#get into the scales of war adventure path

[wanderingnork]

Githyanki History Timeline

After MUCH research, I present: a timeline of the history of the gith! Starting from their earliest known appearances in history, spanning multiple planes, and ending at "the present day." Sources below the cut.

The subterranean empire of Zarum is founded on the Material Plane world of Oerth. The gith inhabitants, likely originally human, are highly religious, live deeply ritualistic lives, and claim complete control over many other peoples.

A patron deity of the gith dies and is buried somewhere under the material plane world of Pharagos. Presumably this, and possibly other deaths, are why the gods didn't intervene in what came next.

The illithids invade from a parallel, destroying the empire and enslaving the gith. The gith are forcibly dispersed across many planes of existence. Some are taken to the planet of Penumbra, where they'll remain and miss out on the rebellion, remaining in the long term as the "forerunners."

The great rebellion: Gith leads her people to shatter the entire illithid empire across every plane and leave it in ruins.

The githyanki relocate from the Material Plane to the Astral Sea.

The city of Tu'narath is founded on the body of a dead god and the gith begin forging their famous silver swords.

If Baldur's Gate 3 is treated as canon, somewhere in here Gith's son Orpheus is born.

Zerthimon objects to Gith's attempts to continue a war now that the gith are free. A civil war of the gith ensues and they split into the githyanki (children of Gith) and githzerai (those who spurn Gith). In some sources this is called "The Pronouncement of Two Skies." The githzerai depart for the plane of Limbo. A small splinter faction, the githvyrik, break off from both sides.

Gith and Vlaakith travel to the Hells to negotiate for aid from the archdevil Dispater. He denies them, but the dragon goddess Tiamat accepts a deal for the souls of githyanki rulers in return for the service of red dragons. Gith remains in the Hells as the first sacrifice. Vlaakith returns to the Astral Sea as regent in Gith's name, carrying the Scepter of Ephelomon as symbol of the pact.

If Baldur's Gate 3 is treated as canon, Orpheus tries to overthrow Vlaakith and is imprisoned, thought dead by the general public.

The extended regency of the line of Vlaakith begins and will last for 156 descendants. Vlaakith promises the githyanki the Material Plane as a "garden" for harvesting. At some point, Zerthimon disappears and it's unclear exactly where he went. Suggestions range from enlightened transcendence to death to lichdom.

The faction of the gul'othran, githyanki who seek total conquest and death of all aberrations rather than mere raiding and plunder, appears.

At some point after this, a significantly-sized githyanki ship breaks through into the planar-locked world of Athas. It's stranded there and all aboard are mutated permanently by psionic energies of that world, with no way to get back. The ship is considered lost.

The forge of Kamyn-Dhun, where the best silver swords were forged, is lost by sinking into the ocean. The githyanki remaining there undergo magical adjustments to allow them to survive underwater in their now-sunken city.

Approximately 1,000 years prior to the present day, Vlaakith CLVII (157) undergoes a transformation to become a lich. She will reign unchallenged until the present day, when either the events of The Lich-Queen's Beloved will take place or the events of Baldur's Gate 3 will take place, depending on the setting.

Baldur's Gate 3, Larian Studios, 2023 Chainmail Miniatures Game: Blood and Darkness - Set 2 Guidebook Dark Sun Campaign Setting, 2nd Edition Dark Sun Creature Catalog, 4th Edition Dawn of Night (Erevis Cale Trilogy, Book II, 2009) Dragon Magazine #294 - Underground Scenarios Dragon Magazine #298 - Vault of the Drow and Wizards' Workshop: Chainmail Dungeon #100 - The Lich-Queen's Beloved Dungeon #116 - The Death of Lashimire Dungeon #125 - Seeker of the Silver Forge Dungeon #168 - A Tyranny of Souls The Illithiad 3, Masters of Eternal Night The Illithiad 4, Dawn of the Overmind Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, 5th Edition The Plane Above, 4th Edition The Plane Below, 4th Edition Planescape: Torment, Black Isle Studios, 1999 Polyhedron #159 - Chapter 5: The Invasion of Pharagos

[ukiyowi]

Mini PAC IV

If you were a character in a fantasy novel, what would your quest or adventure look like?

Piles read 1 -> 4

Note: This is a bit different, more intuitive and wrote this in the train back home, hope you enjoyyy

Book a reading! || Ko-fi

🪽 Pile 1

In your fantasy novel adventure, you are an aspiring mage with a unique ability to communicate with ancient spirits. Your quest is to find a codex, a legendary book said to contain the secrets of controlling the elements. With this power, you hope to prevent a catastrophic war between rival mage factions.

Your journey takes you through enchanted forests, treacherous mountains, and forgotten ruins, where you encounter magical creatures and uncover cryptic clues. Along the way, you must make choices that balance the ethical use of your newfound powers with the greater good of your realm.

As you get closer to your goal, you discover that the Codex is protected by a guardian spirit, and you must undergo a series of trials to prove your worthiness. These trials test your wisdom, empathy, and resolve. Ultimately, you succeed but must decide whether to keep the Codex's power for yourself or use it to broker peace among the warring factions, knowing that doing so may come at a great personal cost. Your adventure is a tale of magic, self-discovery, and the enduring struggle between power and responsibility.

🪽 Pile 2

In your fantasy novel adventure, you are a skilled rogue known for your exceptional agility and wit. Your quest is to track down a notorious group of thieves known as the "Shadowed Serpents" who have stolen a powerful, cursed gemstone that can control minds.

To catch the Shadowed Serpents, you'll navigate a sprawling, ancient city filled with hidden passages, secret societies, and corrupt officials. Alongside your trusty band of misfit companions, each with their unique skills, you'll decode cryptic clues, outsmart traps, and engage in thrilling rooftop chases.

As you close in on the thieves, you'll discover their leader possesses a dark secret connected to the gemstone's curse. Your journey becomes a moral dilemma, as you must decide whether to break the curse, which might endanger the city, or use the gemstone to expose corruption and free the minds of its victims. Your adventure is a thrilling blend of espionage, cunning heists, and the complexities of right and wrong in a shadowy world.

🪽 Pile 3

Your adventure takes a darker turn as you become the leader of a formidable group of supervillains. Your quest is to unleash chaos and establish dominance over a sprawling metropolis known for its vigilant superheroes.

As the cunning mastermind behind the Syndicate, you'll recruit a diverse array of superpowered individuals, each with their own unique abilities and motivations. Together, you'll concoct ingenious schemes to disrupt the city's peace and challenge the superheroes who stand in your way.

Your journey will involve heists on a grand scale, unleashing destructive powers, and psychological manipulation to exploit the heroes' weaknesses. Along the way, you'll delve into your own character's complex backstory, exploring the motivations that drove you to become a villain and your desire for ultimate power.

As your plans escalate, you'll face increasingly powerful heroes, leading to epic showdowns and thrilling battles that could determine the fate of the city. Your adventure is a morally ambiguous tale that delves into the depths of villainy, exploring the complex motivations and personal struggles of those who choose to walk the path of darkness.

🪽 Pile 4

In your story, you are a talented, yet reclusive, artist living in a picturesque coastal village. Your quiet life takes an unexpected turn when a charismatic and mysterious stranger arrives in town. This stranger, exudes an aura of intrigue and possesses a passion for restoring antique books.

Your adventure begins when the stranger discovers a hidden chamber in the village's ancient library, rumored to contain a love letter written centuries ago by a long-lost soul. They enlist your artistic skills to bring the letter's sentiments to life through illustrations.

As you both work together on this project, you unravel the story of a profound, forbidden love between two people from different eras. The more you delve into the past, the closer you grow to the strabger. Sparks fly as the line between the story and reality blurs, and a deep connection forms between you two.

Yet, secrets from their past threaten to tear you apart. The quest for the truth behind their enigmatic identity becomes as important as preserving the love story from the past. Along this romantic journey, you'll confront your own fears, past heartaches, and find the courage to embrace a love that transcends time.

All rights reserved - Ukiyowi©

[theresattrpgforthat]

do you have any games with a sci-fi fantasy setting that are adventuring/exploration focused, similar to numenera or wildsea? the flexibility to play more or less mature games, lots of character creation options, and a solid combat system would be a bonus

THEME: Exploration

God I wish I could recommend As the Sun Forever Sets yet but it’s still in development. It’s a game inspired by The War of the Worlds, and is a Forged in the Dark hex crawl. The creator is partnering with Evil Hat so you’ll want to keep an eye out for when they start crowdfunding it.

If you’re interested in games like The Wildsea, I’d also recommend checking out the Wildsea Discord, where there are plenty of games in the works using the Wild Words engine. I don't think much there has reached playtest levels yet, but there's a lot of game-things that look very interesting.

Anyways, let’s see what else is out there.

Dreams and Machines (Players Guide) (Game-Master's Guide), by Modiphius.

Dreams and Machines is a brand new RPG setting where people come together to rebuild their world following a catastrophic war. You will venture into a world of mystery and adventure, a world where slumbering mechs dot the landscape and people build their lives anew in the wreckage of paradise. Take on the role of one of the new tribes of humanity, an Archivist, Dreamer, Everan, River, or Spear, and forge a path for yourself and your people.

The war against the machines was 200 years ago, but many threats from that era abound, along with others, like raiding parties of Thralls from the deep ruins, that have arisen in the intervening years. The machines are dormant, but they sometimes awake, causing death and destruction until they are stopped. Hideous, mutated, creatures infest the landscape, vicious byproducts of the war. Ghostly nanograms lurk in the ruins promising knowledge or luring the unwary to their deaths. Yet against all this, humanity is rebuilding. People live full, happy lives despite the threats that assail them. Cooperation and mutual aid are everywhere, humans coming together to build something new amid the ruins of the past.

If you are a fan of Horizon Zero Dawn, this game was made for you. While it’s not taking place within the official licensed setting, the inspiration is visible all over this game. The game uses the 2d20 mechanic found among many of Modiphhius’ well-known titles, tailored for the large range of movement and large-scale conflict expected in a game like HZD. Characters are composed of an origin, archetype, temperament and bond, and refer to attributes and skills when determining whether or not the succeed. Some rolls have a difficulty determined by truths attached to locations, scenes, or equipment. Others are contests, and the outcomes are determined by the results from each opponent. These pieces point towards a complex ttrpg that has plenty of potential both for exploration and combat.

If you don’t want to get the Players Handbook and the GM’s Handbook without a bit of a first taste, you can check out the free Quickstart!

Between Clouds, by Andi Licht.

Between Clouds is a colorful, biopunk, tabletop RPG about a family of misfits navigating the open skies atop their beloved flying beast. Life among the clouds revolves around the Kirin, oversized animals that possess volatile genetics and the gift of flight. Across the skies, floating vessels and cities are held aloft by the animated remains of hunted Kirin, whose beating hearts defy gravity itself. Commoners are wary of becoming abducted or eaten by these creatures, while propaganda and folklore only stoke their fears. With an uninhabitable surface below, humanity must learn to coexist with the flora and fauna of their airborne realm or perish.

In Between Clouds players assume the role of Symbiotes, rare outcasts who have formed unbreakable bonds with a Kirin. It is not an easy choice to join forces with such a reviled creature. Those who crave power and a comfortable life seek to hunt the Kirin, and the Symbiotes with them if necessary. Few are ever approached by the flying beasts, and fewer still head the call. Those who do lead nomadic lives. They travel across Empyrea atop their airborne companions, making allies and enemies along the way, all while striving to help those in need and protect the wild Kirin that they encounter.

This game looks so pretty. The world looks very unique, with larger-than-life creatures called Kirin and a number of isolated biomes accessible only through riding on their backs. While the system uses the Year Zero engine, the creator also claims inspiration from Belonging Outside Belonging and Forged in the Dark games, so I’m expecting a complicated world with a lot of narrative prompts to drive the story forward.

Electric Bastionland, by Chris McDowell.

Bastion - The Electric Hub of Mankind. The only city that matters.

In Deep Country, the land stretches forever. The long shadow of our embarrassing past. Villages rot away, trees don’t bother to flower anymore, and the potato is eaten cold from the ground. Things were better before. Better before Bastion.  In the Underground are impossible tunnels beneath time and space. Devious machines release their creations into the corridors. All while the twisting network grows and touches everything. Connects everything. You can get anywhere, but there’s always a challenge. 

You have a failed career and a colossal debt. Treasure is your only option. A spark of hope in Electric Bastionland.

Electric Bastionland is a roleplaying game written by Chris McDowall, author of the critically-acclaimed Into The Odd. It uses and expands upon the systems developed in Into The Odd, resulting in a rules-set that’s easy to run as a Referee and even easier to play. It’s not a sourcebook or an expansion - it’s a standalone journey into an unknowable world. 

If you like OSR games this might be a game for you. Bastion is such a unique city that begs you to explore it. Your characters start as people who have failed in another career before, which is an interesting premise to give you at the beginning of the game. Treasure hunting was nobody’s first option, so your entire crew already has something in common. This feels like a game where survival is difficult, and everyone is trying to get themselves out of a rough place to a slightly less rough place. If you want a fantastic setting that might beat you up a little bit, I recommend Electric Bastionland.

Odyssey Aquatica, by Old Dog Games.

The year is 1960 and you are an Oceanographic Adventurer, a brave or foolhardy soul who goes to the most remote seas and the deepest ocean trenches to conduct groundbreaking research, help those in peril, document the wonders you discover — and bask in the glory. You will chart your character’s life work, from their first expeditions to their last, and record memoirs of the years lived in-between. 

ODYSSEY AQUATICA adapts the fast and flexible PARAGON system to a world of 20th century oceanographic adventure inspired by The Life Aquatic, Subnautica, and the life and times of Jacques Cousteau.

I’ve talked before about how AGON is a great tool for exploration games by providing you with a new way to journey, and plenty of the supplements for this system confirm my theory. Odyssey Aquatica keeps the exploration at sea, but brings it into the modern day, adding memoir rules that expand the game’s timeline to cover your characters’ careers. It’s also beautifully laid out, with a stunning boat sheet to help you keep all of your tools and equipment organized. If you like PARAGON games, you’ll like Odyssey Aquatica.

Bug World, by Alfie.

maybe the apocalypse could have been averted, but it wasn’t, and here we are, in a brand new world. this isn’t your cold, nuclear winter, sparse and dead kind of post-apocalypse. the end sent the world on a new course, brimming with life - just not quite as much human life as before. ok, barely any. in the super oxygen-rich atmosphere of the earth today, insect life has thrived.

it only took a few decades for bugs to reach incredible sizes, and now, about a century-and-a-half after the disaster, gargantuan insects are a normal sight. from a ladybug the size of a dog, to millipedes that might as well be trains, to horned beetles with skeletons big enough to use as shelter. bugs are huge and they are everywhere. the remaining humans have domesticated some, trained others, made wary peace with some intelligent groups, and carved themselves out sections of the world to live.

BUG WORLD is a Powered by the Apocalypse TTRPG where players navigate this post-apocalyptic jungle world, with all its scavenger towns, junk economies, and incredibly huge bugs. playbooks include more classic TTRPG options alongside bug wranglers and jockeys, rock collector archaeologists, and mob bosses.

Currently a work in progress, this game is all about exploration and survival. It uses a PbtA ruleset with moves like deal damage and survive harm for combat, and playbooks that specialize in it, like the Brutalizer and the Exoskeleton. As a post-apocalypse game I think it has plenty of opportunity for death and danger, and like plenty of PbtA games, the setting is baked into the character options more than anything else. I like the premise of this game and I think it holds a lot of promise, even if your play group has to build a lot of the setting themselves.

Nibiru, by Araukana Media.

Nibiru is a science fiction tabletop roleplaying game, set in a massive space station in a neighboring solar system. Players take on the role of Vagabonds; people who woke up in the space station with no memories of their past.

Nibiru tackles themes of memory, nature and artificiality through simple mechanics, evocative art and immersive worldbuilding.

This feels like such a unique game to me. Nibiru has a character creation system that you engage with during the entirety of your campaign experience, as your characters are uncovering more of their backstory as they play. You will fill in pieces of your memory as your character tries to do new things, and each new experience has the potential to cement a part of your character’s personality. The world itself is also begging to be explored: the Skyless World is a monstrous space station with an unknown purpose. Each choice your characters make will draw them deeper into the world, and have ripple effects on the world around them.

If you want a unique method of character generation, and a truly breathtaking reading experience, I recommend Nbiru.

Games I have Recommended in the Past

Apocalypse Roadtrip, by Mynar Lenahan.

Songs for the Dusk, by Kavita Poduri

ICON, by Massif Press.

Ultraviolet Grasslands, by Wizardtheiffighter.

[legionofpotatoes]

All other criticisms of modern Star Wars aside, the thing that gets me the most is how every single story is being written to fit into some Avengers-level grand finale that just isn't laying a solid enough foundation to make it worth the wait. Regardless of whether the individual stories are good or bad, what makes them fall so short, imo, is that there's usually no real payoff within their own runtimes (unless you count cheap callbacks or loose promises of More, which you shouldn't)

Like, I already knew halfway through Ahsoka that we were in for a cliffhanger and it's just like...alright, guess we'll see how this ends in about 5 years? Even Mando, which had a great first season and was poised to stand on its own two feet and ride off on a rootin' tootin' bounty huntin' adventure, has ultimately become yet another dusty path on the road to the current Big Plot with an indeterminate due date. That's not deliciously addictive media, it's a dry-ass carrot on a spindly little stick, lol

Of course, this is a problem that many franchises are happily getting cozy with lately because everybody wants to have their own Infinity War / Endgame moment, but I guess it seems a bit more egregious with Star Wars because, ironically, it used to work best because it had less overall focus. Like, sure, we had concurrent movies, animated series, and games, but they were always happy to do their own things and tell their own stories with definitive conclusions. Now it all has to funnel into the Big New Plot and, man, I honestly just can't bring myself to care when it feels like an endless waiting game

I definitely need to get around to watching Visions at some point because, every time it pops up, it sounds like the lifeblood that Star Wars sorely needs atm

Yeah the setup-and-payoff a-to-b type dramatic clarity that seemed so entrenched into the very bones of cinematic grammar - up to around the emergence of streaming, wink wink nudge nudge - is sorely missed in star wars atm. sure maybe downsized writers rooms fidgeting with limited series formats instead of doing actual seasonal TV has something to do with it, but even that is probably such a small piece of the larger issue that spins all this longform storytelling bullshit ferry wheel around.

Another part is certainly chasing the MCU business model of it all like you said. Carrot on a stick is verbatim how I've often described these things myself, the endless promise of another promise of another promise instead of forming a complete thought with a beginning and an end. servicing the plot before story at all costs. another part still is reverence towards the aesthetic trappings of the source material instead of its themes, trying to nail the exact texture of tatooine's huts and dial in the perfect balance of lightsaber choreography and pay homage to a thousand iconic shots before articulating something true in the text.

And like it's an endless laundry list, this confluence of capital-I Issues both industry-scale and creatively-driven that seem to be flaying the skin off the bones of whatever star wars even "is" nowadays. no one can answer that in the context of billions of dollars made off toys and storylines centering around this one moment in fictional history about sons and fathers and empires and rebellions. so they just keep twisting in the wind filling in any gaps within that period. I don't know nonnie, it's all so bleak. ahsoka and obi wan and even mando tbh. as charming as season 1 was, it truly felt like it coasted on its incredible restraint to avoid muddying its aesthetic with cameos, and lucked into effective storytelling as a result of that utterly unintentional alchemy. that's obviously well and truly gone now as its true optics have reared head.

what star wars is by itself is such a pointless discussion, right? andor argues it's a perfectly functional heightened universe that can support incredibly nuanced and dramatically charged stories of grassroots rebellion and the bureaucratic strain of fascist regimes. visions argues it's a world beholden to the force, an endlessly mutable and elegant metaphor that can support infinite monomyths and fairy tales. both are equally fantastic at executing on their takes, despite being in diametrically opposite extremes of interpreting the source. so it's not really about that at all, why the other stuff sucks this bad.

they're just bad at the craft of it, that's really it. whether it's auteur worship or business decisions rotting that fish down, it still rots all the same. maybe the new writers' guild contracts can shift the winds a little, because I was so securely done with star wars and then the aforementioned 2 shows came and affected me. so, so profoundly that I'm back on the hook again. like a lil sucker!

[wandringaesthetic]

Top 5 JRPGs

So in order to answer this question I had to have a few existential crises. First: what is a JRPG (we just don't know)? I'm going with the more purist answer here since we're narrowing it down to 5. So no action RPGs or tactical RPGs. Second: do I just put down my personal favorites here? because that's going to be 4 Final Fantasy games and idk Suikoden II, probably, and that's not very interesting. I don't really believe in objective quality, but at the moment I find it interesting to take a stab at it or at least name things I think are genuinely very good and polished and have relatively universal appeal. In the end, ugh, whatever, here's a list:

Final Fantasy VII - this is the one that made me fall in love with the genre. I don't have much to say about it that hasn't already been said. I will say, while I mostly like Remake/Rebirth there's something about the original they're never going to catch, and there's a lot to be said about being (relatively) more succinct and focused and leaving some things to the imagination.

Dragon Quest V - This is as good as the UrJRPG series gets. Charming and funny and bright and occasionally tragic. It's about growing up and family and perseverance. It did the monster recruitment thing before Pokemon. I played the Super Famicom version via fan translation and emulation, so I don't know if the remake(s?) of this have quite the same charm. It's helpful for older games to look their age so you can put them in the context of their time, I think. I feel like relatively few people in the west have played this one, which is a shame because it's the missing piece in the influences of Lufia, Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, possibly even Pokemon. Really fun, really solid game that was genuinely touching and made me feel childlike wonder.

Suikoden II - I first played this one when I was in college and Going Through It, and I've been meaning to replay it ever since. So, my memories are a little muddled but I'm going to do my best. Two boys take diverging paths to the same end. A war story that takes on a human scale by developing a huge cast of characters and by having your base grow around you. It takes one of the most interesting middle chapter twists I can think of in a video game. It's one of the best looking and sounding sprite based games to exist. It has an iron chef cooking mini game.

Shadow Hearts Covenant - balances between horror and quirkiness. Atypical setting (in the shadows of IRL World War I). Atypical protagonist with many demons, literal and metaphorical. Really good gameplay. Takes the FFX conditional turn based thing, where you can see the turn order and where some skills alter it, and runs with it. Timed hits, but it's customizable so you can make the system more or less forgiving and balance risk/reward with precise inputs versus guaranteed, but lower, accuracy. Adds up to a really fun game. Vibes are immaculate. Cast is great. But I cannot speak to how good the plot is because I don't remember most of it. It and the rest of the series have never been ported or remade and likely never will be. Keep circulating the tapes.

Chrono Trigger - I mean if you're only going to play one JRPG this is the one. The love child of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, with the bright, fun adventure qualities of DQ and the scifi/fantasy fusion and existential angst of FF. Did gameplay stuff it took other games decades to do and did it better. One of the best looking SNES games. The music makes me feel feelings I can't name. I paradoxically think it's overrated even though I'm putting it on the list, because it's not a personal favorite and I don't think anything in the world lives up to the hype around this game. It is very good, however, and a distillation of the genre.

[totkdaily]

Day 80: Visions, and Friends Aplenty

It takes until morning, but I find the tear in the geoglyph on the hill above Lake Hyrule. 

A vision. I see...

Ancient Hylians in darkness. Rauru at Sonia's grave. This is after that moment at the Blood Moon, then. The Demon King has risen, and they are at war.

Zelda visits the King. Her worry is plain on her face.

She mentions Ganondorf - that name. I'm struggling to understand her meaning - she says a secret stone did something to Ganondorf, whoever that is. But… Zelda's words suggest that Ganondorf, the Demon King and the creature below the castle are one and the same. I knew I was right about the Demon King and the creature. But who is Ganondorf? Is that who the Demon King was before? 

I piece the visions together in my mind with difficulty - it's been months. But the man who became the Demon King - I've seen him before. He led the Gerudo when they tried to attack Hyrule. Is that Ganondorf? The name… I can only hope the connection to Calamity Ganon is a cruel accident. 

Zelda is at the point of despair. My heart aches for her. Rauru dismisses her concerns, though he acknowledges that its his hubris that got them here. Why won't he listen to her? My Zelda. 

I need to know more. I think there are four geoglyphs I haven't yet found. Which is easiest to reach? There should be one north east of Lookout Landing, if my map-making is any good. Could I spot it from the tower? 

I land briefly on Hyrule Castle itself - there's a shrine. But no geoglyph I can see. Alright, plan B. I head to Tabantha Bridge Stable  and from there south. 

I scale a flat rock to get a better view - but I suddenly realise it's beneath my feet! And there's a balloon at the far end - Impa's here! She and Cado are right near the tear. 

A vision. I see...

A pagoda by a lakeside. Zelda, Sonia and Rauru are taking tea - tears spring to my eyes as I see Zelda at peace, at rest.

Her eyes sparkle, as she talks of our time, or her powers, of me. Zelda. She wants to be able to have all the powers at her disposal - Sonia encourages her pursuit but points out that her own talents are far from insignificant. I am sorry that Sonia died. I am glad that Zelda knew her kindness for a time. 

Every path I take leads to an empty pool, with Zelda no closer. Still, I must try.

I travel back to Central Hyrule, intending to head south by the towers to the Gerudo region - I think there is a geoglyph in the Highlands there. 

Running across Hyrule Field feels like the old days. But then I hear voices - it's Hoz's crew! Looks like they're going monster hunting - I gear up and join them. 

Hoz is grateful once we clear out the camp - I even get paid! He says they're heading to Fort Hateno next, and wonders about my sword - he's heard something of the Master Sword. 

I'd almost forgotten about it. It's been in only one of my visions. Zelda must not have received it until after the Imprisoning War. What did she do with it then? But it was broken anyway. The time of the sword is over. 

I gather the useful monster parts Hoz and his crew left behind, and look around for the tower I was aiming for - but then I spot the familiar purple light of Kilton's shop - now Koltin's - and before I know it I'm sprinting across the field in the dark to catch him. I must have so many gems since I last saw him. 

Well, I have seven. But it's enough for him to give me a pair of trousers. 

He's parked right outside Lookout Landing, so I run back and fetch a horse from Lester - Pumpkin will do well for this adventure, I think.

[arrow90-alrakis]

[Alrakis] OC Profile

A quick info+story dump for Ri and Lark! for new friends to get to know them! ^^ I hope this helps! This is from my private commission page and it's a bit rough ;3

Ri was my gold dragon path KC, but Lark and I decided to have him follow my hc archlich path as a companion. Lark is a mystery archlich NPC, KCs can pick them up in Ri's companion quest as an advisor.

Rimerock

Name: Rimerock/Ri Gender: Male, He/Him Race: Ancient silver dragon, 950+ yo Alignment: Lawful Good to Lawful Neutral Class: Paladin/Knight/Shifter Favored Weapon: longswords (golden sword Sundial, inherited from his family member Mirikshul) Disease: Corruption. (Demon lord murdered his family when he was 400+ yo, since then he suffered from a deadly corruption no one can cure. It’s a metallic dragon disease that brings mental damage and physical pain, causing the dragon to lose its vibrant colors. Due to the disease, Ri loses his mind and becomes aggressive from time to time. To avoid hurting innocents, he isolates himself and fights at the frontline against evil, seeking revenge or his death. That’s until Lark found him and offered help.) The Scale: Ri’s fallen scale served as Lark’s amulet and protected the archlich for hundreds of years. When Lark found Ri, they enchanted the scale, made it special for Ri, and returned it back to him. As long as Ri wears the scale, his mind can stay clear, without the mental infections from corruption. It is a temporary method until the disease is removed. Appearance: Taller and athletic build, white but a warmer skin tone, two moles (one below right eye, the other on the left side of his neck), scars (across left cheek and nose, and some other scars on his body). long curly silver hair, glacier eyes. Usually wears silver heavy armor with symbols of the platinum dragon god Apsu. If there is no war, he often wears light armor and an open-collared shirt at home. + (If his corruption isn’t removed, all his colors are darker. his hair is grayish, eyes darker blue, and scales are covered in black and dark blue spirals. Without the corruption, his hair is shiny silver like silk, his eyes pale icy blue, and his silver scale shimmers iridescent) General Personality: Brave, kind, generous, self-sacrificing, stubborn, protective, reliable, honest, endurance (pain and needs), always provide but feel guilty to take Hobbies: Sunbathing, wood carving, Lark’s chin rubs when he’s in dragon form Association & Symbols: swords, knights, shields (protect the ones he cares about and do good deeds.); gold dragon claw symbol (he is Apsu faithful); war horse or lone wolf (animal symbol, lonely, sorrow)

Background Story: 

Like all silver dragons, Rimerock lived in a clan led by an ancient silver, together with some teens and couples. When he was only a hatchling with weak wings, the evil destroyed his home and slaughtered his kin, leaving him the only survivor. Fortunately, a pair of golden dragons adopted him. He grew up with his much younger gold dragon brother Neralshul. The couple's first child, Mirikshul, was a young adult. She had been taking care of the younger two as their elder sister and mentor. It wasn't until Ri was 400+ yo that Mirik died at the claws of Baphomet in order to protect her brothers. The two survivors were simultaneously infected with fatal corruption due to her death. Neral's anger turned him from Lawful Good into Chaotic Evil, thus Rimerock parted ways with him. In order to cure the disease, Ri and other metallic dragons tried numerous methods but all failed. The silver then gave up looking for a cure and left alone to embark on a journey of revenge.

When Rimerock was a young dragon, he started his adventure fighting evil and helping those in need. He saved many lives, most of them he could not remember. One day he saved a sinking ship and all its passengers, including a young boy called Larksharius. The boy picked up a scale fallen from him during the rescue, Ri didn’t mind or remember all that. They both kept on with their lives until fate brought them together again. After Ri married Lark, he joined Lark to be a planar traveler too. The two immortals now are on a honeymoon that lasts forever.

Pathfinder WOTR Companion Quest:

Chapter II: A Relic of The Past

When the KC enters Lost Chapel for the first time, heads up the hill. In the chapel, Rimerock is trying to redeem some ghouls. His magic works on a few of them, those cured run downhill, and the rest turn hostile. Clear the enemies, talk to Rimerock, and then he joins the party. He explains he was looking for a relic that belonged to his family. Head downstairs towards the library, and go through those freshly killed dead ghouls to find a hidden hallway. Be careful of the traps and loot the "Radiant Silver Scale" from a research desk. Rimerock claims this is the relic he needs, so give it to him. If with perception 26, the KC will notice this is a silver dragon scale, and someone is looking at them from another plane with no hostility. Now exit the library to follow the main questline, but remember, the KC will return for the Rimerock's next quest.

Chapter III: A Ghost from The Past

At some point during Chapter III, Rimerock approaches the KC in the Citadel. He wishes to return to the library under Lost Chapel. Travel there with only Rimerock in the party, and let the "Radiant Silver Scale" stay in his necklace inventory. This time, a scholar named Larksharius will be there. The two seem to know each other. It turns out that Rimerock has been troubled by a deadly corruption and is close to inevitable death. Larksharius offers a possible way, which leads Rimerock to a path of undead and turns him into a lich in the end. It is possible for him to remain lawful good, as long as he follows the codes and is supported when in need. Choose how to reply carefully. Going with the Good option "Undead is not allowed in my party" will lead to a hard fight with Larksharius and endless ghouls summoned. Rimerock eventually stops the fight, turns into a silver dragon, and flies away with Larksharius. Going with the Evil option results in the same, except there's no fight. Choose either the Neutral or Chaotic option, Rimerock stays a companion. Larksharius will join as a war council advisor when the KC returns to the Citadel. (The “ Radiant Silver Scale“ is now locked in Rimerock’s necklace slot, it is enchanted by Larksharius, stopping Rimerock from losing his sanity in the corruption.)

Chapter VI: Currents of Karma

After the KC meets Noticula, Rimerock will approach. He requests to join the party to battle Hepzamirah, to revenge for his former mentor who's been killed by Baphomet. Abroad the ship with him in the party, as this is an important variable that counts for his good ending. When Hepzamirah summons Baphomet, Rimerock shows his true form as a silver dragon. His breath has a small chance to paralyze the enemy for one turn if turn-based, and his cold aura grants the entire party a slight damage boost, with 1 chance to remove all debuffs for all party members. After the battle, choose dialogue options to calm him down, basically telling him not to be blinded by hatred.

Chapter V: Rise of The Guardian

Somewhere during Chapter V, Rimerock approaches the KC. He is grateful that the KC has allowed him to perform the transformation toward the undead. Now he is ready for the final step, he asks to leave the party with Larksharius. He is not sure what he will become, a dragcolich or more likely something else. Rimerock asks the KC to trust him, if things go wrong, Larksharius will kill him, otherwise, they will return. If the KC supported Rimerock as mentioned above, the two will return in 7 calendar days. Rimerock says the ritual is successful, he is now a good-aligned undead dragon. It is worth mentioning that if the KC takes him to IZ after his successful transformation, the bone dragon can be persuaded to join the crusade.

Larksharius

Name: Larksharius/Lark Gender: Agender, They/Them Race: Archlich (immortal undead demigod), 800+ yo Alignment: Lawful Neutral Class: Necromancer/Planar Traveler Favored Weapon: rings, soul chains, daggers Appearance: Tall and bony build, pale skin, short brown curly hair, emerald eyes, long lashes, feather earrings, ear piercings, full body tattoos, and under these are scars. (Lark had long curly hair when he was a man, but cut it short when they became an archlich. He had no tattoos before he became an undead.) Tattoos: Cover all over their body, except areas around their head, hands, and feet. The multiple small black tattoos form a giant silver dragon hugging them from behind. The tattoos cover the scars they had when they were imprisoned, and are memorials of those best memories they had (a lich always forgets how essential memories and emotions are, they become emotionless over time) General Personality: Calm, detached, curious, independent, most of the time emotionless, their kind acts are carefully calculated results according to their own codes. They show more concern and emotions while around their partner Rimerock. Hobbies: Read books, drink tea, hot herbal bath Association & Symbols: Crow (it’s their deity symbol if they choose to ascend as a god); lily, lotus, wheat (rebirth, resurrection, sacrifice); emerald gemstone; feathers (freedom)

Background Story: When Lark was a 12 yo boy, he was saved by the young adult silver dragon Rimerock (150+ yo) from a sinking ship. It was a cold sunny winter, and the image of that elegant young dragon and his iridescent silver scales was imprinted on Lark’s memory. Lark kept a scale fallen from Ri as an amulet. As a man, Lark was a talented scholar, curious and kind, born with a special soul that attracts all good deities and evil ones. He was captured by the demon lord Baphomet, imprisoned and tortured in the Ineluctable Prison. To escape, he killed himself to turn into a lich (an evil undead. Their body will decay, more likely to fall into chaotic evil). After the escape, they seek revenge, hunting down Baphomet cultists for 50+ years, collecting knowledge and spells at the same time. When they calmed down, Lark made a deal with the Osirian deity Set. They trade knowledge stolen from the demon lord Abraxas (deity of forbidden knowledge) to Set (deity of undead). In return, Set's helped them turn into an archlich, by reaping away all their time as a lich and redoing the ritual. In the process, Set’s scythe cut off Lark’s hair. Whatever Lark left behind turned into an immortal raven, and Set promised if they ever returned to claim it, Lark would ascend as its successor, a new god. But for their freedom, Lark refused. (Set’s symbol: two-headed Sha/Doberman and a many-headed serpent) They lived a solitary life as a lawful neutral archlich for 700+ years. Like all long-life undeads, they gradually lose their morals and emotions. To maintain their alignment and avoid falling into evil, Lark made rules for themselves. The only emotions never reduced by lichdom are curiosity and excitement for new knowledge. Driven by their curious nature, Lark pursues precious knowledge, even the forbidden ones. They became a planar traveler, traded or stole knowledge, and made friends and foes. Set’s protection only made them bolder. Sometimes Lark overuses their power, their soul will be forced out of their body, lost alongside the River of Souls and Set can’t help them. Whenever Lark’s soul is in danger like this, Rimerock’s scale always glows and guides them back to safety. At the age of 800+ Lark found out Rimerock was troubled by corruption, and the dragon was dying. They found the silver dragon and helped him. The two bonded and fell in love, and got married after Ri’s corruption was removed. Their love story in a nutshell: a 1000-year-long lost and found.

Other Information: 

Lark’s patron, the Osirian pantheon god Set’s Lore:

My short fic, how Lark found out about Rimerock’s condition and decided to help him:

[insomniac-101]

God so I just recently purchased the Blu-ray edition of the tenth doctor's run and have been watching the commentary tracks for each episode (which btw, are soo good if you're a major fan of this era. They add a lot of context and extra details to the episodes).

I just finished the girl in the fireplace's commentary track and thankfully hearing the cast's comments on the scenes made it all the more bearable. Not because i hate the episode, but because everytime I rewatch it, it feels like reopening a flesh wound lol

Like it makes me so sad for everyone lmao.

Personally I am not of the opinion that it is badly written, I think the episode does a good job of exploring the more unflattering sides of the Doctor and his duties while also simultaneously exploring the strengths of those choosing to associate with him.

Within the episodes, the three leads make the ultimate sacrifice.

With Madame de pompadour sacrificing a slow path with the doctor for the greater good.

With Rose letting him go, knowing that his selflessness would never allow him to see someone he has come to care for, suffer a meaningless death

And the Doctor, choosing to step in and save Reinette, because it's the right thing to do in spite of knowing there's a possibility that he will never return. Especially with the amount of flirting they did, he formed a connection and now is made to pay the price for it.

It's such a sad episode, and the hurt on all sides always makes me feel so bad for everyone involved. Especially for Rose in particular, who has to put aside her personal feelings and step in spite of knowing how the doctor and Reinette feel about one another ( I wouldn't say love, but there's an attraction there definitely)

It goes to show how brave these two women are to do what is right even if it directly hinders their own needs. How much strength it really takes to accompany the doctor, given that one never knows how their adventures will end.

It also goes to show why you often don't see the doctor make promises to those he rescues. Why he often keeps people at a distance, because getting to know these people in peril personally makes losing them all too real. They become a priority above his better judgement, and he cannot escape the consequences of letting himself feel something towards them.

It's an unfortunate situation, but I think it goes to strengthen the bond between Rose and the Doctor further. As it not only explains why submitting to romantic attraction is a doomed endeavor on the Doctor's part, but why they both function well as a pair. Making them the only two in the scenario to really understand the repercussions of what has occurred on the big scale of things, but nonetheless letting the other grieve regardless.

Idk it's a war of conflicting feelings really lmao because although I am not a fan of the romance between him and Reinette (for other reasons), it manages to humanize him further. Making him a flawed individual that is not above making insensitive decisions or falling for flattery. He has feelings and emotions, that although help him sympathize to those around him, can also make him vulnerable in the same way any human is.

I think it adds to his character, although I will admit it had unfortunate timing on when it took place over the course of the overall character development (which ironically is a point that I have seen most agree with, even those that aren't the biggest fan of the Doctor and Rose romance). Overall, just very conflicted lmao

Lol just had to write out my thoughts, there will probably be more to come about these episodes since I'll be rewatching them.

[purefandomonium]

And Again

As promised, my other Glitchy Red AU. I'll post some headcanons for it too, but essentially this is my take on when Red became self-aware. I'll put some more details about it at the very bottom because I think knowing them beforehand kind of ruins it a bit.

I'd also like to warn people that this does get a little dark and there is some violence and slight gore in there.

This is a long one at almost 5,000 words, so you best be settled in for a minute, lol.

Getting the badge didn’t feel so special. Instead, the whole ordeal felt rather dull. He’d been so excited leading up to the battle, so focused on building up his team and figuring out strategies. This was his first real step towards becoming the Champion!

So why did the battle with Brock feel so… scripted? It was challenging, sure, but it also seemed easy compared to what he was thinking. Despite the disadvantages he had with a few of his picks he could still work out a winning strategy.

Did Brock let him win?

The gym leader revealed none of this to Red despite his repeated attempts to ask. He simply gave him a congratulations that felt empty and that was it. He had so many other things he wanted to know, but it seemed leaving was the better option.

He walked away feeling empty.

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So many new sights and experiences! This was his adventure, his story. There were so many opportunities for him. This was supposed to be exciting! It was what he’d been waiting for ever since he was old enough to walk.

So where had all that childish excitement gone? As he stood outside of a Pokemart, having just finished a supply run, he once again felt that vague emptiness. The city was crowded; full of people milling about and trainers looking for a battle, yet Red felt like he was alone.

He was just homesick. He missed his mom, his home, and he really missed Blue. Sure, they’d just battled a couple of hours ago and the memory of his sour face at losing was still fresh in Red’s mind, but that was the whole problem. He missed Blue being his friend. It was no secret they’d always bumped heads, but back then it was so simple. Now they were friends-turned-rivals and Blue seemed like he had something to prove. Understandable. There could only be one Champion, after all.

Still, Red found himself missing their pretend battles in his backyard, the sleepovers and birthday parties, even the prank wars they used to start despite Blue being more into them than he was. Even though they still crossed paths frequently, it felt like Red was just talking to a wall. It didn’t matter what he said to him; Blue would always find some way to steer the conversation back to becoming the Champion.

Despite the numerous interactions and even unlikely support, Red felt like he was taking the world on all alone. The weight of the Pokeballs on his belt was the only reminder he wasn’t.

—————————

He wasn’t prepared for this. Battling tough opponents, chasing after wild beasts and even obtaining what were essentially legends was one thing. Solving riddles and traveling alone wasn’t so bad either. Even Blue’s increasingly obnoxious behavior, while a bit higher on the ‘terrible scale’ than the previous examples, was still doable.

This, however? Taking on the mafia? That was something a child was ill-equipped for. He’d seen a few of their grunts before. Wrong place, wrong time. However, it hadn’t really hit him with what he was dealing with. Sure, he’d bested a few more gym leaders and took down some formidable foes, but that didn’t mean he was ready to fight a criminal organization!

Despite his panic at the situation, he found himself giving level-headed commands to his team and after a few close calls, sent the two of them scampering away. Relief washed over him like a wave as he recalled his team, and he wanted to flop onto the ground and process things for a while.

Instead, he wandered over to the objects sitting where they once stood. They must’ve dropped them in their panic to get away from him. The items were useful enough and it was clear they wouldn’t be needing them anymore. As Red pocketed the items, he wondered how he’d managed to beat them.

They were two older, experienced trainers who worked for an organization determined to make good use out of Pokemon. Their teams were impressive. Red was just some kid with big dreams who happened to wander into the wrong place at the wrong time again.

The more he thought about the battle—tried to analyze and understand it—the more it baffled him. He had been in utter panic, paralyzed by fear, yet he’d instructed his team well enough to gain the upper hand and win? He wasn’t even paying attention! All he could think about was how screwed he was, how upset his mother would be, how mad Blue would be…

His mind soon wandered to the possibilities of what they’d do when they found out. What would Blue do at word of his death? Of course he’d mourn, but would he go after Team Rocket himself to avenge his fallen rival and friend? Would he succeed?

Those were the only thoughts on Red’s mind throughout the entire battle. It happened so fast and he hadn’t been paying attention at all. So how was it possible he’d won?

—————————

Red found himself in some sort of a trance. He was too distracted, too unbothered by the outside world to break free of his own thoughts. It didn’t matter. Every trainer’s words felt meaningless anyway. He wasn’t listening and couldn’t care less about whatever it was they were telling him. Even when they seemed to have something of importance to say, Red spaced out on them.

Despite this, he found no hindrance in his goals, going exactly where he needed to be and doing exactly what he needed to do. It was an odd sense of knowing that he didn’t understand. He’d never done any of this before and yet he knew all of the necessary steps.

Had he always known?

—————————

He found that his lack of focus didn’t affect the outcome of his battles either. He could still let his mind wander in the middle of the fight and somehow, when he snapped back to reality, he was being handed money or an item and sent on his way. On the few occasions he did pay attention, everything still seemed to just… happen. It was like his body was on autopilot.

He was aware of who he sent out and when he needed to recall someone or heal them. He knew he was giving commands—how else would his team be attacking if not for his word? However, it still felt… choreographed. Despite Red’s increasing frustration at the lack of challenge, everything seemed to be laid out for him. At least he had his team. Something he did all by himself. Pokemon he caught and trained. Partners he picked out to help him on his journey. He fought hard for some of them. They were the only thing that felt special, the only thing he had any tangible say in.

So why could he swear that every time he checked his party, they seemed to be different?

—————————

He was going to lose this battle, just to see what would happen. Everyone seemed to expect him to lose, only to congratulate him—sometimes begrudgingly—when he won. What would failing do? Would they be angry? Confused? Even happier than when he won? Maybe he’d finally gain some feeling of accomplishment. He’d been zoning out, letting things happen. It was time for him to do something.

Red’s intention was to throw the battle. Send out the worst member of his team—he swore it was Golbat, but it looked like it was actually a Magikarp—use the most useless moves, and stand around and do nothing whenever he could. Maybe even take the time to ask a few questions, if this trainer was one of the more talkative types.

He really, really wanted to lose and maybe get some answers.

So why did he send out his ace and one-shot every single opponent without hesitation? Why, when he went to collect his dues from the rival trainer, did his mouth remain glued shut when his mind was firing off question after question?

Had he always been silent?

—————————

Blue.

Blue would surely know what was going on. They’d been friends for as long as Red could remember and that hadn’t changed now that they were rivals. They grew up together. They got their starters together. Red needed to know if Blue’s adventure up until this point had felt like a story that needed telling.

Red begged and pleaded with his friend to please stop joking around and answer him. He tried to; despite his rampant thoughts his mouth wouldn’t move. His face refused to convey the flurry of emotions he felt. The fear, the panic, the anger, the confusion… All of it buried behind a blank expression that merely watched what he thought was his best friend march away after another defeat.

Maybe he was in on it.

—————————

This was so pointless. Battling the Elite Four and becoming the Champion had once been all he’d ever wanted. It had been his dream. He and that fake had sought out to become the absolute best. Now that Red could finally prove himself…

He realized none of it mattered. It had been decided for him by some unseen force. His one dream, the only purpose he gave himself, was a lie. He wasn’t sure it was ever even his dream to begin with.

Everything he needed to do, he did. No exceptions. Even when he didn’t want to do it. Even if he wanted to do something else. This entire time it was all planned out. Everyone was a part of it. It was supposed to happen this way.

Except at no point did Red plan any of it. Which brought up the question: Who decided this? This was supposed to be his story, so why wasn’t he the one to write it?

—————————

Red was never fully prepared to see Blue as the Champion. He really shouldn’t be surprised about seeing him there by now. It was certainly nothing new. This was their… He couldn’t remember how many times he’d sent Blue packing. All he knew was that the feelings of betrayal and surprise were the only constants. Betrayal because no matter how many times he wanted answers from the other boy, he never, ever got them. Surprise because he couldn’t believe Blue was still on about this. His rival was always so intense about it. Red was over this whole Champion thing.

He knew that’s what they were both fighting for—at least, Blue was. Red had stopped caring a long time ago. Just like he’d stopped caring about why his party kept changing, why he always won, why things always worked out for him, and how he managed to take down the mafia. He stopped wondering why he’d always have to wake up in his room when it was all said and done and need to go through the same old motions.

Why all those around him acted like this was normal.

It just happened. It was supposed to happen.

When Blue was inevitably beaten and humiliated, Red closed his eyes and waited for his life to reset.

—————————

Each time he lived it, the fakeness of it all become more and more apparent. Painfully so. That wasn’t his mother—he was never born. Blue wasn’t his friend—he was just another obstacle. None of those trainers or champions were special—they were all meaningless tasks.

Characters. They were all characters. Not people. Not individuals with personalities. They all had roles they needed to fill. Scripts they needed to follow. He was supposed to be one of them. He was supposed to be in on it too. He used to be, once.

Too many times had he gone through with this. Too many repeats of the same. Old. Thing. The switch that flipped it all?

He made the mistake of wondering how he knew what attacks to use against someone he’d never even fought, let alone met, before. He remembered now. The tipping point. From that moment on, there was no going back. It all just stacked up from there.

The icing on the cake was that once the memories were revealed to be lies, Red couldn’t conjure up a single real memory of his life. There were only the false memories of hanging out with Blue and dreaming of becoming the best. He couldn’t recall any real family, friends, nothing. All he got were the constant episodes of each new ‘adventure.’ He was more real than anyone else in this useless world and yet he still couldn’t differentiate what made him so special.

After all, he didn’t really exist either.

—————————

Was this it then? To live through the same story over and over? To spend every waking moment knowing exactly what would happen next and being powerless to stop it? He just wanted it to stop. Just for once, he wanted to break free from the mold, do something different. Something that wasn’t meant to happen. He couldn’t take another playthrough of this. He didn’t want to be doomed to the same thing repeatedly, forever. Perpetually trapped in his own body as it did things for him and all he could do was watch.

What could possibly be worse than that?

—————————

How he wished he’d never asked. He thought he could get away with tempting fate and all it did was come back to bite him. Despite getting exactly what he wanted in this thing that wasn’t supposed to be happening, Red felt the most intense wave of fear at the sight of the entity floating above the island.

It hurt every fiber of his being to look at it, the horrid and incomprehensible droning that echoed through his mind tore apart his thoughts and left him with nothing but a deep-seated urge to run.

He remained rooted in place, forced to face this anomaly. He wanted to zone out like always, to get lost in his thoughts in this battle like all the others until it was over and he did what he was supposed to.

This was the first time he was ever fully aware of what he was doing. He couldn’t even close his eyes. It was horrific. His limbs felt heavy and stiff as they moved, as though forcibly pulled by something despite his wishes. He threw Pokeballs in an attempt to catch it.

Why did he keep trying to catch it? Who wanted this thing?! He didn’t!

He got it. Its sealed presence burned him. It was eating at him and he couldn’t tell where.

His bag was so, so heavy, and he realized he had an ungodly amount of rare candies he’d never need. Despite their diminutive size, each one seemed to weigh ten times as much.

The pain wouldn’t leave him as he trudged away and he was still vividly aware of the heavy stiffness of his limbs.

Try as he might, the pain was all he could focus on.

—————————

This was wrong, wrong, wrong. Why did he feel so wrong?

He’d felt like this ever since he caught that thing…

This was supposed to be a new start! He didn’t have it anymore. He checked. So why did he still feel it?

Why did he still hurt so much?

—————————

Its presence filled his mind and its corruption ate at his body. He was always aware of it. He was aware of them all. He never should have tried to make sense of where that Mew came from, or what the abnormal stats of some of his party said. He never should have attempted to use the impossible new move his Venusaur had learned. There was no escaping them, that much was obvious. It wouldn’t be so bad if he could pretend again. If he could just zone out like he used to, let his body run on autopilot, he could live like this. He’d be fine with the eternal repeats forever. Now that he’d lost the ability to do that, it was so agonizing. If ignorance was bliss, then knowledge was nothing but anguish.

He tried so, so hard to make it stop, to change things. Whatever had control over his life wasn’t letting go. He was sure it was laughing as his entire world broke apart, his body included. His mind was the last thing to go, still reeling from the sizzling pain his body was in as it deteriorated into nothing. He wasn’t spared the agony of feeling even his thoughts fizzle away.

There was no escaping his new nightmare.

—————————

Why was he always made to go after these things? He wanted nothing to do with these corrupted entities that confused and hurt him. He wanted to go back to repeating his stupid adventure instead of hunting down these abominations only for them to tear apart his world. The pain was different every time. It seemed he wasn’t allowed the fortune of getting used to it. Just when he thought he’d experienced the worst pain imaginable—and Red was getting pretty good at that—someway, somehow, there would be a whole new layer of suffering for him.

When would it end? He was at point where he couldn’t wait for the one to finish it. Which nightmarish entity would corrupt the world so much that it couldn’t be put back together again? When would his body get to a point where it was too dissolved and broken to go on?

He hated being the only one to endure it. He was the only one in the entire world that understood what was happening. Sure, sometimes the others were hapless victims when an event happened. Occasionally, he’d see them ripped apart and even rearranged right before his eyes. When reality itself warped into something unrecognizable and incomprehensible they still attempted to carry on as normal. They didn’t scream in pain and terror. They couldn’t fathom what was happening.

Lucky bastards.

—————————

He hated, hated, hated this. The rage building up inside of him had reached a boiling point. It was the first thing in what felt like eons that numbed the pain a bit. He found it gave him a new sense of focus.

He was aware all his torment was the will of whatever had control over him. If only he could find out how to stop it. If it could control him like this and manipulate his world like it was a doll-house, then there had to be a way for him to get to it. It had to be somewhere. He always wondered about the thing that seemed to find this sick torture funny. He wondered what he’d do if given the chance to find the source of his misery.

What if he stopped wondering and started pushing back?

—————————

Had it always been so easy? Was he just stupid?

Red stood completely still, letting his newly acquired grip on his personal hell strengthen until the urge to keep walking disappeared altogether. This was it. He was finally free. He still suffered from the constant agony of his body’s corruption. He was still reeling from being thrown around like some broken puppet.

But now?

Now he was finally in control of himself, and he could do exactly as he pleased. What better way to test out one’s newfound freedom than by giving their sadistic tormentor a taste of their own medicine? How would they feel if their mind and body was destroyed by some monster?

He was all too gleeful to find out.

—————————

The young player dropped the Game Boy with a yelp as the speakers emitted a high-pitched whine at an impossible volume. Thinking quickly, they snatched it back up and flipped the switch off. The noise stopped instantly.

“Are you ok, Alex?”

They jumped again at the sound of their father in the doorway. “Yeah, Dad. Sorry about that. It froze or something and scared me.”

He nodded. “Well, it’s getting late. I know it’s the weekend but you should still try to get some sleep. It’s not a good idea to spend all night staring at that tiny screen.”

They shrugged. After that little scare, they were inclined to agree. They felt exhausted all of a sudden.

As they exchanged goodnight, Alex went about getting ready for bed. The Game Boy was set atop the dresser and the whole incident was promptly forgotten about as they dozed off.

—————————

Alex awoke in an empty void. It was completely silent; they couldn’t even hear their own breathing. Were they even breathing?

“Am I still alive right now?” they wondered aloud.

“You won’t be for much longer,” a voice echoed from the abyss.

He was clearly a child, but he looked nothing like innocence. His eyes were full of malice and the more Alex stared, the more unnerving characteristics they noticed. There were no lines or wrinkles on his face, no texture whatsoever. The shadows didn’t seem to make sense; they were sharp and jutted wherever they pleased despite the lack of lighting.

Alex whirled and found none other than what looked to be the character of Red standing inches behind them, form rigid and fists by his sides. He stood just below their height. His face held no emotion despite his words. His eyes glowed like his namesake and although his broken, garbled voice was unsettlingly deep, his face looked young. Younger than themselves even.

His outfit was dull and his eyes were the only real color he had. Despite his boyish look his skin was ghastly and pale; the shadows on his body and face were bold and stood out even amidst the darkness.

The worst, however, had to be his eyes. They—in addition to the unnatural red they glowed—lacked the usual attributes as well. Just blank whites holding two smooth irises with pupils and nothing more. The lack of detail on his features made him seem fake. Alex felt cold at the sight of him.

What kind of a dream was this?

Red observed the being before him. They weren’t at all what he was expecting. There were so many different colors. They seemed so vivid, their outfit standing out against the shadows. He could see little details on their skin; small spots and lines and bumps. Their brown eyes were wide, and Red noted little slivers amongst the color as well as thin red lines throughout the whites. He watched their pupils repeatedly change size as they made minute movements, no doubt taking in his own appearance. Even their eyebrows held an impossible amount of detail; being made of multiple fibers rather than two smears of color.

He could hear their faint breaths, their nostrils flaring with each inhale as their chest expanded slightly before the air was pushed back out. He was fascinated by the way their breath hitched as he brought his hand below their nose to feel the escaping warmth.

It was all foreign to him. When he focused on them as a whole he noted how they were just above his height, auburn hair messy and arms wrapped around themselves in some sort of hug. So this was the one behind all his suffering? This was his demented tormentor all along? They were clearly afraid of him.

His lips stretched into a demonic smile.

Alex began backing away as Red moved even closer, the smile never fading. “Wait,” they tried, hoping they’d wake up soon. “Stay back.”

Red's hands shot out like cobras to grip his former captor’s arms tightly. He found that doing so caused them to scream in pain, so he dug his nails in for extra effect. His fingers felt warm and something felt ready to give beneath them. Some sort of red substance began to flow out and fall to the floor in droplets. The smile became a wild snarl as rage overtook him.

“You thought it was funny, didn’t you?!” he screamed, voice breaking up. His whole body seized with painful glitches. Would he ever be rid of them?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” they cried, wanting to break away from Red but knowing that trying to struggle out of his grasp would only do more damage. They had no choice but to continue to face him. “I just wanted to mess around with the game!” They choked out another cry when his nails dug in deeper, tearing muscle.

“Game? Game?! Am I a joke to you?! Do you know what it felt like? Do you know how much pain and suffering I went through for your little game?” He grit his teeth so hard that the pain in his jaw drowned out his usual agony. For the first time ever, he could ignore the way his body fizzled in and out of solidity. He made his grip a little tighter and felt something crack. He watched their tears fall as the red liquid continued to ooze out.

He wondered how much of it would spill if he kept his grip and pulled; how much it would hurt for them to be violently torn apart by something that shouldn’t be. He wondered if he’d become as real as they were afterwards, if he could somehow take their details and colors and breathing for himself.

“Please…” they whimpered. This was no dream. It hurt too much to be anything other than real. Red’s anger felt suffocating.

Despite all he wanted to say, all the questions he wanted to ask, Red found himself laughing. The harsh sound echoed throughout the darkness as he watched them cower in his grasp. He’d really done it. He’d found the source of his suffering and the sooner he got rid of it the sooner he could live. No more scripts, no more repeats, no more being ripped apart endlessly. As much as he wanted to show them what his torment felt like, he was ready for all of this to be over.

The giddy feeling of victory overtook him as he laughed and laughed, reveling in the fear in his prey’s eyes. Without warning, he sunk his fingers in as deep as he could and pulled.

Alex’s arms were ripped off like they were made of paper and they fell to their knees with a horrid scream, legs having long given out from the pain of Red’s grasp. The insane laughter had settled into silence as they flopped face-first onto the ground, head turned towards their killer. They felt the fading warmth of their blood surround them as the pale-skinned figure stood over them, eyes glinting and that cruel smile back on his face.

Red watched the crimson puddle spread out and soak into their hair and clothes as their eyes became dull and unfocused. He observed the torn limbs he held—the way they still leaked red and the jagged white shards that stuck out from the ends. There were similar ones on the mutilated stumps of the body at his feet. Stretchy threads hung out limply. Out of curiosity, he squeezed one of the arms with all his strength and a wet crunch sounded as it bent at an unnatural angle.

After a few more moments of examining them, he grew bored of the severed appendages and let them fall to the ground with a dull thump. He brought his hands up and noted the sticky mess under and around his nails. This was really it.

It was so easy. Too easy.

—————————

Alex was powerless against the supernatural grip on their arms. They struggled and struggled, but to no avail. He wasn’t letting go.

“ALEX!”

Their eyes shot open and found not Red, but their parents staring down at them in fear and concern.

“Are you ok?! You were screaming so much and you’re bleeding!”

As their father released them, they shakily took in their surroundings and noted that they were indeed back in their room. They were in too much shock to say anything.

Alex's mother gently brushed their hair out of their face and pulled the sleeves of their pajama shirt up to inspect their arms, frightened about the bright red stains. The lack of a reaction from Alex made the fear worsen.

There were deep scratches like claw marks on the both of them. The light blue sheets were stained with the same red as their shirt.

All Alex could do was cry and beg to be hugged.

—————————

Red found himself in his room again, like nothing had changed. He felt a pull to go outside and wanted to scream.

It seemed whatever he’d done was temporary. Or perhaps that wasn’t the one controlling him. Maybe it was a decoy, or just another part of the act.

Fine. He’d go along with it for now. All he had to do was find them. He knew what he could do now too. Eventually, someone would have to be the one he was looking for.

He could wait. He’d gone on this long, he could keep going. With his newfound abilities, he’d find them sooner or later.

Oh, how he couldn’t wait to make them suffer like he had.

Please ignore that I said Red had no properly human features but then turned around and gave him nails. The thought of him not having them kinda grossed me out, lol. But yes, this version of Red is a psychotic bastard with a vendetta against literally anyone. In case it wasn't obvious, the story skips ahead a lot. It starts around the time the game originally came out--and I suspect people would've played it normally in the beginning. Then as time went on and word got out, people learned about all the fun ways to break the game. The gist is that after the first many playthroughs, Red starts feeling the deja vu and begins questioning things. He could've gone on like that forever and been none the wiser, but then players had to go an discover the glitches. If it weren't for that, Red wouldn't have realized he was in trapped in a game, he wouldn't be so angry, and he wouldn't have achieved actual sentience/sapience. He'd just be forever wondering why everything keeps repeating. Edited Fun Fact: When I first posted this, I made Alex an adult instead of the kid they were originally. I have decided to go back to that initial idea because I think it reads better and establishes this version of Glitchy Red's rage better too. This version of Red is hyper-aggressive to adults and children, so I think Alex being younger fits. Red is "11" here, and Alex is 13. I give Red's age quotes because chronologically he's much, much older. Although I like to think he doesn't care about age and doesn't really acknowledge it, due to his poor sense of time. But yeah, physically he is 11. Other than Alex's age everything else is exactly the same. Red is furious with anyone who interacts with the game in any way and thinks of them as his captors.

I kept Alex gn because I initially wasn't even sure I was gonna keep them in there. I kind of added them in because I happened to be mad at someone who happens to also be named Alex... You know what they say about pissing writers off... I will definitely be posting more on this at random, lol. Between working on Connection, of course. This is yet another project that got away from me and I spent several hours adding to it when I was supposed to just post it. Oops.

[wanderingnork]

Gith Deep Dive: Top Ten Weirdest Lore From Dragon Magazine

Dragon was a magazine published from 1976 to 2013, first by TSR (the origin company of D&D), then Paizo (now best known for Pathfinder), and finally Wizards of the Coast. It was replaced in 2015 by Dragon+, which ran until 2022. The magazine published short fiction and comics, adventures and maps, reviews, advice, artwork, and more. Whole adventure lines (like Age of Worms or Scales of War) were published through the magazine, never as hard-copy books. Its famous "Ecology of..." line provided in-depth bestiary looks at various iconic monsters. The mind flayer ecology article is even narrated by a githyanki! It introduced magic items, class mechanics, and more--some of which have become staples of the wider tabletop RPG community.

Dragon ran for 430 issues and Dragon+ added another 41 on top of that. 47 issues of the original run featured the githyanki heavily, and 4 of Dragon+ did. On my neocities gith resources page, you can see all of them. They often appeared on encounter or class tables (as a PC race particularly suited for a particular paragon path or prestige class), but those I haven't included.

What's presented here is what I think are the ten weirdest, wildest, most surprising pieces of gith lore out of Dragon (and Dragon+). Enjoy.

(Note: I use Astral Plane and Astral Sea based on edition--it was Astral Plane up until 4th Edition when it switched to Astral Sea.)

(Further note: I sincerely apologize on behalf of the original writers for the way some of the original articles are written. There's often thoughtless language, nasty biases, and other questionable content. Trust me, it gives me the ick too.)

-

10: #93 – "Pronunciation Guide: An informal index of the right things to say", p.26

So...that's not actually how the article titled is spelled, but I hate how they did it so, so much. "Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd." Thanks, but no thanks.

This is more of a meta-weirdness than anything else. According to this article, "githyanki" is pronounced "gith-yan-kee," with emphasis on "yan." Cool, fine. "Githzerai," on the other hand, which we mostly pronounce as "gith-zer-eye" now (with emphasis on "eye"), is said to be pronounced "gith-zer-ee" (with emphasis on "gith"). You can spot this pronunciation listed on the Forgotten Realms wiki article, but in Baldur's Gate 3 it's quite clearly pronounced the former.

How times change.

9: #408 - Bazaar of the Bizarre: Treasures of the Elemental Chaos, p.29

The artifact suite "Xenda-Dran's Array" offers players a chance to wear the gear of a long-dead slaad assassin in the service of the slaad lord Ygorl. Apparently, eons ago, the slaad ran into the enlightened githzerai master Liricosa (detailed in The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos, p.148). Liricosa's power is such that he either killed the slaad easily...or his transcendent nature turned a slaad, the embodiment of chaos, into a being of law.

8: #390 – Power Play: Divine: Dead Gods, p.46-47

Deep in the Elemental Chaos floats the petrified body of the long-dead god Haramathur. Eons ago, this god sacrificed himself to seal away a powerful primordial. Now a githzerai monastery has been carved directly out of the god's body. The githzerai who live there call themselves the "Disciples of Stone" and may actually be able to communicate with stone itself. Good luck getting there to meet them, though: the body is surrounded by a maelstrom of volcanic energy.

7: #287 – Creatures of the Chaos Spire, p.74

An eldritch fortress known as Gnythagak, shaped by use of psionic power, is now known as the Chaos Spire. It was taken from the illithids by a combined force of githyanki and githzerai. Afterwards, the githyanki occupied the fortress, and the githzerai responded with an army. Tens of thousands died on both sides in the massive battle. In the end, the githzerai channeled the raw matter of the plane of Limbo directly into the heart of Gnythagak, resulting in an interplanar explosion and the transformation of the fortress into a migratory pocket-plane of its own.

The wild part about this isn't the battle. It's that the githyanki and githzerai worked together at such a scale for such a massive undertaking. That's pretty damn exceptional, and a demonstration of just how much both sides hate mind flayers.

6: #245 – Mindstalkers, p.36-43

This article covers an order of dwarves who develop psionic powers in order to hunt illithids. They learned from a githyanki who, in gratitude for being rescued from illithid clutches before he could become dinner, taught his dwarven rescuers psionic skill. The githyanki even brought ore from an Astral godmote to the dwarves so they could forge special weapons to fight mind flayers. These "caradhakers" adopt githyanki hairstyles and ornamentation alongside their typical clan fashions (and, of course, beards).

Githyanki aren't normally quite this open or friendly with other species. But, much like the incident with the Chaos Spire, hatred of illithids overrides everything.

5: #101 – Creature Catalog III, Thendar, p.54

Appearing ONLY in this single brief article, the thendar are a strange, humanoid Astral species who travel the planes gathering knowledge. They live for thousands of years and are peaceful sages.

The githyanki hate them. Probably just because they're nice...?

4: #159 – Voidjammers!

HOOOO BOY OKAY THIS IS THE DISTURBING ONE BUCKLE THE FUCK UP

So a thousand years or so ago, this archmage named Peregrin got bored with Material Plane adventures and moved to the Astral Plane with intent to literally form a planar taxi service. His adventures could probably fill a book, but the point for this post: the githyanki fucking hate this guy. First for intruding on the Astral Plane, then because this guy went on a rampage through the githyanki forces to confront Vlaakith *face to face* and demand she stop attacking his ships.

Apparently she was "less powerful" than she is now.

The githyanki left Peregrin's taxi service alone, for the most part, but they're still nursing one hell of a grudge. As they should. See, most of the ships are powered by extracted mind flayer brains, lobotomized to remove personality and retain psionic power for propulsion. So, so fucking disturbing, but the githyanki would probably approve of that. What they would not approve of is that it's rumored that Peregrin's personal flagship is powered by a pair of githyanki brains.

And, if it wouldn't make the whole species angry enough to find a way to kill him, Peregrin is openly stated to think powering his whole fleet with githyanki brains is a good idea.

In Dragon #166, a reader sent in a letter discussing how nightmarish this is and how much they disapprove. I find myself agreeing.

3: #419 – Winning Races: Bladelings

This article introduces the "bladelings" as a playable race for 4th Edition. Fancy, edgy (ha), violent, growing literal razor blades out of their bodies like scales, the bladelings were originally mortal human worshipers of Bane. When they won his favor, Bane fused them with their weapons forever. You know. As you do.

And then there's this one random throwaway line on page 23: "A few dissidents claim that they were actually from the same racial stock that would eventually give rise to the githyanki and githzerai."

E X C U S E ? ? ?

No elaboration is ever given. Guess we just get to live with this!

2: #381 – "The Foundling," Mike Resnick, p.18-23

Right. I highly recommend you read this one yourself for maximum impact. Here's the Internet Archive link.

In brief...a young githzerai woman (all of 22 years old) loses her infant child. A year later, she discovers an orphaned githyanki baby. And, well...

"It wasn’t its fault that it was born of the githyanki. It needed care, and love, and shelter, and she had all three to give."

Despite the scorn of her kin, the young woman decides to raise the baby as her own. For one of them, the scorn eventually turns to hate, and so begins a series of attacks by increasingly powerful monsters on mother and child as they travel far and wide to escape their enemies. After four years, things finally come to a head. At which point...well. I really, REALLY don't want to spoil the ending.

Let's just say that the githzerai responsible for the attacks is about to have a really, really bad day.

NUMBER ONE WEIRDEST: #355 – Ecology of the Devourer, p.58-63

This article covers the nightmarish devourer, a form of undead that devours souls. How they're created has changed over the years (nowadays they're fiends, not undead), but this article is from D&D 3.5, where they were very much undead. They drive someone to the brink of death, then drag the person's soul inside their ribcage and torture it for power.

According to this article, the devourers originated with the githyanki.

During the reign of Vlaakith 156--the predecessor of the current Vlaakith--a scheming general decided to avoid getting his soul eaten. Because apparently the previous Vlaakith was also a soul-eating lich! His attempt went wrong and his rebellion was crushed. Their souls were taken from them and locked away, their bodies thrown into the Astral Plane.

Unfortunately for Vlaakith and the githyanki in Tu'narath, the general's body was reanimated by energy from the Negative Energy Plane. He brought back his most loyal followers as the same kind of undead, all of them starving for their missing souls, and they launched a second attack on Tu'narath. Many, many githyanki died in the unexpected attack. Vlaakith and the undead general finally fought face to face over the bodies of their followers. History's not clear on who won, but at some point in the chaos the current Vlaakith--number 157--took the throne. She's ruled unchallenged for a thousand years and the githyanki have hated and feared the devourers ever since.

That's...so much to unpack. Multiple Vlaakiths were liches? This is a long-running tradition? According to the article, the exact dates of a Vlaakith's reign are obscured, so exactly how long does each one rule? Just how LONG have the githyanki been around?

Oh, and the icing on the cake: in the modern day, some githzerai monasteries employ elder devourers as monastery guards. In return for aid, the githzerai search for the devourers' original missing essence. In the meantime, they feed the devourers the souls of captured githyanki.

The githzerai are not the good guys.

-

On deck for next time: the githyanki of 4th Edition D&D!

[minti-tales]

Minti makes good on a promise. We meet the Frost Queen, She Made of Ice.

---

Minti Chocolate had no desire to be in Coerthas again. And yet, here she was, riding her chocobo like she was late for supper, up-up-up the muddy path from the last post in the North Shroud. Broken twigs, well-trodden dirt, dead grass, goblin detritus - all these were hers, rewards for traveling during Eorzea's winter season.

The chocobo, a brown bird named "Riptide," wanted to press on despite the coming rainfall. Perhaps he thought this would get him out of a bath, dirty thing that he was, and each clawprint, each schluck from the grasping muddy ground, was further distance from his bullies, Soap and Tub. His confident "Kweh-heh-hehs" gave him away as much.

Thunder and lighting in Gridania's forests gave way to snow showers, causing the rain on Minti's winged golden armor to turn to frost. It was awful.

"Twelve above, girl, keep it together," the viera muttered, loud enough for Riptide to hear. The dirty bird might be relishing his time out of the free company stables, but Minti wasn't having this jaunt to the Observatory, and, quite frankly, neither was The Choir. To put their collected displeasure to parchment would take ages. The Volunteer was the only one excited about all this mummery and capering about.

It was that damned sense of honor, wasn't it, pushing rider and mount up the hills, past the river teeming with smallfish, past the wolves hungry for their next meal. It certainly wasn't the Volunteer pushing her forward, whispering in her ear about unfinished business. No. The Ishgardian "stiff upper lip" and need to maintain one's honor in the face of proper society, those were to blame. Yes, those. What wonderful gifts Lady Sabbatine had given her, a long time ago.

One last hill to crest, then to the First Dicasterial Observatorium, where Minti's honor kept a faithful vigil, ever waiting for her return.

Halone's faithful knight rides forth to confront the Dragoon, who lies in wait atop yonder tower.

---

Coming up from Gridania, aspiring adventurers are like to see The Observatorium's grand tower first, before they see the rest of the settlement. This structure holds an astroscope, a device which is used to study and document star patterns and movements.

During the time of the Dragonsong War, the tower and encampment was used by Ishgardian astrologians to predict the movements of the Dravanian Horde; with the ending of the War, it became a place to train new astrologians in the ways of the healing, although not as openly as some might wish. Here, too, was Ser Alberic Bale, former Azure Dragoon, current mentor to many of Eorzea's dragoons.

For many nights, Ser Bale had waited by the encampment's covered firepit, keeping both it and the hearts of his students warm. The end of the War gave rise to more soul crystals reaching curious hands, and more lancers coming up from the guild in Gridania. They needed guidance, and who better to give it than him?

This night seemed to stretch longer than most, which the biting cold and swirling snow around the Observatorium knew to take advantage of. To the imagination, it would seem as if a great ice dragon of eld, a frightful winged being with dark blue scales and gold claws, had made roost about the tower, and covered the Central Highlands with what Ishgard had known since the Calamity: Frightful, unending, punishing winter.

Of course, any Ishgardian worth their onze in salt knew that the weather was coldest before the start of Heavensturn. More logs for the fire were needed, then, and a hot cup of cider to ring in the new year. "Haisie, come by the fire, rest your bones and your spirit," Alberic called out to the shivering Twin Adder nearby. The Elezen was handing out Company scrip to a young archer and, as usual, complaining about the second watch not yet arriving. "There is little reason to suffer tonight."

Haisie must have said something to frighten the hyur, who ran off towards Camp Dragonhead at the fullest speed they could muster. "I would love a hot meal, and a place to warm my arse," the elf stammered out between shakes, "But I must keep watch, else I shall never be relieved of this gods-damned burden! Where is that second watch - Oh. *Well.* What fresh mummery is this?"

---

There was a new-old voice by the Observatorium's firepit, waiting to be acknowledged by Minti. A grand dragon of ancient ice, of Coertha's layers of snow, of the numbing cold that comes from the regrets men have of their younger years. She was tall enough to tower over Azure Dragoons, current and former, and small enough to be unseen for many winters past. A reminder of failures, of promises broken, of lies. Many, many wrongs, all kept in her pretty, glittering hoard of coins. A Frost Queen's ransom, perhaps.

My dearest child approaches, the dragon thought to herself as she flew to the upper mechanisms of the astroscope. No one would mind if she watched, would they? Creatures like her were always drawn to these sorts of spectacles, after all.

Ah! And what a fine spectacle this would be. Miss Chocolate herself, all dressed in shiny armor and lance, riding into camp like Emmanellian de Fortemps out a-courting. Head buzzing like a beehive, face scrunched up in such a serious expression. How much like a lady of Ishgard. How divine.

Our hero approaches that dottering old man by the firepit, yes, and sits beside him. Says nothing, just sits and looks over at him like a lost, frightened puppy. Is she nervous? Oh, she must be. She must be terrified.

What's this? They're talking. Real, deep, insightful conversation. Rubbish about how Minti hated how long it took to come back, and how sorry she is, and would Ser Bale please take her back, please, she'll be a very good girl this time around, sob sob sob! This isn't a good meal, it's a sad, pathetic snack. Bale would be in his rights to send Minti on her way. Everyone can agree on that.

The Queen nearly retched as Bale and Minti hugged, a long hug with rubbing of backs and soft words and forgiveness. And yet, in that sincere moment of forgiveness and acceptance, something about her changed. On a fundamental level, no less.

There must be time for forgiveness, the new-old voice of the Frost Queen considered, in between gusts of winter wind. A time for acknowledgement, and a time to move forward into tomorrow. We should learn from our failures as much as we should our successes.

Her hoard of coins had two faces on them now. How very odd.

As the night came to a close, and dawn was just about to come, the frightening visage of the Frost Queen shifted to one resembling a dear friend, an elezen who could call upon an Primal of Ice, then to an Au Ra wearing the blue and gold armor of a sworn Halonic Paladin. The Queen liked this form. It suited her well.

She would rejoin the Choir, and lend her voice to Minti Chocolate's cause. The rabbit would need her guidance to become a full Dragoon, after all.

[areax]

pythia lore dump (BG3 & DURGE SPOILERS)

the sorcerer has harmed me once more

is convinced shes the daughter or descendant of tiamat and operates on that assumption until act 3, which is pretty funny because it puts her into yet another existential crisis when she figures out whose daughter she actually is. to be fair she’s in the right ballpark at least and considering that she has horns and scales and a tail it’s a good guess. though i think those physical characteristics are a result of her mother being an unusual looking tiefling plus some of bhaal's forms having scales. technically in game she's a draconic bloodline sorcerer as there's not a class option to be a bhaalspawn sorcerer but im using the draconic bloodline as a placeholder. anyway i just imagine tiamat hearing bhaal’s wayward child's prayers to her and being like I AM NOT YOUR MOM!

wants to kill her dad not because of any resentment toward him or the way that he was raised but because murdering is the ultimate act of love for a child of the god of murder. she also wants to usurp him and does know or understand what a “sundering” is. she saw gale get horny about apotheosis and was like... yoink

before her brain got all fucked up she was a remarkably... calculated person in terms of killing. i think the parts of her brain that manage her impulse control and make her into an assassin, not just a wanton murderer, got damaged and it takes a while for her to recover from that but she never does fully. i like the idea that her Urge comes not only from being a bhaalspawn but secondarily from having something quite literally wrong about her brain. i mean duh not all ppl with brain damage become murderers but in her case the missing parts of herself (impulse control, moral compass) were filled in by the background radiation of bloodlust that comes from her Urge. nepenthe is the same, but instead of being like “my mind is telling me to do this so it must be right” she was like “fuck what my mind said. i have morals”

possibly my most sparkledog oc in terms of looks. she also later has vulture’s wings. enoby dark’ness WHO

she’s going to put raphael on a leash and he’s going to love it. the war of greeks v italians continues... she fucks his shit up to get the hammer but either leaves him barely alive or he finds a way to weasel out of dying (i absolutely buy the theory that raphael has some kind of resurrection contingency plan or that his soul goes to mephistopheles after his death to be tormented. i think there was some kind of saturn devouring his son imagery there. in any case she wouldn’t rescue him but if he ever came back she’d be impressed) and they meet again at least a decade after the events of the game and she pitches him her “quit your job. help me kill my father and i’ll help you kill yours.” idea. she says she’ll give him the crown once she’s ascended to true godhood and no longer has need of it; he’s not sure if she’s telling the truth but can’t resist the temptation. i haven’t yet decided what actually comes out of this union except absolute misery for everyone in their path

is the big bad of someone else’s campaign. she saw a magical artifact and immediately devoted herself to becoming a serious threat to a party of around 4-5 level 20 adventurers. like she fucks the gate UP for real. comparable to netheril.

[heathercauthor]

What? Earth Sucks' apocalypse is inspired by the 100. Pry the first 5 seasons out of my cold dead hands.

The 100 x If Humans were Space Orcs x The Last Of Us

Another brave soul ventured past the Walls and survived to give us a review of their adventure! Are you brave enough to check it out for yourself?

Synopsis: 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐩𝐬𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐞𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐤𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟. (more below)

Feng’s both the hunter and the hunted, searching for his missing family in a climate change decimated world controlled by the alien intruders. As a human – and maybe a little because of the explosions he leaves in his wake – he’s become public enemy number one.

Diem grew up on stories of the brutal human creatures, but never dreamt she'd meet one. When Feng crosses her path, she gets her chance. Now she wishes she never had. 

His loved ones’ survival depend on their uneasy alliance. The terrifying truths awaiting Diem threaten to destroy everything she’s ever known. They’ve got one shot, and one wrong step could tip the scales of war.

 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 October 26th 2022

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[necarion]

The Canterbury Job

This is an outline of a video game idea I’ve been sharing with @jadagul. The specific details of the plot are very hazy, and so this is focused more on mechanics. Not all the mechanics will be workable as-written.

1. The setup

The basic setting is a fantasy version of not-England. And you all meet in an inn. You’re the “simple” innkeeper, and you have a group of 4 or 5 other guests. The guests are: a big tough woman who looks like a war veteran; a small shifty guy with a foul sense of humor; a weathered woman who clearly knows her way around the outdoors (she gets a dog); an apprentice mage; and an elderly monk. (If this looks like fighter, rogue, ranger, caster, cleric…you are correct). Your main character has no obvious special skills for now, but is friendly and good with words. All of you are obviously from very different cultures with different skin tones.

[Note, the cultures, skin tones, and names match relatively-known Earth cultures, but do not match with each other. As a possible example, your fighter is a black man who dresses like a samurai and is named William of Loire-Essex, or whatever]

All of you are heading to Canturbury tomorrow for reasons you’re a bit reluctant to dicuss. But the road there is kind of rough, a few of the party knows each other (not clear who, yet), and it’s way safer to go together.

2. The framing adventure

The party sets out on a relatively straightforward exploration adventure. It’s semi-railroaded, and you encounter a number of obstacles along the way, including puzzles, small-scale breaking-and-entering, a few bits of combat. There are maybe 5 of these.

The key is that all of these things require some set of special skills to pass. These are, very importantly, not railroaded. There are several ways you can deal with the problems. And when you’re flummoxed, you can look through your party’s character sheets to pick the skills you need. Every character has a handful of abilities that are slightly unusual (maybe 3), and so you have a menu to choose from. For example, you need to get into a building, and the shifty guy might have the ability to pick the lock, climb the wall, or disguise himself. The fighter might have learned a specific blasting spell. Or you’re facing off against a dragon, and the mage knows how to charm one, etc. Not every character will have a good option for all situations, and not every character will get the full menu on every challenge.

And once you’ve pick an ability for a character, it becomes the only special ability they have on their list, and the others go away with no option to get them back.

After the challenge / minor-setpiece has been completed, the characters who used an unusual skill will be encouraged to tell their story.

3. The Tales

And this is where the core story gets going: as the character(s)’s flashback. You’ll jump back some point in time to live out this character’s adventure and motivation for being in this story. You play as this character. Sometimes alone, sometimes in a small party, sometimes with one of the other main characters in said party.

There are two fundamental elements to each of the Tales:

(a) The only “win condition” for the sub-RPG is one in which you learn the skill you’ve chosen, in the role the character currently occupies.

(b) You all fucking hate the Archbishop of Canturbury for a very personal reason. And come Hells or high water, you’re going to make him/her pay.

Note that there are multiple paths for each character (this is an RPG after all), so the story can proceed a few different ways! But if you pick one of them that doesn’t lead to you earning your skill and the enmity of the Archbishop, you fail the story. You either hit a “game over” and return to the start or savepoint of the adventure, or you return to the framing story only to be informed by another character that you’re lying your ass off, and they want to know what really happened. (This can occur right away, or later, but with some form of stat penalty if you wait).

After everyone has picked their skills, and you approach the final boss, your Innkeeper POV then tells their tale. Here, you get to have your adventure without constraint (a), although you still need to get screwed by the Archbishop in some way. In this way, you can end up with 1, 2, or even 3 skills (although getting more than 1 is really hard).

 4. The Boss Level

So, you’re a party on a pilgrimage to Canterbury to get revenge on the Archbishop. You are now challenged to decide how you’re going to play this. Do you kill him? Rob him? Frame her for something she didn’t do? Expose her for something she did? Frame her for something that looks exactly like something she already did? All of the above?

The final level is set up something like a Hitman level, where your objective is to do something very damaging to the Archbishop and get everyone out alive. You can jump between characters, but if you’re not in the POV of one, the AI is going to work through the mission. This is the hardest part to do, and maybe you do it turn-based or something. Or the other characters are now completely AI-powered acting out the existing plan. (When stuff goes wrong, you might get a chance to react, you might not.)

The skills you have to work with are the ones you picked on your journey, plus whatever core abilities you’d expect the party to have based on their class.

And you’re left with one final question: 

Do you have what it takes to pull off the Canterbury Job, or will the Archbishop rid herself of the meddlesome party?

[queerworldtravelers]

Kotor, Montenegro - Part 2

42°25'14"N, 18°46'5"E

The last of the cats…

Slow travel is all the buzz. For us, slowing down was a necessity and Kotor seemed like a good place to hang around for a while. We stayed in our small coach house adorned with relics from time gone past in Crna Gora. We had a big stack of firewood, an epic cast iron grill, neighborhood cats that provided hours of entertainment, and church bells that reliably kept track as the hours drifted away. We made good friends with the server at the cafe in town and the guys at the grilled meat place. Days not filled with moving epic amounts of project work were showered in sunshine and filled with adventures that usually included scaling a mountain.

It was also Krystal’s forty-first birthday. Lucky for us, the best krempita in the whole world is at Forza Cafe inside of the fortress walls in Kotor. Imagine, crispy layers almost like a pita floating between luscious cream. At Forza the krempita crackles and the espresso macchiato is the magical cake’s perfect pair. The cake was truly a special event because we kicked processed sugar and processed carbs to the curb about a month ago. Easy to do in a country with loads of grilled meat. Mary wrapped a few select gifts in the advertisement flier from the local grocery store and we celebrated another year of wisdom.

Our mountain wandering included an adventure to the top of the fortress walls and another trek up to the goat cheese house. It is important to note that spring means baby goats and they get first priority for the precious milk used for cheese the rest of the year. The wild collection of cats made up for the lack of cheese and we watched in great amusement as the newer tourists learned of their ferocity the hard way. Cats are really cute in the rest of the world. The cats here are cute too, but local legend says they came in with the sailors and they still sort of have an air of survival to them wrapped in a cute fur coat.

Our last hurrah included a trek up forty one switchbacks ascending a little over 2,500 feet to check out Fort Vrmac, an Austro-Hungarian fort established in 1860. Mary said it was Krystal’s “over the hill” party. The hike was stunning and took us through pine forest on a fortified stone path lined with an abundance of white sage. When we made it to the top we were greeted by a parking lot and many cars. We hiked on a Saturday and many folks had the BBQ fired up and music going among the ruins and farm houses teetering between Tivat and Kotor on the top of the limestone ridge. We wandered past the pigs and chickens to the abandoned fort. The place is totally haunted. In a really creepy way. You can go in, they just say to take a flashlight and use caution as “much of the floor is missing.” We stood at the door and decided it was hell no for us. Deciding instead to walk the perimeter where Mary quickly came upon giant spikes coming from the ground. The brutality of war is truly so close and visible in this place.

[hopeandduty]

Journal Entry #1 It is perhaps a bit dangerous for me to be here, in this place where crystal falls as rain and roars as thunder, yet I could not resist the siren call of this particular adventure. Those who dwell here have been too long I fear; they simply wish to go home but never shall. It rather dims the brilliance of this place. I wonder if any will ever have it shining over the waters again.

Journal Entry #2 What does it mean to be real? Those here seek these answers upon wings of metal and beneath mounds of bodies. Their programs, cleverly loaded, will never teach them. This shelter, buried in sand, will not provide it for them. To live is to know the consequence of choice, to feel it etched into you with fire and loss and treachery. The long halls down which I have strode to come here only remind me how endlessly we all must walk.

Journal Entry #3 I fear what lies buried in this place. It was unearthed from Gyr Abania, as I understand it; the ultimate power for a mind bent upon conquest. I have already walked these metallic halls and yet I dare not look at what these golden windows will show me. Already have the winds ceased, the land cried out for the fires that have been extinguished and I cannot bear to watch how much deeper this false conviction shall drag us.

Journal Entry #4 How many lands have we traveled to get this far? Each one stretches out before me now, each place, each soul, each memory I have known becomes a step to bridge what cannot be traversed alone. Fields are filled with phantoms of a war they do not understand but will fight regardless. Was I once but one of them? This luminous sanctuary will offer me no answers, but I need not seek them any longer. I know where I must go, even if I must become the villain to get there.

Journal Entry #5 Strange customs, these tribes hold. Thunder that ignites the air and sails to islands otherwise untouchable. I may not have wings, but this place would give me a taste of such freedom. The trees sway and the clouds laugh; perhaps they knew of the water that was about to block my path and flood my senses. That the flowers bloom so brightly amidst such dangers is no doubt another of their jokes, or maybe the reason they are said to sing. Surely a scale cannot be worth such trouble.

Journal Entry #6 Heroes, villains… it all depends who is telling the tale, doesn’t it? We have crossed before when you were much older and I still knew so little. Your flame burns brighter on this dying star, but neither of us can avert its fate. Instead the pall of these green flames shall cast over a clash that is not meant to satisfy either of us. Only the one watching will search for meaning here, and will find not what it seeks. We know the meaning of strength far better, don't we?