#Necrotic Gnome

[dmtreasury]

Old School Essentials (Basic Rules) + More by Necrotic Gnome

[guidedbynors]

Guided Adventure: 01: Mischief in WaleGate for Old School Essentials

Mischief in WaleGate is out! Download it as a Pay What You Want title on DrivethruRPG.

Mischief in WaleGate

Welcome to WaleGate a town of Whaling and strange happenings. Here, Whalers harvest Deepdive Whales to carve out Deephearts, a glowing golden crystal within each whale. These Deephearts are magically powerful and can be used for all types of magical doings.

But something strange is going on. Peoples swords have been turned into fish. The Harbord Lodge was robbed but with no sign of entry. Little winged people have been seen at times in the streets--but they are gone before anyone can point them out.

[greenbirdrpgs]

Gaming Update No.1

Over the last few months I've been playing more D&D than ever before, even more than in my teen years. We have two campaigns running in slightly different systems: D&D5e and Old School Essentials.

5e players have adjusted well to the Old School Essentials re-writing of B/X and its different play style. So far we have explored The Jeweler's Sanctum, which is an adventure that accompanied last year's Kickstarter.

It took three sessions to play through it (roughly 3-4 hours each session). Within the first session the adventurers met, picked up the job and started to explore the dungeon. After dealing with some traps that are nicely signposted they started to explore the first few rooms. Now, this is a 1st level adventure and the monsters are generally very weak, but there is one beast in here that, if it is handled badly, will almost certainly kill one adventurer. Guess what? It did. The illusionist dragged a cape that was covered in Yellow Ochre Mold off of a chair and was hit by an explosion of spores. Fortunately, pre-game, I suggested that everyone make two characters, just in case this kind of thing occurred.

How to introduce a new character. With a 15 minute aside, a bold dwarf had found the sign asking for adventurers, talked to the gentleman who had the job, and started on their way into the dungeon. What a coincidence that this occurred shortly after the Illusionist choked to death... very handy for all concerned.

However, then they were attacked by centipedes, whose bite renders an adventurer stricken with poison for up to ten days. Utterly brutal. A little DM work around here, a Goblin Shaman in a nearby market was able to provide a cure for this, but at a price. This proved to be an invaluable contact later on, when most of the party were poisoned by randomly encountered centipedes.

The game was a success though. After three sessions they had found most of the loot and explored the entire place, although they didn't manage to figure out the story behind the random noises.

They also developed a healthy respect for giant centipedes. As a reward they were provided with a large tome, which had a treasure map tucked inside. They took the bait and traveled to the place depicted, a sullen forgotten hamlet. Once part of a wealthy estate, now decrepit and bereft of economy. In a field behind the ruins of a manor house, stood a pyramid tomb - the folly of Tun the Younger.

Here treasure lay, somewhere beneath this strange building. They prised open the door and found a large sarcophagus. Lifting the lid revealed a descending staircase.

Now, after their last adventure, they got wise and bought themselves a large variety of adventuring tools, including a 10ft pole. With a new sense of caution, they explored the rooms below, falling foul of both traps and then having a brutal fight with four skeleton guardians. Woe befell them, as the cleric suffered a mortal wound on the first round of combat, just before he was going to use his Turn Undead ability.

The group decided to re-seal the tomb and flee back to town to lick their wounds and find new allies.

[dankdungeonsrpg]

Synthesizer Nostalgia

Recently...

NAMM (the National Association of Musician Merchants) happened. It's a trade show for instruments that gets all sorts of YouTube coverage, particularly by channels interested in synthesizers.

This year something that I think is very very cool was shown... The Behringer BX1

This thing is amazing!

It's a recreation of Yamaha's 1983 DX1 instrument, which is legendary.

For starters it was the first FM Synthesizer, the first (I think) form of digital synthesis. The DX1 was also a beast, it effectively stacked two powerful synths on top of each other, allowing for layered, more complex sounds. A feature that didn't become standard until the '90s. It also had a key bed with polyphonic aftertouch, a feature not event standard today! (but we are starting to see more instruments with it in the last few years) Oh, and it was $14k ($45k adjusted for inflation).

Yamaha put out an excellent video about it if you want to hear it/know more:

Another notable thing about the DX1: only 140 were ever made.

The Sound of the '80s

Okay so the DX1 was kind of unobtainable, but its smaller (relatively) brother the DX7 was not. While it didn't have any of those rad features I mentioned, and was wildly difficult to program, the DX7 was still a first wave FM synth. It could do all sorts of things synths couldn't do before.

This became...a very big deal. It basically defined the music of an entire decade:

But There's More!

Did I say the Behringer BX1 was a clone of the Yamaha DX1? Well it's not just that. It's actually more than that!

See, the one big downside of digital synths is they tend to sound...cold. It's hard to describe, but their predecessors, analog synths, have a much warmer sound. I don't want to dwell on this because it's a lot but one way manufacturers can make a digital synth sound warmer is by using some analog components in it, particularly the filter.

Behringer knows this and decided to make their BX1 with analog filters, and not just any old analog filters, but the chips Yamaha used on their other legendary/expensive/small production synth: the CS80:

The instrument that scored Blade Runner.

Wait...Isn't This An RPG Blog?

Well that's just it, when I saw/read about/heard this thing I got the same feeling I had when I saw the Dolmenwood kickstarter.

Retro TTRPG people and retro synth people have a similar need. They both want to harken back to a distant time (the 70s/80s) and to tinker with the devices that produced these feelings.

One uses dice and mechanics to experience a kind of gameplay. The other uses filters and DCOs to experience a kind of music.

WotC becomes Roland Necrotic Gnome becomes Dreadbox B/X (as a system) becomes FM Synthesis The Moldvay Box Set becomes the DX7 Suddenly the Volca FM is an OSR darling retro clone.

okay so maybe it would make more sense to compare B/X to an analogue subtractive synthesis method instead of a digital additive one, but whatever

Dolmenwood is a recreation of an excellent old system with a lot of new features and ideas. The Behringer BX1 is a recreation of an excellent old synth with a lot of new features and ideas.

Bringing Back The Old School

These days the OSR is not only releasing new modules/systems/supplements, but importantly, its making them more accessible than ever.

OSE is a perfect example. It's a rewrite, but what a rewrite! It is so much easier to learn B/X with OSE than with the original books. Similarly, most (though certainly not all) classic modules don't hold a candle to the adventures coming out right now.

Accessibility is a big thing in the synth community as well.

Although in matters of pricing...we are talking about electronic instruments vs books, so bear that in mind.

An original DX1 goes for over $150k, but that BX1 clone? Probably going to cost $1,200. Behringer is also known for its Deepmind 12 synth, a $800 (sort of) clone of the '80s analog powerhouse known as the Juno 106.

Important to point out that many people go the virtual route for their classic synth clones as well. Software can (pretty accurately) emulate almost any vintage synth (and certainly any digital one). These can cost over $100 but that's still a total bargain.

Plus, you're looking at way more features on these modern units, not to mention software programmers. Creating sounds on these modern devices is way easier than their vintage counterparts...kind of like how OSE is way easier to grok than B/X.

Also, like the OSR, there isn't only one company making retro clone synths. Many companies (even the WotC equivalents) are making little retro affordable instruments. Others are taking old ideas and using them to inspire new products. Again, not unlike the OSR, NSR, or indie ttrpg sphere in general.

From both the OSR and the synth community the thing I always hear is: "this is the best time to be part of this hobby" and I think that's just great!

More Alike Than We'd Like

Worth noting as well that just like the RPG community, the synth community has drama.

Behringer particularly has come under scrutiny for creating clones of modern devices produced by other companies. While I don't feel informed enough on the situation to speak on it, there are been just as many YouTube videos and blog posts on the topic as any OSR kerfuffle.

The Future/The Past

Maybe I'm just a nostalgic kinda guy but I'm so excited to get my hands on more vintage inspired synths and more vintage inspired games. They can teach us that old ideas still have value and can benefit from modernization.

But before I do any of that...I think I have a line on a cheap Laserdisc player and some giant disk copies of the first two Bill & Ted movies...

[juddgeeksout]

What is Inspiration Goat precariously balanced upon?

As heard on the Daydreaming about Dragons podcast, the Inspiration Goat helps me process media and take parts that are useful for the gaming table. This isn’t about the hottest new thing or the crowdfunding with the biggest payday; it is just a few geeky things that are inspiring me. It might be weekly; it might be monthly. It all depends on how fast the inspiration goat chews on media and who…

[inonibird]

That time the druid bought presents for the rest of our party and decided to give my death cleric flowers.

[hifi-walkman]

huh, must have misread the price-listing and thought print on demand was the digital price. Yeah definitely just get the B/X rules.

And I would guess the 5e person based it on Marcille's available spells and spell power and its equivalent in 5e. But aside from just the base Idea of race as class from B/X as justification for it being more like those rules in terms of the structure of its world: Chillichuk uses a bow, and specifies that being a half-foot makes him naturally better at it, Senshi is a vaguely competent fighter who's most useful trait is navigation, trap detection, and general comfort underground and in the dungeon, and even through Marcille is all in on using magic, they explicityl call out falin as the group's "Magic User" (literally namedropping the class name), with marcille just being "an elf". Though, it's got a bit of OD&D nonsense going on with some NPCs clearly being of race/class combos, but none of the main cast (including like, Kabru's party) who would represent "player characters" have anything like that. lots of "There are Dwarf Clerics, but only NPCs" happening.

"it's a DM issue" is a very silly defence of the limitations of D&D when it comes to genre, not only because it puts a lot of extra pressure on the DM to bend the game into a format that the players will find more acceptable (with little consideration made as to whether the experience provided by the game as written might actually have merit), but also because "choosing to run a conventional heroic fantasy narrative in the dungeon crawler engine" is also very much a DM issue

[nottragic-stilltoothsome]

Everything I found in Szarr's palace, for all your fanfiction-writting needs. I haven't found any other post like this one, so i hope i m not copying anyone. Posting it here, because editing the official wiki feels intimidating. Feel welcome to add anything I missed.

Astarion's siblings (the other spawn):

Petras - one of the two you meet in the Flophouse.

Dalyria - the other one from the two you meet in the flophouse. Her diary can be found in the "guest room". Before Cazador turned her, she was a doctor, a "Physician General to the Parliament of Baldur's Gate". She thinks vampirism is a disease and plans on curing herself of it by drinking blood of someone young and healthy - other spawn's daughter, Victoria.

Leon Onufrio - before Cazador turned him, Leon was a sorcerer. He is the one whose daughter's (Victoria's) body is found, cursed, in the room where with the Kozakuran dictionary.

Leon put a protective counter-curse on her, to discourage other spawns from attacking her. Despite his efforts, Dalyria bit her, hoping it'd cure her vampirism. Needless to say, it didn't and Victoria died @easterlingwanderer found out that if you use "speak with the dead" on the body, it turns out that it was a random urchin and Leon did get Victoria out of the city on time. After removing the curse inflicting you with necrotic demage, you can loot a letter of her body from her father instructing Victoria to read said dictionary, so she can freely move around the castle.

In the favoured spawn room, you can learn that Leon was the one usualy occupying it (along with his daughter). His diary reveals that he put extra effort to be Cazador's best hunter, so he can keep Victoria away from others and that he came up with a plan with Figaro to disguise and sneak Victoria out of the palace.

He also notes that he doesnt like the way Violet looks at Victoria and Cazador's wicked smile, when Leon asked him what his master was planning to do with his daughter.

Violet - you can find her Diary in the Dormitory of Spawn. She notes that she put garlic in Yousen bed as a prank.

Aurelia - a tiefling

Yousen - @neophytepagan noticed he is a gnome

Other:

The chamberlain of Cazador was Antwun Dufay. In his diary, which can be found under his bed in his room after a successful passive perception check, it says that he had a lover Lurianna (a werewolf, who can be found dead by walking through fake north wall of chamberlain's office, or through another fake wall in Chamberlain's private room). He knew about Cazador's Black Mass enough to fake his death in order to avoid the threat of taking Astarion's place. Unfortunately for him, it seems he confused the actual death potion and fake death potion, and really died. His lover drank the other potion, which melted her guts. The actual fake-death elixir can be found in his desk, which puts the player in 10-turn coma. He ordered the elixir from Bonecloaks', where he also ordered most of the things the palace needed to function (like bloodstain remover, candles and food for "guests").

Godey - Cazador's right hand. Astarion says that while Cazador was the master of the palace, the kennels (the room where the spawn d be tortured, when they did something Cazador didnt approve of) was the domain of Godey. Godey tortured the spawn when Cazador didnt feel like it. Cazador trusted Godey with the key to the sealed ballroom for the duration of the ritual.

Through the palace, fanatic-servants cleaning the palace: Syrin - human, Greenfern - wood half-elf, Vilhelm - human, Varderola - also human. All of them are servants, who Astarion said are devoted to Cazador and came to the palace of their own will, beggining Cazador to turn them into vampires. Vilhelm is most noteable, as you can talk to him and he asks Astarion why isn't he downstairs, that he is late and the ballroom is already locked. If pressed, he informs that Godey has a key and that the Cazador is going to punish Astarion for missing the ritual (and from his expression, he seems to quite like the thought).

Chamberlain Dufay wrote a blooddonnors ledger, instructing the Spawn to favourite the lower class as prey, as too many missing patriars may drow too much attention.

The language Cazador uses is Kozakuran, from a distant land of Kara-Tur. Astarion notes that they were strictly forbidden from learning it. From Cazador's Journal you can learn that Astarion was not an unreliable narrator when he said Cazador liked torturing him the most: Cazador paid the most attention to him in the journal.

In the favoured spawn room, there is a ledger with the list of spawns who have been favoured (its only Leon and one time Violet).

Amanita Szarr - on her 13th birthsday, invited by her Uncle Cazador. She was invited to the ballroom. She became a vampire, but was not happy about it. She rejected her family name Szarr and named herself Lady Incognita. She claims she stays in the attic and writes stories. One of the books written by her can be found on Cazador's desk.

Mrel Alkam - vampire mastress from Athkatla that Cazador wrote a letter to.

[rpgsandbox]

The 10 Most Anticipated TTRPGs For 2025!

EN World’s annual vote on the most anticipated titles of the coming year, and yes, some games have appeared on this list in previous years.

10) Starfinder 2E (Paizo Publishing) The Starfinder Playtest Rulebook brings Starfinder into a new age of compatibility, as Starfinder switches to using the same rules engine that powers the popular Second Edition of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Inside this playtest for the new edition, you’ll find six new classes, 10 ancestries, new skills, new feats, futuristic equipment including augmentations and upgrades, new science-fantasy spells, and more!

9) Alien - Evolved Edition (Free League) Expanded and updated core rules and a new cinematic scenario for the award-winning RPG from Free League and 20th Century Studios. Based upon feedback from thousands of players over five years of adventures, the Evolved Edition of the Core Rulebook delivers an updated and streamlined version of the ALIEN RPG fans know and love, along with additional new artwork, new content, and a variety of new tools for players and Game Mothers alike, all fully compatible with previous releases and game material.

8) 13th Age 2nd Edition (Pelgrane Press) A New Edition of the Award-Winning Heroic Fantasy Game! The coolest and most fun parts of traditional d20-rolling fantasy gaming plus story-focused rules, now with updated class and kin powers, fearsome new abilities for your favorite monsters, and revamped icon connection mechanics!

13th Age 2E has been in this chart three years running! In both 2023 and 2024 it came 3rd in the poll!

7) Coriolis: The Great Dark (Free League) Free League's original sci-fi RPG returns. Join expeditions to faraway stars and delve deep into ancient ruins.

6) Dolmenwood (Necrotic Gnome) Dolmenwood is a fantasy adventure game set in a lavishly detailed world inspired by the fairy tales and eerie folklore of the British Isles. Like traditional fairy tales, Dolmenwood blends the dark and whimsical, the wondrous and weird.

This is Dolmenwood's second appearance in this chart, coming in at #5 last year!

5) Terry Pratchett's Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork (Modiphius) Adventures in Ankh-Morpork, the Discworld tabletop roleplaying game, catapults you onto the streets of the Big Wahoonie, and once you've dusted yourself off you can adventure to your heart's content. With imagination and some shiny math rocks at your fingertips, your story on the Disc awaits. Based on the popular Discworld fantasy series by Sir Terry Pratchett, Adventures in Ankh-Morpork is an officially licensed tabletop roleplaying game set in its most recognisable city, complete with Sir Terry's iconic wit, humour, and humanistic satire.

4) Draw Steel (MCDM) A Fantasy RPG where your character starts, at level 1, already a hero. Maybe even locally famous! You might meet in a tavern, or start in the middle of the action! Whether you’re a group of local heroes sent to investigate mysterious goings-on in the nearby haunted wood, or famous mercenaries plotting and scheming in the big city, the MCDM RPG makes building adventures and fighting monsters fun. Basically, any adventure or story you’re running in your current Fantasy RPG, you can do that in this game. Just, in a more straightforward and fun way, unburdened by sacred cows from the 1970s.

3) Daggerheart (Darrington Press) Daggerheart is a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game of brave heroics and vibrant worlds that are built together with your gaming group. Create a shared story with your adventuring party, and shape your world through rich, long-term campaign play.

2) Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere (Brotherwise Games) The Cosmere® RPG is a "living" RPG that will grow as Brandon Sanderson writes new novels and expands his universe. This original system is designed to tell standalone stories in the Stormlight™ or Mistborn® Settings -- or sweeping Worldhopper™ campaigns that move between different worlds and realms!

1) Legend in the Mist (Son of Oak) A rustic fantasy tabletop RPG based on the acclaimed City of Mist. Spin a fireside tale of unlikely villagers setting out on a quest into a greater unknown world, rife with peril and mystery, in the vein of The Lord of the Rings, The Wheel of Time, Princess Mononoke, and many other classic fantasy stories, or create your own legendary realms with the game’s open-ended system.

[tkilian]

Some of my earlier Dolmenwood monster entries. I believe these are the barrowbogey, boggin, madtom, and scrabey.

(Dolmenwood Monster Book, Necrotic Gnome)

[primarilymedievalish]

I LOVE YOUR FIC, THIS IS NOT THE END. I left like, 3 comments (I was the one who was talking about the fact the last gnome arc was a happy/angsty accident on shubbles part, what if shrub had more to lose, ect.)

Anyway you said you had more headcannons about the corruption. *plops down on floor in crisscross-applesauce position*

…can you tell me about them?

:3

I thought it was you! Hello hello! :D

Boy, do I ever. Thank you so much for asking! Let me gather my references. (I have so many headcanons. I hope you are ready, because I am about to talk a lot.)

So, to begin with, corruption as I see it is a parasite. Its purpose is to consume and to spread. I was very inspired by some real world fungal and bacterial parasites, especially fireblight, various cankers and rots, and the myriad fungal infections that effectively consume and insects body and control their movements to spread their own spores (there are a lot of these; unfortunately, I don’t have my references for which species I was most inspired for with me at the moment, so please do not cite me in a paper or anything). Fireblight, in particular, inspired a lot of my descriptions of corruption in the gnomes: I described the corruption affecting Mr. Oakgall as “…something reddish in his glare, and his veins were bruised, and his skin looked dull and water-soaked, like blighted hawthorn flowers.” 

Fireblight is a bacterial infection that affects the rose family of plants, especially apples and pears. It heavily inspired my corruption worldbuilding, because it:

Spreads through damage, but also through stomata (natural openings)

Depends on environmental conditions like temperature/water (it spreads in the warm seasons, and severe storms can give it the opportunity to spread)

Overwinters in cankers

Forms black necrotic lesions 

Gives a ‘water-soaked’ appearance followed by black and shriveled tissues

Spreads through a bacterial ooze leaking from the lesions

Can be prevented, but nowhere near perfectly

Spreads rapidly and can quickly decimate an entire orchard

As of my knowledge, has no effective cure except cutting off the affected limb

This, to me, screams corruption.

I was also very inspired by those fungal parasites that infect insects, because something that eats away up to 40% of a host’s body mass before flying them around while the host is actively dissolving and spilling spores everywhere also feels appropriate to these themes of corruption and consumption. Also, mycelial networks in general, because I like symmetry, and having the thing that decimates the gnomes do so while almost imitating that which matters most to them is the kind of horrible mockery of a mirror that I love.

So, corruption in living beings will often reflect these parasites: cankers and galls and ooze, until the being in question is all but completely devoured; dead by all rights, but stil moving around at a host’s bequest, until it runs out of use. I imagine black and red traceries along the circulatory system and above lymph nodes, and lesions and protective lumps as with fireblight, and as extreme by mass as the infected insects above. Both body and soul can be consumed, and usually go together. While your body is turned against you, so is your mind. In the end, nothing is left that is capable of sustaining life. It’s a slow, horrible death. Trying to treat it is ineffective; trying to remove it will often kill the host.

However, unlike all of these real world inspirations, corruption is inherently magical. It isn’t limited to a single host organism or substrate, unlike these real parasites. Any physical form it takes is derived from the things it consumes, and what it loves to consume best is magic and magic’s close counterpart: life force, or souls. Anima, if you will. That which animates. Corruption exists to devour, and it takes the qualities of the things it eats. Not, however, unchanged. But a wall devoured is still a wall, although squishy and red and wet and not at all structurally sound. A tendon devoured still acts like a tendon. A person devoured still wears their face and speaks with a voice just enough like their own to be recognized.

Demons are corruption personified. If a person is passively consumed, that’s one thing. If they are actively consumed, like we see in canon with Sausage, that is how new demons are made. I wrote a little about that in this post, but basically that’s how I imagine the Bratwurst situation: Sausage was all but fully devoured by Xornoth’s corruption, and since the corruption ate him, it took his form and was capable of sustaining itself after Sausage’s death. Sausage, meanwhile, is absent the devoured parts of his body and soul. (I have a lot of thoughts about this, and a fic that touches on it, but for the sake of keeping this post somewhat shorter than a novel, I will abstain from going into further detail.) Xornoth was an elf, once, before being fully consumed before the story even began, almost beyond the point of recognition. Joey, however, was for the most part corrupted passively and externally, with the help of the crown: as Xornoth said once, why bother corrupting him when he was already on his side? So while attempting to remove the corruption from Sausage and Xornoth would kill them, Joey is absent most of these aftereffects. Once the crown was removed, he was more or less back to normal. (More or less.) Gem’s corruption, too, was superficial: sometimes fireblight can be killed with antibiotics before it has a chance to really enter the host, just as the anti-corruption potion could remove the corruption that latched onto the ‘bruise’ left by Scott’s curse before anything could really go wrong.

People aren’t the only thing that can get corrupted, of course; anything can be eaten away, especially if it is/was once alive or contains large quantities of magic. Shrub’s people were doubly doomed.

Whole ecosystems can be decimated in weeks. Cities can starve. Rivers can go red and turgid and poisoned, reeking from rotting plants and dead fish. Buildings crumble; roads give way. And everything that falls can be used by the demon to build a mockery of it somewhere else.

Corruption can be removed, though with difficulty. Because it combines its own inherent magic with the magical and physical properties it obtains from what it eats, to eradicate it, one must use both magical and physical removal techniques. This is why neither Katherine’s potions nor most actual removal sticks in canon. It’s just not enough. Like fireblight, or mold, it will just come back.

All of this corrupting, of course, feeds the corruption, and therefore the demon the corruption is attached to. Which strengthens the demon, allowing them to spread more corruption, further strengthening themselves and the system… I think you get the idea.

Skulk corruption, like we see in season two, is similar, but without a single head like a demon. More like a fungal network or a slime mold, in that sense.

Also, corruption is squishy, and smells like rotten blood, and is basic like lye. It can give you a chemical burn if you touch it for too long, and then you’ll probably get corrupted if you don’t wash the site very promptly and thoroughly, and ideally use one of Katherine’s potions to keep it clean. I describe it with as many rot and mold and viscerally horrible words as I can, because it’s a very visceral type of awfulness. It finds the heart of you, and consumes it, until there’s nothing left of you that can exist apart from it.

I think that’s the overview? I’m crossing my fingers that any of that makes sense. I hope you enjoyed!! :D

TLDR: you are what you eat. And ecologically-inspired horror is fun.

[guidedbynors]

StartPlaying Isle of Ixx, Old School TTRPG

Hey all if you like small press ttrpgs, this evening I will be running Isle of Ixx, a rules lite, fast paced, TTRPG. We still have 2 spots open, and it’s not too late to join.  @indiepressrevolution

Check it out here.

[its-jaytothemee]

Until I Met You - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Forged in Fire

Pairings: Halsin x Tav

Word count: 4,709

Rating: Currently M, will be Explicit in later chapters.

Read on AO3

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Summary: Our heroes make one last trip into Grymforge to find the adamantine forge. Karlach and Halsin stay behind to make sure her engine doesn't overheat again. Part 19 of the slow burn fic. Tav and Halsin POVs.

Tags: Slow burn, mutual pining, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt/comfort, fluff, eventual love confessions, eventual smut, angst, implied past rape/non-con and abuse, graphic description of injuries, brief suicidal thoughts.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Astarion since he insisted on stepping in the lava CONSTANTLY during this playthrough. One more chapter to go before we move to act 2 and it will be up shortly! Thanks so much for continuing to read and for the fun comments, I've really enjoyed reading through them!

Wandering around Grymforge again brought back too many memories. The Sharran armor and weapons, the details of captured Harpers. Many of the journals and notes she found detailed the torture of her former allies, bringing her hatred of the wicked goddess to a simmer in the back of her mind. Records of those imprisoned here crept into her mind throughout the day. She and Shadowheart had been even more tense than usual during their time here.

Nymla Gharis, half-elf, Harper captain. Refuses to give up the location of their leader. But we will break her.

Tav shuffled around in a hazy stupor, it was as if she could hear the screams still echoing off these tainted walls. She could hear the sharp snap of whips, the subtle tearing of flesh with knives and saws, the crack of bone under heavy blows. How many of her allies had met their terrible end here?

Wood elf, male, low ranking. Likely has little information of worth to share. Will continue questioning.

Shadowheart was flourishing, feeling close to her dark and twisted goddess, excited at the prospect of learning more about the Dark Justiciars that fell here. She took every opportunity to stop and offer quick prayers to Shar. And now, she even wore the armor of a Dark Justiciar. They had found one set that was still intact among the fallen and Shadowheart cleaned it up to replace her basic chainmail. The armor looked exactly as she remembered it all those years ago when her arrows were finding the weak spots at the neck, just beneath the arm, the inner thigh…

“Tav?” Gale whispered. “Are you alright?”

She realized she had started crying, and her face must have been bright red judging by the heat she felt rising under her skin.

“Hm? Oh, yes. I’m fine.” She wiped the tears from her eyes and forced her attention back to the task at hand. Or at least she tried. Every soft clink of Shadowheart’s new armor kept threatening to drag the memories back.

Tav saw her loathing mirrored in Halsin at camp. The two elves made a point not to sit too close to Shadowheart around the fire. Lunari helped with that, given her fear of wolves.

Human, cleric of Selûne, missing one finger, stinks of silver moon magic. Will remove more digits to draw information. Punishment should be severe and excruciating for her choice in worship.

Their party had combed through the stronghold, hoping to find a working moonlantern and a path to the adamantine forge. They had already fought off a couple more duergar slavers that were whipping a group of deep Rothé senseless, a group of acid oozes, and they talked a gnome down from martyrdom to leave them all blessedly unexploded. But still no moonlantern.

She continued leading her group through the dark hall, the bodies from their previous encounters left a burning, necrotic stench in the air. The noxious fumes made her stomach churn as she hurried past the worst of them. They stumbled upon more skeletons strewn about the ground, once again dressed in armor bearing Shar’s symbol.

“Well, hello!” Astarion shoved part of the armor aside, revealing a mold for some type of armor. “Another mold for the forge.”

“Let’s bring it along and we’ll see what we can make.” Tav held her bag open for him to stash it away. They had already gathered several other molds for various weapons and armor.

Just past the chamber where they faced Nere, she spotted another overlook that they had missed before. At the top sat a small stone slab with three different levers.

“Hmm, it would probably be best if we don’t start pulling random levers until we’re sure of their purpose.” Gale had one hand rubbing his chin as he lost himself in his thoughts.

“According to the notes we found on the drow, the forge should be just up ahead.” Tav looked ahead over the river of lava flowing beneath them.

“Yes, but how to traverse this crevasse?” Gale took a few steps back to take in more of their surroundings. His fingers stroked his beard as he considered their options.

“Look up there.” Shadowheart pointed to a few platforms suspended above them. “The tracks appear to run across the entire chamber. If we can figure out how they move, we may be able to cross safely.”

“Hmm…” Gale looked at the platforms, then back to the levers. He reached out and pulled one towards them. In response, one of the metal platforms began to move, the old and rusty wires squeaked across the chamber.

“Aha!” He yelled with a small pump of his fist. “We just need to find out how to get over to that specific platform. There looks like there could be others as well, likely controlled by the other levers here.”

“Or we could just jump.” Lae’zel pointed across the river of lava to the nearby ledge.

“Across the lava?!” Tav’s startled yell echoed off the walls. She peered over the edge at the river of lava far below them.

That’s a long way down.

“Why not? Have Gale hit us with a handy Feather Fall spell, and we should be able to make it over without issue.” Astarion shrugged.

“We’re awfully high up…” Tav countered.

“Yes darling, that’s what the Feather Fall spell is for.” Astarion rolled his eyes. “Can you really tell me you’d rather go higher up to those old, wobbly platforms and cross the lava that way?”

“I guess not.” Tav gulped as her legs started to shake.

“Wizard?” Lae’zel shot Gale a sharp look.

“You know, a simple ‘please’ wouldn’t go unappreciated.” Gale chided her.

“Never.” She crossed her arms in response.

Tav took in a sharp breath as Gale cast the spell. Her body felt almost weightless, as if the lightest breeze could carry her away. Lae’zel made the leap across the chasm first, landing with the graceful poise of a warrior. The others followed not far behind, jumping with ease, and landing as light as a feather for which the spell was named.

Wyll was the only one left with her.

“Come on, Tav. We’ll jump together.” He held his hand out for her with a smile, ever the gentleman.

“Okay, together.” Tav exhaled through clenched teeth.

He gave her a countdown as she said a silent prayer to any god who would listen. She kept a tight grip on his hand as they crouched down together before pushing off the warm stone beneath them. Not two seconds later, they were across the divide and standing with the rest of their friends.

“See? Nothing to worry about.” Wyll let go of her hand, but she grabbed his arm again until she could walk further away from the edge.

“And look! Another one of those molds.” Gale picked up the large metal casting with a grunt. “Seems to be for a sword of some kind.”

“I still think we should go with the armor. Or the shield.” Shadowheart suggested. “We have lots of weapons, but our other gear could use some upgrades for the journey ahead.”

Tav had to admit her logic was sound.

More Sharran armor littered the ground around them. Dark Justiciars struck down in their own dreadful fortress.

Dwarf, male, captured outside of Moonrise Towers, put up a fight. Now his knees have been crushed using the hammer he used to resist.

“First things first, we have to find the ore before we can craft anything.” She reminded them. “It seemed like the drow were convinced they would find some veins near the forge itself.”

They had to fight their way past a small army of magma mephits and enchanted armor to find a meager two chunks of raw mithral ore. Still, it was at least enough for a couple new pieces of equipment.

“Circle up, everyone. Let me take care of some of these burns.” Shadowheart offered. The singed hairs sticking out from her braid matched Tav’s. Familiar soothing waves came over them, taking care of the minor cuts and burns from the past couple of fights.

“Thanks mate.” Wyll patted Shadowheart on the arm.

The heat became more and more insufferable as they descended further into the forge. Lava churned and bubbled on the surface far below the forge – the sight made Tav grateful Karlach had remained in camp today. This chamber was easily three times as hot as the smaller one where they fought Nere.

The stairs that took them below were crumbling, but the adamantine forge itself was as pristine as it could be in a harsh environment such as Grymforge. Like everything else in the fortress, there was a healthy layer of ash and dust, but otherwise it appeared to be in perfect condition.

“I’ll go down and check it out. Let’s see if this forge still works.” Tav pulled out the journal they had found on the dead drow with instructions for operating the machinery.

“Me too. I want to be the first to see this shiny new armor.” Astarion giggled as he hopped onto the massive platform behind her. The others gathered at the edge of the stairs, waiting with bated breath for the forge to be put to use.

“Here, make yourself useful, then.” Tav handed him the journal as she dug through her backpack for the molds.

“Okay let’s see…” Astarion read the words carefully before reciting them back to her.

“Place the mold in that chamber there.” He pointed to a rectangular block of metal a couple steps away.

“Armor or shield first?” Tav asked, holding both up in her arms to display.

“Armor, definitely.” An excited smile tugged at his lips. She held it up to the mold chamber and it slotted in perfectly. “Next, we need the ore, and it goes…yes you’ve got it there.”

Tav placed the ore in the large compartment in the center of the platform. Looking up, it appeared this is where the forge hammer would come down.

“Okay, now the hammer?”

Tav looked around for the lever which was on the other side of the platform from them. She peered over the edge.

“That’s a long way down…” She swallowed hard.

“Oh, come on, Tav,” He waved his hand in the air, “this is so much sturdier than that rickety elevator and you survived that just fine. Not to mention that nice little leap across the river of lava.”

She stuck her tongue out at him before pulling the lever. A booming clang echoed all around them. The platform sank with a slight jolt, drawing a startled yelp from Tav. After the initial drop, it continued its way down in a much slower and smoother motion. Just to be safe, she took a few steps toward the middle.

They landed at the bottom after a short ride with the platform hydraulics giving a soft hiss.

“Is that it?” She asked.

“Give me a moment, I’m reading…” Astarion’s eyes darted across the pages. “Ah! We need to open the valve for lava to flow past the chamber.” They spotted the wheel across the way, Tav assumed that it would open a valve of some kind.

“Wait…” She held out a hand as they reached the wheel, recalling what she had read earlier in the journal. “What about the guardian? The journal mentioned there was something guarding the forge.”

“Well, I don’t see any guardian, do you? Perhaps it was the animated armor we fought before. And that was no small amount of mephits that we dispelled.”

Fair enough.

She took another look around, checking above them for any traps or anything around the valve. As a precaution, she also peered inside the large pipe that would bring the lava to them. It was dark inside, nothing out of the ordinary that she could see.

“I doubt it’ll be an issue. Given the state of the rest of this fortress I don’t see how a guardian could have survived all this time. Besides, what guardian would have let us make it this far?” Astarion gestured toward the valve wheel. “Go on, then! Let’s make us some pretty new armor.” Another eager giggle escaped his lips.

Tav took a deep breath as she turned the valve for the lava. It was surprisingly easy for her to move. She was expecting it to be rusted in place due to its age. The eerie creaking of the wheel rang through the walls of the fortress, now empty except for her and her friends.

Or so she thought.

A low groaning echoed in the large pipe in front of her as metal gears grinded and clicked against each other, waking up after decades of rest. When the giant metal monstrosity emerged from the tunnel, it stood no less than ten feet tall.

“What…the…fuck…” Tav and Astarion cursed at the same time.

A familiar squirming in her head briefly distracted her from the looming construct.

“Tav! What in the hells is going on?” Wyll’s voice soaked into her psyche.

“Something just woke up down here…” She opened her mind further to allow Wyll and the others to see through her eyes.

“By Elminster’s ashen beard…” Gale’s voice drifted into her thoughts next.

“W-Whizbangs?” Astarion stuttered, already taking a step back.

Tav jumped back on the platform just as the guardian slammed down a giant metal foot boasting a couple of metal claws. The force of the movement shook the entire forge. She ran across the raised parts of the platform, jumping across the narrow gaps that now had lava flowing through them. As the construct started stomping after her, she drew her bow and took a shot. It bounced off the metal, the pitiful arrow falling into the lava.

“What the fuck, Tav?! How is an arrow going to pierce metal like that?!” Astarion screamed from behind her, his hands starting to rifle through his bag.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but shooting things with arrows is kind of my thing! I don’t see you trying anything better, you dick!” She snapped back at him as the forge guardian kept its focus locked on her.

Astarion just growled in response as he pulled a small smokepowder bomb out of his pack.

“Why would you want to use a bomb in an area covered with lava? That can’t be a good idea!” Tav shrieked at him, her hands gesturing wildly around her.

“Well, we don’t exactly have a lot of other options, darling! If your arrows can’t pierce it, I doubt these little daggers on my hip will do much better!” He chucked the bomb with a grunt as far as he could across the platform. The explosion was much larger than Tav had anticipated, and it knocked them both to the floor. Luckily, it also seemed to cause the construct to stumble as well. Even so, it made a quick recovery and took another quaking stomp in the lava in front of them. The reverberation from the move knocked their already prone bodies back a few feet.

“We need to split up.” Tav wheezed as she pulled herself back up before helping Astarion to his feet.

“On three?” He asked, she nodded back.

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three.” They said in unison as they dashed in opposite directions around the platform. The construct paused for a moment before following Astarion.

CLANG!

She whipped around to see an object bouncing off the construct’s head before falling into the lava. To her surprise, it looked like it even left a small dent. It turned its attention back to Tav.

“Did we hit it?” Shadowheart’s voice called to her through the tadpole.

“Yes! Do it again, it seemed to hurt it!” Tav responded.

So, we need some serious blunt force to do any damage here.

Of course, the two of them down here with the monster didn’t have hammers or any other kind of bludgeoning weapon.

Think…think…

A pained cry from Astarion interrupted her thoughts. She peered around the guardian to see him lying on the floor, clutching his leg. His foot was horrendously burnt, molten drops fell back into the lava.

“Why would you step into the lava?!” Tav screamed at him.

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” Astarion shrieked as he crawled along the platform. His curses echoed off the metal surroundings.

CLANG!

Another weapon bounced off the construct as Tav narrowly avoided another attack.

“What’s going on down there? Is everything okay?” Wyll’s voice reached out through the tadpoles.

“No! Everything is not okay! Astarion walked into the fucking lava!” She used their shared connection to yell back. The giant construct made a swipe at her which she dodged, but it knocked her off balance and nearly into the lava herself.

“Astarion, lava may just be melted rock but that doesn’t mean you can roam its surface safely!” Gale’s voice glided into her thoughts.

“ISAIDIDIDN’TDOITONPURPOSE!” Astarion’s exasperation could be heard in his psychic shrieking. He was still dragging himself toward the lever that controlled the massive forge hammer.

The hammer.

“Astarion!” Tav shouted over to him. “On my mark, pull the lever and bring that hammer down!”

He looked at her like she had just sprouted an additional head. “Have you lost your mind, Tav?! That thing will grind you to a pulp!”

“Just trust me!” Tav growled.

“What’s happening? I hear more shouting.” Lae’zel’s voice came across her mind.

“I have an idea. I think that giant hammer could crush this thing. I’m going to lure it over and have Astarion bring it down.”

Tav cast a quick Misty Step to get herself on top of the chamber holding the armor casting. The intolerable heat in the middle of the lava pit caused sweat to drench the thin clothes under her armor and make her hands slick. Her other companions continued throwing any weapons they could down to hit the monster from above. Most attacks appeared to barely phase it.

Please gods let this work…

Tav fired another arrow at the forge guardian to get its attention. It turned around to face her and began stomping its way through the lava.

“That’s it you metal fuck…just a little closer…”

After only a few steps, its towering metal frame was looming over her. It took one last step placing it directly beneath the hammer. A giant lava-heated foot came up, ready to crush her.

“Now!” She screamed.

Tav heard a grunt of effort from Astarion as he pulled the lever beside him. The hammer came down with a sickening crunch on the construct. She cried out in pain as the sound threatened to burst her eardrums. The force of the impact caused her to fall over, luckily still laying on the armor chamber.

The guardian of the adamantine forge fell defeated beside her, crumpled up into a mangled ball of metal. As the lava retreated away from the platform, a loud hissing sound came from the chamber where she was laying.

***

Halsin was getting anxious waiting for the others to return. They had been gone for an especially long time today. Scratch, Sniff, and Lunari followed in his footsteps as he paced around the fire.

“It’s okay, Halsin. They always make their way back.” Karlach smiled at him from the rock where she was perched. She had opted to stay in camp today while the others went to look for the adamantine forge.

“Of course they do. I’m just merely nervous for…other reasons.” He shook his head at the response.

Smoothly handled, Halsin.

Karlach snorted. “And what reasons are those, bear man?”

“Just thinking about…” Halsin panicked as he tried to come up with an excuse. After a few moments he just let out a resigned sigh.

“You know, it’s okay to just say you’re worried about her.” She ran a whetstone down the blade of her giant sword.

“Who?” Halsin feigned confusion.

“Ha! You’re so bad at this.” Karlach cackled. “I think it’s sweet.”

“I’m bad at what, exactly?” Halsin stopped pacing for a moment to look back at her.

“This.” She gestured up and down at him with a laugh. “Pretending you don’t care. Pretending you’re not going to run over to Tav the second you see her and heal the two tiny scratches she has on her arms even though Wyll will probably have a broken arm or something.”

“I would never let someone sit around with a broken arm.” Halsin mumbled. Karlach just grinned at him.

“Oh, you big loveable bear.” She shook her head softly while she laughed at him. “You don’t have to worry so much. Tav adores you.”

“A…Adores…” Halsin stuttered a bit, causing more laughter from Karlach. He could feel himself blushing.

“Oh, this is fun. I should stay in camp with you more often.” She had such an infectious laugh.

“Okay you’ve made your point. I’m glad I can at least provide some entertainment.” He took a seat next to her. “Why did you decide to stay here today?”

“Eh, there was quite a bit of lava where they were headed. I figure I’m burning up enough as it is, no need to add any extra heat.” She tried to keep a smile up, but her voice had quieted and was now laced with worry. “And after yesterday…”

Right.

Over the last few days, Karlach had slowed down a bit from when he first met her. Tav said she seemed more sluggish in a fight, and quicker to excuse herself to rest in the evenings. Whatever contraption she had in place of her heart was starting to wear her down.

“Is there nothing that can be done?” He asked quietly.

“Maybe. We’re going to find Dammon in Baldur’s Gate and hope he has something else figured out by then.”

“I hope he does, my friend. If not, I’m sure we’ll find someone who can.” He tried to reassure her, but he had no experience with infernal machinery. To be honest, he wouldn’t even know where to start looking.

“You’re a terrible liar, remember.” Karlach’s sad smile broke his heart. “But I appreciate the optimism anyway.”

“Anytime.” He said, almost patting her on the shoulder and then thinking better of it.

“The hurting isn’t even the worst part.” She continued, pain evident in her voice. “I’ve finally made it out of Avernus after ten years. Ten years of torture and fighting, ten years of absolute loneliness. Now I’m back, and I can’t even shake the hands of my new friends. Gods the things I would do to be able to get a hug.” A few tears sizzled on her cheeks.

The loneliness she felt mirrored his own. It was a feeling that so far, only Tav had been able to break through. Much of his isolation was self-inflicted, but at least he had never lost the option to touch those around him. The thought alone made him shudder.

“Well rest assured that when we fix that contraption up, my arms will be open wide. Dark will be the day that I refuse a hug.” He offered. She smiled back as she wiped the tears away.

“Deal. Step one, fix my engine. Step two, giant bear hug.”

Giant bear hug. I like the sound of that.

“So, tell me,” Karlach continued, “what is it that’s holding you back?”

“The fire coming out of your skin, I’d say.” He reached over to pet the small line of animals that had been following him all day.

Karlach laughed and rolled her eyes at him. “What’s holding you back from Tav?”

“I…I don’t know what you mean.” She was right, he was a terrible liar.

Why do you bother hiding it?

“Ha! You’re blushing like a maid on her wedding night!” Karlach’s cackle echoed all around him.

Halsin just groaned. He didn’t have an answer to give her. Every day he fought his desires, and every day he looked for excuses to be close to Tav without getting close to her.

“I wish I could explain it, Karlach.” He shook his head, almost ashamed to admit it. “She’s lovely, and the first person to come to my aid in many years. I already consider her a dear friend.”

“But?” She prompted, setting her sword down on the ground beside her.

“But there are things that need to be done. Wrongs to right, a world to save.”

“Oh, there’s things that need to be done alright. Take Tav for instance…” Karlach grinned at him.

“Gods, you are tenacious.” Halsin laughed, doing his best to keep his mind from wandering due to Karlach poking his imagination.

“Just…don’t wait too long, yeah? Take it from someone who hasn’t felt a kind touch for ten years. You never know what could happen.”

Wise words. I just wish I could heed them.

“I’ll take that under consideration. Tav’s lucky to have you as a friend, Karlach.” Halsin smiled back at her. “And I hope I can consider you one as well.”

“Of course you can!” She sounded almost offended that he even had to ask.

Before he could say anything else, Scratch and Lunari jumped up from their comfortable position at his feet to trot over toward the edge of camp. The sound of footsteps cut through the sound of the crackling fire. Sniff perked up but seemed content to keep laying at Halsin’s side.

“Oh good, you’re back.” His face lit up as Tav walked back into the camp, her adventuring party trailing in behind her. Karlach let out a quiet, sputtering laugh at his outburst. He walked up to greet her, noticing that she looked a bit different than when she left this morning.

“Do you have new armor?”

“Yep. Fought a lava monster for it.” She said proudly. Singed hairs stuck out in all directions from her braid. Small burns and blisters speckled her neck and hands.

“A lava elemental?” He asked.

“Nope. Lava monster. It was a giant construct guarding the adamantine forge.” Everyone who left with her today looked to be varying shades of burnt. Gale, he noticed, had a new shield as well.

“Well, you certainly have the burns to prove your story.” He teased, earning another proud grin from her.

“Think you can help us out? Shadowheart and I are tapped out of spells for the day. Someone stepped into the lava rather than jumping over it.” She glared back at Astarion who appeared to be missing one of his boots. The bare foot was still badly burnt, he had to lean on Shadowheart’s shoulder for support.

“Of course. Gather close, everyone.” He placed a hand on Tav’s shoulder and muttered an incantation. A couple of waves of healing went out over those around him, eliciting soft groans of relief from each of them. He would have to take extra time with Astarion to heal that foot.

Just to be sure, he did take another quick look at Wyll, checking that he didn’t, in fact, have a broken arm. Everyone seemed to now be unburnt and content as they started making their way to their tents. Tav turned and smiled over her shoulder at him as she strode over to Karlach, Lunari trotting happily beside her. Gale helped Astarion over to a seat by the fire so Halsin could finish healing his burn.

“You know, druid, I happen to know that spell doesn’t require any physical contact.” Shadowheart had snuck up beside him and was smirking. Halsin just grunted in response as she walked away. He didn’t bother teasing her back. Out of all his new companions, he felt the least comfortable around Shadowheart. Her devotion to Shar was a constant reminder of the curse, of what they would have to face in the coming days.

Rather than let himself stew in his hatred for the wicked goddess, he let his eyes wander back to Tav as he made his way over to Astarion. Her soft smile as she began to regale Karlach with the story of their battle soothed him, keeping his chest warm and his mind light. He enjoyed the feeling while he still could, for tomorrow they would take the path to Moonrise Towers, and through the horrible shadows that awaited them there.

[darhak]

More art of Valentin, my gnome bard, with his new outfit because he deserves it

A sketch with the wizard's familiar, a fat racoon

The last image shows his permanent scar caused by a nasty crititcal hit of a necrotic ghost attack that put him unconscious. Anyway I love D&D so much

More drawings of my lil guy here

[youronlybean]

Please,,,, 5e Team Sickos 🥺👉👈

Format: Name - [Subrace] Race, Subclass Class, Background + any relevant feats

Chilled - Human Variant (high Cha. Obviously), College of Whispers Bard, Charlatan with the Silver-Tongued feat

Ze - Tiefling, Drakewarden Ranger, Sage(?)

Shubble - Forest Gnome, Circle of Spores Druid, Hermit

For Chilled I was so torn between Mastermind Rogue and Whispers Bard, since they are both such deception-based classes, but ultimately I thought bard was more true to his goofier side. Charlatan was the obvious choice for his background, and a slight homage to the cardboard shop bit. He also just gives human energy, variant for the higher charisma stat.

For Ze I honestly had no idea. I thought at first maybe Barbarian but none of the subclasses really called to me. I went with Drakewarden Ranger because I want Ze to have a dragon companion. Possibly named Hashbrown. That’s it. He’s a tiefling because of the horns, and I don’t know about background but I thought Sage bc comp-sci degree lol. I liked the artificer idea for this reason but uhhh. Dragon!!!!

So Shubble’s is obvious if you watched Empires (go watch Empires). Circle of Spores is because of S2 with the Evermoore, and she’s a Gnome and a Hermit because of S1 with Shrub. Spores felt right for the Evermoore because of the Necrotic spells, as well as the decay and the Skulkfan135 incident.