#dinosaur skeleton for sale

[jagerstian]

Final designs in the series are done and up on my shop! Don't forget everything is on sale right now!

[adamdreifus]

I haven't posted here in eons, but I've just opened up a shop to sell prints of my neon animal skull paintings!

Also, if you buy something before September 5th, have a discount code: KJWN8IW

[neolithicsheep]

I've been meaning to write this down for some time because there are some fundamental errors that people keep making in crowdfunding/sales that shoot their campaigns in the foot. So here's a list of easy principles.

Who am I and why should you listen to me? I am a freelance chaos marketer who has raised well over $100,000 when totaling up various crowdfunding campaigns, mostly for aid to Afghanistan. In addition I've managed to successfully market everything from stuffed plush koalas to hydration salts. Why am I putting this out here for free? Because despite a years long track record of success in social media marketing no one will hire me because I don't have a college degree, so I might as well help people out who can't afford to hire full time marketing. 

If you'd like to hire me to help you evaluate your marketing and sales and teach you better skills on a 1 to 1 basis then hit me up, I am often willing to barter, esp with artists in a variety of mediums! 

Anyway on to HOW TO CONVINCE PEOPLE TO GIVE YOU MONEY:

TL;DR: use positive messaging that humanizes everyone involved and make it as easy as possible for people to give you money.

1. Shame and guilt are demotivators. They will not inspire people to give you money. “Why aren't people helping” “I guess people don't care” “This isn't getting enough shares/donations” etc etc. Online fundraising is often frustrating, heartbreaking, and will make you angry, especially when there's a humanitarian crisis involved. It is critical that if you are raising funds for someone else that you have a place to vent that is not the audience you would like to donate to the cause. 

2. Use motivating messages instead! “You can help!” “Even a small donation is important because it tells Recipient they're not alone, and people care” “We can't fix the whole world, but we can make this one thing right, and that means something”. Emphasize that this is a problem that the reader can help fix with even a small effort. With items for sale, tell a story. "I drew this thinking about how safe I always felt under a tree in my childhood backyard". "I chose the colors in this shawl to remind me of sagebrush and piñon pine in my favorite place."

3. Make it easy for people to give you money. Never talk about your product or cause without a link that leads directly to where people can give you money. They should be able to click one link on your post and land at the fundraiser or your shop. Every required click is going to lose people, so minimize the number of them required. This also means if you have a list of fundraisers for people to choose from the ones at the bottom will be neglected - people will hit the ones at the top. Be sure to take those off when they're met or periodically shuffle the list around to make sure everyone gets a chance to be in the first 5 spots. In online stores people will often only look at the first page or two of items so be sure to shuffle things around and remove out of stock items that are taking up prime real estate.

4. Humanize the recipient - this can be tricksy when raising charitable aid because you don't want to be exploitative. But to use my last Afghan campaign as an example, “We need to raise $500 for an Afghan family” is less effective than “This Afghan family's home was damaged in heavy rains that caused extensive flooding. They only need $500 to repair and rebuild so they can stay in their home and not become displaced.”  If possible, tell as much of the recipient's story as they consent to. Eg “Fred is seven and loves dinosaurs. His favorite is brontosaurus, and he carries a stuffed one with him everywhere. He wants to be a paleontologist when he grows up and discover a complete brontosaurus skeleton that he can give the same name as his stuffed friend. Unfortunately he's also a trans boy living in Texas and his family needs $1500 to rent a Uhaul and get to Colorado so he can grow up in safety and do that.”

5. If you're not the recipient, humanize yourself while you're at it! “I'd be really grateful if you all could share or donate” “This fundraiser really means a lot to me because…” “Thank you so much for any help, whether sharing or donating” 

6. Treat the audience like humans. Speak to them like they are people you're having a conversation with, not ATMs. This ultimately is the goal of not using shame/guilt and humanizing yourself and the recipient. 

7. Set low goals and bump them up when met. One of the weird things about people is they prefer to give to successful fundraisers. Yeah I don't know either. So you're more likely to get the full amount you need if you set a partial goal initially and then raise it when that's met. Raise it in small increments and raise it repeatedly as those goals are hit to keep momentum going. You can't always control this so if you're boosting someone else's fundraiser you can do it artificially via asks like “Hey y'all can we get together and put $500 on this?”

[theswisstimes]

Get ready to bid for one of the most well-preserved T-Rex skeletons ever discovered - "Stan" is up for sale next month in a Swiss auction, with an estimated value of up to $8 million. While the sale has sparked excitement in the scientific community and among dinosaur enthusiasts, it has also stirred up controversy over the ownership and management of such valuable specimens. Some argue that fossils should be kept in public institutions, while others see private ownership as a means of spurring innovation and scientific discovery.

[dinodorks]

[ The skull of Tarbosaurus bataar, alongside artwork by palaeoartist Hank Sharpe. ]

"Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) returned an impressive collection of dinosaur fossils to Mongolia’s Ambassador to the United States, Batbayar Ulziidelger, at a ceremony at the Library of Congress on Aug. 3. The fossils were recovered through HSI investigations conducted by our offices in Arizona, New York, and Wyoming, and the collection was represented by a tyrannosaurus bataar skull, protoceratops fossil, alioramus skull, and saurolophus skull. The alioramus, which resembles a smaller version of a tyrannosaurus rex, is exclusively found in Mongolia – the source of many, extremely rare fossils. The specimen on display at the ceremony is considered one of the best-preserved fossils ever found of the dinosaur that lived approximately 70 million years ago.

[ The skulls of Alioramus (left) and Protoceratops (right), alongside artwork by palaeoartist Hank Sharpe. ]

“Today’s event is dedicated to acknowledge the solid contributions of the officers and special agents from Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. attorneys, judges, scientists, and all individuals present here at ceremony as well as those who are absent due to their duty, who made this day possible,” said Ambassador of Mongolia Batbayar Ulziidelger. “This ceremony is a testament to the strong partnership between the Government of Mongolia and the Unites States and we are fortunate to witness the first-ever public display of these Mongolian dinosaur fossils.” “We have gathered here to witness the return of dinosaur fossils from the United States to their homeland – Mongolia; these fossils, once lost to time and distance, now find their way back to the land, where they were first discovered,” said Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia Battsetseg Batmunkh. “The remarkable journey of these artifacts demonstrates the strength of collaborative diplomacy and a solid dedication to preserving our cultural heritage. I am delighted to acknowledge the valuable contributions of law enforcement officers and special agents, agencies, attorneys, judges… our collective efforts demonstrated the potential to effectively fight illegal smuggling, both bilaterally and multilaterally.” The first of these cases began in May 2012 when HSI New York initiated a cultural property investigation after receiving information alleging the illicit sale of protected fossils by a U.S.-based auction house. The investigation revealed that an individual, who later pled guilty to criminal counts of illegal importation of dinosaur fossils, was selling a fossilized alioramus skull through the auction house; that skull is part of the collection being returned. That same year, HSI Casper, Wyoming office received an HSI Tip Line report that a retail store was selling a fossilized tyrannosaurus bataar skull. HSI Casper began its investigation relating to the illegal importation and subsequent sale of dinosaur fossils originating from Mongolia, which has strong patrimony laws that prohibit the export of prehistoric fossils. These investigations led to multiple seizures of a wide range of paleontological fossils illegally taken from their country, including:a rare juvenile tyrannosaurus battar skull; a fossilized gallimimus skeleton; a tarbosaurus bataar skeleton; nests of dinosaur eggs; a saber-toothed cat skull; a complete psittacosaurus skeleton; and a protoceratops skull. Some of these dinosaurs lived more than 100 million years ago in an area now known as the Gobi Desert."

Read more: "HSI repatriates high-profile dinosaur fossils to Mongolia"

[kellyaroman]

Hi everyone! I’m finally going to start making some new patches! I’m trying to brainstorm some ideas though- what type of patch would you want me to make? Feel free to reply, or send me a message with some ideas! Also, my patches are for sale in my etsy shop if you’d like one!

Also, here’s a poll with some concepts I thought of. Let me know which one is your favorite!

[tarnishedxknight]

{out of dalmasca} Okay some of you commented on my post from the other day that you wanted to see some of my fossil collection, so... I am indulging you guys below, haha. Tagging everybody who might be interested: @xstrengthxinxtragedyx, @rocklandjbrin, @starcchild, @illbringthechaosmagic, @celestialmantdonna

So, first of all, the mineral and fossil show was a-ma-zing. So many incredible specimens of minerals, crystals, gemstones, fossils, petrified wood, etc. And so much amazing jewelry and handmade crafts too. All in all, my dad and I spent about 7 hours there over two days. My grandfather used to hunt for minerals and fossils in upstate NY with my dad when he was young, and then my dad got me into them when I was little, so it's kindof a family thing on my dad's side. =)

Okay so, this is my trilobite collection that I've been working on since I was like ten. Trilobites are my favorite little critter fossils, I absolutely adore them:

These are my prized babies I just bought in the past year. I still have to make or buy little cases for them to protect them better. There's this big, beautiful boi:

And then these two friends:

I love them to bits, aren't they cool? And then I've got some cute lil' fishies. Apologies for the glare, they're under glass:

And then I've got an assortment of ammonites and other fossils. Those are some labradorite worry stones in that back case too:

I have a lot more than this, and I have minerals and crystals all over my house, hahaha, but those are some of my favorite fossils.

And then at the show this year, I got some nice pieces, but these blew me away... Triceratops has always been my favorite dinosaur and I've never seen fossils like this in person before. Usually you get the generic "dinosaur bone," and it's a brown lump and you're like... what even is this? XD There was this one table of actual paleontologists as opposed to sales people, and they had everything meticulously labeled and were happy to sit and talk to you about them, how they uncovered them, interesting aspects about them, etc. It was like I was my tiny five year-old self again, wanting to be a paleontologist before I found out that wasn't a viable career option for me. I was fangirling so hard. Guys they had a whole nest of velociraptor eggs and full-skeleton baby velociraptor fossils! They were about the sizes of cats. Really amazing stuff, I spent like an hour at that one table, heh. But, I digress. These admittedly were not cheap and my wallet will be hurting for a while because of this, buuuut.... loooook....

GUYS I'M FREAKING OUT, you have no idea. My inner child is screaming right now. XD You can see the actual internal structure of the bone if you look at the sides of the skull section. And you can see the graining in the horn section, I'm- That's it. I will never need another dinosaur bone again in my life, because nothing is going to ever tircera-top this. You see what I did there. XD

And then I got this, which... while not bone obviously, is still really cool. I'm not sure what kind of stone it is... maybe some kind of jasper? But whatever stone it is, it mimics the look of dinosaur bone, and the carving is just too cool:

I bought the carved skull yesterday and then the bones today. I'm going to give these babies their own shelf and have a triceratops display now because... how can I not?! XD

And there you have it! Hope you enjoyed this trip through my mineral and fossil geekery. =)

[here-be-dragons-and-whatnot]

🦴 Skeleton 3D model MEGA LIST - Free! Links galore! 🦴

All these animal anatomy studies got me looking for free bones on the internet. Did you know that many museums and institutions have uploaded scans of their collections on Sketchfab? Further, did you know many of them can be downloaded for free? I’ve assembled an extensive list below of some Sketchfab galleries that have lots of great references.

Interestingly, there are a myriad of skulls to be found but whole skeletons are a little more rare. I sorted these based on whether the galleries had whole skeletons and whether the models could be downloaded. I threw in a few notable shops too since you can view the models in the browser-based viewer for free.

Whole Skeletons: Downloadable 3D models

Idaho Virtualization Laboratory: Absolutely massive collection featuring hundreds of individual bones. Check out the Complete Skeleton collection or the Modern Osteology collection for lots of craniums and skulls.

Natural History Museum Vienna: a good selection of full skeletons plus scanned specimens.

The University of Edinburgh: This collection is on the small side, but has a few interesting, complete skeletons to look at.

Natural Sciences Museum of Barcelona A huge collection with an assortment of skulls and skeletons.

Mammal Research Institute: many skulls with the occasional whole skeleton.

Auckland Museum: Someone went to incredible lengths to document every single bone of the Moa bird. Scroll down for an assembled skeleton and a scattering of scanned taxidermy animals.

Whole Skeletons: Not downloadable 3D models

Biodiversity: absolutely massive collection of skulls with tons of rodents and a unique focus on dentition. There are complete skeletons mixed throughout.

Nebraska Public Media: Skulls with a smattering of complete skeletons.

Blackburn Lab: Lots of great stuff in this one: complete skeletons, comparative anatomy, some soft tissue anatomy, and of course lots of skulls.

Aquarium-Museum of Liège: A small collection of skeletons.

Artist-Joana Maria: Antlers and a few full skeletons of extinct animals.

Museum of Natural History: A moderately sized but nice collection of complete dinosaur skeletons!

Whole Skeletons: For Sale

Animals & Pets 3D Models: This is one of the largest selections of complete skeletons on Sketchfab. The only caveat is I’m not sure how scientifically accurate they are.

Puppy3D: While this gallery is mostly animals for sale, there are some unique skeletons scattered in there. It’s also nice having animal bodies to reference.

3D Big Game : Mostly scanned specimens, but a good resource for comparing antlers and horns. Downloadable for pay.

Artist-Yacine Brinis: This person mostly sells model packs, but they do have some nice skull packs as well as a couple complete skeletons.

Skulls: Downloadable

Witmer Lab at Ohio University: This collection emphasizes bird, reptile, and dinosaur skulls with some interesting anatomy such as brains and vascular systems included.

Natural History Museum Imaging: this one has a lot of individual bones and fossil scans to sift through, but it features an interesting assortment of whale craniums.

RISD Nature Lab: an incredible assortment of hundreds of scanned specimens ranging from seashells, taxidermized specimens, and of course lots of skulls.

Museum of the University of Valencia of Natural History: Lots of fossils, lichens, and shells with a scattering of interesting skulls. Check out the collection section for vertebrate skulls, bird skulls and early hominid apes.

University of Dundee Museum Collections: Mostly skulls with a few scanned specimens and some invertebrate models.

University of Wyoming Libraries: A massive gallery with skulls and many bone fragments. The Museum of Vertebrates collection is going to be your best bet.

Professor - Eric Bauer: A smaller collection of a few skulls and individual bones, but they are high quality.

Paleontology Lab at the Université de Liege: A nice selection of both extinct and extant animal skulls.

Skulls: not downloadable

California Academy of Sciences: So. Many. Skulls. Be sure to explore their collections for easier browsing!

Holliday Lab: Incredibly detailed views of reptile and avian facial anatomy.

Evans EvoMorph Lab: this collection has an emphasis on skulls, but what makes it notable is that many of the models have animated articulation.

Veterinarian Anatomy Munich: Ever wonder what the second premolar of a pig looks like? This resource is for you! While it emphasizes individual bones, they have been sorted into collections for easier viewing. Please note that this gallery features scans of preserved soft tissues such as muscles and organs. If you’re expecting dry bones, it may be a little shocking.

Oregon State University: In addition to plenty of skulls, there are also many scans of fish. Some models are, in fact, downloadable but they are not sorted into collections so you will need to do a lot of sorting.

Please enjoy this extensive list of bone and bone-adjacent resources. It took an unbelievable amount of time to format this post.

[gatherinthebonegarden]

Tags are a work in progress…

(and so is this pinned post)

aardwolf bones. alpaca bones. anatomy. antlers. articulation. auk bones

baculum. badger bones. bear bones. beauchêne. beaver bones. bee. library. bird bones. bison bones. butterfly

camel bones. cat bones. cicada. coffin bone. collection. comparison. conjoined. cougar bones. cow bones. coyote bones. cryptotaxidermy.

dead. deer bones. diaphonization. dinosaur bones. dissection. dog bones. duck bones

feathers. fish bones. fisher bones. fossil. fox bones. frog bones

gila monster bones. giraffe bones. goat bones. goose bones

hamster bones. hare bones. heart. hedgehog bones. hippopotamus bones. hog bones. horse bones. human bones. hyena bonesjackal bones

ivory

jackalope

lion bones (see cat bones). lizard bones. luna moth.

made of bone. marmot bones. mink bones. model. moose bones. moth. mouse bones. mummified. museum. mustelid.

narwhal bones.

otter bones. opossum bones. orca bones. owl bones. oxidation. oxidization.

pelt. pet. pet memorial. pigeon bones. platypus bones. porcupine bones. porpoise bones.

rabbit bones. raccoon bones. rat bones. remains. replica. rhinoceros bones. roadkill. rodent bones. rug.

scientific illustration. seahorse bones. seal bones. shed. sheep bones. shrew bones. skeleton. skull. skunk bones. soft mount. squirrel bones.

tanning. tarantula. taxi. teeth. thylacine bones. toad bones. tortoise bones. two headed. vole bones.

weasel bones. wet specimen. whale bones. wolf bones. wolverine bones.

x-ray.

*as a wip, there are are a lot of tags i haven’t entered here yet. try the animal name of your choice and add “bones���.

*there are a lots of place names and dates in the tags. try a year, a country, a city, a museum.

*there is no ai on this blog. any misinformation (for example, misidentified bones or artistic interpretations of animals in antique bestiaries) are the mistakes of humans, not machines.

*out of respect, the original tw/cw of op’s are in the tags. but please be aware, they are not my tagging system. if you wish to filter sensitive material on this blog, the tags to filter are “dead” and “remains”. i don’t post images that i perceive as gore for the sake of gore, but you and i may perceive these things differently.

*i do not support the sale or purchase of human or bat bones or parts. this blog does include museum/memorial/medical/historical/educational/antique/etc (human) and museum/antique/second hand/etc (bat) images. to filter this content use the tags “human” “human bones” “bat” “bat bones”

[charliv-illustration]

Prints? Prints!

A bunch of new things up in my print shop at the moment, including: dinosaurs, skeletons, affirmations, mythology, and a tardigrade.

Any and all sales and reblogging is *so mega appreciated* you have no idea. 🤘

[mossandfog]

The World's Most Complete Stegosaurus Skeleton Goes Up For Auction

The world’s most complete Stegosaurus skeleton is going up for auction, and many people are not happy about it. The incredibly complete skeleton, nicknamed Apex, was discovered in a town aptly called Dinosaur, and happened to be the most complete stegosaurus skeleton ever found. That in of itself is exciting. But what makes it controversial is the private sales, where amazing fossils like these…

[tsenglawfirm]

What “Sue,” the Tyrannosaurus Rex Skeleton, Teaches us about Estate Planning

A few weeks ago, someone suggested that I write about the family dispute about the Tyrannosaurus Rex, “Sue,” and the fortune the family received from her sale.  I was intrigued because my son has been obsessed with dinosaurs for as long as I can remember. I had a vague recollection of hearing about Sue many […]http://dlvr.it/T0LwSd

[blingitandmore]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Crystal Cross Vent Clip Car Interior Decor.

[babybluesquid]

Consequences of Karrnath Session 38

Terrific and Terrible Vengeance

Our Players this week:

Dagne, Redemption Paladin, party leader, an undead soldier created by the Odakyr Rites, but has a soul. They are a Seeker sworn to protect the living. Has a skeleton horse mount from Find Steed named Coffin. Can be abrasive and dishonest, but they are ultimately kind.

Nux, Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, a young teen Marcher who escaped an imposed warlock pact and is now discovering their own innate magic. Their personas are Murlo, a preteen orc girl, Orim, a young adult elf boy, and Vel, an adult tiefling enby. They hold a lot of anger and anxiety and they struggle against authority.

Vaeren, Gloomstalker Ranger, a blind former Deathguard. They were initially sent to investigate Dagne, but instead started dating them. They’re contemplative and disciplined, helping Dagne keep the party in line.

The market of Gatherhold is, unsurprisingly, mostly carts and temporary stalls. The goods for sale are intermixed chaotically, food, trade goods, finery, and weaponry. Walking through, the party comes across several carts laden with butchered dinosaur meat, spines, and teeth. An elvish merchant is negotiating a sale with a tribesman riding a clawfoot. Figuring this is the place, Dagne approaches a halfling, the many dinosaurs regarding them curiously. “Are you Tearing Rush?” “Indeed, we are hunters of Tearing Rush,” the tribesman responds. “I need to speak to Atamu.” “Why do you seek him?” “We need a guide, he knows the place.” The tribesman considers it for a moment, “I will lead you to him.”

The party is led to the back of the caravan where a group of four halflings are talking among themselves in Talentan. One has a bandaged arm and another has six Cannith make steel daggers. The tribesman gestures at the latter. Dagne approaches him, “Atamu of Tearing Rush?” “You have found him,” he responds. “My party has a business proposal for you.” Atamu gestures for Dagne to continue. “We heard you’ve been to a certain ruin in the Blade Desert, one which contains a weapon from the Age of Demons.” “You look like warriors, even so, going to Darmin’thek will only bring death to you.” “We’re not going to seek a battle, we need that artifact.” Atamu narrows his eyes, “what are you trying to kill?” “The Shadow Sword himself.” Atamu starts laughing. Dagne ignores him, “we’ll pay for you to guide us. You do not need to go inside.”

“How much?” Atamu asks. The compensation discussion gets complicated, with Nux getting involved, but the party eventually agrees on fifteen in insurance to be paid immediately, fifty when they reach the ruin, and then another hundred when they return safely to Gatherhold. Satisfied, Atamu talks to his companions in Talentan, then to the party, “we will depart on sunrise tomorrow.” The party goes and buys provisions, tents, and five horses. That night, they pitch their tents rather than look for an inn. In the morning, the party, Atamu, and his two companions set out. They ride clawfoots. The halflings speak to the party some, and react to Coffin with shock, but they mostly keep to themselves and speak in Talentan. So the party also keeps mostly to themselves. In the desert, they travel at night and sleep during the day, and in the twilight hours just talk.

“I don’t think I’ve ever actually talked about my blindness,” Vaeren says one morning. “I know you’ve seen what happened, but you don’t know what happened. I had trained that morning, wasn’t very exciting, after that though I snuck off and headed into the woods. I’d been there for a while before it came, maybe two hours. I’d gone into the woods many times before and had never been attacked, so I figured it wouldn’t be different. I don’t even know how I survived that, fighting off some sort of undead while in screaming pain from the acid. But I was stuck in the woods for another two hours after that before someone found me at least. My brother was the only one who knew I had gone, he’d shown me the area before. Honestly I’m still surprised he came looking for me at all. I really thought that I was I was going to die there, but, not dying I was stuck with being blind. Guess it’s not that bad though.”

Nux, wanting to share some personal thoughts, says, “so, um, a victory. Well, I honestly don’t know if this was a real victory or a loss for me, but I guess back in the mind, my mind, I defeated, I stood up? I don’t know what to call it, but I went against my mom. Never really done anything like that,” their voice quavers as they continue. “Well, unless you count me running away, that was kind of a big deal, but I never actively went against her, or even thought about it. But it was at that moment when, just looking at that thing, how it looked like her, I was full of rage, and, as soon as my knife hit her, it’s like, it felt like something was lifted off me. As messed up as it sounds I honestly felt happy, not because of something else but I felt happy because of me, I felt happy with myself. So I guess, it just makes makes me wonder what I would have felt if it was actually her.”

Somewhat pressed to also share something, Dagne relents easily enough, “growing up in Karrlakton, I was born after the war started but all the adults remembered the time before it. It was strange, you know, hearing about how things used to be in Galifar, in the good old days, and how Karrnath would rise and we would take over the nation again. I believed it, who was I to question that goal? I remember my parents bought into it. My father went off to serve in the war. We were all very proud of him until he died. My mother was devastated. I remember from that day on, everything changed. I was suddenly the main person watching out for my little brother. He was three when I was eight and we were just out most of the time, you know, sure she would watch us and we had a house and she’d provide for us but she was distant and she was strict and we wanted to avoid her. So, he was such a crybaby growing up, really, and I was terribly mean to him. I remember, before I started learning to fight for real, we would fight one another with sticks. Naturally it was not fair.”

“One time the two of us went off, he was probably ten at the time and we went far beyond our neighborhood, where the people didn’t know our faces and couldn’t report back if we got in trouble. But you know we were urban children, it’s what we did. We went over past the Deneith enclave and reached a part of the city we didn’t know. He wa scared the whole way, of course, and I told him of course I knew the way back and he should just trust me. Well, many hours of wandering later, we finally got turned back around and came back to the Deneith enclave. He was crying a lot at that point and I felt very foolish, but, when we went back home, he said that he had run off and I went to find him, and so I didn’t get in trouble. I don’t know what he’s gotten up to since I died but I imagine that he had a good reason to go down the path he did. I just hope that I can get through to him before it’s too late.”

It’s a bright night, ten moons are out and the Ring of Siberys shines brights, when the party hears rapidly approaching hoofbeats in the distance, approaching from the south west. Five riders approach, their horses armored with barding. The riders also armored, one in lamellar and the rest in lighter armor. The slow on approach. The party stops and Vaeren hurriedly gets their armor on in anticipation of a fight, the party taking defensive positions. The approaching figures are veiled, the one in lamellar has a chainmail veil. The party’s halfling guides recognize the Tairnidal and flee. The group stops several dozen feet from the party, and Dagne has to yell to them.

“Identify yourselves!” “Valas Tairn!” Comes the reply from the elf in lamellar. “What is your business?” “Dagne, you are owed a fight from us.” “I believe you’re mistaken.” “Why would we be mistaken? Someone who kills a Valas Tairn should expect to be pursued by the revenant blade’s friends.” Vaeren recognizes the leader’s voice, Valfiel, a well known warrior in the Valas Tairn, someone they know personally. “Do you speak of Tairil?” Dagne asks. “We come to avenge Tairil and Daeleth of the Valas Tairn,” Valfiel responds. “Tairil already came to avenge Daeleth. The fight is no longer owed, begone.” “I see you’ve not been destroyed. You must see this means neither of them have been avenged.” Dagne sighs, “am I to fight your people until you’re all dead? Leave. I don’t care for this revenge.” “You already chose this fight.” “No, Dagne says firmly, reasoning, “Daeleth was war. Tairil wrongly came against me in vengeance for Daeleth. There is no fight owed, the matter is already settled.”

“When the fire giant warlord Varavhal slew the brother of Tairil’s ancestor, Olara, she brought burning vengeance to him,” Valfiel explains. The spellcaster incants, spinning two carved staves then pointing the left one near the party. A mass of fire grows at that point, large and flickering and shifting, an elemental. Vaeren recognizes his voice, Hilen. Dagne rebuts stubbornly, “even so, the matter was settled with Tairil.” “When Aenan’s warband was slain by the Qalbarin, he brought his revenge to them in the form of a glorious war. Tairil was of my warband, I will honor him by returning you to dust.”

At a loss, Dagne looks to Vaeren for support and they step in, “look, we wish not to shed your blood. I understand your wish for revenge, but it makes no sense at this point, Valfiel. There is no point to continue this chain. We don’t want to fight you all forever.” Valfiel’s response is icy, “the Valas Tairn gives no regard to the words of deserters. We bring them only death, but for you we have a different fate in store. Dagne will be slain and you will be returned to the Warden. In this way I will bring glory to myself, my warband, and the Valas Tairn.” “And what exactly do you plan to do with the rest of our party?” Vaeren asks. “They can run or fight to the death.” “Well, I hope you got your graves ready,” Nux shouts. “So be it, child.”

Vaeren turns to Dagne and says quietly, “ if we can beat them without killing them, I don’t think they’ll come after us again. Taking revenge three times is too many to justify, let alone two.” “I hope you’re right,” Dagne replies, “I don't want to kill anybody else.” “Nor do I. Knowing them makes it worse. I think for them it’s just fun at this point.” Dagne turns to Nux, “don’t kill them.” Nux doesn’t reply, but makes a confused and bothered expression.

Vaeren charges for the elemental, guessing their magic sword will have an effect. As they slash and stab it, the flames dissipate. The elemental reforms, but it burns less brightly. An archer rides around to get line of sight, then fires at Vaeren. They block an arrow with their shield, a second bounces off their helmet, and the third flies wide. Valfiel charges at Dagne, lance down. They deflect it, so she makes a second pass, also missing. When she comes around the third time, she suddenly aims high and jabs Dagne in the visor. Luckily, they do not fall.

Hilan swings their staves and points them at Nux. A small bead of fire floats towards them and Nux barely has a moment before it explodes into a ball of flame. Their horse dies instantly. Dagne is also caught in the blast, though they avoid the worst of it. Dismounted, Nux spellcasts, calling upon the fire in themselves and returning fire to Hilan and a Valas Tairn armed with a saber. The rogue avoids the attack, ducking out of the radius entirely, but Hilan takes the full brunt of the attack and Nux is satisfied to see his horse also fall. However, the wizard instead of standing, floats off the ground. Nux grimaces. Then, a spear wielder charges at them, making a grazing hit. They pass again, punching Nux and trying to force them to the ground. Nux stumbles but keeps their footing as the spearman retreats.

Dagne strikes back at Valfiel, bashing them hard. She twists to avoid a shattered ribcage, but Dagne uses the opportunity to slip their spearpoint into an armor gap. Red light pours out between her lamellar plates and she screams at the searing energy. They pull the weapon free and smack her across the chain veil with the butt of their weapon. “You’re not as powerful as Tairil was. You’ll lose this fight,” Dagne says. “We can put you back in Dolurrh where you belong,” Valfiel growls. Amused, Dagne replies, “never been.”

The fire elemental moves to engulf Vaeren, they leap out of the way but are then struck by a fiery arm through their chest, lighting up their clothing. The rogue advances on Nux again, slashing them with their saber. Poison burns in the wounds. Shocked, Nux falls. Vaeren dismounts their horse, runs up, slashes and stabs at the elemental. The magical blade cuts through the very force animating it, dimming the thing significantly. The archer backs up and fires at Vaeren again. One arrow is deflected off their helmet and they bring up their shield to block the other.

Valfiel suddenly disengages from Dagne and charges Vaeren, who manages to dodge her surprise attacks. Dagne’s strike at her back misses as she hurries out of reach. Hilen summons three shots of green magical force, firing them at them. Two impact, knocking them back.

Nux makes a death save. They succeed.

The rogue cuts around Dagne to advance on Vaeren, they manage to slip through and land a cut on their hip with their poisoned saber. Dagne cries out a healing word to Nux before rushing to assist Vaeren. Nux, understanding the situation, pretends to stay down. Dagne stabs Valfiel with their spearpoint, smiting. She’s staggered and Dagne hits her hard in the helmet, smiting again. For her credit, she somewhat deflects the hits with her lance, but the red light scorches her severely.

The fire elemental engulfs Vaeren. They’re overwhelmed by the flames and drop. As soon as the elemental falls back, the rogue dismounts and hurriedly extinguishes the flames on Vaeren with sand. The archer fires at Dagne. One arrow goes wide but the other finds its way into their shoulder gap. “It seems my vengeance is done,” Valfiel says, then stabs Dagne through the eye slit. When Dagne does not fall, she shield bashes them to take them off balance, but Dagne blocks her next lance strike. Seeing it won’t end so easily, she tells her companions, “let me finish the monster.” They nod in agreement and stand down. Dagne takes the chance to heal themselves then utters a healing word for Vaeren. As they stand, Valfiel turns to the rogue, “deal with them.” The fire elemental moves first, hungrily engulfing Vaeren get again. The rogue hurries to smother the flame with sand.

Vaeren makes a death save. They succeed.

Valfiel comes in against Dagne again, who turns all her blows aside. Her eyes widen as Dagne strikes her hard in the ribs, smiting and knocking her off her horse. She’s knocked unconscious as she hits the ground. Dagne then turns to slash at the rogue and strike them in the leg. Everyone turns on Dagne. The fire elemental greedily burns at them. The archer fires, one arrow finding its target. Halen jabs their staves at Dagne thrice, striking them with two blasts of forceful green energy. The spearman charges and runs Dagne through.

Overwhelmed, Dagne makes a snap decision. They disengages and ride off. Nux stands and they grab them, pulling them onto Coffin’s back behind them. They gallop away at full speed, knowing the pursuit cannot be far behind.

——————

Highlights:

Vaeren’s acceptance of their blindness is very cool. I love that they can approach it with neutrality after being so concerned with it earlier.

Absolutely hilarious when Dagne told Nux not to kill anyone and their reaction was like “are you serious?” They absolutely know this by now but they are getting fed up with it.

Also funny that Dagne was so confident the party would win and then had to flee. At least they managed to knock out Valfiel first. Her overconfidence was her undoing there and I bet she’ll feel pretty embarrassed.

Session 39.

[iknowdino]

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