#Caravan Shoe Storage Ideas

[ibaileystrempel]

Many people are wondering that how to arrange the things in the caravan and how to properly organize the things. It takes a second for the space to convert into a mess. Even after having so much space, clothes spread all over, shoes lying on the floor, utensils spread in the kitchen, food staples mixed in the pantry, items scattered in the bathroom cupboard, and whatnot. It could drive you crazy and even turn the fun trip into a stressful one. Here Xtend Outdoors bring the ideas for you where you get to know the solution for how to organize the things and it is possible to reduce the chaos smartly with proper storage and organization. Get a list of ideas to maximize your space and relax comfortably. To know visit here: https://www.xtendoutdoors.com.au/caravan-storage-and-organisation-ideas/ 

[kayleed77]

This is a little Kanej fic for y’all. Please feel free to give me feedback :)

Pairing: Kaz Brekker x Inej Ghafa

Series: Six of Crows

Inej Ghafa is her own person now. A captain of the rough seas, a notorious spy, a trapped Suli lynx, a promising young acrobat and docile daughter are all personas of her past. Though she will always trust that her Saints allowed her to be those people so she could learn from her experiences, she is happy in her newest life.

Or rather, they are happy.

In the many years following the Ice Court heist, Inej had traveled the sea on the ship Kaz had bought her, returning captured slaves to their home and punishing the slavers as she deemed fit. Sometimes she had mercy, but other times, like when she found a mother and daughter starved to death and naked in the captain’s personal quarters, she let her Saints guide her blades until the decks of those ships were stained crimson.

The nearly 8 years she spent tracking down slavers and destroying their businesses took a heavy toll on her soul. Inej had been full of hope, believing the best in as many as she could, but after seeing girls who didn’t want to leave ships because they were afraid their now-dead captors would punish them, she had lost some part of her faith. Her Saints would always be her guides, but she questioned how they could put so many through such pain.

Regardless of her wavering hope, Inej had returned to Ketterdam as often as she could throughout the years to bring her friends some semblance of hope. Jesper and Wylan always welcomed her with open arms, allowing her to stay with them at the renamed Fahey-Hendricks Manor. There, she would tell them stories of her latest escapades and watch with an ache in her chest at the way they gazed at each other; full of love, trust, and openness.

For the first few years Inej had always stayed in one of their spare rooms, decked out with fluffy pillows and a maid always on hand to attend to her needs. Why would she have ever wanted to leave?

The answer came in the trusting, feather-light touches and heavy glances filled with unspoken words from the coldest, most heartless man in Kerch, that became more frequent every time Inej docked on Ketterdam’s cold harbours. To be closer to him, to break down their barriers and remove their carefully woven armour for each other. Those were the reasons she kept coming back, searching for the glint of a crow’s head cane on the docks that, as the months passed by, more often than not was covered by a set of folded, bare hands and slim pianist-like fingers.

Then, she was no longer at the mansion, she was at the Slat. But not in her old room, Kaz had made that a storage room after discovering how it provided access to Per Haskell’s, now his, office (Inej still suspects that he had known all along). No, she was in the room of the Bastard of the Barrel himself.

The first night was an accident on Inej’s behalf. She had fallen asleep in the chair at the opposite side of his desk, gazing at him as he studied plans and payments for the Dregs. When she woke up, with an awkward crick in her neck, she saw that his arms were crossed on his desk with his face buried into them. She remembers thinking that he guarded himself from the world, even in his sleep.

The next time was not like the first. After sharing a tender moment, which left him without gloves and Inej’s heart racing, he asked her to stay. Way back when he asked her this during the aftermath of the Ice Court heist, she had rejected him and rightfully prioritized herself. She had no qualms about her past choices, but this time she gratefully accepted the progress. Inej stayed, joining him fully-clothed on the bed.

For the next four years, every time she stopped in Ketterdam they made it an unspoken agreement to try to break down another barrier, peel away another piece of armour. But they were warriors, trained by the horrors of their pasts and the violence of their present. So their armour did not simply unbuckle and slip off the way it did for others, it was sewn into their skin and welded around their hearts and souls. Sometimes the stitches came loose and other times they got sewn back up even tighter, but they never stopped fighting for the other to break another bond, destroy another obstacle.

Now she is here, standing outside the Slat, not as Captain Ghafa or the Wraith or any other title that had been bestowed upon her since she had been taken from that little caravan, but as Inej. She finally knows who she is, and more importantly, what she wants.

With her goal in mind, Inej walks into the familiar, battered building that has become her home. On her way to the stairs she nods at some of the older Dregs, like Anica and Pim, and Kaz’s newest spider, a young, dark-skinned girl named Lucille. She receives raised cups and small waves in return. Inej thanks her Saints that the gang is still thriving, ignoring their wrongdoings for the fact that they are her family. Then, she begins her climb to the attic.

Her feet glance soundlessly across the rickety wood as she remembers Kaz’s fight for dominance that had occurred on these very stairs. It was just one of the many close calls they’d both had in their dangerous lives. Her left hand smooths over the wooden banister and she makes a mental note to slide down it later, for old time’s sake.

As she climbs up the flights of stairs, she passes many closed doors that used to hold some of her closest friends. Jesper’s old room still has some garish lime green paint left on it, though most had been chipped away by its new owner, and Roeder’s, one of her fellow spiders that had died on a job a few years after she left, doorknob still appeared to be slightly crooked. These people were and are her family, regardless of all they have done to get here or stay here and she would never forget them. Her impressive memory had done her well as the Wraith and as a captain, but she was most pleased with it in situations like this. The situations when she remembers that Nina’s favourite waffle topping is cinnamon, that Wylan has a secret tattoo on his foot, that Jesper is going to propose soon, and that Kaz has a ticklish spot by the small of his back.

She stops abruptly in front of a black door at the top of the steps. The paint job has no chips and the handle is polished to a shine higher than that of her knives. Her feet had carried her to this familiar spot on muscle memory while she reminisced about all the good in her life, but before she could enter she needed to focus the storm of emotions in her mind.

He won’t be expecting her, she didn’t send a letter ahead this time because she didn’t know what to say, but he will know it’s her as soon as she opens the door. That is one of the constants of their relationship; no matter how quiet she is, he always knows she is there. She doesn’t mind it, in fact she finds the idea of them being so familiar to each other a little romantic.

Inej tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, trying to ease some of her nerves. She always knew it would come to this, but now that she is waiting here outside his door she almost can’t bring herself to open it. She sends a quick prayer to her Saints, tapping her correspondingly named knives as she mummers their names, asking for courage.

Saints, she’s being so dramatic. Standing in front of his door like some love struck teen was something Inej had never done, and wasn’t intending to make a habit of. Taking a deep breath, she finalizes what she wants to say in her head and reaches out to grab the knob.

Her shoulders go back and her chin tilts up slightly as she walks into the room. What she’s about to do almost feels like another performance.

“Hello, Kaz.”

Her deep brown eyes flit over the low ceilings and hardwood floors that are similar to the rest of the building, then settle on the oddities that distinguish the room as belonging to Kaz Brekker. A black leather armchair settled in the corner of the room farthest from the window; the desk Inej knows he refurbished himself after finding it by the edge of some rich mercher’s lawn and is covered in a mess of maps and papers; the door to her right that leads to his bedroom that only she has seen; and the aura of the man that faces her from his spot near the window ledge.

As her eyes glance over him, checking for any new injuries, his breath catches. The moonlight streaming through his window backlights him, the shadows obscuring most of his features and darkening the already sharp lines of his face and body.

He steps forward, into the candlelight coming from desk, and moves towards her. Inej watches the way he moves across the small room as quickly as his leg will let him go, and is happily surprised to spot no noticeable injuries or malcontent because of her surprise arrival.

Inej takes another two steps in his direction, then he stops right in front of her, staring down at her with his dark, mystery-filled eyes. His gaze flickers over her, checking for new scars or injuries as she did, but they focus in on the little slippers on her feet.

Since leaving to become The Notorious Captain Ghafa, she hadn’t worn the grippy, Fabricator-made slippers Kaz had gotten her for climbing, unless he specifically told her he needed her on a job. Inej smiles as she sees confusion in Kaz’s face, enjoying the way he squirms as he struggles to find his words.

Finally, looking directly into her eyes for the first time since she arrived, he speaks to her, “You’ve been planning jobs without me?” He nods at the shoes. “You know those are destined to fail.”

Inej laughs, carefree and happy, letting her head tilt back and eyes shut. She misses Kaz’s first full smile of the night and the slight lean of his posture towards her. The grin is gone by the time Inej opens her eyes, replaced with a slight, but still genuine, smirk.

“No, Kaz” She says with a more serious tone, “No more jobs, no more murders, no more tricks. I’ve spent so much time repenting my sins and this is the end of that journey for me. I believe there is another path that I need to take now, the only question is if you will take it with me.”

His smirk vanished when she began to speak, his face a mask of guarded emotions, but none too guarded for her.

[georgewagner]

How to make your house a holiday home

UK holiday homes are in high demand, largely due to international travel restrictions, people wanting to support local tourism post-lockdown and the recent heatwave giving us a taste for a summer getaway! So much so, that many holiday home booking companies have seen a surge in bookings – Airbnb bookings have increased by 52% for summer 2021, whilst Welsh holiday cottage company Under the Thatch says some of its properties will make a year’s earnings over the summer months.

As a homeowner, you can make thousands of pounds by letting out your current home for short-term stays or investing in a buy-to-let property to offer as self-catering accommodation. Find out what you need to do to your home before renting it out to holidaymakers, below.

Sort out your admin

Check that you have permission from your mortgage provider, freeholder (if you’re in a leasehold property) or landlord before letting your property out short term.

You’re not legally required to take out holiday home insurance. But, it’ll come in useful in cases of damage or theft. Speak to your home insurance provider to see if your home will be covered whilst you’re letting it out. If your current policy doesn’t cover short term lettings, you may be able to get it extended at an extra cost. Alternatively, you can get insurance from a specialist in lettings. Try using a comparison website to get a range of quotes.

Clean up and check up

Unsurprisingly, cleanliness is a common point that affects how high your guests rate you when they leave you a review after their stay. Many platforms allow guests to rate specific aspects individually – and a low cleanliness rating is the first thing that will put future guests off. So, consider hiring a cleaner to clean in between guests, as well as for one-off oven, carpet and window cleaning to keep your property spick and span. If you don’t live near your holiday home, then getting a cleaner in is essential.

Some things you can do to make sure your property is health and safety compliant:

Get all the electrical appliances checked and tested by an electrician.

Install a carbon monoxide alarm and fire alarm.

Get your gas appliances checked at least once a year by a Gas Safe registered engineer. You should also keep an eye out for the top four warning signs that a gas appliance isn’t working safely.

Complete a fire risk assessment.

Clean your chimney or flue if you have one.

Maintain your swimming pool and/or hot tub and provide safety measures by providing a life ring and installing non-slip surfaces, for example.

FIND A TRADESPERSON

Secure your property and belongings

Self-check in is one of the top amenities that Airbnb guests want. With guests arriving all times of the day, a key safe outside the front door is a secure way to get your keys to your guests even if you’re not around. Don’t risk leaving keys under the doormat or being called out late at night to hand them over!

It’s also important that you check all your locks, for the safety of your guests and to protect the property if and when it’s vacant. Get a locksmith to replace any broken or stiff locks with a lock type that best fits your door. You could even get a smart lock with features such as temporary keys which you can change for each guest, installed by a security specialist! Find a guide to locks in our blog post on top security tips from locksmiths.

Lock away any personal items and valuables in a home safe, to get rid of the risk of damage by guests.

Increase your garden’s curb appeal

Offering a beautiful outdoor space to relax in may mean you can charge your guests more. However, the upkeep required might be putting you off. Choose a low maintenance garden design to save you time and effort:

Swap a lawn that needs regular mowing, for gravel, a paved patio or a deck instead.

Choose shrubs, plants and flowers that offer year-round colour. You can see how a gardener will help you do that, in our video on how to make the most of your garden all year round.

Install bin storage to keep ugly wheelie bins and rubbish out of view.

Use outdoor tiles for your front path or porch area, as these often require less maintenance than paving. Plus, they can add a decorative touch to your holiday home’s exterior, especially if they’re neatly laid by a tiler.

Make your kitchen chef-worthy

The option to have a home-cooked meal on holiday and save money on eating out is one of the main reasons why people choose to stay in a holiday home over a hotel.

A beautifully designed kitchen can be expensive, so it’s important that you protect your fixtures, fittings and equipment as much as you can. Install a hard-wearing worktop with heat and scratch resistance, to keep your kitchen looking appealing for longer. Materials such as granite, quartz, laminate and composite all have these properties; a kitchen specialist can advise you on the best one for your budget. Plus, make sure any utensils and equipment you provide are sturdy, so they won’t need to be replaced as often!

57% of UK residents told us that they’d like to be more eco-friendly in 2021. So, to really appeal to your guests, implement as many green features in your holiday home as possible. One way to do this in your kitchen is to provide clearly labelled recycling and food waste bins.

Create a relaxing sleep environment in the bedroom

The bedroom is the room that your guests will spend most of their time in when they’re indoors. So, comfort is the number one design principle to focus on in this room.

Hang blackout blinds or curtains and install double/triple glazing to block out light and noise at night. Soft bed linen, a good quality mattress and an all-season duvet are three relatively inexpensive ways to create the perfect sleep environment. Plus, painting the room in muted colours, like pastels, will add a sense of calm to the space.

FIND A TRADESPERSON

Offer a bathroom sanctuary

The bathroom should also be a sanctuary – and there are plenty of ways to do this, from cheap options to pricier alternatives. Replenish your bathroom with good quality towels and toiletries in between guests. If you want to go all out, install underfloor heating by a floor fitter, for a touch of luxury – it doesn’t cost as much as you might think to run! Find out how much it really costs to run electric underfloor heating. Your guests will especially appreciate it in the winter.

Add smart storage solutions in the hallway

Extra storage space will never go unappreciated, especially in smaller holiday homes. Placing a luggage rack, pegs and shoe rack in the hallway is a great way to show your guests that you’ve really thought about how to be helpful. Plus, it’ll encourage them not to drag dirty suitcase wheels or walk their muddy shoes on your carpet or flooring. A carpenter can craft a bespoke storage solution for you.

Declutter the living space

A living room painted in a neutral colour palette will appeal to all types of guests. Then, add a pop of colour through home accessories, to show your personality!

Declutter the living space of anything too personal, such as pictures of your family, to maintain some privacy. Instead, frame pictures of the local landscape or sights – it’s a bonus if the artwork’s done by a local artist! Candles are a great décor choice too, but they can increase the risk of fire. To be safe, choose electric LED candles instead.

Remember to provide instructions on how to sign into the WiFi, use the TV and use any other technology in your home.

Remember the finishing touches

It’s the little things that’ll set your holiday home apart from the competition. If you’d like to, provide:

Seasonal items, such as hot chocolate in autumn.

Local information, such as restaurant recommendations, activity ideas and sightseeing tips on a laminated sheet of paper.

Activities for a night in, like board games and puzzles. Parents will appreciate being able to use them to keep the kids occupied in the evenings!

Letting your neighbours know that you’ll be letting your home out goes a long way in maintaining a good relationship with them. Consider any requests that they make, to keep the peace. It’s also a good idea to ask your guests to keep the noise down after a certain time.

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The post How to make your house a holiday home appeared first on Rated People Blog.

How to make your house a holiday home published first on https://fanseeaus.tumblr.com/

[darkelfshadow]

Session Summary - 40

AKA “The Sinking Castle”

Adventures in Taggeriell

Session 40 (Date: 24th February 2018)

Players Present:

- Rob (Known as “Oloma”) Human Female.

- Travis (Known as “Trenchant”) Human Male.

- Arthur (Known as “Gim”) Dwarf Male.

Absent Players

- Sean (Known as “Seanicus”) Elf Male. <Controlled by DM>

- Paul (Known as “Labarett”) Elf Male. <Played by Travis>

NPC

- (Known as “Naillae”) Elf Female. <Controlled by DM>

- (Known as “Nac”) Half-elf Male. <Controlled by Rob>

Summary

- Sunday, 21st of Kuthona in the year 814 (Second Era). Late Winter.

- The party begin this session, in the compound of the Red Scale Transport Company in the town of Aduren.

- Oloma arises from sleep early, before dawn, and exits her room, leaving a deeply sleeping Tyjit behind. Walking across the large sheltered storage yards, Oloma looks across to see the six Cultists sitting around their wagons, three of which hide a vast treasure that was stolen in the name of the Dragon Queen. The six Cult guards are wide awake and alert. They keep an careful watch on Oloma as she crosses the inner yard.

- Oloma continues and exits the compound, waving to two Halfling Red Scale guards on the way out. She makes her way to the far side of town and to the Temple of Arvoreen. As she arrives she sees Brother Kaleb and some other priests making the final preparations to the dead body of Prince Hariz. The body is wrapped in a white sheet and rests upon a wood pile. Brother Kaleb speaks a soft prayer as he pours scented oil onto the wood and body. As dawn comes and the sunlight illuminates the scene, Brother Kaleb lights the wood. Very quickly the wood and the body is engulfed in a tall tower of flame. Oloma stands with Brother Kaleb in a moment of silence. The new dawn sees a sunny day, perhaps in homage to the passing of the Prince Hariz who was a worshipper of Pelor The God of The Sun, but even with the sun out the day is very cold.

- After a short time, Oloma bids a farewell to Brother Kaleb, and as the small Halfing waves goodbye to her, she makes her way back towards the Compound, which lays on the far side of town. She sees that there are many Halfings out and about, putting up colourful streamers and banners over the buildings. As she passes one of the open squares in town she sees that there is a group of Haflings erecting a large wooden stage and some sort of colourful statue made of many strips of parchment.

- When Oloma stops to speak to the Halfings to ask what is happening in town, she is told that they are preparing for the next three days of the Festival Of The Circle, which happens at the end of each calendar. Oloma has never heard of the Festival and learns from the Haflings that is is made of three days, the first being the Day Of Light, then the Day Of Grey and lastly the Day Of Darkness. The days are set aside for the worship and acknowledgement of Good Deities, Neutral Deities and lastly Evil Deities. Oloma is warned to stay off the streets during the Day Of Darkness otherwise she may get roughed up and robbed.

- Oloma continues onwards and arrives back at the compound. She sees the family of Geppert and Oli and their three children and stops to talk to them for a while, to see how they are fairing with the trip.

- On her way back to join the party, Oloma asks Brumohn about the condition of the injured passengers. She learns that Werond will be well soon but will no longer be joining the caravan as their wagon will be out of commission for a while. So too, Achreny and his three workers, have now lost one of their two wagons and will have to continue the trip in the last remaining wagon they have. Radecere the Gnome will be recovered by the time the caravan is right to go.

- When Oloma rejoins the party who are packing up their gear ready to leave, she tells them what she has done and seen. Trenchant, Naillae, Nac and Gim are aware of The Festival Of The Circle as the Kingdom of Tyriba also celebrates those days.

- Trenchant nods, “Oh yeah, the Festival Of The Circle. Is it that time again already? With all that’s been going on, I had completely forgotten what the date is.”

- Gim grumbles, “Don’t really see the point in the stupid festival. We Dwarves of Fanur never had anything like that but our calendar is different to yours. Any festival that prohibits the selling of alcohol is a dam dumb idea if you ask me!”

- Nac walks past Gim and pats the Dwarves large stomach, “I don’t know Gim, maybe you could do with a holiday of forced abstinence every year.”

- Now that the party are back together, whilst everyone is packing away their gear from the shared sleeping rooms they had, Trenchant gives a roaring speech to the party, about how today is going to be a good day, and how the party, being hero’s and such, will do well (Bardic Inspiring Speech for 10 Temporary Hit Points).

- As Trenchant is doing this, the six Cultists who are guarding their wagons within the yard over hear the speech and start to laugh. The Cultists are obviously talking about the party but they are so far away that only an occasional word or sentence drifts across, “Heroes!”, “So brave!”, “Couldn’t fight out of wet sack!”

- Trenchant raises his voice, to make sure it carries well to the Cultists, and continues his speech to the party, “Yes lads and ladies, we shall do well today. We overheard in the bar last night about a sunken Castle in the swamp and a large sum of hidden treasure placed there, something about a hoard and a Dragon Queen. We shall find the castle and find the treasure!”

- The laughing from the Cultists stops immediately and one of the Cultists runs off out of the compound.

- Trenchant turns to Seanicus, “I think this is a job for your loyal companion.”

- Seanicus nods his understanding and speaks softly, “Come, follow that one.”

- His Shadow Hound appears by his side and immediately flashes forward like a blur, unseen except to Seanicus. The beast attaches itself to the running Cultist.

- The party huddle around Seanicus as he closes his eyes, seeing through the eyes of his hound. The Warlock speaks in a low voice that only the party can hear, “He has gone up the road to the Groaning Cask Tavern and up to the second floor. He is standing in a double guest room, with about ten Cultists. Some I recognise from our caravan, others are new. They are talking, they seem very agitated but unfortunately I can only see via my hound, not hear.”

- “Well, you’ve poked the bear and got a response. What do we do now?” asks Labarett.

- Nac starts to walk away and a loud voice says, “Well, I’m hungry and they aren’t serving breakfast for us here. The Black Pit Inn is close to the North Gate where we have to leave from. Might as well go now and eat before the rest of the Cult come back. You coming Gim, you look like you could do with an ale.”

- Gim follows Nac and snorts, “I can always do with an ale. I’m coming.”

- The rest of the party follow suit, eager to be away. They walk through town and see that the streets are littered with colourful streamers, paper statues, there are many unlit lanterns hanging with coloured glass shutters, and many Halflings are using brooms and rakes to clean the streets in preparation for the coming festival.

- Eventually, having walked through the entire length of the town, the party see the North Gate up ahead. Just in front is the Black Pit Inn. It looks exactly like it did when the party was last here, except for the coloured banners of silk that hang from the building, like all the other buildings in the town.

- The party enter the Inn and take a seat at table. Reddan, the Halfing Inn Keeper, comes and takes orders for breakfast and drinks. The Inn is not busy at the moment, there being only four Dwarves and eight Halflings seated around eating meals.

- During the meal the party talk to Reddan about what he knows about Castle Black and he beams with pride as that is his hobby and favourite topic. He explains how all the items in the Inn were salvaged from the Castle when it was abandoned over two hundred years ago; the fireplace mantle, the banner over the fireplace, the many painted portraits, the crystal chandelier, the hanging swords and shield, and the many mounted animal heads.

- Reddan loves talking about the Castle and tells the party all he knows about it. He is not really sure about the current state of it as he would never dare venture in the Black Swamp due to the presence of the Lizardfolk and Swamp Goblins. He does warn the party about the swamp and what he calls the rolling grasses, a thin layer of soil and grass that covers the murky and dangerous waters.

- Reddan says, “Be very careful walking on that rolling grass. Go too fast, or jump on it, or bare too much weight and you’ll go straight through into the water beneath.”

- The party ask Reddan if he has a map of the castle layout and he beams with pride and runs off to go grab a map and a blank parchment. The Halfling quickly makes a rough copy of the layout of the castle and gives the copy to the party. Reddan tells the party that if they find any items of worth or historical note from within the castle to bring it back to him and he’ll offer the party money for it to add to his collection.

- The party also ask Reddan where a nearby shop would be that sells snow shoes and he directs them to one on the opposite side of the street.

- When the party have finished their breakfast they leave the Inn, Reddan waving to them as they go, and make their way over to the shop on the other side of the street, called The Wayward Traveller. It is operated by a female Halfling called Frolie. The party each buy some snow shoes, hoping that the shoes, will spread their weight going over the rolling grasses.

- Their shopping complete they walk the short distance over to the North Gate, which is closed and guarded by twenty Halfling soldiers.

- The party ask to leave via the North Gate. The soldiers laugh as the gate is slowly raised. One of the soldiers asks, “You sure you want to go out via this gate? There’s no road on this side. Only place this gate leads to is the Black Swamp.”

- Oloma replies, “Yes, that’s exactly where we’re going.”

- The soldiers stop laughing and look serious. One of them says, “Your funeral then. Don’t expect any of the soldiers to come looking for you if you get lost in there. It’s big. You could walk a full day and night before you cross it. Good luck, you’ll need it.”

- The gate reaches the top with a loud click and the party walk out of the safety of Audren. They begin their trek towards the north and Black Swamp, the sound of the gate closing behind them echoes as it comes down with a loud bang. Keeping in mind what they were told to find Castle Black, they head mostly north, with a slight angle to the east. Thanks to Gim and Oloma they keep on track and head in the right direction (Successful Survival check).

- Over the next half an hour the terrain around them changes drastically. More lush green grasses and dense packets of long thick bushes become apparent. Weird looking trees, with twisting trunks and hanging foliage that looks furry, start to become more frequent as they progress. The air grows thicker with moisture and soon the ground is covered in a thin fog. Small animals and insects are both visible and audible, especially large buzzing black flies that appear to delight in flying straight into the faces of the party.

- Soon the party come to what must be the swamp proper, as the land they are walking on ends at the irregular edge of a large body of murky water that has a strong and unpleasant smell. The water stretches out as far as they can see to the horizon to the west, north and east. Small islands of raised land can be seen here and there.

- Trenchant swats a rather large fly off his nose, “What a pleasant place. I can really see the appeal of building a castle out here.”

- Gim drags one of his boots across some tall grasses, trying to remove some brown, sticky substance, “I think you mean this is a shit hole. Literally.”

- Looking around they try to locate Castle Black and they see to their left about 900 or 1000 feet away, the outline of a vertical tower, that is visible above the low fog that hugs the ground. They party turn left and start to walk west towards the visible tower.

- After walking through the wet grasslands and mud for a short distance, when the drifting fog momentarily parts, some of the party can just make out through the mist several large wicker baskets, about 200 feet away, which are positioned next to the edge of the water. The fog drifts back and obscures the baskets again.

- The party decide to send Trenchant forward as his cloak will make him almost undetectable in this type of environment. Trenchant pulls up the hood of his Cloak of Elvenkind and immediately the colours of his cloak starts to change and shift to match the swamp around him. He moves off and leaves the party. The party loose sight of him about 15 feet away as his cloak blends into the swamp and mist.

- Trenchant continues walking, being careful to avoid any of the more wetter patches to avoid making noises, and moves to hide behind a large bush within about 60 feet of the wicker baskets. He can now also see many sacks, spears and large poles with leather straps attached to them. As he is watching, the water near the baskets suddenly breaks with a large splash as multiple Lizardfolk start to jump out of the water with ease. Soon there are ten of the creatures on the shore. They appear strong and each wears a simple loin cloth with some scattered pieces of rough hide armour over their shoulders. Each of the the Lizardfolk carries two long spears that have half a dozen large fish skewered on them. Trenchant watches as the creatures remove all their fish and dump them into the wicker baskets. Then they turn back to the murky water and dive in with a speed and ease that makes Trenchant shudder.

- Once Trenchant is sure there are no more Lizardfolk on the surface he turns, still hidden by his cloak, and returns to the party to tell them what he has seen. The party take a very wide berth around the location of the Lizardfolk, except for Trenchant who moves to within 80 feet of the baskets, as a hidden forward scout.

- The party manage to walk around the area and remain out of sight of the Lizardfolk. Just as Trenchant is about to leave he once again sees the water splash as the ten Lizardfolk have returned again with more fish. This time another ten of the Lizardfolk also jump onto the shore. These additional Lizardfolk have spiked hide shields and weapons, either heavy clubs or javelins, strapped to their backs. As the large group of Lizardfolk stand talking in a strange language or removing their fish, Trenchant slowly and quietly moves away and back from the area to the rejoin the party.

- Trenchant arrives at the party and removes his hood, his cloak becoming a simple green cloak again, which causes Trenchant to suddenly appear next to the party.

- Gim jumps up startled, “Dam it! Give us some warning before you pop out!”

- Trenchant tells the party about the additional Lizardfolk and also that they have not been discovered or followed.

- The party can see the tower ahead and slightly to the north, about 400 feet away, and decide to send the Shadow Hound to scout the tower. Seanicus once again summons his faithful hound and sends it directly towards the tower, the shadow moving fast over the land and water alike, not having any actual weight to cause it to sink into the murky water.

- The hound comes to a large grassy peninsula of tall grasses. The castle depicted on the map the party have can not be seen, instead a lone castle tower extends 50 feet out of the grassy area. The hound goes all around the tower and Seanicus can see that there is no door visible. The only way in would be a set of windows in the tower about 40 feet off the ground. Seanicus’s hound can not climb or fly into the air so can not go into the tower to scout further.

- The party proceed onwards, keeping to the harder ground, until eventually they come to the large grassy peninsula that the tower sits upon. When the party test out the grassy mound they see that it moves up and down like a wave, this must be what Reddan called the rolling grass, and what he warned them about. When Trenchant places some weight onto the grass a large area moves like a someone squeezing a water skin. Trenchant easily plunges his long rapier into the grass and sees water gently flowing from the ground where the rapier pierced it.

- The party all take out their snow shoes and place them on.

- As Gim is putting on his snow shoes he looks up and says, “This better work or we’ll be drowning in that bloody water!”

- Oloma has finished placing her snow shoes on and then closes her eyes to concentrate. Web skin begin to appear on her hands between her fingers and gills soon start to grow on her neck. Oloma smiles, “Speak for yourself. I’ll won’t be drowning.”

- They spread out in a long line, to help distribute their weight, and slowly and carefully begin to walk over the rolling grass to the tower. They all manage to eventually reach the tower with the only incident being Gim accidentally pressed one of his feet to hard through the grass and nearly went through into the water but managed to remain standing (Successful Dexterity check made with advantage due to the preparations the party made).

- Now at the base of the tower, Naillae removes and stores her snow shoes, and with her trained abilities, easily climbs up the stone tower to the open windows above; the wooden frames and glass long since gone. She secures her grappling hook inside the tower, just under the windows, and then throws out the rope to help the others climb up, their skill in traversing vertical walls not being as good as Naillae’s.

- Everyone manages to climb up the rope without incident (Successful Acrobatic checks). Oloma quickly checks out the top of the tower, ascending the stairs, to find it goes to the outside, via a square hole to the stone top of the tower. The wooden door has long since rotten away with only a pair of rusted hinges left on the square hole.

- As the stairs descend into darkness Oloma places her Goggles Of The Night on and Trenchant lights a lantern up. A bad rotting smell from below the party wafts up. As they descend down the stairs, Gim checks the stone work of the steps and tower. Gim warns that the stone work is very decayed and fragile with a lot of water damage. The stone gets colder and visibly darker, with drips of water falling onto the party from the moist ceiling. The floor is also wet, with puddles here and there, where the stone is recessed. Gim tells the party that he believes they are now under the level of the water of the swamp, and as such to be careful (Successful Stone Cunning check).

- As the party reach the bottom of the stairs, which opens into a square area, with a rusty metal door to the left and a set of rusty bars to the right, the rotting organic smell is very strong. Concerned that Trenchant’s lantern may ignite some built up swamp gases he puts out the flame and instead Oloma summons a psionic light to appear around her arm.

- Gim walks off and starts examining and searching the area they are in, including the walls, with Naillae also searching the walls for hidden passages.

- Oloma takes out the map that Reddan gave them of the castle interior and says, “There should be a large open area behind this door.”

- Seanicus looking around the wet room says, “How do we know it isn’t flooded with water behind that door and if we open it we’ll all drown?”

- Oloma knocks on the rusty metal door and hears an echo behind it, “Well, if it was filled with water, we wouldn’t hear the sound behind it. I think.”

- Seanicus replies with a worried tone, “You think?”

- Oloma answers, “Pretty sure, yeah. I mean the door is pretty snug in the door frame, it may be water tight.”

- Trenchant looks around the room and door, “I don’t know about this. Why would the doors just happen to be water tight, did the castle designer know the castle was going to sink? Is there some magic at play here I wonder?”

- Seanicus kneels down and begins the ritual of Detect Magic whilst Gim and Naillae continue their search, which eventually comes up with nothing found. Nac begins to cast Mending on the metal door multiple times to remove some of the rust. Once the ritual is finished Seanicus looks around the room and tells the party he can not sense any magic in the door or walls.

- At the party’s insistence, Oloma and Naillae check the metal door for traps. After a moment Naillae informs the party, “We can’t locate any traps. Also that the door is not water tight, there is a slight gap between the door and door frame, so if there was any water on the other side this room should be filled with water too, unless the gap got blocked somehow. I think it’s safe to open.”

- Without further ado or discussion Oloma turns the door handle and opens the door away from her to reveal a large open area, with many other doors, just as the map she holds indicated. Oloma says, “Yep from what I can see the other side matches this map. Some of the doors have dried mud around the door frame and pooled up around the bottom of the door.”

- Trenchant says, “You think maybe the swamp water is behind those doors and as it slowly seeped through the gap, filled with mud, sticks, and other rotting rubbish, that it sealed the doors and eventually dried?”

- Oloma looks around, “Yeah, maybe.”

- Labarett looks around the area as the party slowly and carefully enter. There are thirteen other doors in total and five of those have the dried mud around the door frame and floor. All the doors are closed except one that is already open. Labarett turns to the party and says, “We need to leave those doors with the mud alone. There is a feeling I’m getting, like something that has been on a delicate balance for an age, has suddenly changed. My skin is tingling.”

- Gim places a hand on the stone, “I can feel a very slight vibration.”

- Trenchant immediately rushes over to the door they entered behind them and shuts it. As he does so everyone’s ears pop as the pressure re-balances. Gim says, “The vibration has stopped.”

- Trenchant replies, “I think this place is in a very delicate and precarious state. Over time, the water has seeped in where it could, and a balance between the air and water is keeping this place stable. If we open a wrong door and let the water in anywhere it would change that balance in an instant.”

- With his hand still on the wall, Gim speaks, “And if that happens the whole place will come crashing down as the swamp comes in to make this a watery tomb. The stone is unstable.”

- Some of party begin to explore the doors without any mud around them whilst Gim moves over to the open door to see a rectangular room with lots of rubbish. There are broken bones and organic waste that goes to about four feet high, blocking half the open door way off. Trenchant asks Naillae to use her tools to start removing some of the door knobs as they are quite elaborately made and may be of value to Reddan.

- Oloma checks out one of the side rooms behind a closed door to find an empty small square room with the only other exit being another metal door with mud around the door frame. Oloma wisely chooses not to open this door and instead returns to main area. Seanicus is keeping up the rear guard.

- Gim and Trenchant are standing just next to the open door way that goes into the room with the rubbish, whilst Naillae attempts to remove the door knob from that same door. Nac looks over the shoulder of Gim and points, “Hey, isn’t that some shinny metal over there? Could be treasure, don’t you think Gim?”

- Gim leans forward, “Treasure? Where? I should go in to have a look!”

- But as he starts to step forward Trenchant lays a hand on the Dwarf’s shoulder and says, “Hang on Gim, we should check out the room first. We don’t know what’s in there.”

- Trenchant begins to poke the rubbish with his rapier, plunging the long thin blade as far as he can. On the third poke as he is withdrawing the weapon, the rubbish suddenly explodes, as a large snake head, as big as a cow, thrust out into the area where Trenchant and Gim are standing. Gim manages to jump out the way back Trenchant gets knocked prone onto the wet ground (Dexterity Saves).

- Before anyone in the party can respond the giant snake snaps his head towards the prone figure of Trenchant and plunges two fangs into his leg. Trenchant howls in pain and yells, “It burns! Poison!”

- Luckily Trenchant does not get affected by the poison (Successful Constitution Save).

- Gim grabs the great axe off his back and brings it down in a series of swings towards the snake, carving out large chunks that see dark blood pouring out of the scaled head. Trenchant rolls away, stands up and then lunges his rapier into the neck of the giant snake. Labarett draws his enchanted battle axe, Snaidh, and charges forward without fear at the giant snake. The Barbarian opens a large wound on top of the head, the dark blood covering one eye. Likewise Nac takes out his enchanted long sword, Talon, the blade glowing with a soft yellow light and starts to swing it towards the snake also wounding it. There is now so little room around the snake that Naillae is forced to stay behind the metal door to keep out of the way of the battle and the wounded snake head.

- From the rubbish pile comes slithering a swarm of many small snakes, about two feet in length, that begin to crawl towards Gim. The snakes, which number about sixty or seventy, begin to wrap themselves around the legs of the Dwarf and begin to climb up. Gim yells out in pain as he feels the fangs from the snakes bite into him through gaps in his armour. He desperately tries to push and bash the snakes off him with little success. Gim curses, “Why did it have to be snakes?”

- Oloma rushes forward towards Gim but can’t reach him as there is no room left to get next to the Dwarf. Instead, Oloma unsheathes her whip and flicks out it towards the swarm of snakes, but instead of striking off any of the small snakes instead she accidentally wraps the whip around Gim’s great axe and nearly pulls it out of his hand (Fumble attack roll).

- Seanicus sends Eldritch beams of energy at the giant snake and the giant head collapses onto the wet stone floor, dead.

- The danger is not over however as Gim is wildly thrashing about trying to strike the many small poisonous snakes that are crawling up him. With little room to get to Gim, due to the dead giant snake head blocking him in, Trenchant has to jump up onto the dead snake head in order to reach Gim. As Trenchant leaps up onto the snake head, before he can strike with his rapier, his feet slip on the slippery scales and the Bard continues to slid forward and falls directly onto Gim knocking the Dwarf over (Fumble attack roll).

- Now both Gim and Trenchant are laying on the floor as dozens and dozens of small poisonous snakes crawl over each of them. The snakes are biting into Gim and Trenchant. Gim does not succumb to the poison but Trenchant starts to feel faint and his vision begins to blur (Constitution Save).

- Labarett, Oloma and Nac swing their weapons down to strike the swarm of snakes. Labarett kills some of the snakes but Nac hits and injures Gim (Fumble attack roll). Gim yells out, “Watch where ya hitting you bloody fool!”

- Gim and Trenchant get up off the floor. Trenchant pulls out his vial of antitoxin and quickly pours it into his mouth, his vision soon clearing. The pair frantically swipe at the snakes crawling on them. Eventually, with the assistance of all of the party, the swarm of snakes is knocked off and killed.

- With the battle over Nac and Gim enter the room with the rubbish and search it. Nac goes straight over to the shinny bit of metal he saw previously.

- Gim looks expectantly, “What is it?”

- Nac throws him a small Halfling sized belt buckle that is half rusted and with a bit of leather hanging off it, “Here! It’s all yours.”

- They find nothing else of value in the rubbish and exit the room. The party then proceed to open the the doors that have no mud and begin to search the many rooms one by one. In one room, filled mouldy and rotten piles of straw, Oloma finds one of the stones on the floor is slightly raised and loose. Prying open the stone she finds a small dug out area that has a pile of coins and a dagger covered in wet soil. She takes out the coins and rubs the dirt off them to discover they are all gold, probably about a hundred in total. She continues to rub the dirt off the dagger and sees that the dagger looks brand new with no rust at all. This beautiful and elaborate dagger has fine engraving work on both the handle and the sheath. She shows the party the dagger and stows at away for now, to be checked later.

- The party continue to search the safe areas of the sunken castle. During this time, the webbing and gills on Oloma disappear as the psionic enhancement has expired. The party split up into two groups, with Gim, Oloma and Nac searching the remaining rooms, and Trenchant, Labarett, Seanicus and Naillae remaining in the main open area as Naillae continues to remove and take door knobs from the metal doors whilst Seanicus is performing his ritual of identification on the dagger Oloma found.

- Eventually Gim, Oloma and Nac re-appear at a far door as they have cleared out the rest of the safe rooms, as Naillae is working on getting another door knob out.

- As Nac walks towards the rest of the party he calls out, “We have searched the safe rooms. Nothing there. We need to start looking for secret doors or something.”

- Trenchant calls back as the three get closer, “Yes. Seanicus has checked out that dagger. It’s called Urramach and is indeed enchanted.”

- As the three returning figures reach the party, Naillae has finally managed to force and pop the knob door out of the door. Immediately a torrent of black water begins to shot out from the door with such force as to send Naillae back a few feet to land on her back. The door knob in her hands is knocked out to go flying away out of sight. The metal door begins to shake violently and the walls of the castle begin to crack and moan, as the delicate balance the air and water has now been broken.

- Gim yells, “Get out! The castle will collapse!” as he starts to run but then slips on the floor which is already covered in a few inches of raising water and falls onto his back (Failed Acrobatics check).

- The party all begin to run as large cracks appear in the walls and ceiling and water begins to pour in. All the doors are now shaking. Naillae tries to get up but slips and falls over the floor which is now covered in one foot of water. Gim too tries to get up but just as he does so, the metal door with out a door knob suddenly goes flying past him as a huge flood of water shouts into the room, knocking Gim back onto his back (Failed Dexterity Saves).

- Except for Gim and Naillae, the rest of the party have managed to run out of the main area after opening the door to the tower, start to run up the slippery stone steps. Large chunks of rock are falling around them and the tower appears to be leaning slightly.

- Naillae manages to get up and make her way to the door to the tower. The lower main area is now half filled with water as some of the other doors also fly off their hinges as more water bursts in. There is now four feet of black water and quickly rising. Gim pushes through the water, desperate not to slip on the stone floor. The water is just below his chin and the Dwarf knows that if he doesn’t get out now he never will. With all his attention and focus on getting to that door, and with a little bit of luck, Gim manages to get out through the door (Successful Acrobatic check).

- Turning, Gim reaches towards the door and pulls with all his strength to close it. Water is still slowly coming through the door via the gap in door frame but it has slowed down the tower filling with water. He turns towards the wet stone staircase and looks up to see an obvious lean on the tower. The tower is slowly falling to one side!

- The rest of party has already reached the top of the tower, which is slowly falling towards the south and the side the grappling hook and rope are on, and have begun to exit as fast as they can. Nac, being the first to get to the top, has already climbed down the rope to reach the bottom and has put his snow shoes back on before trying to walk on the rolling grass. The middle of the grassy peninsula is now one large sink hole as water is rushing in to fill the collapsing castle beneath the surface.

- Naillae, even though she was the last to get out, out ran everyone up the stairs and as Nac was using the rope to get down, she quickly climbed down the slanting tower, using the braking stones for hand holds (Successful Acrobatic and Athletic checks). Once down she too puts her snow shoes on quickly before trying to move across the dangerous rolling grass. Trenchant meanwhile strums a single cord on his enchanted Doss Lute and then steps out the window. The Bard starts to slowly levitate down. As he slowly approaches the ground he too puts on his snow shoes. Seanicus too reaches the top of the tower and focuses his power to cast Fly upon himself. The Warlock quickly raises into the air and turns back to look at the tower which is now at an eighty degree angle to the ground and slowly tilting further. Seanicus can also clearly see the large sink hole to the west of the tower as water rushes in. Oloma reaches the top as she sees Labarett just leaving via the window with the rope and his hands.

- Labarett is trying to climb down the tower using the rope but the tower is now titled so much that he is swinging away from the tower. Instead of using the rope to climb down the tower, the Barbarian is having to use the rope to climb down it whilst it swings madly about, not an easy or fast task but he can’t risk jumping to the ground else he would go straight through the thin layer of rolling grass and into the black water.

- Oloma, who has been standing by the window watching Labarett slowly climb down to the ground,  as the tower continues to tilt, sees Gim coming up the steps to join her. Gim says in a loud voice, “We need to get off this tower now before it leans past its balance point. When that happens it will break apart and collapse into the water, taking anyone on it or near it, down into the water and buried under a pile of stone.”

- As Oloma starts to ran towards the top of the tower she shouts, “Follow me Gim and I’ll get us out quick.”

- The pair race up the last few steps, through the open square hole and onto the stone roof which is tilted at a dangerous angle.

- Oloma grabs Gim by both shoulders as she looks at an appropriate spot far enough away from the scene of chaos. Oloma yells to make her self heard over the sound of cracking and breaking stone, “Don’t panic Gim but …”

- Suddenly with a rush of air both Gim and Oloma disappear from the top of the tower to reappear about 60 feet away from the tower, standing on the rolling grass, which is moving violently.

- Oloma finishes “… we’re going on a small trip.”

- Labarett has just reached the rolling grass and gently eases himself onto the ground so as not to fall through. Some small chunks of stone breaking off from the tower fall 30 feet from him and he watches the stone fall straight through the rolling grass with a splash that sends large ripples out. The Barbarian looks up as the tower is looming over him and he can see that it is apart to break apart and fall on top of him.

- Labarett knows he is doomed. He can’t run without using the snow shoes as he’ll go straight through the rolling grass with his weight and even with them on it will be risky to run at all. In a speed born out of utter panic he quickly takes out the snow shoes from his backpack and starts to strap them onto his feet as larger blocks of stone start to rain around him.

- Labarett is getting jostled about, bouncing up and down as the rolling grass he is standing on is pelted with rocks, and with a noble resignation, lets out a sigh as he knows it is too late. The rolling grass around the tower is now broken and mostly water. It would take a miracle not to sink into the water and under the falling tower now.

- He closes his eyes and starts to whisper a prayer to the Elk Spirit to carry his soul onto the next journey after his death, when he fells a pair of hands grab onto his shoulders. Labarett opens his eyes and sees Trenchant, levitating above the ground, and feels the Bard lifting him up so most of his weight is off the ground. In one single, urgent word, Trenchant yells, “Run!”

- Labarett starts to run across the broken and heaving rolling grass, keeping to those last few spots that still have the grass. His feet dart to and fro to find the spots. The snow shoes help spread his weight but really it is Trenchant, levitating to raise up whilst holding onto Labarett, that gives him the chance to escape. Without Trenchant risking his own life Labarett would be thrashing about in the water sinking to his watery grave.

- Without looking back the pair race forward, Trenchant trying to raise up, whilst Labarett propels them both forward. The tower is breaking apart now, one large section after another breaking off with sickening speed. The pair run out from under the tower and keep going, never stopping, as the tower, now broken into many parts, falls into the water with a large towering splash of black water. The party are covered in a fine mist of black water raining down over them from the splash.

- Gim and Nac wave to Labarett to stop running and the party all look at the scene of devastation. There are large stone blocks here and there as black water continues to flow into the sink hole which is getting smaller and smaller, as the swamp and time slowly wins its battle against the presence of the castle.

- Labarett turns to Trenchant, “Thank you my friend. You risked your life for mine.”

- Trenchant simply smiles and nods, no words are needed amongst friends.

- Seanicus comes flying down to the party and says, “I could see motion at the spot back where we saw the Lizardfolk at. They must have heard the commotion here. We should get going.”

- Oloma turns to look at the north and towards a bank of muddy sand about 20 feet wide that leaves the peninsula and heads north east out of sight. She speaks, “According to the map we have to follow that but we won’t be able travel fast in that mud. The Lizardfolk will get here before we can make much distance.”

- Nac smiles and says, “I can help with that.” He starts to speak under his breath and waves his hand around the party as his hands glow slightly blue. As he is doing this the feet of every one in the party also glow blue. Then he stops chanting and opens his eyes, the blue glow gone.

- Nac says, “I have cast Walk On Water. For the next hour we can walk, or run in this case, on the surface of water like it is solid ground.”

- Trenchant turns to Nac, “You don’t think you could have told us before about that spell. Would have been handy to use, oh I don’t know, when we were running for our lives and about to get off a sinking tower!”

- The party form up into marching order and then start to run as fast as they can. They race over the water, moving with an incredible speed, thanks to Labarett’s gift for imbuing speed to himself and those around him. They keep to following the muddy bank that lays under a foot water, just visible through the murky water, and keep a good pace. After about three quarters of an hour they see up ahead they are headed to an island of moderate size. The island rises out above the black water of the swamp by only a few feet but it is dry and solid and has little mist. There are many patches of trees and bushes on the island and a lush thick grass grows over the ground.

- As the party step onto the solid ground, Nac says, “We’ve arrived. Dry and safe thanks to my spell.”

- Oloma replies, “And thanks to Labarett’s gift with speeding us up too. We got here in less than hour. Without his help it would take twice as long and your spell would have ended before that.”

- Labarett looks behind them and says, “Do you think the Lizardfolk would have followed us?”

- Gim replies, “I doubt it. We wouldn’t have left any tracks as we were walking on the water. The Lizardfolk would think we went down with the castle and drowned. Come on, I’m tired and want to find a spot to rest.”

- The party make their way a short distance into the island where they find a suitable clearing that they can rest in but can still keep an eye on the muddy bank in case they have been followed.

- During the next hour the party relax and rest. Seanicus wanders about the area and looks about the area to search for any useful herbs. He finds some hydrathistle and takes some (Successful Gathering check). Once the hour passes, without any incident or disturbance, everyone is feeling more refreshed and eager to press onwards (some of the party recovered Hit Points through spending Hit Dice and also regained some class abilities).

- The party continue through the island for a short time time until they start to get closer to the other side. They can see there is another island, much smaller than this one, that lays about a hundred feet away. A wooden bridge, that appears well made, spans the length connecting the two islands.

- The party approach the bridge and get Naillae and Oloma to check the first section of it for traps but they can not find any. Oloma does tell the party that the bridge appears well made and sturdy, and shows signs of regular repair.

- The party have to walk single file across the bridge and Naillae leads the way, keeping an eye out for traps or hazards. They walk across the bridge and arrive at the next small island. This island, being an irregular shape, is only about 600 feet across at its widest point. There are a few scattered trees here and there and small clumps of bushes as well. A large wooden hut, raised 10 feet up off the ground on thick wooden poles, is on the far side. Smoke comes from a chimney on top of the hut.

- Seanicus sends out his Shadow Hound to scout ahead towards the hut. Seanicus reports that the hut is quite large and has a window in the front, facing the party, a window in the rear, a wide opening on the east that is in the middle of the wide balcony that has no railing. A ladder goes up the ten feet to the balcony and the opening but the Shadow Hound can’t get up that high to scout further.

- Trenchant pulls the hood of his cloak up, camouflaging himself, and says, “I’ll stay to side of the you and hidden.”

- The party walk forward and a few minutes later are standing before the large hut. The hut appears clean and well maintained, the glass on the window shines, and there is a pleasant smell coming from the hut, like cooking meat mixed with fragrant herbs. A sweet female voice can be heard singing from inside.

- Oloma moves towards the ladder and starts to climb up as she calls out, “Hello? We are not enemies or any threat. Could we please come inside?”

- Oloma reaches the top of the balcony and sees that there are three cane chairs with nice looking fluffy pillows arranged. A female face appears as someone leans out from the opening just ahead of Oloma. Long blond hair frames a pretty face with green eyes. Smiling she says, “Oh hello darling. We don’t get visitors here very often. You must come inside and have some tea with us, I insist.”

- The female head turns to look back inside the hut and as she does so Oloma see the long pointed ears that mark her as a Half-Elf. The female shouts back towards the inside of the hut, “Sisters. Sisters! We have visitors. Prepare some tea and biscuits for our guests.”

- Trenchant, who has snuck up to kneel directly under the front window, unseen thanks to his Cloak of Elvenkind, has cast Detect Thoughts. He begins to sense the thoughts from the Half-Elf female closest to Oloma, <Tea. Yes, must get tea> Trenchant pushes harder to go past the surface thoughts and probe the deeper thoughts, which he does (Wisdom Save check), <Yes, drink the tea, then you shall be ours. Yes, look at them. Strong, fit, good meat. Oh look at the Dwarf, soo much meat. He shall taste succulent. Mmm, Dwarf meat, not like rotten Goblin flesh!>

- Trenchant quickly stands up and pulls the hood off him to reveal himself as he shouts, “Lizardfolk approach! Quickly everyone back and draw weapons!”

- The party and Oloma start to back away but the female head smiles and says, “Oh I don’t think so my sweet. Toady! Momma needs help!” As she says this a long thick fury vine shoots out from a tree near to the balcony and starts to wrap around Oloma. A single eye opens up on the trunk above a very large mouth, the size of a person, that opens wide to reveal it is filled with razor sharp teeth.

- Labarett shouts, “Swamp roper!”

- The female face at the opening disappears.

- Gim races up and throws two hand axes at the thick vine but only one hits. Oloma summons her Soul Blades and slices at the vine and slices it off, it dissolves into brown and green ooze. Seanicus points a hand at the Roper and then it starts to glow with Faerie Fire surrounding it (advantage all attacks versus it).

- Trenchant removes his bow, Doigh Nadair, and aims an arrow at the Roper as he invokes the power of the bow. Suddenly half a dozen glowing arrows of divine power rain down upon the Roper, all striking. Chunks of the Roper fall off as green liquid flows from the wounds. Nac too points a hand at the Roper and casts a Blight spell upon it which sees more bits of it fall off but not as much as he had hoped (Roper made its Save check to take only half damage).

- Labarett, his battle axe Snaidh already in his hands, charges forward at the Roper. He is a blur as he races up to the large creature and starts to swing his battle axe, which is engulfed in green flames, across the trunk (Charge Feat - Extra Damage). More green liquid pours out as more chunks fall off the Roper. Labarett jumps to and throw to keep out of the way of the large mouth filled with teeth but the roper has other ideas as four more thick fury vines shoot out. One wraps around Labarett, Gim and Nac and they can all feel the tug of it trying to pull it closer to the Roper. Oloma managed to duck under the one headed for her and now it hangs in the air trying to wrap around her. Gim swings his great axe down onto the vine holding him and cuts it off. He then runs over to Labarett and swings his great axe into the vine holding the Barbarian and slices that vine clean off too.

- From out of no where appears three hideous looking females. Their skin is green and wrinkled. Long white hair, dirty and unkept, frame their faces with black eyes and long twisted noses. When they open their mouths to scream, long sharp bloody teeth can be seen. They each wear a long, dirty and torn grey robe that is stained with blood.

- One appears behind Nac, Seanicus and Trenchant. As soon as they appear out of thin air they strike at their victim with long, dirty, razor sharp claws. All three are hit by the Hags badly. When Naillae sees that Trenchant is under attack she immediately runs over to attack the Hag attacking him.

- Seanicus turns to face the foul and ugly creature assailing him and he smashes his war hammer, Nedumlin, into the Hag with a mighty blow (Critical Hit - extra damage).

- Nac too turns to face his vile foe and smashes his shield into her forcing her to the ground (Shield Master Feat). Before she can get up Nac swings his long sword, Talon, down upon her calling forth the divine energy of the Takhisis, as the sword is engulfed in purple energy. The sword strikes true and hits the Hag cutting a deep wound that sees her shriek in pain.

- Trenchant turns to face the third Hag, the one attacking him, and casts Crown of Madness at his adversary. The Hag begins to wail as a twisted crown of jagged iron starts to appear and tighten around her head, small trickles of blood flow down her face and around her eyes which now glow with a visible madness (Failed Wisdom Save). Her wailing stops as Trenchant now has control of her. He sees through her eyes. Trenchant is now standing with his own eyes closed, his hands pressed to his forehead in concentration.

- The Swamp Roper now only has one target still within the grasp of one of its vines, Nac. With a violent tug Nac is pulled 30 feet towards the Roper, his dragging boots leaving deep tracks in the grass. The Hag next to Nac swipes the empty air where Nac was and then she suddenly vanishes from sight. Nac is only 20 feet away from the large mouth of the Roper now, which bites down towards Labarett but misses the agile Barbarian. The Roper sends out more vines and this time two vines wrap themselves around the elusive Barbarian and one wraps around Gim. But Gim The Hero is not having this and swings his great axe into the Roper with all his force. The swing nearly hits Labarett but the Dwarf just misses his companion and the great axe goes straight into the large eye of the Roper, splitting the eye in half (Was a Fumble attack by Gim but Oloma used her Inspiration to give Gim a re-roll). The vines wrapped around Gim and Labarett fall to ground and the tree starts to slowly bend over towards the ground, motionless. Gim and Labarett start to turn to see what is happening with the rest of the battle.

- The other Hag standing next to Seanicus again swipes her long razor sharp claws at him and once again they hit their target. It is a devastating strike, the Hags’ claws borrow deeply into the flesh of the Warlock (Critical Hit - Max damage and new Flaw “Phobia of Green Hags”). A deep bleeding cut appears down Seanicus’s shoulder and arm, he is badly wounded (Down to 11 Hit Points) and drops to one knee clutching his shoulder. With a look of pure hatred, Seanicus places his Hex Curse upon the Hag, a black circle appears briefly around the Hag and then fades.

- Now that Trenchant is safe, Naillae rushes over to attack the Hag standing above Seanicus. Naillae plunges her rapier into the back of the Hag, she howls and turns to face her new foe (Sneak Attack Damage).  

- Seanicus can see his chance to get to safety as he knows he can’t take another strike. The Warlock summons a large sphere of Darkness around him, covering himself, the Hag, and Naillae. Seanicus leaps and starts to run away from the Hag and out of the sphere of complete black. The Hag hears the movement of Seanicus getting away and swings towards the sound but misses as she is now blind.

- Oloma, still standing on the balcony looks down at the large sphere of black below and near her. She concentrates her psionics upon herself and then the sudden rush of smells and fragrance assails her as she has now enhanced her olfactory system to the point where she can smell individual odours coming off each of the party and the Hag within the black sphere. Oloma jumps down into the darkness and moves directly towards the Hag, guided by the smell.

- Trenchant forces the Hag under his control to enter the darkness and to swing where he thinks the other Hag is but without much luck as he can not see within the darkness.

- Nac moves over to the rest of the party, his Talon long sword drawn, as he keeps scanning around him looking for the other Hag to reappear (Ready action). Labarett charges straight into the black sphere and tries to attack the Hag but has little success as he can’t see anything within it either. Naillae is also in a similar predicament as she can’t see anything to effectively attack either.

- The third Hag reappears standing next to Trenchant, who has his eyes closed, as he concentrates to control the other Hag. The unaware Bard does not see the claws of the newly arrived Hag slash down the front of this chest. With a yell of pain Trenchant opens his eyes and steps back to ready his rapier again. The attack has caused him to lose concentration on his spell and he no longer controls the other Hag (Failed Constitution check). Trenchant swings his rapier with too much eagerness, in the panic of finding himself under attack again, and misplaces his footing to go off balance, causing him to be less than effective (Fumble attack minimum damage the next hit).

- Gim, already moving towards the party after killing the Roper, continues to rush towards the battle, veering towards the nearly appeared Hag attacking Trenchant. Gim swings his great axe towards her in two fast swings, the sharp blade of the master work weapon slicing into the Hag, forcing her to retreat onto her back foot. Seanicus fires two Eldritch beams at the Hag before she can recover as she shrieks in pain and covers her face as the intense beams hit her.

- Nac seeing his chance rushes over to the side of the Hag and bashes his shield into her shoulder and head. The blow catches the Hag unaware and she is struck down onto the ground on all fours.

- Nac starts to swing his Talon long sword over head and yells, “Takhisis!” A purple glow comes over his long sword, as the Cleric of Takhisis calls forth the divine energy of his Goddess into the strike. The sword comes down in an over head strike and plunges straight through her back and chest. The Hag starts coughing blood as Trenchant’s rapier thrusts into the back of the Hag too, and her body drops to the ground as Trenchant and Nac withdraw their weapons from her body.

- Within the sphere of darkness, Oloma uses her enhance smell to locate one of the Hags and plunges her Soul Blades into the chest of the blind Hag. The Hag screams her final breath as the Soul Blades take her life and give some psionic energy back to Oloma. A black circle reappears briefly around the dead body, the Hex Curse, and some of Seanicus’ wounds heal.

- The other Hag within the darkness disappears completely as she turns herself invisible before moving out of the black, unseen by any of the party. Seanicus dismisses the darkness now and the party all move about, looking about, waiting for the last Hag to show herself. The party start to pair off and defend each other.

- Nac moves towards Seanicus, who is the most injured of the party, and readies his weapon. Nac’s keen eyes dart about and then he sees the Hag reappear just off to his side and to the rear of Seanicus. The Hags’ claws are coming down about to strike the back of the unaware Seanicus, when Nac leaps across and thrusts his Talon long sword into the throat of the Hag. She stops her attack and places her hands at her throat trying to stop the blood pouring out around the blade of Nac’s sword. Blood gurgles out from her mouth and then she topples over, the long sword pulling free as she does so, and hits the ground with a thud.

- All three Hags are now dead. As the party stand panting, catching their breath after the hectic battle, the appearance of the hut changes. No longer is it clean and neat. No longer does the smell of sweet and pleasant roasting meet come to the party. The party sees it for true, now that the illusion over it is gone. The wood is marked with dirt and streaks of blood under the window. The ladder going up to the balcony is covered in blood and at the bottom of the ladder on the ground is a pile of fresh intestines. Oloma looks down at her boots and they are covered in blood as she walked unaware through the grisly pile on her way up the ladder. There are scattered bones on the ground about the hut, some of them humanoid skulls. The glass in the front window is smashed and dirty. And the smell coming from the hut now is foul, like rancid meat being cooked.

<And as the party stand before the Hag’s hut, victorious in their battle, that is the end of the session.>

XP Allocation

Group - Combined (This is equally divided by the number of players who were involved)

Quests (Only quests that are completed or rendered undoable, during this session, are shown here)

- Find Castle Black = 200 XP

- Sneak Past The Lizard Folk = 200 XP

Creatures Overcome

- Giant Poisonous Swamp Snake = 200 XP

- Swarm of Swamp Snakes = 450 XP

- Swamp Roper = 1800 XP

- Hags (Green) (Not a coven) = 2100 XP

Individual (This is only given to that person and is not divided amongst all players)

Special Bonus (Outstanding Role Playing)

Nil

XP Levels and Player Allocations

Player : Start +  Received = Total  (Notes)

Rob : 36976 + 707 = 37683

Arthur : 25898 + 707 = 26605

Travis : 24244 + 884 = 25128

Paul : 21313 + 531 = 21844

Sean : 21757 + 531 = 22288

NPC (Naillae) : + (359)

NPC (Nac): + (359)

[gypsy-caravan-found-objects]

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[joyfullynervouscreator]

In Rivendell

Third installment of Mori(you)/Thorin drabble that began with Cuddles & On the Road Again. (If you’d prefer Dwalin/Mori, read Crushes as part 3 instead)

Originally for @lady-kaaesien from an imagine on @imaginexhobbit

“I want a bath,” you said quietly, pleased when Nori nodded at once and stood, ready to show you the way. You were not surprised that your shifty brother already knew where to find the bathhouses; after all, you’d been surrounded by the oddly flimsy elven architecture for more than a day already. If Nori hadn’t already cased the place, and found himself in more than one place the Elves would prefer he not go, you’d eat your sock. Which – as you had but the one pair and they were in a state of griminess so severe you wondered if they would stand on their own when removed – was not something you wished to attempt.

“Where are you going, Mori?” Thorin barked, which made you scowl at him. This overprotective lark he was playing at was both insulting and annoying.

“Back off, Thori-umph!” you snarled, ending in a high-pitched shriek when someone tumbled into your back, making your fall into Thorin’s chest with a whump.

“Kíli!” Thorin growled above your head, as you pushed away from the arms that had instinctually wrapped around you.

“Sorry, Uncle, I tripped,” the young archer said guilelessly. Your eyes narrowed at him, not believing a word.

“C’mon, Mo,” Nori called, his peaks showing clear against the night sky as his head popped up over the window frame. You didn’t look back when Thorin grabbed half-hearted at your forearm, nor when he called your name as you swung yourself out of the window, joining Nori on the verdant grass of the garden.

“Honestly, I wish our esteemed leader would get over himself. I’m not fragile. I tell you, No, I wish Dís had come along. Maybe Thorin would worry about someone else then!” you groused.

“Thorin knows that, sis, he’s just grumpy about the Elves or something. Now, may I tempt m’Lady with a lovely bath?” He tugged on one of your braids, tickling your cheek with the end playfully.

“Let’s go, nadad. Show me the wonders of Rivendell,” you smirked, making your brother laugh.

“The Terror Twins take on Rivendell in an epic whirlwind adventure!” he crowed, using Dwalin’s old nickname for the two of you. He was only a few months older than you, after all – your adad’s mistress was his amad, while your own had died giving birth to you – which made you almost twins. Most people who didn’t know actually believed you to be twins. You smiled.

Nori left you outside the bathhouse, probably standing guard somewhere he could see you and no one could see him as was his wont. It didn’t bother you. Unlike Dori’s sometimes smothering need to protect his siblings, Nori’s style of guarding was unobtrusive. The fact that you were more than capable of defending yourself – working as a sellsword for nearly six decades had given you a lot of experience in the art of survival – also meant Dori didn’t worry so much for you as he did Ori. Ori was… soft. Not just because of all the knitwear, but Ori had never had to worry about his next meal, even though his birth had stolen your Amad, he’d had three older siblings ready to take care of him. Dori provided home and hearth, and the bulk of the income for your small family, Nori was a gifted thief, of course, and you had found it easy to be hired as a caravan guard even when you were still too young for the job.

The bathhouse was everything a girl could want.

“That’s the ladies’ area, Master Dwarf,” an Elf said. You looked up, winking.

“How lucky for me to be a lady, then, Master Elf,” you smirked. The Elf’s eyes widened noticeably.

“Err… in that case, go right ahead,” he murmured sheepishly. “I’ll see if we can’t find you a robe while your clothes are washed.” Honestly, you hadn’t expected your hosts to care about laundry – you had intended to wash what you still had while you bathed anyway – but it would be nice not to have to resort to your cloak while your clothes dried.

“Le fêl[1], Master Elf,” you nodded politely. It always paid to be polite in foreign lands, something Thorin seemed to forget when it came to Elves – he’d been reasonably polite to the few farmers you’d traded with on the road, bartering for permission to bed down in barns and such or buying eggs if the hunting was bad. The Elf was now staring at you as though you were a particularly interesting flower.

“I did not think the Dwarrow learned our tongue?” he wondered.

“Most do not, it is true, for most of us do not have dealings with your kind,” you averred. “I was raised as a playmate of a Princess, however, and perforce learned some phrases. Travelling in Gondor and the south has taught me a few more,” you winked at him, pleased that you’d managed to make him blush. Well, you assumed his face was doing what passed for blushing to Elves, a slight glow appearing in his ears.

“I-I will find you something to wear, Mistress,” he babbled. It was oddly endearing how flustered he was. Maybe you were the first Dwarf he had met? “Leave your laundry outside the door, someone will return it to you when it is clean.” Deciding to take pity on the hapless Elf, you simply nodded and went off to seek out your bath.

The elf had been better than his word. You were now wearing a dress – it was several centuries out of fashion, but perhaps Elves didn’t know that – but it fit properly. You twirled. The Elf had even found you some shoes, which went with the dress – a deep topaz colour that went well with your hair, bringing out the different shades of red and brown. If you were perfectly honest, you’d missed feeling pretty since you left Ered Luin – even if you were used to dressing ‘male’ while guarding caravans and travelling, you almost exclusively wore dresses while at home, enjoying the freedom of being yourself.

“It suits you,” the Elf said, sounding slightly relieved. You twirled again, making him laugh joyously with the size of your smile.

“I love it!” you promised. “How in the name of Durin did you find a real Dwarf dress in Rivendell?” you wondered.

“I asked my Lord Elrond. He said it belonged to the wife of an old friend, someone called Nauma?” he didn’t see the way you stroked your fingers over the dress. Nauma… could he mean Queen Nauma of the Grey Mountains? “He said that you may keep it, it has been in our storage rooms for centuries, my Lady.”

“Móeidr,” you heard yourself say, still awed by the ancient garment. “My name is Móeidr, Master Elf.”

“You may call me Nengeldir,” he smiled.

 Nori whistled appreciatively when he saw your new dress, making you smack his arm, though you couldn’t keep the smile from returning to your face.

“Pretty,” he said, studying you seriously. “Dori will have a fit.” You shared a cheeky smile at that. Dori might trust you to protect yourself… but that was when you were dressed as a male, seeing you like this was bound to send him into near-hysterics.

“It would have been impolite to decline, nadad,” you said loftily, copying Dori’s most supercilious tone easily. “After all, my Lord Elrond is our host, and the dress once belonged to a Queen of our folk.”

“Really?” Nori asked, grinning back when your face split in another smile.

“Nauma, Nengeldir said, though I don’t think Elrond told him who Nauma was,” you laughed. “Think of what Thorin will say when he hears I’m wearing his great-grandmother’s dress!” you chuckled, letting Nori drag you off to the courtyard camp.

 Thorin stared. He was somewhat concealed by remaining in a convenient doorway, but staying hidden was the last thing on his mind, staring at Mori who was showing off her new dress to the appreciative eyes of the Company. Jealousy ate at him; he wanted to be able to stare at her freely, to know she desired the feel of his eyes on her. She was always beautiful, to his mind, but tonight she was gorgeous. The dress, the way her eyes shone in the torchlight, whirling around in an impromptu dance with Nori. Thorin wanted to kiss her. As often before, he ruthlessly squashed any impulse in that direction, knowing that he was destined to pine for her until the end of days. Her words of a few days before rang in his mind ‘you’ll drive me barmy!’… could she not see that he needed to protect her, keep her safe? How could she not realise how bleak and empty his life would be without her in it? Thorin knew she thought him akin to a brother, and he supposed he had reinforced that, treating her much like he had Dís when she was growing up… but that was decades ago. His sister’s best friend, despite a thirty-year age-gap, someone the lads considered an aunt… and the first time he’d heard little Fíli call her Auntie, Thorin had known that he wanted it to be her true title. He had tried, over the years, doing his best to flirt with her – even though he had to admit that his skills at flirting were pretty dismal – but to no avail. She was friendly with Dwalin, often found sparring with him and for a long time Thorin had wondered if that was where her eyes lay. Dwalin said no, of course, and Thorin knew that he wasn’t lying, though he did not appreciate the way Dwalin would laugh whenever Mori accused Thorin of being a pseudo-brother. It hurt. Not the mockery, he was used to Dwalin mocking him for something or other, and took great pleasure in returning the mockery at any given opportunity, but the idea that Mori had placed him so firmly in the brother category was a painful realisation. For a few years after he had first realised – greatly helped by the fact that Mori had gone out with the caravans and he’d been gone a lot too – he had tried to stamp out every little ember of the flame he carried for her, to no avail. As soon as he had caught sight of her auburn locks, close to Dís’ dark as they spoke quietly to each other in the kitchen, the embers had burst back into bright flames, licking at his passionate heart. When she had smiled, grey eyes sparkling, and given him a hug in welcome, he’d nearly had to excuse himself to conceal his body’s reaction to the feel and smell of her.

“A bonny lass,” Dwalin rumbled quietly, startling Thorin out of his contemplations. He scowled at his friend.

“Keep your voice down!” he hissed. Dwalin chuckled.

“How long are you going to keep pretending that your heart doesn’t beat faster around her?” Dwalin asked, solemnly stuffing his pipe. Bofur had taken Nori’s place, and Thorin was busy glaring death at the miner. “Mahal, I thought you were going to skewer Bilbo that night,” Dwalin chuckled. A deeply buried dark part of Thorin had been more than tempted to bury Deathless in the Hobbit’s small body. A larger part had been seething with jealousy, but the largest part of him had crowed at being the centre of her attention, enjoying the spark of fire in her usually cool grey eyes as she stood up to him – challenged him – like a queen should. His Queen. Tonight, she looked the part, even if he would have added sapphires around her neck, and diamonds in her hair, sparkling jewels in her ears and maybe a ruby in her nose. He was so lost in staring at her, imagining all the things he’d love to see her wear – and not wear – that he never felt Dwalin shift behind him, the big palm pushing him forwards at the opportune moment.

 When Thorin stumbled into your hold, his hands automatically catching yours in position for dancing, you couldn’t help laughing at the startled look in his blue eyes. Over his shoulder, Dwalin winked at you. Well, you thought, if a dance might help cheer him up, who were you to decline? Thorin was an excellent dancer – he’d been forced by their amad to help Dís learn, and in turn Dís had made him teach you – and you relaxed into his confident lead.

“You look pretty,” he blurted, scowling. You weren’t quite sure how to take that. Did he not approve of you looking pretty?

“The Elves gave it to me,” you explained. His frown deepened. That was not your goal! “They took my clothes away for laundering,” you continued, though that didn’t seem to fill him with the same joy as it had you. Truth be told, he could probably have done with a proper bath; you had noticed that he’d snuck out to wash his tunic and undershirt in a fountain of all places. “Nengeldir was kind enough to ask Lord Elrond if they had anything suitable for a dwarrowdam to wear while my own clothes dried.” The turns of dancing were almost automatic between you.

“Móeidr,” Thorin began. You shivered lightly. He rarely said your full name, but you’d have to be deaf not to appreciate the sound of it in his mouth. “Are you cold?” he asked, frowning again. You almost laughed. As if you could be cold! You had spent an hour dancing already and Thorin gave off heat like a bloody forge! You didn’t think you’d feel cold dancing with him even in the darkest night of winter.

“No,” you whispered. “A bit peckish, actually, I wonder if Nori managed to scrounge up some food yet.”

At that moment, Lord Elrond appeared, making Bifur’s quiet fluting peter out rapidly. You looked up, scowling at Thorin’s back. The big lump had unceremoniously pushed you behind him, bristling at the interrupting elf, no doubt.

“Dinner is ready,” he said, gesturing behind him. Pinching Thorin’s side, you stepped out from his shadow, ignoring the scowl on his face entirely.

“Le fêl, Elrond, hîr Imladris,” you said, curtseying the best Amad had taught you. “I hamp bain.”

The Elf laughed, a delighted sound. “Nengeldir spoke truly of you, my Lady,” he bowed. “Will you do me the honour of having your enchanting company for the meal?” He offered you his arm, though the difference in height made it slightly awkward to take. Still, you made an attempt, ignoring Dori’s gasp behind you and the dark scowl Thorin was probably aiming at your back this very minute. Clearly, you’d have to apologise to Dwalin later for ruining his plans to cheer up Thorin, you thought, with a slight sigh of regret.

 The ELF had stolen Mori! Thorin seethed, following the happily chatting elf lord. Right from his arms! And where had she picked up their silly tongue?! Stomping down the corridor, Thorin barely heard the rest of the company following, all his attention fixed on the dwarrowdam in front of him, glaring holes in the back of Elrond’s head.

“Your King is not happy with me,” Elrond chuckled quietly. He had slowed his walk slightly, you could tell, allowing you to keep up easily. It was… courteous, you thought, deciding that you rather liked the Elf Lord.

“Thorin likes to think it’s his duty to protect me. I like to remind him I can take care of myself fine,” you replied sharply. “I don’t need a fourth brother.”

“I did not think your people commonly had so many children,” Elrond mused. You flushed slightly.

“Dori, Nori, and Ori are my brothers,” you explained. “They have the same mother, the dam who adopted me when my mother died in childbed. My father and Nori’s father are the same, however, and I’ve always been raised as their sister,” you shrugged. Elrond simply hummed thoughtfully, steering you with a light touch to the shoulder.

 “Your king’s heart was stolen a long time ago,” Elrond said, coming to a stop next to Balin, “by someone who doesn’t even know she holds it.” The diplomat did not reply, simply puffing on his pipe, staring into the distance. “It is obvious to me,” Elrond continued, “and I think you should make her aware of it sooner, rather than later. A heart grounded in love is far more difficult to corrupt.” Elrond did not know if love would be enough to save Thorin Oakenshield from his grandfather’s fate, but it might still help. Mithrandir was adamant that Thorin would not fall, but Elrond was not so certain. The wizard trusted in Thorin’s stubbornness, he thought, but stubbornness might not be enough to ward off what Elrond feared lay await in the Lonely Mountain.

  [1] Thank you(you were generous)

[stevedonnellyfaith-blog]

A Visit to Pam (Post 97) 7-15-15

Natalie still gets the giggles whenever she thinks about the incident. Let me explain.  Because I usually have to be out of the house so early in the morning for work, I am pretty meticulous about preparing my clothes for the next day before I jump into bed.  Saturday night was no exception.  We were staying overnight in a Maryland hotel and didn’t have to be at my in-law’s house until 10:30 Sunday morning to join the caravan to Mass, but I still had my two little piles of folded garments ready to go, when I received the auto-voice reveille from the Best Western BWI front desk.

 That morning, for some reason, my socks were giving me trouble. After my workout, one of them seemed to be playing hide and seek with me, as I moved the second pile into position in the bathroom for my after shower adornment.  After shuffling through my stack of garments for the third time, I finally retraced my steps back to my suitcase and found the sock about half way back up my back trail.  Without further incident, I took my shower with my now recovered pair of socks at the ready atop my belt and shoes.  Clothed but unshod, I woke Stephen and Natalie and began raking together our belongings into neat piles ready to be stuffed back into the appropriate piece of luggage for the haul to the checkout transaction.  Worried about the schedule, I chivied my two roommates out the door, with orders to wait for me at breakfast while I began the full final cram of the pack up.

With everything in the bags, I went to recover the final essentials of my outfit in eager anticipation of my own turn in the buffet line. To me extreme aggravation, I discovered that now both my socks had left their perch on my shoe and belt pile and eloped to parts unknown.  I checked under everything in the room and began to seriously consider unzipping one or two of the soft luggage pieces into which I had power stuffed everything from my rake up.  I figured the dirty clothes bag was the more likely candidate and was busy size up the operation. Would some kind of head gear be advisable to protect me from the likely concussive force that would surely be unleashed like the boxing glove on a spring that knocks Wylie Coyote in the face at least once in each episode of The Roadrunner? Instead, choosing the cowards path, I just donned my shoes without socks.  Not very stylish, but I supposed that I might pretend they were sandals for the two hours until Mass was completed and I was able to switch into shorts and a tee-shirt at Pam’s parents’ house for the drive back to Ohio,

About then Natalie and Stephen marched back into our room, saying that all the seating was full downstairs and that the line was too long anyway.  Irritated by their lack of commitment to the concept of free breakfast, I prepared to invoke the ancient Donnelly tradition to rally my family back to the abandoned buffet.   I implored both of them to perform an immediate about face.  Then a non sequitur idea struck me full in the forehead.  

I ordered Stephen to pull up one pant leg.  I discovered that he was wearing a pair of socks that was suspiciously of the white variety.  I had purposely packed him only black socks for the trip.  The only pair of white socks available would have had to have come off my prepared pile.  I had caught the felon with the goods on his person, quite literally.

Now came the difficulty of solving the equation that would result in my having a shovel-ready Styrofoam plate of eggs and sausage in front of me with the least possible expenditure of time and hassle. Rather than go through the trouble of swapping, I told Stephen to retrieve and surrender the pair of clean black socks I had packed for his use this Sunday morning.  He procured and prepared to deliver the required merchandise, but then noticed that I was in the process of removing my shoes.  In obvious consternation, he looked at my with an expression that was a Fro-Yo mix of confusion and offense.  His very visage asked, “Why would anyone use someone else’s socks?”

As I stood idly contemplating a suitably painful end for the life of my oldest my son, I must have had a silly look on my face because Natalie erupted in a giggling fit that relieved the tension of the moment.   For the rest of the day she breathlessly described the scene for each new audience while repeatedly interrupting herself with impromptu peals of laughter.  Because she had no idea what led up to the great sock standoff, her story left everyone who heard it very confused as to what the little girl thought was so outrageously  funny.  

Other than the sock theft, we had a good visit.  It was the first time that I have been back to Maryland since Pam’s funeral.  Abby, Nick and Natalie made a short visit in June, but, for the most part, we have been very busy getting our life restarted here in Ohio.  Work has mostly devoured my time since Stephen and I arrived.  Nicholas and Abby have both been busy as well. Nicholas was working for some family friends that sell and distribute fireworks, kind of a dream job for him. Abby started a chemistry class with a full lab during the short summer session at a local community college within days of her arrival.  She is also occupied with some office assignments at my sister-in-law’s dentistry practice.  Summer vacation has been a Barbie-fest for Natalie as she has a willing best friend with similar interests living right across the street.  Stephen and I also made our trip to Gettysburg last week. Summer is flying by.

So it took a while for me to meander back to Maryland where my marriage and family life began long ago under a bridge of swords and a shower of rice.  My in-laws still live in the same house where I visited each weekend during my trips back from Rhode Island as Pam and I were completing our wedding preparations.  The basement at 5110 Kramme Avenue in Baltimore became like an apartment to me over those several months.  The Zauggs have made many improvements to the house in the quarter century since I was courting their daughter, but the basement is mostly used for storage now.  They had a flood in their cellar several years ago and had to remove the carpeting.  The odd mix of old and new in the basement mesmerized me for a good while on one of my forays downstairs to use the less popular of the two household bathrooms.

I stood there in the dark downstairs for several minutes while staring at the position on the back side of the staircase where a desk used to sit on which Pam and I used to assembly 1000 piece puzzles when we weren’t arguing about whether a cream or white color was more suitable for invitations. The desk wasn’t there anymore.  I was disappointed.  I wanted to the place as it was at the very second when Pam discovered the case with an engagement ring on the floor under the desk.  Slyly I had asked her to pick up a non-existent puzzle piece that I didn’t really think I had dropped by her foot.  She was delighted with the simple diamond and band and said yes to my proposal.  I expected she would; Pam had dropped plenty of hints that our relationship had reached ring-time.  

It was sad to be in the dark basement staring at the place where missing furniture had once sat.  Things change and joy passes. After a while I ascended the stairs again having not found the wardrobe back into Narnia for which my subconscious had scanned my former living area. As I climbed I waved a silent goodbye to an old friend, the dated green couch that had accommodated me each weekend for those eight happy months an impossible tunnel ride back twenty-six years into the past.

That odd spiritually amputated feeling seems to be my lot in life, most of the time, since losing my bride to cancer two and a half years ago.  Now back in Ohio, I drive around the streets of my childhood, adolescence and early adulthood with vague feelings of unrest, half recognizing houses to which I think I used to deliver newspapers on wintry mornings for customers long since moved.  Mostly my memories are vague unscratchable itches.  Houses have been painted, trees have grown, businesses have changed hands, buildings have been erected, and eighth grade classmates are receiving AARP cards in the mail. The venues of my youth no longer match the photographs that I find in the albums that my mother keeps in the sea chest coffee table in her living room.

I think that the scattered condition of my memories is a natural process which has been accentuated by the fact that our family has moved around way too much.  The effect of all the moving coupled with Pam’s death is that the figurative pieces of my love for her has been scattered about the country with as if shot from a pneumatic stadium tee-shirt mortar.  For instance, Nicholas and Abby drove miles out of the way to swing by our former house in Fort Wayne, Indiana on their way back across America.  I would never have done that, as the closed front door would have been needlessly anguishing like a diabetic peering in to the window of an ice cream parlor or an old man returning to the scene of his engagement.

An admission: on my weekly drive to Mass I do travel mildly out of my way to pass by the house in which I resided from age five until my matriculation to USNA.  There is always a part of me that wants to stop, knock on the door and ask to search the premises for the missing pieces of myself.  I know that I wouldn’t find them no matter how long I looked.  I also know that I would never knock on the door, because all I would find would be a house of other people’s stuff, while if I choose to just ride on by, my memory can remain vague but whole like a cheap snow globe of my childhood.

My life has become a little like one of the partially finished puzzles that Pam and I used to work assembling to pass our time while we waited to begin our life together in earnest.  I think it is the same for everyone; some people may have done a better job of keeping track of their pieces, but by the time you reach fifty there will certainly be some permanently missing ones.  Natalie’s puzzle was thoroughly scrambled at the age of seven and her pieces have been tossed about throughout the last three years. I expect that she will be eventually assemble a gloriously beautiful landscape as she progresses through adulthood towards the later period of her life when the pieces of her life begin to slide off the edge of the table for her again,

Certainly, we are not the only family that has suffered loss. As I drive my meandering path through the neighborhood where I grew up, I sometimes think about the other families that lived in this or that faculty house and when they departed for retirement or different schools over the nearly five decades of my father’s tenure at Western Reserve Academy. Two former faculty members died over Father’s Day weekend.  Another faculty wife suffered a massive stroke in the last couple of weeks.  She is unlikely to recover.  I’m sure that many of the men and women with whom I grew up with also feel like their life’s pieces are begin removed and lost.

For me, my expectation is that I won’t be able to reassemble a complete and coherent life in this world.  When I sat at the little desk with Pam, I was in the process of building my life.  As I type from the guest room of my father’s house, I understand that time will slowly erode what I had thought I had put together so firmly.  While I am no longer hope for  wholeness on Earth, I do hold a guarantee that the pieces I am now missing will be restored in the many rooms of My Father’s house in the world to come. I’m not sure what that really means at this point.  Will the little puzzle desk be present in the basement of my apartment in the new Jerusalem? I have no inkling, no expectation of knowing, and really I just trust in Jesus’ promise that I will be whole again.  So I move forward to the best of my ability, assembling a new corner of the mosaic of my new life as the trailing edges of my old life seems to fall away into eternity.

[steveramsdale]

The Я Выдерживаю, мы выдерживаем Blog 9.14

Hello. How are doing in lockdown? Uzbekistan is a bit more shut down. You’ll also read how the screws were tightened, but I put things in chronological order, apart from explaining the title. I’m sure everyone reading this blog is part of that group of people who are behaving sensibly, following advice and looking after everyone. It’s so important. We will (the planet, I mean) will get through this and it will be quicker and less painful if we do the right things. But you know this.

We (here in Tashkent) should be going back to work on Monday, this has been half-term week. But schools are still shut. More later.

So, the title. I have a couple of sources of the ‘Word of the Day’ variety, in Russian. On Friday, up came выдержать. I knew держать meant to hold, as in hold hands, hold on to something, keep it. I also know that вы as a prefix means ‘out’ or ‘complete’. The word of the day best translates as to withstand, bear, endure. I imagine that some kind of algorithm throws up the word of the day, but it is appropriate. The blog title means I endure, we endure (obviously conjugated in the the imperfective and then first person singular and first person plural forms).

I managed to find gas canisters. I have a camping stove and a camping heater but only had one gas can for them. The hunting shops did not have the cans in stock. I had managed, last week, to visit the one that is only open on week days but they said that, now borders are closed, they don’t know when they’ll have them again. I asked a friend from work if he know where I might get them and he found a source. So, on Saturday, I went and found some - I bought two.

Until Sunday, I was still feeding the cat, so I camped out on Dave’s drive. It was good even if the street was a little busy. The journey in this van, if it becomes possible again, is not going to be like being in the caravan. That (the caravan) is almost like living in a house. We’ll be learning how to live really minimally in four weeks in a VW T3! I was able to steal Dave’s WiFi and cook and make drinks. Even just with me, there’s a lot of moving stuff around. It will be fun with two of us. As it will (hopefully) be summer, we’ll be able to use the outside a lot. I need to get either a roof box or something on the back for storage.

Tashkent is supposed to be shut down but there is still lots of activity. From Sunday, the build site opposite me went very quiet with just a couple of people working. I’m going crazy in slow motion. I went to a supermarket and had to wear those plastic gloves offered at petrol stations.

One thing went very well this week - I managed to get the peel off a satsuma in one whole piece.

I talked to a potato baking in the oven. In a silly (borderline xenophobic) Spanish accent. There was no way it could hear me.

We got the message that everyone must wear face masks when out of the house. This order will be enforced by fines of up to $60. That’s a lot. Face masks make your glasses steam up. Face masks also mean the your phone’s facial recognition does not work. School have provided staff with a supply of masks. I have ten. I know....

It’s beautiful here now. Not too warm yet, but t-shirt weather with a bit of breeze. Except, I’m staying inside. Most of you know, we’re staying in because either: we’ll get it and not notice but pass it on, we’ll get and be ill and maybe pass it on, we’ll get it and die. So, we’re staying in. I had a lovely cup of tea. I don’t drink tea nearly as often as I used to, but this was a good cup of tea made from a Yorkshire Tea teabag. I really enjoyed it.

On Wednesday morning, I’m went down to the bin and saw that the gates to the park were open. I tentatively approached (pod-hodited, if you will) and asked the guard if it was open. He said it was. I had a lovely walk among the trees. There were two other people there, running. The best half hour of the week so far. I also repeated the single peel satsuma trick. I also went back to the park and sat and read.

On Thursday we had an earthquake. “That’s all we need,” I thought to myself, in my own inner monologue accent.

The building site opposite was very quiet at the start of the week. By Thursday it was busy and noisy again. At half past midnight, somebody was using a power tool. I think it was a strimmer, that’s what it sounded most like.

I stayed up late to talk to Freddie. Normally, Mairi has Fred on a Thursday and we have a video call at their lunch time, about 5pm for me. But Mairi had an upset stomach and could not do her shift. I waited until Keir and Emily had finished work and we had a chat then.

Friday morning. I went down to the bins and saw that the park was closed. I wondered if this was another change of policy. I heard my name being called and it was the older sister of a couple of our students (Maryam and Makhinor’s sister, Mairi). She said the park would open at 10am. It was and I had a little walk. It was almost closed again by six o’clock. I mean that the main gates were closed but one side gate was open. I saw a young man being allowed in. I think there was some sort of towel on the floor, perhaps to disinfect shoe (shoes are a source of infection, by the way).

We had a message that we could get gloves, more masks and hand sanitiser, supplied by the clinic we use. I ordered a bottle of sanitiser. This was delivered to a colleague who lives near me (I had no idea he lived there and I bumped into (not literally, of course, another colleague who lives even closer, when I went to pick it up). I went to pick up the sanitiser and spent a bit of time with colleagues as someone else was picking up their order. I did feel a little anxious about being in a different house with other people. But it was nice as well to have company and people to talk to.

I also had a long video call with Mairi and Ben. Ben is down in Derbyshire for as long as necessary. This will be good for both of them.

Tashkent got even more shut down. The fines for not wearing a mask in public were raised to $110. People have now be told they can only go out for groceries or to go to a pharmacy. They must not be in groups of more than three (with exceptions for families) and must observe a distance of 2 metres.

We’d had an email from work saying that we would be resuming our online teaching but they didn’t know if we would be going in to school to do it. I was certain I would not be going in to school to do it. Everything I need to do, I can do from home. Later, we received a message that the school buildings cannot be opened (yet). I will be working from home until it is definitely safe to start going out again. That will be several weeks, I think.

And now it is Saturday. I decided earlier in the week that I would need to switch my Russian lesson to an online session. My teacher agreed. However, she has just sent a message to say she is not well (food poisoning). So it won’t be until tomorrow.

Stay safe, have the best week you can. See you next time.

[lanebigo774-blog]

Information Backups - LTO 5 Tape Price One Secret To Organisation Survival

When individuals think of disk drive backups they believe they ought to backup their whole hard disk drive. This is simply not the case. Not just does it take substantial time to backup your entire drive its simply not essential.

Ibm Lto Ultrium Backup Tape Media Format

In case you have by no methods been camping outdoors just before, then make sure to provide more of everything. This is essential for such things as drinks and food. Because you are inexperienced you may underestimate exactly how much food you actually require to have. Remember, you will most likely be truly active, and so require more food products than typical.

The hard disk drive needs two type of physical movement. Initially the hard disk disk is spinning. Oh! it is spinning quite fast however it is a motion well below the speed of electronic memory. The second movement is the head. That resembles the head in your LTO 5 Tape however much more precise. It reads variations in the magnetic media to identify what the information is. The spinning of the disk allows it to read various sectors in the exact same cylinder. To check out various cylinders, the head must move in reverse and forwards over the disk from cylinder to cylinder and reading sectors as they pass below the head.

Hp Ultrium Lto Tape Drives

If you are a windows user, depending upon the variety of the os that you are utilizing it might be possible for you to establish automated back ups that can likewise be restored straight through the os from your CD, DVD or other storage gadget.

Place on your gown or t-shirt and skirt set. Now slip on your red vest (either wool or cotton) and leave it open. Do not zip or button it. Hook your B necklace around your neck, centering it in the middle of your chest. Slip on your stockings, ensuring that they do not exceed your knees. Now you're prepared to put on your shoes. Try to get shoes that are comfy because you will be on your feet a lot on Halloween night. Hook your watch to your wrist. Now you can apply your thick eyebrows using the Tape Price they come with. http://jutounet.com/grodnayc2i/post-ibm-lto-ultrium-199315.html After your thick eyebrows remain in location, you're all set to place on your wig or fix your own natural hair in a frizzy Ugly Betty style. The last action is to pop in your fake braces. They may be difficult to talk in so put them in right prior to your event.

How To Easily Restore Information From Tape Backup

For bigger installations, there are data recovery software from suppliers like Acronis and Veritas which can backup multi-volume disks and RAIDs utilizing disk backups and LTO Tapes.

You see, it's impressive that we have large corporations and such that make 10s of millions a year. They have all the inconveniences of staff members, payroll, light bills, lease, inventory, etc. Online, its much various. It's hosting, e-mail, web style, copywriting, some outsourcing, etc. Those who get really proficient at this make 10s of millions also.

How To Back-Up Your Computer Files

Drive safe - LTO 5 Tapes An essential idea for any journey - Tape LTO 5 if you are bring a heavy load in your caravan you need to be aware that the time it requires to speed up and stop will change and need to be adjusted to. Watch your speed thoroughly and leave sufficient space between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you.

[drewebowden66]

Luxury Apartment Interior Design Using Copper: 2 Gorgeous Examples

We all like the idea of luxury. But while there may be a certain style of interior design that evokes the word, isn’t true luxury just being able to create the space you want? Just because you can afford those trappings of generic luxury like gold accessories and expansive kitchens does not mean that such a design will feel like luxury to you. For the two homes featured here, there are certainly common indicators of a sumptuous design, including lush fabrics and of course, the stunning reflective warmth of copper accents, but there is also a clear focus on the importance of comfort, which is what makes any home a truly luxurious experience.

Visualizer: IQOSA Architect   While this post exists to call attention to copper accents, in this first home it is virtually impossible to ignore the metal’s impact .

A copper accent wall not only feel luxurious, but also reflects a muted light that’s quite flattering for all surrounding objects.

The texture of the copper wall is also worth mentioning as an attention to mixed textures is evident throughout the space.

Nestled between pieces of a plush sectional, a Swiss cheese plant makes for an ideal indoor plant for this luxury space.

The home feels quite open, largely in part thanks to the glass wall that separates the main living area from the bedroom.

The furniture in the living room is quite modern in its dark materials and creative lines.

For instance, the dark kitchen bar stools have a mid-century style but still feel quite current.

The use of many low, long lines is another design technique to make the space feel bigger.

The kitchen uses dark wood, but also open, white shelving, which feels clean and practical.

A small caramel-colored bench near the entryway is a perfect perch for removing your shoes and acts as a lovely accessory otherwise.

In the bedroom a bit more decadent color comes into play with this luscious red floor bed design.

Copper comes through into the bedroom as well in the form of bedroom pendant lights while a bright bedside table lamp gives off a bit more glow.

The glass wall allows light to filter in from the living room windows and onto the warm, light flooring.

Even light from the stunning fireplace feature can come in through the creatively designed wall.

The bathroom feels quite sleek, from black toilet to simple toilet paper holder, without some of the opulence you might expect in a luxury bath.

Still, luxurious materials from marble tile to smooth, dark wood are certainly a classy choice.

Architect: Sergey Makhno Architects    Visualizer: Anton Siriak   The second home featured is a bit more subdued in some ways, but still makes beautiful work of its copper accents.

For example, the unique coffee tables that are rimmed in reflective copper are very eye-catching.

Marble end tables that tuck around the couch are both convenient and stylish.

Again we can see the importance of textures, here with nubby sofas and slick wood flooring.

The neutral tones in the furniture ensure that the copper accents do not become garish or overwhelming.

This expansive home allows for the unique floor lampsto take advantage of the copper theme but if you are low on floor spacecopper desk lamps would work fine too.

Bare stone is another creative material used for accent surfaces in this space.

What could be more luxurious that a stylish and comfortable reading seat, nestled up next to a floor reading lamp?

This home has quite a bit of space, so the use of a large rug helps to deliniate different areas.

The minimalist kitchen is so minimalist, it’s almost difficult to tell it’s a kitchen at all.

Black marble counters and suspended copper light fixtures make it look more like a bar from the 1980s than a modern kitchen, but in a good way.

In the corner, a white planter houses a glamorous Fiddle Leaf Fig.

The stunning wine holders in the private wine storage area do not help distinguish the kitchen from a bar.

Moving into the home’s private space, a brown leather accent chair makes itself known in the bedroom.

The accent chair works well with the brown leather bed frame and distressed rug.

A cactus theme does its best to make the bedroom not-so-inviting, but the copper planters seem to beg to be touched.

Pendant lighting is a natural choice for this dark bedroom.

Dark wood flooring and recessed overhead lighting elongate the corridor.

Surprisingly, there are no copper accents to be found in the walk-in closet.

The surfaces of the design welcome natural light, which is not necessarily as abundant as would be ideal in a space this size.

And light colored walls only make the home feel veen bigger.

Finally, an entryway decked out in mirrors tells visitors that this is a space that cares about its own appearance.

Recommended Reading: 36 Cool Copper Table Lamps To Warm Up Your Interior

Related Posts:

36 Cool Copper Table Lamps To Warm Up Your Interior

2 Luxury Homes with Beige Focused Interior Design

Luxury Caravans Interiors

Vietnamese Interior by Grand Design

A Spacious Moscow Home That Exudes Luxury

A Luxury Apartment with Comfortable Furniture and a Double Height Ceiling

[jeremystrele]

Luxury Apartment Interior Design Using Copper: 2 Gorgeous Examples

We all like the idea of luxury. But while there may be a certain style of interior design that evokes the word, isn’t true luxury just being able to create the space you want? Just because you can afford those trappings of generic luxury like gold accessories and expansive kitchens does not mean that such a design will feel like luxury to you. For the two homes featured here, there are certainly common indicators of a sumptuous design, including lush fabrics and of course, the stunning reflective warmth of copper accents, but there is also a clear focus on the importance of comfort, which is what makes any home a truly luxurious experience.

Visualizer: IQOSA Architect   While this post exists to call attention to copper accents, in this first home it is virtually impossible to ignore the metal’s impact .

A copper accent wall not only feel luxurious, but also reflects a muted light that’s quite flattering for all surrounding objects.

The texture of the copper wall is also worth mentioning as an attention to mixed textures is evident throughout the space.

Nestled between pieces of a plush sectional, a Swiss cheese plant makes for an ideal indoor plant for this luxury space.

The home feels quite open, largely in part thanks to the glass wall that separates the main living area from the bedroom.

The furniture in the living room is quite modern in its dark materials and creative lines.

For instance, the dark kitchen bar stools have a mid-century style but still feel quite current.

The use of many low, long lines is another design technique to make the space feel bigger.

The kitchen uses dark wood, but also open, white shelving, which feels clean and practical.

A small caramel-colored bench near the entryway is a perfect perch for removing your shoes and acts as a lovely accessory otherwise.

In the bedroom a bit more decadent color comes into play with this luscious red floor bed design.

Copper comes through into the bedroom as well in the form of bedroom pendant lights while a bright bedside table lamp gives off a bit more glow.

The glass wall allows light to filter in from the living room windows and onto the warm, light flooring.

Even light from the stunning fireplace feature can come in through the creatively designed wall.

The bathroom feels quite sleek, from black toilet to simple toilet paper holder, without some of the opulence you might expect in a luxury bath.

Still, luxurious materials from marble tile to smooth, dark wood are certainly a classy choice.

Architect: Sergey Makhno Architects    Visualizer: Anton Siriak   The second home featured is a bit more subdued in some ways, but still makes beautiful work of its copper accents.

For example, the unique coffee tables that are rimmed in reflective copper are very eye-catching.

Marble end tables that tuck around the couch are both convenient and stylish.

Again we can see the importance of textures, here with nubby sofas and slick wood flooring.

The neutral tones in the furniture ensure that the copper accents do not become garish or overwhelming.

This expansive home allows for the unique floor lampsto take advantage of the copper theme but if you are low on floor spacecopper desk lamps would work fine too.

Bare stone is another creative material used for accent surfaces in this space.

What could be more luxurious that a stylish and comfortable reading seat, nestled up next to a floor reading lamp?

This home has quite a bit of space, so the use of a large rug helps to deliniate different areas.

The minimalist kitchen is so minimalist, it’s almost difficult to tell it’s a kitchen at all.

Black marble counters and suspended copper light fixtures make it look more like a bar from the 1980s than a modern kitchen, but in a good way.

In the corner, a white planter houses a glamorous Fiddle Leaf Fig.

The stunning wine holders in the private wine storage area do not help distinguish the kitchen from a bar.

Moving into the home’s private space, a brown leather accent chair makes itself known in the bedroom.

The accent chair works well with the brown leather bed frame and distressed rug.

A cactus theme does its best to make the bedroom not-so-inviting, but the copper planters seem to beg to be touched.

Pendant lighting is a natural choice for this dark bedroom.

Dark wood flooring and recessed overhead lighting elongate the corridor.

Surprisingly, there are no copper accents to be found in the walk-in closet.

The surfaces of the design welcome natural light, which is not necessarily as abundant as would be ideal in a space this size.

And light colored walls only make the home feel veen bigger.

Finally, an entryway decked out in mirrors tells visitors that this is a space that cares about its own appearance.

Recommended Reading: 36 Cool Copper Table Lamps To Warm Up Your Interior

Related Posts:

36 Cool Copper Table Lamps To Warm Up Your Interior

2 Luxury Homes with Beige Focused Interior Design

Luxury Caravans Interiors

Vietnamese Interior by Grand Design

A Spacious Moscow Home That Exudes Luxury

A Luxury Apartment with Comfortable Furniture and a Double Height Ceiling

[georgewagner]

Van life: Unique camper van, caravan and motorhome conversion ideas

With plenty of summer staycations on the cards this summer, and remote working making life more flexible, there’s no better time than now to tick travelling around the UK off your bucket list. And what better way to do it than in your very own camper van?

If you’ve been following the popular ‘van life’ trend on social media, you’ll notice one thing most van lifers have in common. They’ve all converted their vans into tiny mobile houses, using features that make life on wheels much more comfortable. Get on the road in no time using our top van renovation ideas, below.

1. Bespoke camper van storage to save space

One of the first things to do when you’re converting a van is to plan any permanent fixtures and fittings you’d like to have. If you’re planning to install a fixed sleeping area, consider building a platform bed. It’ll give you plenty of space underneath to set aside things you’d normally keep in the boot and equally, ample space to store those bits that you don’t want taking up space in your living area.

It’s best to build storage space, whether it’s under or overhead, as you’re building your foundation fittings in. This is so you’ll know how many things you’ll have space for at a minimum. You’ll thank yourself when you’re packing!

A talented carpenter can craft a bespoke structure to contain the fittings you want and need in your van.

2. Roof-mounted solar panels to be self-sufficient

Solar panels aren’t only sought-after for our homes. They’re also popular amongst owners of camper vans, caravans and motorhomes!

Most of these vehicles have a leisure battery (separate from a van battery) which powers 12V appliances such as lights, kettles and TVs inside the vehicle. Many campsites provide electric hook-ups which you can use to power these appliances; often at an extra cost to you. However, with solar panels, you can generate your own green power for free. Not only does this help you to be more energy efficient, but it’s also useful if you’re going off grid.

Get help with installing solar panels on your van from a vetted solar panel installation specialist.

3. A pop top elevating roof to create space

At some point in your journey, cabin fever may set in. A great way to get some fresh air is to attach an elevating roof to your van. You can sleep alfresco in it during a warm night, or maybe a chillier one if you’re brave enough.

On the other hand, a roof deck is the perfect space for sunbathing like you would on a deck at home. Plus, it’ll take star gazing in the countryside to the next level.

A third option is to install a classic roof rack, where you can store big items, like bikes, away.

4. Separate areas to make the van seem bigger

Space is undeniably tight when your life is on wheels, but you can make your van feel bigger than it actually is by clearly dividing it into different areas. A half partition wall achieves this without taking up as much space as a full partition wall would. It also offers privacy from the other people you’re travelling with, which is a welcome feature for long road trips in particular.

Plus, you can use colour and texture to break up your van. Stick wipe clean splashback tiles in the kitchen for differentiation from other areas, as well as to bring aesthetic and functional value to the space. Another idea is to choose a colour scheme for each area and paint surfaces or place furnishings in that colour to create some separation.

If you have kids, attach a canopy over their bed to create a dark daytime napping area.

5. Innovative lighting to add functionality and décor

It’s important to have lights inside your van, for those gloomy days and evenings when sunlight through the windows just won’t cut it.

Wired van lighting

Recessed spotlights and light strips can be installed under cabinets, in walls and on surfaces to save space. Install wired lighting early on in the conversion, so you can hide the wires away.

To cut down on the amount of power you’re using in your camper van, install a dimmer switch to reduce the brightness of your lights. Dimmer switches help to add ambience whilst you’re eating dinner or watching a movie, too.

If you’re not comfortable wiring lighting yourself, hire a local electrician.

Non-permanent van lighting

Standalone solar powered lights, such as lanterns, add light and are a great decorative feature. Battery powered tea lights also bring aesthetic value and are a safer option than having real candles in such a small space.

Outdoor lighting

Van awning is a piece of material stretched on a frame, that’s fastened to your camper van. It creates a covered space where you can spend time outside and be protected from rain or the sun. Not only do awning lights allow you to spend longer evenings outdoors, but the motion activated models help with security and provide light if you’re leaving the van to use a campsite toilet at night.

The best camper van lighting

Use cool white light bulbs in functional areas, like the kitchen. In areas where you relax, such as the bedroom, use soft and warm lighting to add ambience. Whatever lighting option you choose, use LED light bulbs: they last longer and are more energy efficient.

6. Make your storage work harder

Many seasoned van lifers say that the sound of items banging around in cupboards and drawers whilst you’re driving gets annoying. Plus, it raises the risk of waking up a sleeping child onboard, which is less than ideal. Put items inside fabric pouches or cubes before storing them away to reduce unwanted noise. This’ll help with keeping everything organised, too.

In addition, attach a bungee cord going across the inside of your cupboards to keep bottles, small jars and other items upright.  

You can install non-permanent storage solutions to add even more space:

Attach self-adhesive hooks to hang up items that you need to grab quickly, such as coats or lanyards. You can also use these hooks to hang pictures, hanging baskets and other décor to make your camper van feel more homely.

Multiple bungee cords can also be attached across a surface, such as along part of a wall, to create shoe storage. This keeps them in easy reach and allows them to be aired out – often an essential step after a long walk!

Hang fabric door organisers on the driver and passenger side seats to store little things you need quick access to. The pockets are the perfect size for things like socks, a hairbrush and flip flops.

7. Multipurpose camper van furniture to free up floor space

Minimalism is a way of life when it comes to van life. Reduce the number of items taking up floor space in your van by using dual-purpose furniture.

Multipurpose furniture for camper vans

Storage seats and benches. These are great for storing clothes out of sight.

Wall mounted fold down tables. A sturdy table is essential if you’re planning to work on a laptop whilst you’re on the road, but it’s equally as useful to create a sturdy surface to eat on. Plus, you can decorate the underside of the table with pictures of loved ones. These will be shown when the table’s folded up onto the wall. You can craft a fold down table yourself or buy a pre-made option.

A Murphy bed. It can be folded up during the day to create an open space that’s ideal for storing surfboards, kayaks and other equipment. Murphy beds are also popular amongst family or group van lifers, as you can fit multiple inside a van.

Shelves on a spring loaded hinger. These easily swing out to create extra surface space as and when you need it. They’re great if you need to boost the functionality of a small van kitchen area. Slide out shelves are a similar alternative.

Pinterest is a great resource for DIY tutorials on crafting furniture for van life.

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Fabulous shoe storage idea! #Vanfabulouscanada #vanlife #vanliving #vandwelling #nomad #digitalnomad #camping #caravan #caravanliving #camper #campervan #campervanlife #homeonwheels #tinyhouseonwheels #stealth #stealthvan #stealthvanliving #vanconverion #sprintervan #sprintervanliving

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Luxury Apartment Interior Design Using Copper: 2 Gorgeous Examples

We all like the idea of luxury. But while there may be a certain style of interior design that evokes the word, isn’t true luxury just being able to create the space you want? Just because you can afford those trappings of generic luxury like gold accessories and expansive kitchens does not mean that such a design will feel like luxury to you. For the two homes featured here, there are certainly common indicators of a sumptuous design, including lush fabrics and of course, the stunning reflective warmth of copper accents, but there is also a clear focus on the importance of comfort, which is what makes any home a truly luxurious experience.

Visualizer: IQOSA Architect   While this post exists to call attention to copper accents, in this first home it is virtually impossible to ignore the metal’s impact .

A copper accent wall not only feel luxurious, but also reflects a muted light that’s quite flattering for all surrounding objects.

The texture of the copper wall is also worth mentioning as an attention to mixed textures is evident throughout the space.

Nestled between pieces of a plush sectional, a Swiss cheese plant makes for an ideal indoor plant for this luxury space.

The home feels quite open, largely in part thanks to the glass wall that separates the main living area from the bedroom.

The furniture in the living room is quite modern in its dark materials and creative lines.

For instance, the dark kitchen bar stools have a mid-century style but still feel quite current.

The use of many low, long lines is another design technique to make the space feel bigger.

The kitchen uses dark wood, but also open, white shelving, which feels clean and practical.

A small caramel-colored bench near the entryway is a perfect perch for removing your shoes and acts as a lovely accessory otherwise.

In the bedroom a bit more decadent color comes into play with this luscious red floor bed design.

Copper comes through into the bedroom as well in the form of bedroom pendant lights while a bright bedside table lamp gives off a bit more glow.

The glass wall allows light to filter in from the living room windows and onto the warm, light flooring.

Even light from the stunning fireplace feature can come in through the creatively designed wall.

The bathroom feels quite sleek, from black toilet to simple toilet paper holder, without some of the opulence you might expect in a luxury bath.

Still, luxurious materials from marble tile to smooth, dark wood are certainly a classy choice.

Architect: Sergey Makhno Architects    Visualizer: Anton Siriak   The second home featured is a bit more subdued in some ways, but still makes beautiful work of its copper accents.

For example, the unique coffee tables that are rimmed in reflective copper are very eye-catching.

Marble end tables that tuck around the couch are both convenient and stylish.

Again we can see the importance of textures, here with nubby sofas and slick wood flooring.

The neutral tones in the furniture ensure that the copper accents do not become garish or overwhelming.

This expansive home allows for the unique floor lampsto take advantage of the copper theme but if you are low on floor spacecopper desk lamps would work fine too.

Bare stone is another creative material used for accent surfaces in this space.

What could be more luxurious that a stylish and comfortable reading seat, nestled up next to a floor reading lamp?

This home has quite a bit of space, so the use of a large rug helps to deliniate different areas.

The minimalist kitchen is so minimalist, it’s almost difficult to tell it’s a kitchen at all.

Black marble counters and suspended copper light fixtures make it look more like a bar from the 1980s than a modern kitchen, but in a good way.

In the corner, a white planter houses a glamorous Fiddle Leaf Fig.

The stunning wine holders in the private wine storage area do not help distinguish the kitchen from a bar.

Moving into the home’s private space, a brown leather accent chair makes itself known in the bedroom.

The accent chair works well with the brown leather bed frame and distressed rug.

A cactus theme does its best to make the bedroom not-so-inviting, but the copper planters seem to beg to be touched.

Pendant lighting is a natural choice for this dark bedroom.

Dark wood flooring and recessed overhead lighting elongate the corridor.

Surprisingly, there are no copper accents to be found in the walk-in closet.

The surfaces of the design welcome natural light, which is not necessarily as abundant as would be ideal in a space this size.

And light colored walls only make the home feel veen bigger.

Finally, an entryway decked out in mirrors tells visitors that this is a space that cares about its own appearance.

Recommended Reading: 36 Cool Copper Table Lamps To Warm Up Your Interior

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