to earth and finds camaraderie with someone simpler than a noble, providing practical suggestions and being very handy with most tools and identifying local flora. On a flipside, I would say she struggles when dealing in very formal settings where it's less about honesty and more about saying a lie by omission to get what you want. When interacting with Vargas or Lady Wachter, she's visibly uncomfortable and stumbles over her words; they speak in such a way to purposely confuse her, like a lawyer would. Not only that but she most likely would refuse to do anything morally questionable, her heart is very pure!

So in all, a kind hearted, down to earth little lady who values honesty, hard work, and family but is naïve, stubborn and socially awkward. She will support and protect the party, even to her detriment but she will not stand with them to commit Crimes (so RIP if your party is murder hobos)

[mxvanrichten]

I wrote out a description of how we freed Barovia and how Silas and Van Richten became a couple!!

Feel free to read, but warning of end-game spoilers (We did an extra ending beyond defeating Strahd)

It all started the night before they summoned and defeated vampyr. They took watch together in The Amber Temple and shared a can of salted fish (it was cute and important because it was silly), but anyways so Rudolph asked Silas what his plans were if they did all make it out. Silas said he wasn't really sure. He didn't have anything to go back to.

They talked a bit and VR told Silas that he's glad he had someone he could relate to and speak with on subjects the rest of the party couldn't. He also thanked him for being so protective and helpful to him. Silas was just like "Yeah, of course, I wouldn't have it any other way. We don't have to talk about it, but you know how I feel about you." At that point VR was like (also I am paraphrasing a lot as far as dialogue) "Yes, I do and I have thought a lot about how I feel. It's been hard to manage my grief and anger over the loss of my family and also realize it's ok to let someone else in. If all of this ends well, I'd enjoy your company if you'd like to come with me wherever I go."

Silas of course accepts and VR puts his arm around him and they chat some more, about Silas' mom and other things. They talk about what they would do if they make it out. Then they just sit together quietly and Silas holds onto VR's arm. When their watch was over they slept next to each other.

Forward to next day, it's time to deal with vampyr, they get everything ready for the binding ritual and as they are preparing, Silas of course like always casts Death Ward on Rudolph and then gives him a kiss on the cheek, but THIS TIME Rudolph gives him a cheek kiss back and casts Death Ward using the kiss as the touch portion of the spell.

A lot of scary shit happens, but eventually, they complete the ritual and defeat vampyr. Magnus, who is our mad mage finds something in the book about how to transport Barovia to somewhere else so after doing some stuff Barovia was sent to a body of water near the shore of Amn and it's an island there now.

We did an epilogue where it was "what's happening with your characters over the next year or two."

Just shortly after Barovia was saved, Silas and VR (who were living together in a house outside Vallaki to stay near their friends for a bit) took a vacation to Waterdeep, they liked it so much they rented another house there. They travel a lot but have those homes together for when they are settling down for a bit. Rudolph has slowed down a bit, but still does what he does and Silas helps run the church in Vallaki which is now a temple for Kelemvor partially, and also a temple for Tempest that our barbarian runs.

Another year goes by and Silas, with the help of his best friend, Brandy (our monk), who now owns a tavern near with water, holds a big party to meet back up with people they haven't seen in a while, and during the party proposes to Rudolph with his mother's ring. Rudolph, although incredibly nervous, accepts!!

and that's that, and now everything is wonderful and great, hehehehe ❤️

[fur-claws-and-eyeballs]

The Lost Boys and DnD

First of all, Sam and the Frog brothers are huge freaking nerds. You KNOW they get into DnD at some point. Maybe there's a local group of DnD-ers that use the backroom of the comic store to host their games that gets them into it. Maybe Sam discovers the Players/Monsters/DMs handbooks being sold in the store one day and gets curious.

Maybe the Frog brothers market it as a way for vampire hunters to mentally prepare themselves for the strategies and horror of war. (The Curse of Strahd campaign wasn't released until like 2016, but we can pretend it was released 20 years earlier, lmao...Or it's just a Homebrew campaign, maybe even set in Santa Carla...)

I honestly feel like Edgar would be a really good DM because he would get so into storytelling and character voices. (He also gets frustrated as hell when Sam does something stupid/clever and completely bypasses a big battle or event that he had planned)

They tried having Sam DM, but his campaigns included more puzzles and diplomacy than battle, and having the Frogs just brute force their way through every session was disheartening.

"We clearly need at least one person with a functioning brain in the party," says Sam, retiring from DMing permanently.

But they're only three people so Sam begs Michael to join them. And listen, Michael is VERY aware of how people might perceive him, and he is not about to join his little brother and his dweeb friends in nerdom.

But Lucy, because she's wonderful, lets the boys run their campaign in the kitchen on Saturdays, and Michael, despite his best efforts, finds himself lingering in the doorway. He keeps stopping to look at the board, being drawn into Edgar's storytelling, and Sam's overly complicated plans (plans that fail and inevitably end up with him rolling for bluff, AGAIN), and Alan's insistence that they ignore diplomacy in favor of just killing everyone. (Don't get it twisted though, Alan is a master of the dice, he knows exactly how to stack his advantages and buffs for the maximum amount of damage/success.)

Michael probably can't help but chime in on occasion, "Did it occur to you idiots that the mysterious key that you found in your tavern room has a purpose and that it might go to the padlock that lets you into the Mayor's house?"

"Well, let's see you do better, Mikey!"

So Michael inevitably joins and now it's the four of them. Slaying Vampires and solving mysteries. But then...

"Hey, Michael, me and the Boys are going to a party at the abandoned cannery on Saturday, you in?" asks David one day.

"I, uh, already have plans with my family on Saturday, man, sorry," answers Michael, desperately trying to keep images of miniatures and dice out of his head.

Except, this is the fifth Saturday in a row that Mikey has begged off of hanging out with the gang, and now they're getting a little suspicious...

...

Anyway, time skip and give me Bard Paul trying to fuck the dragon.

Sam: "It would literally kill you."

Paul: "But what a way to go!"

[vampire-chokehold]

read on AO3 DRAMATIS PERSONAE (in order of appearance)

PATRINA        archmage, lover, returned KASIMIR        brother and murderer of Patrina CHORUS       of vampire spawns STRAHD       the Devil of Barovia RAHADIN     loyal dog, traitor to the dusk elves

SETTING: The play is set in Castle Ravenloft’s catacombs, in Barovia. Patrina has been dead for more than four hundread years. It is the middle of the night. Kasimir has succumbed to the guilt and has broght back his sister from the undead.

PATRINA All men of Barovia are deserving of death.

Don’t look at me like that. You brought me back to life,  but your hands are stained with the same blood that runs through your veins. Dare you believe that forgiveness bears your name? That by a good deed your sins will be pardoned? Are you not, too, my brother, my murderer? Are you not he who put an end to my days by throwing the first stone that buried me, that stole my last breath from my lips?

You couldn’t stomach that I was better than you,  that your sister, a woman, was exceptional. Anger consumed you,  envy made a home between your ribs and, under my shadow, you planned my death. Over my body, you shed tears— but not for me, but because you had lost everything. Tell me, you treacherous rat, was it worth it? Do not answer me— no! I will never again believe in your words for they are as hollow as my sunken chest.

Brother, you were never on my side. When I was born, your eyes burned guilt into my skin. How could I, a baby, be so unworthy when I couldn't even utter a word, let alone lie or sin? Not even once did you hold me in your arms, not even once did you speak to me with love! Brother, what did I ever do to you? Was it being born a woman? Between my legs, the original sin— my breasts and mouth, temptation. And on my shoulders? The weight of an accursed race to redeem.

It was a spring night, the first time I learnt that one could see with other eyes; that love is written with fingertips on tingling skin; that lips can conjure the most powerful of spells and shoot with their kisses the sharpest of arrows; that hunger is not only hushed with food, nor thirst with the water from the rivers.

You didn't waste time hating him as much as you hated me. As soon as he uttered his name, I saw, written all over your face,  the desire to end him— as if you weren't a coward, as if you were born for something more than living under my wing. If only you had accepted your fate.

In the fire of your future, neither bravery nor excellence burned, and glory only crossed your path when you ended me. My death was your greatest sin, but also your finest work. And now, I too want to taste salvation. With the edge of this knife, brother, I will cut your throat, spill your blood, avenge my death and that of all my sisters.

KASIMIR Patrina, my sister! You have returned to me like swallows to spring, bringing with you memories of a life full of regret. Patrina, ghost of my nights, ceaseless hiss! You tormented me in life as well as in death, your voice an echo in my gut every time darkness embraced me. You asked me to bring you back to this land that never wanted us, that made us slaves to a monster whom you thought deserving of your love. For what? To seek revenge? When the metal sinks into my flesh, do you believe you'll find rest then? When my blood stains your hands, do you think it will end the agony of your existence?

Your death only brought misery to this sullen land. Now I know, the evil I awakened when the stones rained down upon your body. Your corpse, still warm under a river of blood— the blood of all your sisters. He killed them! That monster you called love! He killed them all— mothers and daughters, and suddenly, a silence fell in which I could only hear your screams.

Don't be mistaken, sister. Your heart holds the mercy I never knew. Forgive me, forgive me! Can't you see me, on my knees, repentant? Your knife at my throat, and this sorrowful plea on my lips. I have paid dearly for my transgressions, my flesh is not untouched by punishment. Can't you see me, on my knees, repentant?

PATRINA You speak of mercy with the lightness befitting a man. I wish you had felt the same when our gazes met in that clearing! Didn't you hear my pleas? Didn't you see my lips moving, tears overflowing in my eyes? Didn't you even feel pity for your sister?

Tell me, my brother: Why should I save you? Do you believe you deserve to live, even breathe the same breath as I?

You look at me like the lamb looks at the wolf and you think I can't see through those eyes. That you are wicked, that you always have been. And if I weren't your sister, would you have flayed my flesh? Would you have made me an example of dishonour?

KASIMIR If only you weren't my sister! I wish you hadn't been my sister. Then I wouldn't have wanted to protect you. I would have let that monster take you, make you his forever. PATRINA Protect me? You confuse violence for love, brother. And you speak of me as a puppet trapped by fate. But I loved that man whom you call a monster. KASIMIR Loved?  Will you kill him too?

PATRINA All men of Barovia are deserving of death.

KASIMIR Where is the love then?

PATRINA Where was the love when you murdered me?

KASIMIR Your death was an act of love.

PATRINA I will grant you your last words, brother. You can ask for my forgiveness, though to you I’ll never give it.

KASIMIR Patrina, you are both serpent and apple! If I'm to die by your hands, let it be with pride.

PATRINA So be it.

[Enter the CHORUS. ]

CHORUS Patrina! What have you done, child?

PATRINA I have killed my brother.

CHORUS And for what?

PATRINA All men of Barovia are deserving of death.

CHORUS Are you worthy of plunging the blade into their flesh? Are you, child, the embodiment of justice? How different are you from him when you've avenged the deaths of your sisters with the blood of your own blood?

PATRINA I am not like my brother.

CHORUS No, you are worse.

PATRINA Is vengeance a greater sin than it is silence? Should I have consumed myself in my agony, forever crying out for love?

CHORUS You speak of love, Patrina, as if you've ever known it. As if this crusade is in its name.

[Enter RAHADIN and STRAHD.]

STRAHD Patrina, is it really you? Is this mirage reality?

PATRINA The Devil Strahd, once again before me.

RAHADIN Do not listen to her, my Lord, she will ensnare you with her siren's whisper.

STRAHD Kasimir, you weak man, you couldn't bear the burden of guilt on your shoulders. I knew this day would come, when your sister would return and with this knife, kill you.

Patrina, old love, have you come for me too? Does the same fate await me as your foolish brother?

PATRINA Do not even speak my name— those lips are stained with the blood of my sisters! Empty promises and an insatiable hunger between your sharp teeth, nothing more.

I have engraved in my memory the recollection of my past life, as crystalline as the waters of this land. Do not try to deceive me again with your velvet words. I know who you truly are, Strahd von Zarovich!

You placed glory in my hands and snatched it away with the same cruelty which deemed you eternal king of this land.

On your lips, I read words I had never heard before. On my skin, you painted a future so bright that it blinded the rest of my days with poisoned hope. You didn't kill me, but your silence has always made you an accomplice.

Did you weep for me when your wolves my desecrated body— more of the dirt than mine— to your castle they took?

RAHADIN Dare you speak of betrayal, wench? I should have killed your brother too, his body rotting next to yours, so you couldn't return from the dead like a plague amongst the living: venomous and deadly.

STRAHD Didn't I love you, Patrina, with all my heart?

On your skin, I traced constellations. On your heart, I placed my darkest secrets. On your lips, I shed tears for my bitter existence.

And you say I didn't love you? That I deceived you? Am I not the one who lived in the lie of your love?

You have forgotten who you are, Patrina. You never loved me.

PATRINA I can't believe you. I don't want to believe you! You let my brother stone me— each lash coloring my skin purple and vermillion. You let your dog kill my sisters— they, who were not guilty of my foolish and naive innocence!

Why? Oh why?

You made me a prisoner in your castle, abandoned me to my fate, condemned forever to yearn for revenge. If you loved me so much, oh why, Strahd— why didn't you save me from myself?

STRAHD I would have given you eternal life if that night hadn't been your end. If only I had reached you sooner!

PATRINA You're trying to deceive me.

STRAHD That spring, Patrina, not only roses bloomed in my garden, but also hope in my heart. I had not yet known love— forever craving the warmth of another body, of other lips. War had made a cruel man out of me, I know. My calloused hands were unworthy of the softness I longed for. if death bore my name, could I be deserving of love, of forgiveness?

Then I saw you. Your hair flowing freely, and your skin gleaming dark like a secret yet to be discovered. A strand fell over your eyes, and I wanted to push it away like a desperate child. Capricious, an imposing curiosity. You looked at me as if I were a question for which only you had the answer. You turned around, and I followed you, enchanted. I walked behind you, chacing the trail of your perfume.

Oh how beautiful you were! How beautiful you still are.

You led me to your tent, and at the entrance, you looked back at me. With an invitation on your lips, you let me in— my heart, for the first time racing trapped in my throat.

You were never a woman of time. Always two steps ahead, you waited for no one. What you wanted, you took. And in that moment, I thought that you wanted me because you held my face in your hands— without even knowing my name, and you kissed me with the fervent passion of a sword piercing flesh.

From that moment on, I only dreamed of your breath on my skin. And while I wanted to devour you, your lips murmured spells and words of magic that— oh how I wished, had been words of love for me!

Your love was a window to the abyss. It was like gazing into a void so vast that you felt it would swallow you whole. Everything I gave you disappeared into your darkness. In your eyes, I could only see my reflection and on the other side, the hunger for power consuming you.

Patrina, don't you know? You and I are the same.

PATRINA We were not,  and will never be.

STRAHD Oh but that’s where you’re wrong. Patrina, don’t you remember? We walked for days. Sometimes in utter silence, you ruminating and me, as always, waiting. At the top of the mountain, the amber was a sun in the clearest of skies. The snow embraced the temple with its icy arms, and our footsteps drew an uncertain future behind us. You took my hand in yours, we ran breathlessly. I had never seen your eyes so lively and hungry. How I loathed that hunger was not for me.

That temple hid the most obscure of secrets, even darker than mine. The voices, oh the voices! They whispered into my heart, Patrina, but I didn’t want to listen to them because they spoke of you, of the truth behind your love.

PATRINA And what truth might that be?

STRAHD That is of no importance now, old love. You’ve come back and now nothing is standing in our way.

PATRINA Do you think me a fool? Could I ever trust that mouth which only knows how to lie? Do you really think I came back for you? You speak of treason as if your loyalty doesn’t bear a price, as if your love for me  was ever unconditional. It never was, I know!

You longed for greatness as much as I— don’t fool yourself. You do not fool me! Under the bright orange of the amber, there I saw in your eyes the same desperation that haunted my very being.

And when I died? Tell me, Strahd— did you weep for me? DID YOU WEEP?

RAHADIN Do not come any closer, viper! No one remembers your name— after four hundred years trapped in the darkness of this castle,  no one even knows who you are.

PATRINA And you, who are you? Loyal dog of yet to be honed teeth. If I kill you here and now— do you think your master will even lament your loss? I can hear the screams of my sisters— they yet linger to your skin. Still you smell of warm blood. Tell me, traitor— how does it feel to slaughter the sheep of your flock? Do you feel more wolf— less of a treacherous dog?        None of this is yours.

RAHADIN Gladly I massacred the dusk elves and cursed their future with my scimitar. Oh the sweet stench of their guts and the metal together in the most macabre poem ever to be written in this land! The only thing I do regret is not making a coat out of your skin, wench.

Loyal dog you call me? That I am— you wouldn’t know what loyalty is, the sense of duty, the most purest submission one has to offer with their own life.

Patrina. From the lowest of scum, one can never make a queen.

PATRINA Rahadin! I curse your sole existence! May the Gods damn you forever to roam in the shadows. May the Gods grant you no rest,  neither in this life nor in the next. Die, Rahadin! Die by my hands,  as my brother did! I will savour your death as the hungry the rotten fruit.

RAHADIN [To STRAHD. ] Will you let her kill me?

STRAHD Are you not deserving of a pardon?

RAHADIN Will you let her kill me? Ah!—

CHORUS In silence, I’ve watched closely. Is vengeance the way, child? Two men have been killed— same knife, different wounds. The blood— alike.

Oh Patrina! What have you done?

PATRINA Don’t you see? I said: All men of Barovia are deserving of death. And I always keep my word. I will carve my rage into their flesh and my name on their lips will forever remain until the end of time. Forget me, you say? I am Patrina, cursed daughter!

[To STRAHD. ] When I end you, will you speak my name one last time? I’ve always loved how it sounded on your tongue.

CHORUS Child, you don’t know what you’re saying. Only men die by the blade. But he’s no ordinary man, no— he is something else.

PATRINA Oh but I know. The heart still, the lungs hollow in the chest— eternity as an unbreakable thread! The promise of immortality, the biggest of lies ever said.

STRAHD Oh Patrina, enchantress of my nights, I would have given you all if only your brother— Kasimir, you poor excuse of a man— if only you wouldn’t have taken her from me!

PATRINA I hold your face in my hands and I remember the first time I tasted your lips,  the first time I felt your warmth under my fingertips. Was happiness not written for us in our wretched destiny? How I loved you, Strahd— but how I loved the life that was taken from me!

Oh the pain and sorrow that caves my chest in!

STRAHD But we can finish what we started. Perhaps kindness can blossom amongst the mist.

PATRINA Kindness is a choice we make. One I don't want to take. I will only find solace when you turn to dust; when this stake, driven into your chest, puts an end to your days.

STRAHD Do you believe you can kill me? Bury the stake, right here. Let's do it together, Patrina.

PATRINA Let me go. Don't touch me! You won't deceive me again.

STRAHD Kill me, Patrina, infernal punishment! Do you think I won't return? Do you think my torment will end with you?

CHORUS Listen to him, child. The curse cannot be broken.

PATRINA Even if you return, I will know. Even if you return, I will have consumed my revenge. Nothing matters anymore, for I am alone and cursed.

Any last words?

STRAHD I loved you. I still love you.

PATRINA Your love is not honest enough to save you. Now, close your eyes.

STRAHD Patrina!—

CHORUS He is not dead, child. He will return.

PATRINA But I won't be here, no—

CHORUS Patrina!

Cursed child, dead. What have you done?

[Three bodies lay on the cold stone floor of Castle Raveloft, their blood a river of red. Of the other, only dust remains.]

[the-pale-chancellor]

We had a plan. A NiCe, SiMpLe plan- To have a little chit chat with Fiona Wachter while our druid steals the book for Viktor. what couLD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? (everything) (never write down your plans into the group chat) (the almighty Master sees through you) (also, von Holtz just casually chillin with us all the way is hillarious. like, strahd, my dear, you look the most normal in this team of four(five now) idiots)

[terrified-spider]

To CoS DMs,

What sort of stuff do you make a point of including when changing Strahd's diary?

I've never been fond of 5e's handout, it feels far more like a lore drop than a personal diary, and while using I, Strahd would be nice, I've made too many changes to the lore to use it as is. (not to mention that my players and I are all busy, and won't have the time to read a full novel)

I've outlined the key elements that need to be included, I just need to pad it out a bit.

Thank you for any help (:

My current outline is under the cut (:

cw for canon typical depression and violence

Taking Castle Ravenloft:

Summary of the arrival at the castle, naming it after his mother, in her honor

With the death of their parents, Sergei will be coming to the keep

Introduction to Alek and Rahadin, the two working and training together

Meeting Tatyana:

Introducing our sexy lamp

Passing mention of Sergei giving up his place in the clergy for her

Focus on Tatyana's physical traits, her hair in particular. As much as the lamp thing is a joke, she isn't important to Strahd as a person, only a prize. As Strahd is really the only source of information on Tatyana for the party, she doesn't really get much in terms of development.

Alek has raised concerns once again about the assassin

Tatyana & Sergei, Wedding Prep:

Strahd moping while Sergei and Tatyana have a good time.

Mention of Alek going to the Amber Temple for research purposes, to find something that might help the situation.

Night Before the Wedding:

Strahd is starting to hear whispers

Alek and Rahadin have been patroling the castle, questioning the guards, etc.

Wedding Night Aftermath:

Quiet castle, only him and Rahadin alive.

Some sacrifices had to be made, but Alek is still alive, gifted to Rahadin, so that the two can remain brothers.

Alek died as he does in I, Strahd, but is the first Strahd brings back from the dead. He botches it though, and Alek returns as a Nosferatu, rather than a spawn. Strahd is denying the problem, shrugging off the issue as best as he can. He's good at it.

Meeting Marina:

The only section I've fully written out so far, but still up for revisions.

I returned to Castle Ravenloft late yesterday evening with no issue. Rahadin was right, the girl looks exactly like my dearest Tatyana did, with the same red hair and bright eyes. I do not think I know the entirety of what happened to her in the years since her death in the Mists, but she did not remember who she, or perhaps more importantly, Sergei or I, was.

Now, she goes by Marina, and is the adopted daughter of the burgomaster in Berez, Lazlo Berezovich, who plans to marry her in just a few years. Of course, i cannot have such things happen to Tatyana, no matter what name or face she wears now, and I have already begun to teach her of her old life. She seemed invested, though that might simply be due to the prospect of minor nobility taking romantic interest in her. Still, even with having only spent a night with her, the results seem promising. My brother will not have any influence this time, and at long last, Tatyana will finally be mine.

Rahadin also brought news of the Abbot, the “angel” having taken up residence in the old monastery in Krezk, where I had found Leo Dilisnya. While Tatyana is of the highest priority, I will have to visit Krezk soon, to finally welcome our newest guest. Even if his healing magic has been greatly exaggerated, his presence should provide at least some degree of entertainment for myself, and perhaps some assistance for Barovia’s people.

Death of Marina:

Most recent event in journal, so that it works out when Strahd leaves the diary buried under the monument to Marina. A good segment of unmarked pages are left at the end of the journal.

Cursing the men who killed Marina, description of their bodies after their deaths.

[tea-with-eleni]

I remember the sun. 

It was sunny, the morning of my wedding. Though we had no way of knowing, no way of suspecting, it was the last bright summer day in Barovia.

Lady Ilona, a holy woman, helped me dress. Though I could tell she did not fully approve of the wedding, or of Sergei’s dereliction of his duties, I could also tell that she understood. She’d been part of Strahd’s entourage for a long time. She knew what I sought to avoid better than even I did. She was kind to me as she arranged my hair. It looked beautiful. My gown and jewels, gifts from Strahd, were beautiful. I was beautiful.

To keep from encountering my groom before the ceremony, we took back stairways to the Ravenloft gardens. That was where we first heard the commotion: Strahd ran into the garden, pale as death, splattered with blood. Sergei was dead. Assassinated by Ba’al Verzi, so Strahd claimed. He was lucky to have survived. 

Beside me, Lady Ilona stiffened. “Strahd,” she whispered. “What have you done?” 

Fear shot through me then. I knew, as surely as I knew my own name, that Strahd lied. Sergei was dead, that sounded true, but not by assassins. By Strahd. When his dark eyes turned towards me in my finery, the change in his expression only confirmed my fears. He wanted me. Sergei’s plan had failed. 

I ran.

I wasn’t thinking clearly. If I had, I would have run the other way - back indoors, to the Tser bridge, to the village. I would not have run to the overlook, where I would find only a thousand-foot drop.

Strahd, damn him, followed.

“Tatyana!” he called. I whirled to face him. He looked - wrong. Monstrous. “Tatyana, please! I did this for you!” I backed against the stone wall surrounding the overlook. Dimly, I registered the gathering storm clouds. 

“I did all of this for you!” Strahd repeated, a kind of madness in his voice. “My brother is dead, and you are mine. With the pact I have made, power and eternal life are within my grasp! You will deny me no longer!” I felt his will, his power, drawing me towards him. Before I could think, before I could fight it, his cold lips were against my own.

NO!

I reached for the divine spark, as I had practiced with Sergei, with Ilona. Holy light flared around me as I shoved Strahd back. I caught something. A sword hilt. Sergei’s sword hilt, the crystal blade. It came free in my hands as I almost fell against the wall once more. I didn’t know what to do. I could not hope to stand against even Sergei in a fight. 

Strahd advanced against me, the madness in his crimson eyes joined by fury. I had never fought back against him before. I had never truly feared him before. 

Unconsciously, I stepped back again. I raised Sergei’s crystal sword.

I stepped back.

I fell.

“Tatyana!” Strahd screamed. 

It was a long way down into the mists.

**********************

Dialogue taken from Dragnacarta’s version of events, more or less, composited with some details from I, Strahd. It’s important to remember that Strahd himself is anything but a reliable narrator. I think it’s valid to imagine that Sergei married Tatyana in part to give her something very concrete she could throw in Strahd’s face to put him off. He was initially supposed to become a high priest, after all. Marrying anyone, even Tatyana, wasn’t his original plan. 

The illustration is my own painting in watercolor and gouache, my mediums of choice. I used a couple of different references for Tatyana and the crystal sword/future Sunsword. I’m not sure I did the blade justice, but it’s really bloody hard to find a good reference for “crystal blade” that looks sort of realistic! 

[supportivecircle]

i ran a sonic based dnd campaign for a year

my folders on drive and on my desktop are filled with so much crap

we didn’t get to finish it but the campaign document was sitting at around 130 slides and we still had a final stretch to go. it was post metal virus arc by a few months, sonic didn’t come back immediately (in fact he wasn’t sent to the Sol Dimension, he warped to the Twilight Cage. the players who knew Sonic expected Sol Dimension. i robbed their minds. i ROBBED them. THATS RIGHT. DARK BROTHERHOOD WAS BEING WORKED INTO IT. LOOSELY. WE CLOWN IN THIS MOTHERFATHER.) so Amy didn’t step down but Jewel did become her administrator of the Logistics branch of the Restoration, while Amy lead the Security branch. 

i made a custom warlock subclass (balance unsure) for wisps patron that had an experimental prototype variable wispon the restoration was testing based off of whisper’s

i pieced together a map of the main continent based off of: tabbing in and out of the sonic forces map screen to get the rough landmass and locations of “zones”; some work people online did to try the same thing; cream’s WRONG map (she says thats north but cuhLEARLY in forces this cannot be the case dear god help me you stYUPID CHILD); and amy’s Restoration map was of no help to me at all because it shows Central City on the coast where Seaside/Sunset would have been, and also on a northern shoreline while barricade town is on the end of an entire peninsula. so i FIXED it. i fixed ALL of it. also there is a small town named Degrassi near the snowline south of Winterburg. because we love Degrassi. make it canon Evan Stanley if you somehow stumble across this. whisper into Flynn’s ear like wormtongue and get this done for me, whatever it takes, because i know you can make it through. maybe name it like Dagrassy. idk you’re the talent not me.

we had started in 2020 and played for two months before taking a year hiatus to play a magical girl campaign in the FATE system. some highlights of the campaign:

at one point early on, a piece of the orbiting ruined Death Egg fell to the earth in an event known as a “Death Fall” and landed on Orchardville. the players got to team up with Whisper to infiltrate it and deactivate the systems onboard controlling the badniks coming out of it. mimic was also there to steal data for starline.

the Bad Guys didnt split up like in canon, instead eggman had been working real lowkey on finding where sonic warped to to finish him off, and starline became better at being a leader. mimic was still doing stealth ops. rough and tumble were given a task of leading bandit activity in the western part of the continent to keep the Restoration busy. honestly, i just didn’t want to think about what to do with the Zeti so they never came up. its a whole thing. probably not well thought out grand scheme but no one asked questions about the Zeti.

i stole the entirety of the death house from curse of strahd but toned it down to just make a spooky haunted house segment near windmill village and i played the instrumental loop of pumpkin hill for at least 30 minutes at one point as ambience.

one of the players had a truck that over time got suped up with upgrades to be a complete wrecking ball with a lightning cannon to shock badniks and an on-board AI the inventor made based off of his boss, Lanolin, named LAN who would activate with the phrase LAN-Online.

the players helped begin the healing of the Green Sand Hill Zone by uncovering the underground main hub Egg Pyramid that had been controlling the Egg Pyramids in Forces and were draining oil out from the earth. they fought Thunderbolt the Chinchilla there, who had been running the operation for Eggman while he was working on his grander plans.

one player was offered a FIST BUMP in the first session by Lanolin and refused cause the character was an old grouch. this stain on their character was never cleaned.

there were several starline’d versions of badniks that appeared the closer they got to his operations. incredibly obvious knock offs with a new color scheme. starline also freaking died by being outplayed by Eggman.

there was a recurring merchant they met in the first city and almost every major city afterwards who was actually a wizard who inherited wealth from their bastard father and decided to open up a series of pawn shops across the world called Thorne’s Tradery (her name was Juliet Thorne). she refused to use offensive magic out of an oath she took, but was doing her best to help the Restoration by supplying their agents (and civilians) with easy access to a fair place to trade and possibly get magic/advanced tech items (not for civilians).

i did what SEGdont and had Tangle and Whisper finally resolve their blatant romantic tension with the aid of the player characters. we stan these lesbian queens. tangle was a monk who had “determination” or something instead of Ki, and whisper was the same warlock subclass as the player character, but a lower level. i never got around to making an amy statblock but she was going to be a battlemaster fighter with some character feat type stuff akin to divination wizard’s portent, and would have focused around giving players advantages/extra actions in combat when not beating stuff with her hammer.

the finale was going to have the entire team go super-mode via chaos emeralds (screw the canon) and fighting a giant invasive monstrosity from the twilight cage threatening to destroy Central City, while Sonic was still dealing with REALITY SICKNESS from his time spent in the cage. they’d have had unique abilities, a theme song on their turn (Endless Possibilities Rockestrate My World version, Reach for the Stars, What I’m Made Of, and Knight of the Wind), and a one-time reaction called “We’re All Counting on You” that would have provided them with an emergency supply of rings from notable NPCs they had bonded with during the game. it was going to be hype.

i was far FAR too lazy to draw my own characters on top of maps and writing everything, so i used a freaking ton of OCs i found online as character pieces. possibly controversial to some, but i never passed them off as my own and knew i’d never be able to draw or show artwork of them in any posts online i made about the campaign cause they aren’t my characters. so unfortunately, i cannot make or post artwork of player character Periwinkle the Pangolin making out with her witch girlfriend Rosaline the Fox. i did make this little guy though: Georgie Greenhorne, the deer, and avid child scout. he has several badges.

anyway decided to finally make use of this account to post something of substance and then probably nothing else.

i also found this old meme i made about one of my player’s Forces OC (the brown dog) and mine, who appeared in the campaign as the CANONICAL BUDDY near the end to fist bump with knuckles. i also have this cursed lanolin with no fluff in the back. check it out. tell your friends.

[petalpierrot]

We had a very low-key D&D session yesterday. The party mostly got some food and talked as they ate.

After their dance, Eidys invited Rahadin to have brunch with them and he agreed.

Eidys trying to gently socialize Rahadin with the party like he's a feral cat was kind of funny.

Rahadin asked the party how they liked the festival and warned them that the rest weren't as fun.

Eidys replied that they liked it well enough

He also asked what Eidys planning to do next and that to not hesitate to ask if there was anything he could help with in terms of information.

The party opts not to divulge that they will get involved with the Vallaki church, partially because they don't know where his allegiance lies but also in case Strahd would get that information out of him, one way or another.

Veshen replied that it was a much-needed mental break

Rahadin was curious about the Shadar-kai and asked how he ended up in Barovia

Veshen doesn't see any harm in it to tell him (he was retrieving a memory and then the mists prevented him from leaving)

Rahadin mentions Strahd likes to corrupt religious folks and if he does not submit he will be killed

Ireena pipes in that Veshen will *not* be corruptible.

Veshen agrees. He tells Rahadin that his faith is strong (partially because he works directly with the raven queen as an advisor - his background is Courtier) and he will know if he stops receiving portents that it will be Strahd's doing and not the raven queen abandoning him. As to if he dies, he is not afraid of death (as a grave cleric and shadar-kai) he says if a Shadar-kai dies they are simply reborn, so he doesn't fear death.

Rahadin says that Strahd will hate all that veshen stands for

Eidys asked about what these types of festivals are like for everyone else

Veshen said that there weren't any festivals in the Shadowfell

Dris compared something like this to Founders Day (where drow have to be nice to each other and how uncanny that was)

Eidys found that very amusing

Eidys mentions that Rahadin told her he used to work in an apothecary and how that is similar to what Dris did

Dris and Rahadin proceed to talk about poison, drow sleeping poison, and its uses in drow society and medicine

the party just silently and awkwardly listens to these men discuss unsavory topics.

Rahadin and Dris find a newfound respect for each other (it's doubly funny because the first time we played he was very much vanilla Rahadin, thinking everyone to be stupid for not submitting to Strahd, ESPECIALLY Dris(the drow) )

Rahadin then prompts the rest to tell him what date they will be coming to the dinner

Eidys days there are still some preparations to be made

Rahadin understands and tells them that Strahd will probably be less angry if he does tell him that they have purchased some fancy attire.

Then Rahadin felt some bad vibes (coming from """Sergei""") and had to leave.

We ended there but next session we were asked to say hello to the head of the church in Vallaki.

[mx-lamour]

~ᎶᎧᎧᎴ ᏋᏉᏋᏁᎥᏁᎶ~

Here ye shall find:

RPGs & Writing Projects

Curse of Strahd

I am deep in the muck of planning a Curse of Strahd campaign, having recently been through it as a player. So far, my concept has been mostly based on a few of the Ravenloft novels, plus the absolutely heinous 5e module (many details of which I have been attempting to rewrite), and a deep unrelenting desire to reintroduce Alek Gwilym to the world (so far working with the idea that he will be some kind of ghoul). Bookish ramblings, 5e headaches, and creative solutions are under #Lamour DMs CoS.

Also: Costuming Barovia

Jewelry | Strahd: Part 1 | Strahd: Art Addendum

Alek Gwilym

It has come to my attention that this blog has become one of the top recommended for #Alek Gwilym. When I first read I, Strahd—which was given to us ver batim as the Tome in the campaign I played—I knew in my heart that this man's death was the true crux of the Barovian tragedy. I became obsessed with solving the mystery of what else had become of him and working to bring him back, because I could conceive of no better way to break a curse which had been sealed with his demise.

I continue to strive to do Alek as much justice as possible.

He deserved better. It can and will be helped.

Strahd/Alek Fanfiction

#Stralek my beloved.

The piece de resistance of my work in this realm—my portfolio, if you will—has been the Vampentine's 2024 Collection which came about through this prompt list. It contains vignettes from several universe concepts (indexed), as well as a fully self-contained 6,693-word idea under the heading "It's all right."

[placeholder for the pbp rp, coming soon to Ao3]

Other (in-progress) works include:

Immortality - In 398 BC, after finally wiping his hands of Leo Dilisnya, Strahd discovers a painter in Vallaki who looks a lot like Alek Gwilym.

Despite Fear - Alek thwarts Strahd's deal with "Death" and the OG team go on campaign to destroy the dark entity once and for all.

Ezra Sunstar

Ezra was the character I played in Curse of Strahd. He was a self-conscious fire genasi roaming Faerûn in disguise before he and a couple of adventurers stumbled into Barovia. He knew very little about his own race or lineage, and hadn't even known his own surname until Madam Eva called him by it. He was enamored with the Vistani, accidentally fell for Ireena, and remained stalwartly determined to prove that Strahd was not a monster but a man under a curse who needed help.

Slowly working through my notes to create a cohesive narrative of Ezra's experiences, which were very therapeutic for me and ultimately went very well, all things considered.

The Tome of Ezra (Anno Viatoris)

A few campaign snippets, art, and other things can be found under #Ezra Sunstar. After having completed both Curse of Strahd and an epilogue Descent into Avernus, Ezra is still going, in a play-by-post rp, in which he has ventured into an alternate universe Lamordia to rescue one more soul: his beloved Ernst.

Alara

Kind of a placeholder for now, but I'm going to have a lot to say about this lady, I can guarantee.

Original/Related Works

Someday...

A retelling of Cinderella, featuring Dracula as the prince, rife with influences from Slavic folklore.

Post-Dracula, Lord Godalming funds the asylum run by his husband Dr. Seward, where they investigate the paranormal influences underlying many of their wards' issues. A young man admits his college friend, Victor Frankenstein, who raves about a creature he created from the dead.

I write personal essays and suchthelike, too: #Lamour Stories

About Me

Creative Process

I studied studio arts in high school, and writing in college. Self-taught costume historian. I'm gearing up to start my MFA in Creative Writing!

I love when people make things. I love craft and story and folklore. I think people should make things they love. I'll reblog things that resonate.

Publications

Check out Wishbone Words, a magazine made by and for disabled creatives. My original short story "Skull Cave" is part of Issue 12!

Coming Soon! - Enchanted Living magazine's Summer 2024 issue will feature another original short story, "Flowers for Hannedy".

Links

Portfolio/Shop

Throne

Ko-fi

Demographics

Queer, autistic, and married. White as a ghost. A they/them kind of folk.

My middle name is love, and I am an icorrigible romantic.

♡ Lamour