#Perpetual Umbra

[dvepalki]

THE PROMISED SHITPOST IS HERE!

OCs USED AN THEIR RESPECTED OWNERS ARE: Perpetual Umbra - @mewguca ; Glimmer le Dale - @moodymuu ; 12 Solemn Guards - @paradoxbeta ; Bright Scale Among the Feathers - @reredram : Monolith of the Hateful - @darkopsiian ; Plume of Embers - @ideavian ; Sleep Schedule Ruined - @kadalcoffee ; Leaves across a Tree - me:3 ; Dystopian Arbitrary Endless Possibilities - @hdra77 ; Dark Tides - @voldkat(their acc doesn't appear the fuck??); Last String of Life - @dustyfandomtrashbin ( @groupalpha )

[mewguca]

i have a surprising following from YouTube community posts so I tried to make some character introduction slides. um I think I kinda failed bc I yapped too much but ah well... aha

ill make more later, hopefully.

my website also has some more info if you're curious (it's a WIP, though)

[ask-mobile-iterator-project]

heck yea, first ask!!

so, a for all, what do you think of the slugcats?

[BROADCAST HANDLED BY ADMIN AND OVERSEER]

[mip-dev-center]

TWR Design doodles. The right is for an alt outfit a little later in the timeline. it was inspired by a character from a VN I like.

more TWR design doodles. I've tried to incorporate the karma 1 symbol on the design, though it looks subtler now.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[theresattrpgforthat]

Almighty TATTRPGFT, I ask you what is a good fantasy ttrpg thats like a smidgen simpler than/tighter than dnd thats flexible and has individual character progression thats cool? (I am so damn tired of dnd and after I finish my lancer campaign I'm gonna try to run a fantasy thing thats about world hopping since my brain cant stick with just one world... I wanted to run OSR stuff but most of my players want to keep their characters longer than a couple sessions)

THEME: World-hopping Fantasy Games

Hello there, so I’ve got some world-hopping games for you that I consider all much simpler than D&D, although the way they cater to your players’ wants may vary. Now I’m personally biased towards Forged-in-the-Dark games if your characters want to hold onto their characters and explore all of their mechanical and narrative details, but I’m also hoping that folks will see this ask and suggest more fantasy games that give you cool character abilities - maybe you can even mesh some regular fantasy games with something else on this list!

Portal Rats, by Tore Nielsen.

Portal Rats is a stand-alone fantasy tabletop rpg, based on the Black Hack rules. 

There is an unlimited wealth of worlds out there. Some are embodiments of ideals, some the product of a god's fevered will, and some who seem to have congealed from pure potential. In Portal Rats you can visit all of them. 

The core mechanic of Portal Rats is a roll-below test, using a d20 against an attribute on your character sheet. You have six attributes that should remind your players of D&D, although the backgrounds of your characters are less about your race and more about what you did in the past. The rules of the game look to be pretty concise, with much of the 58-page book being different character options and character classes. You level up when you finish a mission or quest, which results in more hit points, and higher attributes.

This game is probably close to what you as a GM are looking for: it’s an OSR mindset, with very little that allows the players to hold onto their characters if a roll goes badly. That being said, if your players are attached to their characters, they might be able to bring out emotional and narrative elements regardless of the system. Therefore, even if you pick up something that is more similar to OSR, they’ll find ways to role-play.

Vergence, by Small Cool Games.

Within the multiverse are a few places of great power called Vergences. They are ruled by families bred for the ability to open portals between worlds.

You play a member of one of these empowered bloodlines. Your birthright gives you the capacity to travel across infinite dimensions and manipulate reality.

But you’ll need to deal with conflicts involving your own powerful and manipulative family, secret conspiracies, mystical enemies, moldering gods, terrifying monsters, ancient artifacts, and existential threats with the potential to affect all the worlds of the Umbra. And possibly your annoying little sister…

Vergence is a Forged-in-the-Dark game that really amps up your character’s powers and broadens the stakes to a cosmic scale. Vergence is a much looser interpretation of Blades, taking away much of the bookkeeping found in the vice and heat mechanics that punish typical Blades’ characters. You also level up as a group, rather than individually, which I understand might not be what your playgroup is looking for, but your characters are still uniquely powered individuals with special abilities.

1400 Planes, by Unknown Dungeon.

1400 Planes is lo-fi hi-fantasy. 

The multiverse roils with boundless existence. For many, the infinite planes of creation drift past at an immeasurable distance, their alien secrets perpetually out of reach. However those who break their mortal shackles and cross that liminal space, wander such exotic spheres on an eternal pilgrimage.

1400 Planes is a stand-alone table-top RPG. The rules are short and easy to learn and the whole game can fit on a single sheet of paper.  It can be played using just the rules provided, or combined with other entries in the 1400 series to expand the world and provide more character and game options.

24XX games feel very slim and small, but I think they can provide the base for something bigger that caters to your group. They can also be combined with other games that use the same rule-set very easily, which you could use to provide interesting level-ups for characters. 24XX games are also usually pretty cheap, so you’re not going to break the bank picking up a few to play around with.

Planedawn Orphans, by Sharkbomb Studios.

Set in the Planar City, a strange melting pot that connects the vast diversity of the multiverse. You all play Planar Orphans stranded in this city, your original home worlds destroyed, corrupted or lost. 

A mysterious Patron has brought you together, provided you with a base of operations and tasked you to complete a Planar Key. This key will let you create a new plane for you and your fellow refugees. Your quest will bring you to exotic places filled with strange creatures and bizarre phenomena.

This isn’t a game in itself - it’s a campaign framework - but it gives you the opportunity to cobble together a bunch of different games while still giving your players a structure upon which they can scaffold their character’s growth and personalities. I’m currently running this across a huge number of different games with a co-GM and my home group: so far we’ve played Household, The Wildsea, Sundered Isles, and The Great Soul Train Robbery!

Sig, City of Blades, by Genesis of Legend Publishing.

Sig is the nexus of the multiverse, where eternal planes and infinite primes meet. It’s a rough home for cutters and bashers, hungry for coin and glory. It’s a city of gods, demons, and stranger things which lurk. It’s a place where opposites meet, trading knives and kisses in equal measure.

The Silent Regent once ruled over the city with a bladed fist. Now her throne sits empty and the criminal factions battle for control. They dispatch crews of Freebooters, clever and bold, to further their schemes. This is where you come in.

In Sig: City of Blades, you will play the Freebooters in service to once of the mighty city factions. Your faction depends on you to perform vital missions to seize territory and coin from their rivals. This is a game about clever spies, renegade sorcerers and reckless smugglers. You are the best of the best and the worst of the worst.

If you are familiar with Planescape, I’ve heard that Sig: City of Blades gives off the same vibes, at least when it comes to setting. Rules-wise, it’s Forged in the Dark. It looks like in this game, the multiverse comes to you; as scoundrels in a city at the centre of these dimensions, there are plenty of ways for you to get rich in some kind of way that counts. If your group is up to play scoundrels and thieves, you might be interested in Sig: City of Blades.

Tiny Dungeon: Second Edition, by Gallant Knight Games.

Tiny Dungeon: Second Edition is powered by the TinyD6 engine, with streamlined mechanics that utilize only one to three single six-sided dice on every action, characters that can be written on a 3x5 notecard, and easy to understand and teach rules, Tiny Dungeon 2e is great for all groups, ages, and experience levels!

Tiny Dungeon feels like a very boiled-down version of a classic fantasy game; heritages that give you starting abilities, traits that are reminiscent of character classes, and a turn economy that structures combat to make sure everyone gets the same amount of time to do things. You use d6’s to roll, with 1d6 being the worst pool (rolling with a disadvantage) and 3d6 being the best (rolling with an ability or advantage). The game is meant to be mod-able, with optional rules and various micro-settings meant to get your inspiration flowing. The best part about so many different micro-settings that all use the same rules is that you can absolutely jump from one setting to another!

Fantasy Recommendations from The Past

Fantasy, With Tools

Echoes of D&D

Non-Western Fantasy

Non-Gritty Low Fantasy

Fuck Wizards of the Coast

I’d also ask myself if Slugblaster could be hacked to be about fantasy adventurers jumping into various dimensions, rather than teenagers hoverboarding across space and time. It certainly has plenty of pieces that allow your characters to dig into personal issues - the Trouble mechanic really lets you digest the kinds of things your character might have to neglect in order to go adventuring! You can read more about it in my Dimensional Travel recommendation post.

[nixalegos]

FFAF: He puts on a very confident face. When was a time he did not feel confident and how did he handle it?

It was amid the depths of beyond. The one place a soul was never meant to see. Hearing the repeating song. Proof; tangible, physical proof of a grand and unifying design. He stared at the shifting complex array that was the sky to the capstone foundry of all afterlives. All the purpose of souls for what felt like hours. Mortis. Ordus. Lumen. Vitae. Tumult. Umbra. Names cracked by piercing cyphers and mysteries, wrenching enigmas into shapes his mind could bear to hold without hemorrhaging on itself and out his nose. He was right. Their whole existence, every iota of magic, every hope, every nightmare, every conflict, every loss and success and shift along the cosmic battlegrounds, a crucible to rend the primordial forces into new, more impossible powerful gestalts. To become something more than the mere sum of its parts. It wouldn't be enough. Not against the true nothingness. Real oblivion that was beyond concepts like time and darkness. Eternity? Actual genuine Eternity? The deathless and the immortal andthe unliving could not even conceive the length eternity actually was the way he knew it. He felt his stomach rise into his throat and he tried, in vain to swallow down the bile and keep himself from shuddering. It was never going to be enough. The truth, that he'd perceived actual unending oblivion all those years ago. Not some trick of the void. Not the consumption of fel. The seventh force. It was as real as the complex array above him. Had to be. It was the point of existence to be defined against. Crushing, soul crushing despair that all the horror he'd endured, every vile act he'd perpetuated in the name of avarice and heroism. The helplessness of realization, that nothing actually, truly, ever mattered for anything washed over him like a death shroud. And then the little broken selfish part of his soul ground against that shroud like a jagged prison shank on silk. So what. He rolled his neck. Swallowed down the sensation of weakness that had nearly escaped his throat. So what if nothingness itself was coming for it all. It. Changes. NOTHING. He would stand an inch away from the event horizon. As he had all those years ago. When doom comes for him as predator, it would not find him prey. Never again. Thanks @kharrisdawndancer!

[oakthcrn]

𝑺𝑯𝑬 𝑶𝑭𝑻𝑬𝑵 𝑾𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝑾𝑨𝑳𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑨𝑴𝑶𝑵𝑮 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑪𝑶𝑷𝑷𝑬𝑹 𝑪𝑶𝑳𝑶𝑹𝑬𝑫 𝑻𝑹𝑬𝑬𝑺. The perpetual autumn had left a chill in the air, and  Queen Larkspur Oakthorn I wrapped her arisaid around her shoulders as she walked. Harvestine was drawing near, and soon Autumnal; a great celebration of harvest and hearth. Days of dancing, singing, and good food, it was the official holiday of her realm, and once she adored. Every year she would come up with something new and exciting for her people to celebrate. This year, she would host a grand tourney. She was the Queen of Swords after all. 

For the moment, she walked, her long dark gown billowing a train of light fabric behind her. She needed some time to think and solitude would be scant the closer Autumnal drew near. Moving through the sea of oak trees, she sensed something amiss. Furrowing her brows, she stepped forward until she saw the shape of someone. Her sapphire hues widened as she drew near the other. 

How was a being able to enter her realm? More specifically, how did she not sense a ripple in the schism? It was a human? No…not quite human. Was that how it was able to traverse the Forest of Umbra and live to tell the tale? It was a beautiful human thing…with long golden hair. Lark canted her head and studied him. 

❝ 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞? ❞ She asked as she rested her hand lazily on the hilt of her blade. 

❝ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫? ❞ she asked before checking them over for any kind of injuries. 

@dhampirul

[necromancer-idv]

Why do you seek to listen to the World Tree? You are the necromancer, given otherworldly powers that could trample the very balance of the world. Yet, you call on beck to "duties". Why do you bow to a master when you, yourself, could be called one?

"I think you have a misunderstanding of my purpose in this world. I am unfortunately a pawn no matter how much I struggle for power. I eventually accepted that my position in Runo is the World Tree's way to cleanse and detoxify the lands beyond it. Even so, this Tree's time will end and I will free myself from this cycle, but a new master will take its place eventually. There already are rumors that a man from the Castle Umbra will become my new master, thus perpetuating my purgatory-like state. The Tree is already dying, so I must savor my freedom from its influence while I can.

I could struggle against this future, new master, and take control, but I already know that there are others out there who wish to make me submit. I can feel it in my soul that there is a God, dictating all my actions, my thoughts, and my very will all with a roll of a dice. It is only a matter of time until I meet this so-called God and it will be a matter of seconds before I make them pay for the pain they have caused me."

"A pawn. Nothing more, nothing less."

D.M. has started the Game.

[oliolioxenfreewrites]

Writing Share Tag

Thank you, @inseasofgreen, for the tag! I wanna tell you guys a story of three stars born during a celestial event that will later define their destiny and put their potent cosmic powers to the test! This is:

Prophecy of the Triad: A Tenebraethian Tale of the Night of the Three Stars

The perpetual twilight of Tenebraethia deepened as Dr. Lysandra Vex-Noxthorne clutched her swollen belly, her breath catching in her throat. The aurora veils beyond her window pulsed with an intensity she had never seen before, casting eerie, shifting shadows across the birthing chamber of the Noxthorne estate.

"Caelum," she whispered, reaching for her husband's hand. Professor Caelum Noxthorne, his blue and green eyes wide with a mixture of anticipation and fear, grasped her fingers tightly.

"I'm here, my love," he murmured, his voice trembling slightly. "The midwives are on their way, and—"

His words were cut short by a sudden, blinding flash from the sky. The couple turned to the window, their personal moment eclipsed by a cosmic spectacle. A comet, its tail a cascade of impossible colors, streaked across Tenebraethia's star-strewn canvas.

Lysandra gasped, not from pain but from the sudden influx of quantum data flooding her mind.

"Caelum, the readings... it's unlike anything we've ever seen. The energy signatures, the temporal fluctuations—"

Caelum squeezed her hand, his own empathic abilities overwhelmed by a wave of emotions not his own—loneliness, purpose, and a depth of knowledge that made his head spin.

"I feel it too, Lysandra. It's as if the comet itself is alive, sentient..."

Their scientific observations were interrupted by Lysandra's cry as another contraction seized her. The midwives burst into the room, their faces a mix of professional calm and awe at the celestial display outside.

As the comet began to break apart in the upper atmosphere, scattering shimmering fragments across Tenebraethia, Lysandra began to push. The air in the birthing chamber grew thick with mist, pulsing with energy that seemed to synchronize with her efforts.

Caelum watched in amazement as the mist coalesced into three distinct swirling patterns around Lysandra's bed.

"Three," he whispered, the revelation hitting him hard.

"Lysandra, we're having triplets!"

The first child slipped into the world as a fragment of the comet struck the crystal forests in the distance, sending a shockwave of light and energy rippling across the landscape. The baby girl's cries harmonized with the resonating crystals, and for a moment, every dreamer on Tenebraethia shared a vision of swirling nebulae and distant stars.

"Eirlys," Lysandra breathed, cradling the newborn.

"Her name is Eirlys."

The second child arrived as another comet fragment pierced the eternal shadows of Voidheart in the Umbra Archipelago. When the baby's eyes opened, they seemed to contain the depth of ages, reflecting the newly illuminated ancient ruins. They named her Erinia, the keeper of memories yet to be made.

As Lysandra prepared to deliver the third child, the largest fragment of the comet—its core—plummeted towards the Whispering Isles. The impact sent a pulse of chrono-energy surging across Tenebraethia. In that moment, the final triplet entered the world, her first breath drawing in the altered mists now infused with alien essence.

"Evyr," Caelum said softly, taking the third child in his arms. As he held her, he felt a sudden, overwhelming connection to every living thing on Tenebraethia, sensing the subtle changes wrought by the comet's passage.

The three newborns, placed side by side, seemed to glow with an inner light that mirrored the cosmic display outside. The midwives stepped back, their expressions a mixture of joy and trepidation. They had assisted in many births, but never one so intertwined with world-shaking events.

As the cosmic storm subsided, leaving a changed Tenebraethia in its wake, Lysandra and Caelum shared a look of understanding. Their daughters, born on this impossible night, were destined for something extraordinary.

In the distance, at the impact site of the comet's core, a figure emerged from a crater of crystallized time. Moiranon, the cosmic exile, took their first steps onto Tenebraethian soil. As if sensing the arrival, the triplets stirred in unison, their tiny hands reaching out to each other.

The Night of Three Stars, as it would come to be known, marked the beginning of a new era for Tenebraethia. In the years to come, as the triplets grew and Moiranon's influence spread, the events of that night would be remembered as both a miracle and a harbinger—the night when the fate of not just a world but perhaps the entire cosmos began to shift.

Tell me what you think of the introduction to my new world! I'm still working on my world of sound magic, but I'd like to know if I should put these two worlds within the same galaxy. Build my own planetary system? Idk honestly, I'm just brainstorming that idea; if anyone has any feedback, don't hesitate to reply or ask! :)

I am tagging in: @the-golden-comet, @illarian-rambling, @slenders1ckn3ss, @queerfox-tales, @dyrewrites, and @oc-atelier! And anyone who wants to share their writing 🥰

[the-lusombra-archives]

Welcome to The Lusombra Archives, your one stop shop for all things related to @crescent-cubed's Lusombra setting and OC's!

Lusombra, derived from lux (light) and umbra (dark), is a fantasy world in a perpetual state of balanced chaos, alternating between unrest and peace as dictated by the gods in order to maintain universal stability.

The continent of Lusombra itself is home to a myriad of beings from all walks of life, where good and evil both intermingle with the forces of light and dark, causing heroes and villains alike to arise from unlikely places.

Individual characters will have their own tags, but will also be given either "#main cast" or "#supporting cast" depending on their relevance!

Worldbuilding will be under its own tag, and blog management will under another!

I hope you enjoy my ramblings and characters as much as I do!

[dvepalki]

⨂Together we're forged by one chain⨂

THE CHARACTERS AND THEIR OWNERS ARE AS FOLLOWS: Dystopian Arbitrary Endless Possibilities - @hdra77

Sleep Schedule Ruined - @kadalcoffee12

Glimmer le Dale - @moodymuu

Plume of Embers - @ideavian

Last String of Life - @dustyfandomtrashbin

Dark Tides - @voldkat

Leaves across a Tree - me:3

Bright Scale Among the Feathers - @reredram

Perpetual Umbra - @mewguca

12 Solemn Guards - @paradoxbeta

Monolith of the Hateful - @darkopsiian

[mewguca]

coffee

i like how lof looks here so i. am posoting thins.

[ask-mobile-iterator-project]

Asking all what are your opinions on the Ancients?

[BROADCAST HANDLED BY ADMIN AND OVERSEERS]

admin notes

firstly: thank you @cloverlady and @charlottenanachi for helping me with coloring!! and @fauxbia for helping with the writing :D

This is ask #30, wowie!! I've made a couple (3) Activation Logs I'll be posting in the next few days!! There was a comic I was working on, too, but idk when that'll be done, sorry...

I don't have Activation logs for all of them on the Askblog because I feel the first three explore what I want to share right now well enough. Hopefully you guys like LOF, PU, and SLS

In the meantime, I've also updated ToyHouse bios slightly, mostly surrounding relationships.

Also, I plan to open a Discord Server focused on my OC AU very soon!! It'll be 16+, though, due to subject matter. That being said, here is another reminder to check the content warnings!! The more lorestuff I post, the more I'll be getting into sensitive and upsetting subject matter...

and once again, "architect" is just the in-universe term for "ancient."

[mip-dev-center]

this surrounds a concept that I scrapped.

below the cut contains spoilers. the surrounding details are still accurate, though the specific concept isn't really around anymore. I think i would change the execution if I brought it back. also spoiled for implications of self harm in the ramblings

PU still has the beam because they still have a self-preservation mode. however I doubt they'd be allowed to/ able to generate and infect themself with rot. I think it'd have to be some other sort of infection ? then again idk. the idea of Umbra inflicting some sort of terrible condition on their structure that they suffer when connected to is interesting. They suffer immense guilt surrounding their actions and have no sort of punishment or retribution for any of them. they can't atone for their sins. though idk if their connection is quite strong enough for the pain to work. maybe it'd have to infect their puppet, instead？

ummm whatever. ill figure it out later eventually

[ngeruma]

"Umbra" | Perpetual Testing | Portal 2 Community Maps & Mods

By Ferni

Who gave the ominous red glow an upgrade!?

Full Video

More Test Chambers

[madcatdaderpydrawer-blog]

His death caused umbra to basically completely shatter from stress. He felt so stupid for letting his guard down, not being more paranoid, not being careful enough, just absolutely devastated that even after he left them to their own devices they still wouldn’t let him just be happy. He basically devolved from being sweet and bubbly to perpetually depressed and scared. He acts like a frightened animal whenever he interacts with others, and likely went nonverbal several years into being in the forest.