#Khyber Shards

[yellowmagicalgirl]

Ari: And hopefully before too long, you will be residing in a home with a Storm Lord of Stormreach... Puzzledust: I don't understand. Is this town run by elementals and I just didn't notice? ~ Khyber Shards Episode 126 "We Need to Talk"

Over a year later, I have finally finished part 2 of this art! Originally I had wanted to give him forked ears and a lightning eldercross, but he has a crown that changes shape of his ears if he wants it to, and I felt adding in an eldercross would make the piece too busy.

[comment-exchange]

336. Sonata for the Broken Badass in E Minor (Khyber Shards)

Title: Sonata for the Broken Badass in E Minor 

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53167390/chapters/134530648

Platform: AO3 

Creator: YellowMagicalGirl 

Work Type: Fic 

Fandom: Khyber Shards 

Rating: T 

Pairing: Gen, Arlo Fletcher/Thora Tavin 

Word count: 3,342 

Warnings: Past Suicide Attempt, Depersonalization, Internalized Ableism 

Number of comments: 1 

Completion Status: Complete 

Short summary/description: After five years as the mindless weapon of Blackwheel, Thora is forced to become a person once more. Five years after Thora was presumed dead, her loved ones find out otherwise and try their best in the aftermath. 

[yellowmagicalgirl]

Eyyy I finally have a shareable WIP, which is chapter two of when your seams have come unknitted (and you cry out to the sky).

CW: death and mild horror

~

"It's too quiet," Shade said.

"Maybe everyone followed her into the basement?" Pog said.

Ari's foot hit something, and as he looked down he was once more thankful that his mark was shielding him and his friends. "Not everyone."

At Ari's feet was the corpse of member of the Stormreach guard. They were clawing at their eyes and ears, and their face was frozen in absolute terror. There was nothing around the Stryke Force to show what the guard had been so scared of. They didn't have any visible stab wounds. Unless Thora had been lying about how strong her telepathy actually was, something else had killed the guard.

The three of them continued toward Thora's office, passing by a couple more corpses with varying levels of injury. None of the injuries looked like they were truly lethal. All the guards had the same look of horror etched onto their faces.

As they entered the basement, the Stryke Force found a guardian-bot that was missing a leg, but that wasn't what had killed it. No, that was the purple mark that had been scrawled onto it. Thora's mark had been scrawled onto it, and there was a crystal outcropping ripping outward from where the eye of her mark was. If Ari didn't know better, he would have said that the crystal was the same material as Thora's mind blade, but that wasn't how mind blades were supposed to work.

"I didn't know she could mark things with her mark like you used to," Pog said.

"That's not how it worked for me, though." Ari swallowed his dread. "And I was only able to do that after I made a deal with the Prince."

~

I'll tag (participation is optional) @avirxy, @littlecactiguy, @pirate-melody, and @icy-writes

WIP Wednesday, squeaking in pretty late in the day due to family and IRL obligations.

From a WIP AOS fic:

Jim is still not sure if his appointment to the Enterprise was nepotism in action, or just the fact that 90% of his graduating class and almost half the starships that size were decimated in the Battle of Vulcan, so the ‘Fleet was horrifically short-staffed, and needed a pretty face for recruitment propaganda.

Either way, he was far too immature for that chair.

He’d give anything to have learned that lesson some other way, but he owes it to everyone, and himself, to make sure that it is learned better late than never. Dying kind of gives you perspective, a little bit.

Being brought back to life, when so many were not that lucky, then ruthlessly wrecks that perspective.

No-pressure tagging @strangenewwords, @tigereyes45, @calliethetrekkie, @muirmarie, @ncc1701ohno, @affixjoy and anyone else who wants to participate! Whatcha workin' on?

[xykos-of-eberron]

Dragon shards, and their uses

Dragonshards! Such lovely little gems!

I've began studying these beautiful things a while ago! My studies have led me to many discoveries about the gems and their uses. All three deriving from the powerful progenitor dragons .

Eberron shards

Eberron shards! Potent conductors and enhancers of magic! Much like the copper wire to electricity they can focus magic on a single point! These are the most common and potentially useful dragonshard! If you live in areas that has soft soil you can usually find them in topsoil! Q'barra and the shadow marches are perfect places to find them!

Khyber shards

Khyber shards! Used to bind and can be seen in lots of khovairian advancements! These dragonshards can be seen in the lightning rail, ships, and airships of the dragonmarked houses. Zilargo is big on binding! These can be useful when you want to imprison an extraplanar being... Or the souls of the dead!

These shards are found anywhere in khyber!

Bloodglass

Bloodglass is a khyber Dragonshard mixed with obsidian. Some people said the giants used this to bind elementals into large houses made of bloodglass, and they could manipulate it and make openings through the bloodglass or close it! Now these are often used by the drow of xen'drik. A notable item is the shifting blades they have! A short sword that turns to a great sword?? Amazing! I'd love one!

Siberys shards

Siberys shards! These shards enhance innate abilities! Often used for magic items to increase the power of them! They can help with psionics, sorcery, or the breath attack of dragons! The inspired of sarlona sometimes embed these into their skulls! These are very useful and far rarer as they randomly fall from the ring of siberys, thus these shards can be found in, the sea of rage, xen'drik, argonesson, and the thunder sea!

It's also said the umbragen draw power from a large siberys shard that crushed an ancient civilization of elf!

[babybluesquid]

Session 12, Setup and Takedown

Our Players this Week:

Hog 112, they/them, Weapon Thaumaturge, skirmisher warforged, the leader of the inquisitives agency and founding member, tends toward practicality and following a command structure.

Vestige, they/them, Bones Oracle, warforged placed into a human body, a healer and the agency’s fleshborn face, remains on the periphery with an individualistic streak. Strategy, it/its, Empiricist Investigator, officer warforged, an old model who’s seen much action and uses the tactics they learned back during the war now under Sharn.

Mage, they/them, Universalist Wizard, living wand warforged, a young forged who was built after the Mourning, looking to find their place in the world.

——————

Peering up at the building, there’s a balcony on the second floor with some windows. Seems the best chance to get a good look. Hog 112 shoots their crossbow’s grappling bolt, then climbs up. Inside, there’s four forged. Three of them have got swords and shields, while the last is an archer. They’ve got their weapons drawn and are watching the entrance, stock still. The only other exit is barricaded from the inside. Peering closer, there’s a map on the opposite wall. Hog realizes it’s a depiction of the Cogs, and a foundry in Blackbones has been marked off. Hurriedly, they climb down and relay the information to the other sleuths. No need to fight this lot. On the way to the foundry, Hog stops by the Chib’s part of town and hires a goblin, Cloak, to watch the warehouse.

On to the foundry. Hog’s dismayed. It’s connected to the warehouse where Treyden was found dead. Still, something mighta been missed in the initial investigation. Hog has Vestige handle the foundry investigation while they head back to the agency to give a report of the ongoing case. There’s nothing to be found in the forge, nothing till the inquisitives reach the basement. There, there’s a locked door, with talking audible behind. Strategy listens in. Five voices, not forged. The lot of them are discussing robbing a shipment of khyber dragonshards from the Black Caps. Interesting. It reports back to Vestige, then returns to listen.

Crash! A stack of empty crates clatter to the ground. In the corner of its vision, it spies dark figure rushing upstairs. Strategy hurries to the rest of the sleuths and tells them to hide. Now. The five criminals emerge from the room, searching for the source of the noise.The lot of them spread out across the basement. Everyone stays deathly still. A hobgoblin stops. Mage prepares to cast. The woman then grabs Vestige and yanks them out of their hiding spot by the cloak. “What are you doing here?” She demands. “Just looking for some Blades. Doesn’t seem to be you though.” She narrows her eyes, “hey. You’re one of those Associates.” “Yeah,” Vestige sounds unconcerned, “you know about Blades?”

Another hobgoblin steps forward, winding back their pickaxe. Vestige turns to the guy, “hey now! You don’t want to do that! It seems you know something of our reputation. You’re gonna lose this fight.” “Alright,” the hobgoblin woman says, raising an arm for the other to stand down and putting Vestige down. Still, she’s suspicious, asking what Vestige knows of the Blades. The truth seems to be the best option. “The Blades are setting up criminals for falls to make themselves out to be heroes. I’m thinking that might be your lot.” “Maybe, but what appeal would khyber shards have for the Blades?” Vestige notes that. The woman just let it slip that she is indeed working with Blades on this. Still, she may be convinced, “they’re playing a long con. They’re trying to appeal to the Cogs warforged to bolster their ranks.” Hog arrives, then. They wait at the top of the stairs, listening in. “Don’t get how stopping us would be something the Blades would get behind. Why care about missing this shipment?” “You’re missing the point. They’re tryna get the other forged on their side.”

Peering down as they are, Hog doesn’t notice the figure come up behind them. Then, the ground suddenly goes slick. They stumble, then slide. Right down the staircase! “They greased me!” They shout as they hit the bottom. The criminals wheel around with weapons out. “Boss,” Vestige says. One criminal, a drow with a crossbow, points it at Hog, “who greased you? I’d like to know.” Slowly, Hog stands, “frankly I didn’t catch a glimpse. Look pal, if you’re gonna make it out of here, we’re gonna need to become fast friends.”

Just then, someone calls down the stairs, “Daask members, new job. Help me kill these inquisitives and I’ll pay you one hundred galifars.” A single golden galifar bounces down the steps to accentuate the point. The criminals turn on Hog and Vestige, who grimaces. “Big mistake. I don’t take mercy.” At that moment, the others burst from hiding! Shadowblack attacks the drow. Mage shoots electricity at the hobgoblin with a pickaxe. The figure at the top of the stairs throws a knife down at Hog, nailing them right through the skullplate. Having no time to concern themselves with that, they run to assist the surrounded Vestige. For their part, Vestige grabs a miner and leeches the warmth of life from him. It’s not enough though, so they follow with a punch to the nose. He’s knocked out. Meanwhile, Hog dodges wild swings of a criminal’s hammer. “You severely miscalculated,” Strategy remarks as it takes aim at the drow, then fires, blowing the man’s head off.

The goblin criminal, finding themselves ignored, steps behind the fallen boxes for cover and begins to chant. They reach out a hand to Hog. They just manage to dodge aside- a stream of grease aimed to disarm them. Oh. Shadowblack stabs the hobgoblin miner through the temple, killing him. The cloaked figure at the top of the stairs throws yet another dagger at Hog. The blade punches right through their chest. They fall! Seeing the opportunity, the hobgoblin woman drops her shield and picks up Hog’s body, holding them protectively in front of her. “Alright!” She shouts, “Look! We’re gonna leave, we’re gonna leave slowly and you’re not gonna try anything funny or the big guy gets it.” Slowly, she begins to back up toward the stairs, then runs up them.

Vestige rushes after her, “not a chance!” They send a portion of their will to Hog, healing them. In the next instant, Shadowbalck is at the top of the stairs, stabbing the goblin woman in the stomach and then slashing out her throat. Dead. The cloaked figure, clearly forged now, bolts. Hog fires a crossbow bolt at them. Misses! Vestige sends a spell to attack their mind. No hold! The three hurry to give chase, but then Strategy shouts to wait. The goblin criminal managed to slip away and hide in the basement. They might be trouble if they get back to Daask. Hog asks Shadowblack if the figure was his brother and they confirm it. It’s Khyberlurk.

——————

Notables:

Cloak, they/them, a goblin with a patchwork cloak, works for the Chib. The Associates ended up paying 8 sovers at the start of the spying job, with 8 more promised for the end.

Khyberlurk, they/them, Shadowblack’s brother who seems keen to get rid of the sleuths. No good. They need to be dealt with promptly.

[subject-2-roll]

When words fail

Charter a boat out to the middle of a lake to recover a giant Khyber Shard in a ship wreck. Realizing we are in the territory of an adult bronze dragon. Everyone takes cover in the wreckage and waits for the artificer’s cue to act. 

Artificer, speaking rudimentary draconic, negative cha: “Heyyyy man. So like, what’s good? We’re looking for a big blue rock.” 

Bronze dragon: “Foolish mortals! You know not with which you meddle. You are in the lair of Stute. I guard the shard from the hubris of scavengers like you. Leave now or perish!” 

Group: “what’s he saying?” 

Artificer, in common: “alright, kill him.” 

[crystal-moon-101]

(Updated Drawing for a second time) Name: Jay Maxwell Tennyson Nickname: Jace, Jay Jay, Human Omnitrix, Lill’ Ben, Hero Boy, Omni Boy (By Feike) Age: 13 Gender: Male Birthday: February 7 Sexual Orientation: ??? (Just like his father) Ethnicity/Species: American/Japanese - Human/'Omnitrix' Personality: Adventurous, Often has self-doubt, Sensitive, Cultured, Dependable, Brave, Hopeful, Persistent, Impulsive, Jokester, Trustful, Has slight anxiety problems, Forgiving, Selfless. Hobbies: Gaming, mostly survival games. A couple of sports (He's known to play tennis with his mother). Learning and Reading up on aliens and their cultures. Collecting items/souvenirs. Photography. Designing with Family:

Ben Tennyson - (Father/Jay has always looked up to his father, striving to be a hero like. However, there are issues between them, in that Jay struggles with how often his father isn't around, out in space-saving the day on another planet. He understands why this is, but it makes it hard to spend time together, along with seeing the struggles his mother goes through, even if she accepts this with Ben. That being said, anytime Ben visits, Jay jumps at the chance to spend time with his father.)

Julie Yamamoto - (Mother/Absolutely adores his mother and vice versa. Since Ben is often away, Jay has picked up a lot of Julie's habits and behaviour, even hobbies, like tennis. He's always eager to help her around and the house and spending quality mother and son time. He's very thankful his mother raised him to be patient, kind and polite, a big part of his personality.)

Ship - (Pet - Galvanic Metamorph/He's always loved the pet blob of the family. When he was born, Ship was very excited about Jay's presence, doing whatever he could to make the baby boy laugh. It's been the same, even as Jay grew up. The happy blob will always comfort the boy, especially through his anxiety attacks or self-doubt moments.)

Muse - (Pet - Null Void Guardian/Muse wasn't the kind of pet Jay thought he'd get, but he loves her anyway. Having saved her during a mission in the null void, the creature became rather attached to him as they don't normally have positive interaction with other species, even their caretakers. She loves cuddles and having Jay's attention, but can be very protective if anyone dares to hurt her human.) 

Tundra, Orion, Vale, Neva, North, Crystal, Alaska, Micha, Storm, Gray, Raine, Arlo, Zodiac and Lux - (Half-Siblings/Jay is very close to his fourteen Necrofriggians siblings, despite the species differences. He's never really questioned how unusual it was having them as siblings, even when people give weird glances. His siblings also adore their baby brother, spoiling him whenever they visit.)

Ivory - (Kind of half sister? It’s complicated/When Jay bumped into Ivory the first time, during a mission where Khyber was running around, he had to say he was surprised to see someone who had similar features to him and to his dad. After explaining this run-in with his parents, it didn’t take them long to come to the conclusion she must be the daughter of Albedo, back from when he was still human. Since then, Jay has tried reaching out to her, not only because he believes she can find a better life beyond Khyber, but also because he has a feeling she wants family, just as he wouldn’t mind having another sibling around...But for now, she brushes him off.)

Gwen Tennyson - (First cousin once removed/'Aunt'/Much like Ben, he looks up to his aunt, always eager to hear stories she shares with her father and Kevin. Since Gwen and Kevin aren't off earth as much as Ben now of days, Julie and Jay often visit for dinners. He likes to ask her help with schoolwork during these visits, though lately he's also been interested in learning about Ledgerdomain. Gwen has a feeling it might be because of a certain spell caster he is crushing on, but he hasn't said anything.)

Kevin Levin - (first cousin once removed in-law/'Uncle'/Somehow, Kevin was often the one that both Jay and Thea were dumped on to babysit. He would complain, but he really did adore the pair, even recording some of their younger interactions and adventure, which were both hilarious and adorable. Jay likes to show his uncle love when he can, as he knows very well how rough Kevin's background is.)

Cynthia Levin - (Second Cousins/The two basically act like siblings, teasing one another, hanging out often and venting to each other when they need it. Even if the two-act like opposites, they play off each other well. With Thea being more bombastic and outward, she helps keep Jay out of all the trouble he gets caught in by mistake. She does what she can to protect him from bullies or galaxy criminals, sometimes even from himself. That being said, Jay is one of the only few who can pull her back from her aggression, showing her that there are calmer and nicer ways to handle things. His forgiving nature sometimes worries her, because she knows it'll backfire and get him hurt sometimes, but she has been amazed by it, as shown through his many connections with aliens they've met, even some who were dangerous or criminals. Even if they have hard arguments or struggle to understand one another at times, they'll always have each other's back.)

Ken Tennyson - (First cousin once removed/'Uncle'/While he enjoys his life with space and aliens, he does appreciate having a family member who is very down to earth. Ken is a very supportive and wise uncle, often knowing just what to say or do to cheer Jay up.)

Carl Tennyson - (Grandfather/Carl, of course, loves his grandson, happy to babysit him and have him over. However, because of Carl's effects of galaxy life and aliens as a child, he sometimes struggles to talk with Jay, who adores that lifestyle. Jay understands, as he and Carl both had/have Plumber fathers often off-world, along with how his grandfather was somewhat abandoned by Verdona, his own mother, in his younger years.)

Sandra Tennyson - (Grandmother/Sandra has always doted on her grandbaby since he was born. Always jumping to babysit, playing with him and proudly shows him off to her friends. She is also the one who inspired his photography hobby.)

Mr Yamamoto - (Grandfather/Despite Julie's father's issues towards Ben, he's always been gentle and kind towards Jay, often being the one to remind him of the beauty of earth.)

Verdona - (Great Grandmother/Verdona and Jay have a friendly relationship, often openly showing affection through hugs or chatting away. While it does somewhat hurt, he doesn't resent her for mostly coming around for Gwen and Thea, because of their Anodite sides. Since he can change into different aliens, he understands very well that every alien functions different, so he can't fault her in her behaviour, so he'll take what he can get.)

Maxwell Tennyson - (Great Grandfather/A legend in Jay's eyes, being who his middle name is from. Even though Max is retired and spends these days in his RV with Xyelne, he's always happy to tell Jay stories of his old Plumber days. The boy will listen to every word with wonder in his eyes. Max has even told stories on Ben when he was very young, including the summer vacation when he first got the watch. It always puts a smile on the boy's face.)

Xylene - (Great Grandfather Figure/While Xylene isn’t amazing with kids due to her background, her and Jay get along nicely since he’s a polite and calm boy. She has a way of speaking with Jay where she can be blunt and honest, but in a manner that he understands and doesn't get hurt by. Like getting that needed push to do something.)

Frank Tennyson - (Great Uncle/He enjoys the boy's soft presents and can always ask Jay for help here and there.)

Natalie Tennyson - (Great Aunt/Natalie likes having Jay around, as he's always eager to help with housework. She does love her granddaughter, but having a quieter child around is sometimes more preferred.)

Friends:

Vanessa Morningstar - (The two have a sweet relationship, despite Thea’s rivalry with her and Vanessa’s parents. They treat each other with respect and trust, and for Vanessa, this is something not common to her. He's always ready to listen to her and doesn't believe she is destined to be a villain, even with her heritage. There have also been noticeable sparks between the two, but with all that goes on, it's hard to make something of it.)

Malax Shard - (Friend/A common friend and partner in Plumber training. Unlike Thea's uncertainty towards his gentle side, Malax has full trust in it. She knows his personality is rare in this line of work and is something desperately needed at times. That being said, she's often the one to give him the tough talks about reality and how harsh it gets. He respects her for this and both would have each other's back in any fight.)

Rook Rilla - (Friend/Another common friend and partner in Plumber training. The two have known each other since childhood, due to how close their fathers were. Rilla’s dry wit and no nonsense attitude has, admittedly, gotten Jay out of some tough problems, and the two play off each other well while working on the field.)

Feike - (Friend/He started out with issues towards Feike, mostly because of his flirting towards Thea. But, over time, Jay has started to see more to him. It's clear to him Feike isn't exactly happy where he is and feels trapped, being abused and manipulated by his boss, Sciros. He's tried reaching out to him, but the other teen likes to brush it off and tells him not to get involved.)

Renata - (Friend/Because of Reiny and Ben's friendship, there had been some playdates set up between the two when they were young. Despite how hard it is to communicate with Renata, Jay has come to understand how to talk to her, thanks to these playdates. He'll often go to her for space politic problems, given her status and training. Even though she doesn't show much emotions, she can show a protective side around him.)

Azmuth - (Friend/Azmuth is normally the one to take a look at his biology and powers if needed. Ben has also dropped Jay off for rare babysitting, Azmuth can only be so thankful Jay will listen to him and be quiet when told. He's always found it amusing how gentle Jay is compared to his father. He's also to happily talk about embarrassing moments about Ben to the boy.)

Etherea’Liss - (Friend/Their first meeting had been a little iffy, as Jay had met Zs’Skayr a few months before meeting her. But he quickly came to see that Ectonurites are not like him, and she's always happy to educate him on her home planet and people. In return, he helps her adjust to life outside of her home.)

Enemies:

Eldrigma (Enemy/Ever since this man showed up, Jay has been chasing him across the galaxy, feeling responsible in stopping him. However, with each encounter, they learn something new, that there's more to the story behind this man. As much as he wants to stop him and fight him, Jay is starting to see something grim and sorrowful behind the man's dark outside.)

Professor Alate - (Enemy/Honestly, this man creeps him the hell out. His intelligence as always been trouble for Jay, often getting outsmarted by the scientist. This wouldn't be so bad, if it weren't for the fact that Alate has this dedicated goal to catch Jay and experiment on him, mostly because of his Omnitrix biology.)

Sciros (Enemy/Jay has nothing but bad thoughts about this man, stemmed from kidnapping him and hurting friends like Feike and Vanessa, tricking and abusing them. He desperately wants to keep his friends away from the man, but his grip is tight and he knows how to keep them inline.)

Vilgax ('Enemy?'/It’s mostly Vilgax’s history with his father that scares him the most. Vilgax can be a hard foe to fight and is willing to use Jay to get revenge on Ben, however, with Jay’s teachings from his father and the fact Vilgax doesn’t have that great of an understanding since it’s been twenty years, Jay can fight against him and survive him. After seeing Vilgax around, he’s come to the realization that Vilgax isn’t as scary as most of the other villains Jay is currently fighting. He’s also given warnings to Vilgax about Alate.)

Representing Song: Human - Christina Perri

Skills: Enhanced Endurance/Stamina. Alien Morphing (He's able to turn into aliens without a watch, thanks to his unique biology). Hand-To-Hand Combat. Multilingualism (Jay can actually speak and understand a few alien languages, comes in handy). Photographic Memory. Makeup, dress ups, hairstyles, Jay is amazing at finding the right outfit or disguising others.

Weakness/Flaws/Fears: Monophobia (Fear of being alone or lonely), Atychiphobia (Fear of failure), Sometimes Anthropophobia (Fear of people. But depending on what people are currently like, especially in school, also depending on his mood) Slight Catoptrophobia (Fear of mirrors. Sometimes he can’t stand looking into the mirror, easily after something sudden or traumatic) Didaskaleinophobia (Fear of school) Autophobia (Fear of oneself). Sometimes changing aliens, becoming one or turning human can fail, especially if he has barely any focus. He keeps his injuries and damage he gets from fights as his aliens, even in his human form. Lack of energy or being rendered unconscious can make him turn back to human. He gains the weakness of his aliens. He needs to focus to be able to transform. His hidden sensitivity and anxiety can hinder his progress and the mission he’s on. He has a habit of taking on too much work, struggling to say no to others who depend on him. In rare cases, his biology can go out of whack sometimes, causing things like blindness, dizziness, struggling to walk E.T.C but it’s never permanent, so far. In his human form, he isn’t the strongest fighter and barely has any defense in tanking hits.

First Ten Forms:

War Roar

Cibeetle

Lavizard

Hollow Woods

Katana

Shadow Puppet

Manta Wave

Smitemare

Power Source

Sin Reaper

[melior-est-finis]

Heart and Body

It’s by sheer luck that it happens. In the conclusion of one of her sets for the wandering crowds of occasional scholars a timid mage approaches her. A short thing, no bigger than 4 feet and change, but clearly a dedicated little gnome who alleged to have come just for her tale. A different Rosalynd would have turned min around, or cursed him outright, but this one thought different. What’s the harm, after all, when surrounded only by support.

They talk over tea, as he speaks to some magic. A conjuration trick he’d been working with, that can send thoughts and feelings across the flimsy barrier of realities rather than planes. So long as one had an anchor... and if Rose did, really, have a body somewhere that her spirit had abandoned...

She listened, and thought, and offered him cordial conversation. It had been so long since she had to practice this. Facing forward with charm and wit while internally dissecting something down to its last atom before spitting it back out again. Such a careful dance, its a miracle her partner was not one to notice the stumbling, and that he was one who was staying longer than a night.

It’s two days later, when Rose begins to set herself to bed. Runes have been painted over her and pinned to every inch of her room. Candles have been lit so that they may burn the heavy smoke that comes from the Kalashtar’s home. And a single shard of Khyber, tiny in its size but plenty powerful to do as it needs.

As Rose drifts to sleep, she settles herself, breathing low and slow as her hands fold over her smooth chest. Slumbering in her default changeling form is odd but not unwelcome, save for the lack of weight on her chest or beside her. In her arms. The lovely scent and touch of her partner.

She dreams of good things. Moments spent together with Chaya. Their first encounter in her pocket dimension, the time spent as a catfolk, the shy flirtations and frustrated nights spent failing to convince herself she was not in love, then the arrival. The fear felt on the edge of the death she’d been waiting for, the lack of confidence in anything until the location clicked, then the single, saving desire for solace in her arms. The testing so thoroughly was stressful but part of what Rose loves of her. A sage in her own right but ultimately holding such immense compassion and skill to her. Ferociously kind, unabashedly so.

Chai lent her hope, and Rose tended it so meticulously that now, as she rests and thinks to send it, a few of its seeds make their way across the barriers into the lap of another.

[cepheidelta]

Eberron Pokemon #27 - Siberys

The Dragon Above comes to us as our second Box Legendary!

According to legend, Siberys was destroyed by Khyber, and his remains were scattered across the sky. The shards formed the Ring of Siberys - a glittering planetary ring that still exists to this day.

[yellowmagicalgirl]

Thanks for the tag this totally didn't get lost in my inbox for a couple days

last song: "From Shadows" by Jeff Williams ft. Casey Lee Williams

currently watching: Uhhh my family has been making our way through The Nanny once again, but personally I'm not watching anything at the moment.

3 ships: Let's go with griddlehark from The Locked Tomb (also omg you're reading it; I hope you enjoy the series), thorarlo from Khyber Shards, and daire from Tales of Arcadia.

favorite color: Despite my blog name, purple.

currently consuming: Nothing. I am waiting patiently for dinner and doing this instead of my homework or research.

1st ship: Annika/Aiden from The Magic of Pegasus

relationship status: still single...

last movie: Quite frankly, I have no idea whatsoever.

currently working on: Restructuring my dataset for research, and also astrophysics homework.

I'll tag (participation is optional) @tigereyes45 and @mr-beistie

tagged by jaime @batemanofficial !!

last song: i'll do you one better, last album/song was Everything is a lot / will wood & the tapeworms

currently watching: crazy ex girlfriend w my roommate

3 ships: i cannot remember ship names! anyway gable/travis/margaret [skyjacks] rosemary/sissix [wayfarers] & i cannot remember any more smaller/lesser known fandoms so im gonna throw in jmart tma

favorite color: blue!

currently consuming: american gods by neil gaiman [the book not the show]

1st ship: ...destiel

relationship status: single, dating apps are not working :(((

last movie: bullet train [Very cool and fun excited to watch again]

currently working on: oh all my silly little projects. ig Most recently a pin cushion for my tapestry needles so i can stop worrying abt losing them. also employment.

tagging! @happi-tree @pretty-roach & rlly anyone else im not stopping you

[yellowmagicalgirl]

Why am I cursed to hate time travel and yet so many of my beloved series end up bringing in time travel

[comment-exchange]

303. Refined for Fear (Khyber Shards)

Title: Refined for Fear 

Link: AO3, Squidgeworld 

Creator: YellowMagicalGirl 

Work Type: Fanfic 

Fandom: Khyber Shards 

Rating: T 

Pairing: Arlo Fletcher/Thora Tavin 

Word count: 2007 

Warnings: Dubcon Kissing, Implied/Referenced Aphobia, Implied/Referenced Canon-Typical Violence 

Number of comments: 1 

Completion Status: Complete 

Short summary/description: Attending an academic conference away from Stormreach was a mistake. Thora won’t let Arlo be hurt the same way she was. 

Snippet: 

Unlike her former colleagues, Thora knew how to keep her feelings to herself. She was protecting Arlo. Nothing more. She hoped this wouldn’t ruin things anyways.

Thora pushed Arlo behind the pilaster and just barely pressed their foreheads together. She cupped his face with her right hand. She placed her left hand on the wall, just above his shoulder. If her mark burst into flame despite her efforts, the flames wouldn’t transfer to him.

“We need to fake an intimate moment,” she said to him in a low voice. “Doing more would help us sell this, but only if you can fake it convincingly. He’ll catch on otherwise.”

Arlo looked down the hall, eyes wide and frantic. She tried to think of other ways she could save them both. This wasn’t going to work; what had she been thinking?

Then he looked back at her, and their eyes met for just a moment. He closed his eyes and kissed her.

[sovereignsabove]

DEVASTATION IN ITS WAKE

Marketplace, 28 Barrakas. An artifact of the Last War caused a mass magical sleep that resonated along the Lightning Rail line, causing widespread havoc and death as far away as Sharn, Flamekeep, Korranberg, and Passage.

At North Umbeo Manor north of Marketplace, living statues, mindlessly following orders from during the Last War, unearthed an eldritch machine, long lying dormant on the grounds. The machine, inquisitives say, was designed to merely put people in its vicinity to sleep, but the magic —whether by chance or design— found a resonance in the Khyber shards used by House Orien to power the Lightning Rails. The result: hundreds of citizens onto near the trains fell unconscious all along the line for several hours before Citadel agents were able to brace the affected area and ensure the effect was not ongoing. Agents then had to wake hundreds of people, not a speedy process in the least.

Luckily, only one train was moving at the time of the incident, or the loss of life that followed could have been much worse. Still, not a huge consolation to riders of that train and their loved ones. With at least eight dead and over six dozen injured, this is a terrible tragedy. Among the dead were the rail engine operator, Horis Verrinn, who struck his head on the console and died before anyone could unlock the engine compartment to get to his aid. Also, among the dead was Brian Berry, Sr. whose car was somehow decoupled in the chaos, sending it crashing into the forest by the tracks. He and the rest of the car’s riders were pronounced dead at the scene.

In the midst of the horror, a ghost was seen attacking those laid low by the eldritch machine’s insidious lullaby. Luckily, no one was killed by the creature’s attacks, but those affected report feeling weak upon waking, as if their life forced had been pulled out through their nightmares. The ghost itself was chased away by Citadel Agents, and was last seen fleeing into the woods near Starilaskur in eastern Breland.

Baron Kwanti d’Orien, head of House Orien, says his heart goes out to all those affected by this tragedy and has reached out to each affected family to offer his assistance in their time of loss. Further, he assures rail riders that this was not a repeatable tragedy, as the eldritch machine has been destroyed, but that he would still personally be overseeing a push to improve Rail Security. In addition to warding engine operators against a wider variety of spells, House Orien will immediately start research into altering conductor stones (or their placement) to prevent this kind of cascade in the future.

BERRY SIX FEET DEEP

Passage, 28 Barrakas. Brian Berry, Sr., the head of the Berry dynasty, was found murdered in his sleep aboard a Lightning Rail train heading to Sharn, along with his bodyguards.

The crash was part of a larger magical disaster caused by a rogue eldritch machine that put everyone aon board the train into a magically-induced sleep. At first, inquisitives had assumed Berry and his bodyguards had died during the crash like several other passengers in the car, but upon further inspection of the bodies, impact marks showed signs that they had been pummeled to death prior to the car’s decoupling. Inquisitives say they were lucky that Berry’s corpse had been so close to his bed during the crash, as the blankets and pillows cushioned the impact and preserved some crucial evidence of the crime.

Inquisitives are looking into several possible suspects, but they say this seems less like the work of a brawler and more like that of a martial artist. They ask that anyone with information that might help apprehend the killer please contact Master Inquisitive Nicholas Hawkins in Passage.

[babybluesquid]

M-44-7 notes and whatnot.

Having a dragonmark which gives prophecy lines and also receiving visions can be a bit involved.

THEIR DRAGONMARK'S BEHAVIOR

M-44-7's aberrant dragonmark tends to act up: smoking, audibly hissing, glowing bright red, even starting to catch fire in pieces set after the fire man fight, and/or relaying pieces of the draconic prophecy. The way the draconic prophecy works is any line could refer to any event until it actually takes place, so The Overlords, The Dragons of Argonesson, Undying Court, and perhaps even the Daelkyr are working to manipulate it to meet their goals. The bits of prophecy they've recieved in-game and my own speculations on their meanings are below.

“If flame made flesh should fall that day then the lost child a price must pay, for those that see that which cannot be shall be" Flame made flesh likely refers to the fire man. M-44-7 received this prophecy piece before the party first encountered and failed to kill the fire man, though they did knock the fire man deep into Khyber. Perhaps the falling was literal and not referring to death.

¨Cut down by the blade of sorrows wielded by the resurgent eye the third child of the dagger falls“ The resurgent eye might be the eye thief, but the blade of sorrows is mentioned in another prophecy bit and is the fire sword which nearly killed Carn, if it is in fact the same blade.

“A thousand eyes open when the shield is shattered.” The thousand eyes might refer to Belashyrra, the eyes opening might be about the party catching its notice.

“the child of devastation ignites when kin falls to the blade of sorrows” This prophecy has clearly come to pass. When Carn was struck down by the fire sword in The Ironlands, M-44-7's aberrant dragonmark lit on fire for the first time, burning away their gear cape (RIP gear cape).

“the burning mind finds its way out of the forest of blades” The forest of blades might refer to The Ironlands, and the burning mind may be the fire man, as attempts to read its mind dealt fire damage.

“The twisted legion is at the gates of the glass citadel. The burning prophet rallies the old and creates the new. The devastation cracks its bonds” The meaning of this one is fully up in the air. It's difficult to even guess.

“with burning flame and bright steel the twisted mad soul is cast out of the corrupted shattered ruin and to the gates of death¨ This line likely refers to when the party killed the ghost of The Lady of Plague when they went to Old Sharn to retrieve her dragonmark focus item to study.

"A smith marked by secret and flame in a lost land where inferno rises creates the chains to rebind the breaking seal." This is likely about M-44-7 binding Carsalak.

They've also received prophecy pieces from other sources.

¨Two minds made to contain maddened flame in shattered binders´ land meet. Forged by 5 to bind the curse so that the one may do so again.¨ This line was given to them by Lucille of Thaliost, a cultist of Sul Khatesh who is trying to direct the party's movements. She claimed that this line was given to her by Sul Khatesh and means that M-44-7 and their party must go to Xendrik, the shattered binders' land.

M-44-7'S VISIONS

The source of their visions is unclear, but sometimes, at first during sentry's rest and later when they're fully active, M-44-7 receives visions which hint at the future. The visions likely come from Sul Khatesh, since she has appeared in several of them.

A flame sweeping out of the Mournland and burning the land to barren nothingness. The flame speaks it says “all will fall and time will die when the greatest madness breaks the veil” its voice sounds like Carn’s but distorted and crackling. After this vision comes another vision some magical device, Sul Khatesh looking on approvingly.

the fire through the door its still screaming in ravenous hunger

Sul Khatesh holding a spellshard, a collage of scenes then play on the shard. You see a Khyber shard burning with inner flame being broken next to Jardun. You see Jardun Boromar finding other members afflicted with mindflame as well as afflicted members of Daask and plotting the situation in Lower Dura. Sul Khatesh looks right at you points at the spellshard and does a slit throat motion with one of her shadowy fingers.

They see themself going mad in one future which includes them accidentally killing eyes. In the other they see themselves reaching out to the aberrant marked of House Tarkanan making focus items and keeping their mark controlled. They then see themself at the head of a small army of warforged cloaked in fire and with a crown of twisted iron screaming a speech about alien corruption and how the forthcoming doom of growth or inferno most be stopped in its tracks. Behind them is a strange massively complicated eldritch machine skittering on spider legs and the shifting form of the schematics clicks for a second but it so dizzyingly complicated that M-44-7 can barely conceive of building it. Sul Khatesh for the first time speaks and says a single word "Decide"

[myeberrontopathfinderconversion]

The Ten

Every Dungeon Master and player needs to know and remember these facts about the world of Eberron.

1. This is a reimagining of Eberron. Originally a D&D 3.5 campaign. Many things do not directly translate to Pathfinder. A monster or spell or magic item from the core rulebooks might feature a twist or two to account for Eberron’s tone and attitude, but otherwise most everything in the Pathfinder core rule books has a place somewhere in Eberron.

2. Tone and attitude. The campaign combines traditional medieval fantasy with swashbuckling action and dark adventure. Alignments are relative gauges of a character or creature’s viewpoint, and not absolute barometers of affiliation and action; nothing is exactly as it seems. Alignments are blurred, so that it’s possible to encounter an evil silver dragon or a good vampire. Traditionally good aligned creatures may wind up opposed to the heroes, while well-known agents of evil might provide assistance when least expected. To help capture the cinematic nature of the swordplay and spellcasting. The hero point option has been added to the rules mix. This spendable, limited resource allows players to alter the outcome of dramatic situations and have their characters accomplish the seemingly impossible.

3. A world of magic. The setting supposes a world that developed not through the advance of science, but by the mastery of arcane magic. This concept allows for certain conveniences unimagined in other medieval timeframes. The binding and harnessing of elemental creatures makes airships and rail transport possible. A working class of minor mages use spells to provide energy and other necessities in towns and cities. Advances in magic item creation have led to everything from self-propelled farming implements to sentient, free-willed constructs.

4. A world of adventure. From the steaming jungles of Aerenal to the colossal ruins of Xen’drik, from the towering keeps of Sharn to the blasted hills and valleys of the Demon Wastes, Eberron is a world of action and adventure. Adventures can and should draw heroes from one exotic location to another across nations, continents, and the entire world. The quest for the Mirror of the Seventh Moon may take the heroes from a hidden desert shrine to a ruined castle in the Shadow Marches and finally to a dungeon deep below the Library of Korranberg. Through the use of magical transportation, heroes can reach a wider range of environments over the course of an adventure, and thus deal with a diverse assortment of monsters and challenges.

5. The Last War has “ended” sort of. The Last War, which plunged the continent of Khorvaire into civil war more than a century ago, ended with the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold and the establishment of twelve recognized nations occupying what was once the kingdom of Galifar. At least overtly, the peace has held for almost two years as the campaign begins. The conflicts, the anger, and the pain of the long war remain, however, and the new nations seek every advantage as they prepare for the inevitable next war that will eventually break out on the continent.

6. The Five Nations. The human-dominated civilizations on the continent of Khorvaire trace a lineage to the ancient kingdom of Galifar, which was made up of five distinct regions, or nations. These were Aundair, Breland, Cyre, Karrnath, and Thrane. Four of these survive to the present day as independent countries; Cyre was destroyed before the start of the campaign. The devastated territory it once occupied is now known as the Mournland. A common epithet among the people of Khorvaire is “By the Five Nations” or some version thereof. The Five Nations refers to the ancient kingdom of Galifar and harkens back to a legendary time of peace and prosperity.

7. A world of intrigue. The war is over, and the nations of Khorvaire now try to build a new age of peace and prosperity. Ancient threats linger, however, and the world desperately needs heroes to take up the cause. Nations compete on many levels, economic, political influence, territory, magical power, each looking to maintain or improve its current status by any means short of all-out war. Espionage and sabotage services create big business in certain circles. The dragonmarked houses, churches both pure and corrupt, crime lords, monster gangs, psionic spies, arcane universities, royal orders of knights and wizards, secret societies, sinister masterminds, dragons, and a multitude of organizations and factions jockey for position in the afterglow of the Last War. Eberron teems with conflict and intrigue.

8. Dragonmark dynasties. The great dragonmarked families are the barons of industry and commerce throughout Khorvaire and beyond. Their influence transcends political boundaries, and they remained mostly neutral during the Last War. While not technically citizens of any nation, the matriarchs and patriarchs of each house live in splendor within their enclaves and emporiums located throughout Khorvaire. These dynastic houses of commerce derive their power from the dragonmarks—unique, hereditary arcane sigils that manifest on certain individuals within the family, granting them limited but very useful magical abilities associated with the trade guilds the family controls.

9. Dragonshards. Ancient legends and creation myths describe Eberron as a world in three parts: the ring above, the subterranean realm below, and the land between. Each of these world sections is tied to a great dragon of legend, Siberys, Khyber, and Eberron. Each section of the world produces stones and crystals imbued with arcane powered dragonshards. With dragonshards, dragonmarks can be made more powerful, elementals can be controlled and harnessed, and magic items of all sorts can be crafted and shaped. These shards are the main component in most magic items. They are the reason magic has become industrialized.

10. Races played. New races. In addition to the common races (and some featured races), players can choose to play changelings, kalashtar, shifters, and warforged in Eberron. Changelings are a race that evolved from the crossing of doppelgangers and humans, giving them minor shapechanging abilities. Kalashtar are planar entities merged with human hosts and are responsible for introducing psionics to the world. Shifters developed from the mixing of humans and lycanthropes, a union that grants them limited bestial abilities and feral instincts. The warforged are sentient constructs created during the Last War who developed free will and a desire to improve their position in the world.

[aftaabmagazine]

Reminiscences of Afghanistan

By Chuck Burress

From the July - September 1997 issue of Afghan Magazine | Lemar - Aftaab

[caption: “Closer view of Shahzada Hussain graveyard” Bost, Helmand Afghanistan photo (used with permission) by Mohammad Omar Lemar ]

The Government of Afghanistan initiated the development of the Helmand Valley in 1946 by hiring the American engineering firm Morrison-Knudsen, the same firm that had built the Hoover Dam and the San Francisco Bay Bridge. American engineers and their families settled in Helmand and established their own  "Little America" town in Lashkar Gah. Chuck Burress was 14 when he arrived in 1967. He tells his story of a tranquil Afghanistan, where travel and life are much different from today.

I was 14 years old when I arrived in Afghanistan in 1967 to live with my father for a year in the remote southwest city of Lashkargah. He was working there as an engineer for USAID on a project to develop irrigation in the Helmand River Valley and Shamalan. We arrived in Kabul by jet from Teheran, Iran, and I can still recall the beauty of the high mountain peaks covered in snow when we landed at Kabul Airport.

Our village was known as Bost in 1967, but the name officially changed to Lashkargah within the year. I am told the word means "gathering place of the soldiers."

One of my favorite hobbies as a young teenager was to explore the centuries-old ruins of forts and buildings near the village. The Qala Bost fort was a popular place for Western archeologists to work. I found old coins and pottery shards while digging around there and still have them today.

Southwestern Afghanistan is much like the dry, hot, dusty state of Arizona in the U.S. I arrived there in the summer and only remembered that it was H-O-T! Once we were driving on a remote road to Kandahar and had a flat tire.

A friendly young camel herder was curious enough to come close to our car while we worked on the tire and was amazed when someone opened the door, and the air conditioning could be felt blowing! That was probably the only time that nomad ever experienced air conditioning in his life while living in the desert!

I spent most of my summer in the Lashkargah swimming pool. A man named Saffi was governor of Helmand province then, and his little boys spent a lot of time at the pool too. I couldn't remember one of their names and always called him "Little Saffi," which always made him giggle. Our family became friends with many of the local Afghan professionals, many of them Western educated. I can only wonder today what became of those people after the Soviet invasion.

My favorite Afghan food was the nan (bread), which we bought hot out of the oven. It was wonderful. The best nan in the country was at Girishk, a village not far north of Lashkargah. We would eat it there on our trips up to the Kajakai hydroelectric power dam. Summer was beautiful because of all the wonderful local fruits sold in the bazaar -- superb melons and grapes.

I spent the 1967-68 school year in Kabul in the ninth grade at the American International School of Kabul. The school served the children of diplomats and of people working in the country on foreign aid projects. I lived with about a dozen high school students in the school's hostel (dormitory) in the Kote Sangi area of western Kabul. Often I would ride downtown on the crowded local buses or rent a gawdi (carriage horse) to take me. Occasionally we would see the black limousine of King Zahir Shah driving by on the streets of Kabul.

Compounds or high walls surrounded most houses in Kabul. The lifestyle was more relaxed in Lashkargah where we lived in a row of homes occupied by Americans -- no walls around them -- on a high embankment overlooking the Helmand River. The village mosque was directly across the street, and several times each day we would see the mullah climb up in the minaret and shout "Allah Akbar!" (God is Great).

I made frequent weekend trips home from Kabul by flying a D-3 airplane operated by Ariana Afghan Airlines. An Ariana pilot named Gulam Habeeb Merkheel became a friend of mine, and he always invited me to ride up front in the cockpit.

The Russians kept a low profile in Kabul when we lived there. Of course, that was to change within a few years later. One night a van load of teenagers from the American school in Kabul got the driver to circle the Soviet Embassy while we rolled down the windows and sang "God Bless America" to guards at the embassy gates. We thought it was quite funny.

In Lashkargah, we had a gardener who had to cross a bridge into town each day on his way to work. Once during a cholera outbreak, it was required that shots for cholera prevention be given at certain checkpoints around the country. The checkpoint in Lashkargah was at the bridge, so our gardener, Mr. Daddi-ullah had to get a shot every day for about a week when he crossed the bridge. Poor guy!

The village bazaar was about a half-mile away, and I would ride there each day to look around or buy nan. Thirty years ago I knew enough of the local language to get around quite well, but I don't remember many words today. The Jeshyn (fair) grounds also were near our house, and I was in Lashkargah for Jeshyn in the summer of 1967. Quite a celebration of dancing and music! I can remember that they made and sold vanilla ice cream there, of which I hadn't eaten any since leaving the U.S.

I was fortunate to do much traveling while living in Afghanistan: trips to Herat, Kunduz, down the Khyber Pass to Peshawar. Day trips to places near Kabul, like Istalif and Paghman. Spending a year in Afghanistan was an excellent educational experience that I didn't fully appreciate as a teenager at the time. I often remark that I would like to return there someday for a visit. Going back 30 years later would be interesting. Perhaps the hostilities will end there in my life so that this can happen. I hope to see the sunset beyond the Helmand again.