#golem foundry

[inkwell-dorid]

More Chalice & the Machine Content. A small, funny panel of how they first meet and a 6 character inspo chart for Pandora. One of these days, would like to get the first encounter story more fleshed out.

Honorable mention for the chart include the iron golem from Castle in The Sky, Webtoon's & Dommcell's Emmy the Robot, and the Tale Foundry avatar from the YouTube channel.

[jack-of-crowns]

@flashfictionfridayofficial

'To Raise Up The Name Of The Dead' by @jack-of-crowns

Seven years since the great guns had fallen silent all across Morea, and here they now lay, strewn across the foundry scrapyard with their cracked barrels and corroded trunnions a ghostly greyish green in the pallid moonlight, forgotten as the fortresses from which they had been salvaged.

Khursi remembered them, remembered them gleaming brightly high on the battlements of Corfu before that final siege of the war. Those were all that were left to her now of her former life, broken memories of the broken promises the Doge had made to her people, the Romaniotes; that he was Venice and that Venice would always defend them.

She took a deep draught of the cool, salty air. From over the wall, the raucous laughter of carnivaleschi echoed. These were the nights Khursi was almost thankful for ghetto's thick gates and tall walls, for there was no telling what desperate men in an old republic would do to young women not of their kind.

Seven years, a handmaid to her cousin Mordechai, the sculptor, and she had learned so much of his trade. Reckonless amounts of time selecting what was still fit for the smelter and then dragging those bits behind the ruins to where her sand cast moulds had been so carefully constructed. All was ready.

Khursi affixed her father's aleph to the forehead of the bronze golem, reciting the prayers in her native tongue from the scroll where it stood upright in the tik. Tonight, here in Venice, her family lineage would arise again as a protector for all of the community. She knew now why the tides of fortune had brought her here; it was to raise up the name of the dead.

[valoisfulcanellideux]

A little bit of behind the scenes lore for REanima

Art by Sabira / @floweroflaurelin

If you've read REanima, my short story set in a dystopian future about bounty hunter Saiziege (MythicalSausage), the augmented Copper King CuprePaxi (Pixlriffs), and copper golem Parlse (PearlescentMoon) then you may have wondered what happened to all the other copper golems that made the repair of little Parlse something that had to be kept so secret.

Since I've been going through my notes this morning, trying to find something else, I thought I'd type up a bit of lore that I jotted down but never included in the story, mostly because it only came to me weeks after I'd posted it on AO3.

These are literally only notes transcribed from the notebook that I always carry with me, and they're also not fact-checked/heavily researched, so they're mostly just to give some flavour to the backstory of the character of CuprePaxi.

Be warned: this is heart-wrenching.

Behind the cut with you!

In the past, CuprePaxi created innocent, childlike copper golems as companions for people (maybe even as 'eternal children' for those who couldn't have them, due to the excessive amount of pollution in the city causing high levels of infertility). Each one took a long time to make, as they were hand-crafted, and he regarded them all as his children. Because he knew that - at some distant point in their future - he would probably be called upon to repair them, and he didn't want to cause them any distress when he did that, he programmed each of them to regard him as their father, their protector.

Copper became incredibly scarce because so much of it was needed for the infrastructure (wiring, piping, etc.) of The Wall. (This touches on the impending copper shortage our current world is looking at.)

At some point in the recent past all the known copper golems were confiscated by the authorities... and - in one giant crucible - they were melted down.

CuprePaxi lives to this day with the knowledge that circulated soon after this event: that workers in the foundry were horrified to hear hundreds of small voices calling out for 'father!' as the crucible was heated.

Because of his underworld connections, Saiziege had advance knowledge of the impending copper golem confiscation, and so he hid little Parlse away. When the officials arrived to check his home, he managed to convince them that he couldn't afford a copper golem of his own, and so Parlse escaped the purge.

Even CuprePaxi himself sometimes gets eyed up as a potential source of the metal because of the liquid copper channels embedded in his skin. Whenever he's visited by an official who brings him an android for repair and he spots them looking at those channels, he immediately puts on a show of vanity, explaining that the copper is synthetic and he had the channels inserted because he thought they looked good. And all the while, he knows that - just as easily as they melted down his children - so would they gladly gouge out his copper channels without a second thought if it meant a bit more of the metal to build a bit more of The Wall.

[icgaminglogs]

Warden Cousland's War Journal

Chapter 10: The Anvil of the Void

The faster I can get out of these caves, the better I’ll feel. Alistair tells me this is where Grey Wardens go when their time is up. That’s not encouraging. Nor is knowing exactly how long I have to live. Thirty years, he says. The nightmares visions I had after the Joining have mostly faded, but they’ll return, and when they do...this is my fate. Dying down here in the darkness, taking as many darkspawn with me as I can. And Duncan had started having them again, Alistair says. No wonder he looked so grim when I first saw him at Highever. He was never expecting to survive this Blight, was he?

Best not to say that to Alistair.

We’ve been tracking Branka’s path through the Deep Roads. Bhelen’s map got us to Caridin’s Cross, with about as much darkspawn to deal with as you might expect. From here, Oghren says she’d make for the old Ortan Thaig. Apparently Caridin lived there before he became a Paragon and since he never bothered to go out and create his own thaig it’s the best bet for where the Anvil might be.

A thaig is apparently a sort of colony, ruled by a noble famly as near as I can understand it. It’s not a city, exactly, but I’m not sure it was entirely independent, either. There aren’t any anymore, as far as I know; all the ones I’ve seen or heard of – which aren’t that many, to be fair – have been abandoned for years. Probably centuries, ever since the First Blight when the darkspawn first swarmed out of the Deep Roads. Perhaps there was once a chance for a thaig to become a true city of its own, I don’t know. I’m not sure it entirely matters these days, anyway.

Oghren’s told me a little about this Anvil that Branka’s looking for. It’s supposed to be an artifact of the Paragon Caridin, who Caridin’s Cross was named for. Just what it does has been lost to time, apparently, but Branka thought it was worth taking her entire house into the Deep Roads for.

Dwarven customs make little sense to me. They treat their Paragons almost as living deities – living ancestors, I guess they would say? - which is why Branka is so important; she’s the only current living Paragon, so her voice would have quite a bit of sway in the Assembly. And to be named a Paragon, you have to achieve something so great that it alters the very fabric of dwarven society, pretty much. Branka invented a clean-burning coal – or found a way to burn coal cleanly, I’m honestly not sure which – which doesn’t sound all that impressive until you remember that dwarves live underground and ventilation is always going to be a problem. A smokeless forge or foundry would absolutely be a massive improvement down here. Caridin is the one who made the golems, though no one really knows how he did it. Something about the Anvil, which is why Branka’s gone looking for it.

I have to wonder, if Caridin made the golems, did Shale know him? Maybe I’ll ask it her. I can’t just keep referring to Shale as it, and she just seems female. Possibly it’s the dry, scathing tone she always uses. It’s a bit like Morrigan, though I’m never telling either of them that.

********

Ortan Thaig is still here, and Branka definitely passed this way. We found an old camp of hers, home now to a madman. His name is Ruck. I think I ran into his mother back in Orzammar; telling her what her son has become would break her heart, and what little bit of Ruck is left beneath the madness knows that, I think. He’s asked me to tell her he’s dead. I don’t much like lying, but in this case...well, it would be a mercy, wouldn’t it? The son she knew is dead, in a way. Down here in the Deep Roads there’s nothing to live on but vermin and darkspawn; there is no saving him. But he gave us something of a direction to go in, amidst his ravings and ramblings.

Unfortunately those directions led us straight to a spider lair. I never liked the eight-legged beasts even when they weren’t the size of a pony; I hate these giant web-spinners down here. Clearing the nest took more effort than I’m willing to admit, but it paid off. We found Branka’s journal. She left it behind as a message to anyone who came after her, though whatever she wanted to tell Oghren she didn’t write down. Seems she had a feeling he’d come after her, though. Or she really did just have her husband in her thoughts, who knows. She left him behind in Orzammar after taking everyone else with her, and she had to have a reason for that.

Our path now leads to the Dead Trenches. No telling what we’ll find there but darkspawn; the name isn’t exactly encouraging. According to Oghren this is where the darkspawn horde starts from, at least here in Ferelden. We’ll need to tread very carefully.

********

It was there. It was there. The archdemon. We saw the Blighted thing, flying over the crevasse. It was just as I’d seen it in my dreams, just as twisted, just as terrible. I could feel it, almost hear its call...and I’m sure it felt me, and Alistair. I don’t remember ever being that terrified. But this confirms it. Loghain insists that this isn’t a true Blight because no one’s seen an archdemon, but it’s here, and it’s real.

There are actually dwarves here, too. The Legion of the Dead, they call themselves. Dwarves who have given themselves wholly to fighting the darkspawn. A bit like Grey Wardens, but without the taint Joining ceremony, I suppose. Kardol, their leader, seems a hard sort, but you’d have to be to survive down here. Especially since each member of the Legion is a dead dwarf walking. They hold funerals for each new member. I’ll likely be seeing them again when my time comes and I have to come back here to die in the dark.

At least I won’t fall alone. That’s some comfort.

********

Branka’s gone mad. Worse than mad. Maker help me, I never imagined anything like this. I knew darkspawn didn’t eat all their victims, and I’ve heard there are fates worse than death, but I’ve never seen one until now.

It seems like what is now called the Dead Trenches was once Bownammar, a fortress built by Caridin to be the headquarters of the Legion. We’ve helped Kardol take it back, at least for now, but what we found in the deepest part of the fort...I lack the words to describe it.

We found one of Branka’s house, a dwarf called Hespith. She was half-mad from the taint, raving, speaking in a rhyme that seemed like nonsense until we realized her ravings had been warnings. She’d been captured, along with who knows how many others; the men had been killed, but the women left alive, forcibly tainted...and Branka let it happen. I don’t know why, but seeing what one of those poor sods became…

Maker, I wish I could forget the sight. I haven’t had much time or much chance to actually learn more about the creatures we’re fighting, but I’d never considered how the blighted monsters are made. Broodmothers...and Branka let this happen? Knowingly? Willingly?

Her name was Laryn, once. I wonder if she remembered it, after what was done to her. I wonder if there was still some part of her that survived, deep inside. I don’t know whether that would be worse than losing everything she was entirely in becoming that creature.

Whichever it is – I think this is how the dwarves say it – may the Stone accept her and guide her spirit home.

Branka can’t be far now. She has a lot to answer for.

********

I have learned more things down here in this darkness than I ever wanted to know. We found Branka. She felt no remorse for what she’d done, leaving members of her house to the darkspawn. Whatever woman Oghren married originally had vanished; she was consumed by her need to find the Anvil. Find it, and use it. Which is something else we couldn’t allow.

Branka let Laryn be taken and changed so she could have a neverending line of darkspawn to throw at the traps Caridin left on the path to the Anvil. She locked us into that labyrinth, too, which proved to be her final mistake. We made it through, found the Anvil, but we also found Caridin. The Paragon had been turned into a golem. Because that was the secret, what he’d never allowed to be known. No one can create life, so to give life to a golem it had to come from somewhere else. Every golem walking was once a dwarf. And the process, from what Caridin told us and what we found in fragments of journals, was incredibly painful. Living dwarves, entombed in giant suits of armor, with molten lyrium poured in once the armor was complete, and then came the hammering, the forging...

Maker, poor Shale.

Caridin begged us to destroy the Anvil. Branka wouldn’t hear of it and insisted we save it. And use it. Make more golems? Knowing what the cost is? Not a chance. She didn’t take that well. Attacked us. Oghren tried to talk her down, insisted she could be reasoned with, but she didn’t give him a chance to try. We had to cut her down. So much for the last living Paragon.

Caridin’s last act was to forge us a crown to end the dispute over Orzammar’s throne. The word of a Paragon, even if it’s not Branka, should at least solve that problem, though Caridin himself won’t be there to see it. With the Anvil destroyed, he cast himself into the lava.

Two Paragons gone. Though one, I suppose, was lost long before she came to this cave.

There’s a monument against the wall, covered in dwarven runes. Oghren says it’s a list of names, a memorial to those dwarves who volunteered to become golems. We’ll take a rubbing of it back to the Shaperate. Those dwarves deserve to be remembered.

********

On our way back to Orzammar, Shale asked if we could take a detour. Well, not so much asked, as mentioned she remembered something of who she’d been before and the area around Caridin’s Cross. Maybe seeing those names on the memorial or meeting the Paragon himself jogged her memory. Regardless, I felt she was owed this much.

It’s an odd thing, to be led by half-remembered steps, but Shale led us through the Deep Roads to another lost thaig. Like all the others we’ve seen, this one’s been long abandoned by anyone but darkspawn, but there were still some things left. Including a monument to those of the thaig who had been made golems. Shale’s name – Shayle’s name – was on the list. Shayle, of House Cadash. She was a she – still is – and a warrior of her House. I’m not entirely sure how she’s taking the news that she truly was small and squishy once, but she’s not going to pieces or destroying things so I’ll take that as a good thing.

When we returned to Orzammar we went straight to the Assembly. I wanted to get this mess over with as quickly as possible. It’s been too blasted long since I saw the sun or felt wind on my face. The crown Caridin forged was accepted as sign of the Paragon’s blessing, though I confess I lied in part to the Assembly. Caridin himself didn’t name a king; he left the decision up to me. I didn’t think that would go over well, so I simply told them that Caridin had chosen Bhelen. It worked. Harrowmont accepted his loss, Bhelen was crowned, problem solved. Mostly.

Bhelen’s first act was to order Harrowmont’s execution, which...seems a little much, but I’ve done more than enoug interfering in dwarven politics for one life. And it does make a certain amount of hard sense to kill the man and ensure his followers have no one to rally around. Hopefully it will mean Orzammar is united fully behind Bhelen. Either way, the new king intends to honor the treaty with the Wardens. That’s three allies behind me; I just need to speak with the elves now.

[darkseraphscorner]

Seraph in the Unholy Crusade

HP: 252

MP: 50

LV: 18

AC: 18

Stats

Strength: 16

Dexterity: 10

Constitution: 16

Intelligence: 18

Wisdom:12

Charisma: 18

Seraph of the Forge, Master of Heavens foundrys.

Gear: Master crafted plate mail, Hammer of the Forges, Broad sword (angelic Steel) Soul Contract @hells-sirenqueen

Edit: needs more.

Skill: Time warp, Seraph can speed up time, the more strain he undergoes, the larger the area of effect.

Summon Forge, Seraph's link to craftsmanship, he can summon a forge where ever he is, along with bellows, anvil and crafting tools.

Forces: Seraph commands one hundred and one Angels of the forge and one Angelic Steel Golem. His forces are equipped with Angelic Steel full plate, armed with great shields and storm hammers.

[limpfisted]

@infiniteanalemma  that post is so long and I didn't want to make it longer even with a readmore LMAO however it is VERY interesting that if u Google magister baldurs gate, ONLY astarion comes up. This, plus the fact that there aren't really supposed to be many cemeteries in the city means that the game took a few creative liberties with astarion lmao. (I have yet to look at the map of baldurs gate from bg1 and 2, I'm still on part one of watching a lets play of it rip)

But in general it also puts into perspective wyll and ulder---ulder became grand Duke only 7 years ago, 3 years after parliament was formed. All dukes positions are supposedly elected and he was elected based off of the general good will and like, ppl thinking he would help the lower city, according to the lorebooks and he failed to meet expectations bc he had to make certain deals with the patriars that made him hypocritical, in the way wyll thinks many politicians are hypocritical

(In general tho I like to think that ulder does TRY to be good. The system is just so broken. I think he and florrick are team lower city tho along with the twelve representatives from the lower city and I go back and forth on whether gortash also was or wasn't, tho it would make more sense if he was as he is also from poverty and not a patriar and it would add texture to both gortash and ulder if he was sometimes on their side, sometimes not.)

Gortash was a councilor who worked up the ranks, while ulder said at least ten years ago that he was a sycophant---as a slave himself with criminal connections (nine fingers has a jounral entry that mentions him even), he would've been able to rise up the ranks the old-fashioned baldurian way with wealth and crime. Plus u know he was sleeping with noble women

In general guild connections and connections between noble families are SUPER important and u never want to lose face. Also important to note that some patriar families aren't that popular or rich and there is a lack of funds for some of them

Which is even more interesting bc the steel watch is made if adamatium and infernal engines, and adamatium golems can take up to 100k gold to make

So right now baldurs gate could potentially have wasted like. Lit3ral millions of the patriars gold on these steel watch and the foundry,which no one knows is made with slave labor except the gondonians

(Which will have devastating effects when it is revealed as the gondonians are a huge part of the baldurs gate infrastructure, there's a whole two famous  establishments in the city, the hall of the wonders and the high house of wonders, where trade workers can learn their crafts and make incredible inventions and sell them and help baldurs gate with it, like its a huge thing, some people come to baldurs gate JUST for that, and gortash decided to make gondonians slaves like yikes)

Two dukes are dead, no grand Duke, 20 patriars dead, we don't know how many of them were members of parliament, we don't know if they were ever ex proxies, we don't know how involved they were with the guild or if they were on "the side of the lower city" we don't know what happened to the ACTUAL watch, but now they can't use the steel watch, and the vanthampur plan to make the flaming fist look weak and bad worked because they're ALL ON GORTASHS SIDE. Now everyone knows the flaming fist are idiots. And there's thousands of flaming fist inside and outside the city.

There's also amn--- they hate baldurs gate and want them to be emerged from the council of lords, which gortash would have been added to, and which wyll would be added to, like his Father. The council of lords are extremely extremely powerful and everyone but especially amn is already like "WHY IS BALDURS GATE REPRESENTED AND NOT US? THEYRE PIRATE BASTARDS" etc, and this would only add more fuel to that fire

Not entirely sure what happens in the sewers bc its optional, but there's still the guild, and rebuilding, and all the crime thatd usually happening, the class tensions, etc

But before gortash reveals his evil hand, i genuinely think people liked him and thought he was saving him too just like he wanted, upper city AND lower city since baldurs mouth even likes him and in general they can be pretty anti-establishment

The flaming fist guy i randomly talked to was even like "I guess ill pour a drink out for him. I guess." When gortash was killed

The most well known politicians are known because they lead during times of great crisis and all that

But gortash severely fucked the patriars over, and especially like. How much coin the city has, and has for rebuilding

Gortash wouldn't have needed it if everything went the way he planned. But wyll/ulder will now that great googly moogly its all gone to shit lmao

(Or u know durgetash for the war crimes aus)

On the plus side, pretty good time to be a criminal. And a lot of folks in baldurs gate are criminals

Next game should be all about nine fingers nine and wyll and avernus tbh. If there is a next game LOL. And im not just saying that bc im. A wyll roleplay blog LMAO

[watcherdm]

Faraday - 12 - Steamwork Foundry

A bustling industrial hub powered by steam. Players might help or hinder inventors’ pursuits, and deal with steam-powered automatons. Steamwork Foundry Encounter Key: 1. Golem Assembly Line: Players witness the creation of steam-powered golems. They might have the opportunity to craft their own golem or learn about their workings. 2. Steam Vent Obstacle Course: A maze of steam vents players must…

[milon102]

Enter the Wonderous Realm of Kaelador with Titanskeep

Kaelador, a mystical realm steeped in history, magic, and ancient legends, is a place where every corner holds secrets waiting to be uncovered. At the heart of Kaelador stands Titanskeep, a monumental fortress shrouded in mystery. It is a place of wonder and peril, offering an unforgettable adventure for those bold enough to step into its depths. For centuries, the keep has served as both a beacon of strength and a portal to the unknown. Those who dare to enter will find a land rich in lore, filled with mythical creatures, powerful magic, and an endless array of challenges.

The Legacy of Kaelador

Kaelador is not just a mere world; it is an ancient land with a rich, vibrant history. Once ruled by the Titans, powerful beings of immense strength and knowledge, the realm flourished under their reign. However, after a great cataclysm, the Titans foundry vtt disappeared, leaving behind remnants of their grandeur scattered throughout the world. These remnants have become a key to unlocking the deeper secrets of Kaelador, and adventurers from across the land come to explore and uncover what the Titans left behind.

As time passed, other civilizations rose and fell, but the legends of the Titans persisted. Today, Kaelador remains a land of contradictions—its past is ancient, but its present is alive with the pursuit of power, knowledge, and glory. Despite the changes, Titanskeep stands as the last symbol of the Titan’s power, looming high above the surrounding lands.

Titanskeep: A Fortress of Mysteries

Titanskeep is an imposing structure, carved into the mountains of Kaelador, and it dominates the landscape around it. Its towering spires pierce the sky, and its gates are said to be made of a material unknown to the world. Few have ever entered and returned with stories of what lies within, making it the ultimate destination for adventurers seeking fame, fortune, and the thrill of the unknown.

Inside Titanskeep, ancient traps and puzzles guard the paths to its inner sanctum. The fortress is alive with enchantments, and strange phenomena occur within its walls. Magic flows through every crack and crevice, and those who are not careful may find themselves lost or ensnared by the powerful forces that still linger from the Titan era. The deeper one ventures into the keep, the more dangerous it becomes, with mythical creatures, including wyverns, golems, and elemental beings, prowling the halls and chambers.

At the heart of Titanskeep lies an artifact of unimaginable power, said to grant its wielder the knowledge and strength of the Titans themselves. The artifact is sought by many, but it is also heavily protected. Only those with courage, intelligence, and skill can hope to claim it—and even then, it comes with a great cost.

The Wonders and Dangers of Kaelador

Kaelador is not just defined by Titanskeep. The land itself is a vast and wondrous place, filled with magical forests, perilous mountains, and ancient ruins. Adventurers will encounter a range of environments, from serene meadows filled with vibrant flora to storm-tossed coastlines where treacherous sea creatures lurk. The realm is home to a variety of factions, each with their own agendas, offering opportunities for alliances, rivalries, and quests.

Throughout Kaelador, travelers can uncover long-lost cities, battle dangerous beasts, and collect rare resources that hold magical properties. The magic of Kaelador is unlike any other, with elemental powers, arcane rituals, and long-forgotten spells awaiting discovery. For those brave enough to explore its farthest reaches, the land offers both immense rewards and unimaginable perils.

Conclusion: An Adventure Awaits

The realm of Kaelador, with its towering fortress of Titanskeep, beckons adventurers to uncover its secrets, face its dangers, and seek out the ultimate prize. Whether you are a seasoned warrior, a cunning mage, or an intrepid explorer, the world of Kaelador promises an adventure unlike any other. The mysteries of Titanskeep and the ancient magic of the land are waiting to be discovered. Will you answer the call and step into the wondrous realm of Kaelador? The journey of a lifetime awaits.

[reginrokkr]

→ Study 𝐗𝐈𝐗: Timeline of befallen events in Sumeru —Schwanenritter and Knight Marshal Anfortas—.

It is known through non-collectable documents left in the interior of Ruin Golems scattered across various areas of Sumeru that in this country existed a group of Khaenri'ahn knights by the name of Schwanenritter led by Knight Marshal Anfortas who fought during the Cataclysm against the tide of the abyssal monsters to protect Sumeru using these Mechanical Wardens. However, this protection didn't come without its own struggles within the Schwanenritter such as the contraction of an unknown illness of one of its members (possibly Eleazar, the Curse of Immortality or both at the same time), the disappearance of Ynghildr amidst the combat and return to her post in the Ruin Golem as a transcendent one in the form of an abyssal Black Serpent Knight and Hadura's "betrayal" and death at the hand of Knight Marshal Anfortas.

Nevertheless, new information sheds light onto two matters: 1) the Schwanenritter were in Sumeru for more than just to fight abyssal monsters [Dev] and 2) they have fought another wave of Dev before the coming of the Cataclysm called Onslaught of Dark Beasts.

In Girdle of the Sands, there exists a Forge of the Abandoned Foundry that was used to manufacture Azosite energy blocks and Mechanical Wardens, and to also use as a battleground to test their efficacy before using them in the wilderness of Sumeru. However, while there is knowledge that Khaenri'ah used the abyssal energy to operate them, this forge in specific was using the power of elements crystallized in Azosite. The change from using pure elements to the Void thereafter suggests that Khaenri'ah didn't use always the latter and that its usage is a relatively recent thing in the story of Khaenri'ah [there is an event that took place in Tsurumi Island in which an "Anomalous" Model Ruin Grader kept sustaining itself with nearby Ley Lines. Furthermore, it is not so strange that the Khaenri'ahns would resort to change one energy for another, as it is known that they were looking after a perpetual energy which they achieved in the Abyss (if we're to recall the Caribert AQ, this would also give them a higher sense of power over the Abyss, as they believed that if they managed to control the Abyss, the gods would be no threat to them).

...Based on our projections, the Azosite concentration will exceed 60% after this round of smelting... ...Though it still fares poorly when compared with that newly-discovered so-called "perpetual" energy source, after these energy alloys form a matrix, they should suffice to break through the technical bottleneck in energy efficiency requirements imposed by the large-scale "Mechanical Wardens"... ...Not relying on some dogma from beyond the heavens, but only upon the wondrous achievements brought about by human intelligence. If we continue to explore this path, perhaps we shall one day be able to create a true perpetual machine...

                                                                   —Ancient Engineering Notes.

Something important to note is that Nasejuna —a man in the know of these things partly because of a man who became a transcendent one in the past, Klingsor— also mentions that Khaenri'ahns were able to use the power of impurity to master monsters, said monsters being none others than rifthounds created by Gold, alluded to having been created as if by mistake like one who makes absentminded sketches to be thrown away. Given the presence of rifthounds in this facility it's presumed that they might've been used in the proving grounds:

...We were attacked... The sudden rampage of the defense mechanisms from the previous set of ruins had already caused massive losses to our investigative team... Abyssal monsters that never should have been here appeared for some unknown reason... So many members of the team have vanished while trying to evacuate... Ever since the monsters appeared, we have lost track of Klingsor's whereabouts. [...]

                                        —Akademiya Investigation Team's Logs (IV).

Now, where does the discrepancy of whether the Schwanenritter fall in all of this? This falls in one place, arguably two:

The first one is that it is said that the Order of Skeptics have as per ancestors Khaenri'ahn knights that fought in Sumeru, said to be in the Cataclysm. But we know as per the Caribert AQ that children between pure Khaenri'ahn and any other of different nations are to become Hilichurls, yet this is not the case. This may be due to the fact that the progeny came before these Khaenri'ahn were cursed.

As for the second one, it's the fact that Knight Marshal Anfortas proclaimed that he will become a temporary Regent:

...In view of King Irmin's present indisposed state and the current unknown threats facing the Kingdom... ...Knight Marshal Anfortas has proclaimed that he will temporarily take up the post of Regent and lead the Regnum Concilium Ultimum until the Kingdom returns to a state of normalcy... All citizens... wait... will...

                                                                   —Barely-Legible Bulletin.

The discrepancy that occurs here is that there was once when the Schwanenritter fought Dev in Sumeru and they succeeded in defeating them to the last one as Knight Marshal Anfortas himself proclaims in an encrypted message that can only be accessed to its content by interacting with multiple Ruin Guards scattered in Sumeru. In view that timeline-wise this happened even before an Alberich member stepped in to become the Regent and it seems that King Irmin was still alive at the time, this paints the story as happening before the Cataclysm. But what happened in order for the Onslaught of Dark Beasts to take place in Sumeru? It seems like what the Khaenri'ahns were doing in this forge wasn't without its problems and detractors as a few documents suggest:

...Eminent Marshal... Of course, I am keenly aware that the four pillars of our kingdom have achieved the prosperity they have today precisely thanks to us spying upon secrets from beyond the skies, and thus have our mechanisms been able to throw off the shackles imposed by this world's laws... But that technology... It cannot be said to be perfect... The gods are untrustworthy and the demons, ineffable. If there is one thing that can pry open the corners of this hollow world, then it can only be human will... To this end, if you can petition the King to allow some machinery manufactured according to the old standards to be preserved under your ministry's purview, perhaps it may light a spark under the latent wills of countless future generations to devote themselves to exploring technology...

                                                                   —Someone's Abandoned Letter.

…It's beyond doubt that the elders of the Order of Skeptics are hiding something… Only while accompanying the investigation team from the rainforest was I finally able to resolve the doubts I have held for many years… the realm does not just belong to those of the blood of Khaenri'ah, but it is the homeland of all human beings… Holding fast to this maxim, my ancestor Hadura couldn't bear to see our people meet such a tragic end, and yet their dedication was rewarded with an unjust punishment, their reputation impugned and legacy stigmatized. I now understand the meaning of all this…

                                                                   —Records of Unknown Attribution (I).

...As the workshops and related areas are unsuited for large-scale combat operations as carried out by the Mechanical Wardens, I order you to activate the self-defense systems and then quickly evacuate the survivors to the surface before continuing to resist.. Schwanenritter Garrison Commander Hadura…

                                                                   —Soiled Orders.

These documents let on to the fact that 1) the Schwanenritter presence in Sumeru had an ulterior motive besides the aforementioned which is that of spying and in turn benefitting Khaenri'ah with what they learned and 2) Hadura couldn't agree with what was being done and against Knight Marshal Anfortas' will, they ordered the evacuation of the knights and to close the Mechanical Wardens (one of which broke as a result of this) and Anfortas, who didn't seem someone who cared about the negatives of what they were doing even at the cost of his knights' safety claimed this to be a "betrayal" and killed Hadura, losing his left eye in the strife.

What can be deduced by all this compiled information and deeds that the Schwanenritter committed in Sumeru is that there was an initial wave of Dev (Onslaught of Dark Beasts) that must've been inconsequential enough to not draw too much attention and that these knights took care of to completion (more like they were cleaning their own mess) and later on the Cataclysm happened, where the Schwanenritter also partook in to defeat these abyssal monsters and are treated as heroes whose history was erased for reasons unknown(although it calls for speculation that there was a valid reason behind this that I might address in another post if I remember). While in a way they were stationed in Sumeru for nefarious reasons to benefit Khaenri'ah, there were some of them with a noble heart that took the short end of the stick for going against what was being done or merely were collateral damage to what has befallen.

[deck16]

This is a continuation of the campaign journal of Adventures in Lyria. The first entry is here and you can see all entries here.

Act 10: Prophecy

After a quick dungeon-delve for Flutter, the heroes meet with Zeke's cousin Laila. They get embroiled in prophecy and bring about a world-ending catastrophe.

During this part of the story, the party was Ezekial "Zeke" (first seen Act 3), Flutter (first seen Act 6), Garo, and Trystan (first seen Act 9). Aden Heskin (first seen Act 9) joined in some adventures.

Beneath Silvercap Mountain

With Magnus Strabo defeated, the party had time to assist Flutter with an issue. Turns out there was a dungeon beneath his new home on Silvercap Mountain! The dungeon was now accessible after excavation cleared a cave-in blocking the entrance.

This was something of a "mega-dungeon" I'd made with DungeonDraft. It's a 94x94 map. Locked doors and other obstacles meant the players explored the place in "sections" and had to do a bit of back-tracking and puzzle-solving to slowly open the whole place up. Foundry, of course, makes this very explore-able in a real sense as line-of-sight and darkness come into play.

They party slowly pieced together the mystery of the dungeon. It was the refuge of an aarakocran wizard and religious leader called Lorokeem. Lorokeem built this refuge ahead of time, and when invading orcs rampaged through his homeland, he was able to evacuate himself and his staff to this site. The wizard returned to their homeland to enact revenge, but sadly never returned. Without his power to sustain the magical contraptions lighting the dungeon, his staff slowly expired in the darkness.

Spooky, shadow-y ghosts of darkness-maddened aarakocra haunted the dungeon.

This slow death in darkness was enough to cause the dead to not rest well, and the heroes had to deal with a number of ghosts. There were also magical defences to overcome and broken magical power systems to re-ignite. They did well in solving the dungeon's mystery and its puzzles.

Talk about quiet quitting.

One room could conjure a portal back to the aarakocran homeland, and when the heroes re-connected power, they inadvertently turned this portal on. Fanatical orc warriors poured through, but Trystan and Flutter combined wall of force and sickening radiance to kill them without much risk (this kind of tactic is often called "The Microwave"). Poor Flutter found the death-screams of the orcs rather traumatising.

The final challenge was Archmage Lorokeem himself. He knew his expedition was very dangerous, so he prepared a number of clones. Unfortunately, a pair of failures ruined his work. Firstly, the prototype clone-vat he made had a faulty latch that prevented the occupant from easily escaping. (Flutter noticed this flaw on examining Lorokeem's design notes.) Secondly, in the time since Lorokeem had been away, the keg containing clone-vitalising liquid had been contaminated by a mind-altering fungus. This meant the clones -- when awakened -- would be irrational and highly aggressive.

You can see the mushroom-weeds in the neighbouring farm had, over the centuries, eaten through the wall and contaminated the keg of vat-liquid.

So when Lorokeem died in his revenge-attack on the orcs, his soul did indeed return to a clone, but unfortunately it was the clone in his faulty prototype. His servants were not permitted in his quarters, so they were unaware of his fate. The life-sustaining vat-liquid prevented him from dying and centuries passed. Over time, the golem left to maintain the clones added fungal-contaminated fluid to the vats. Lorokeen was now trapped and dosed up on mushrooms, and remained that way for centuries.

The heroes let him out, and had to battle him, but thankfully they realised the issue. Calm emotions stopped the raging Lorokeem. This was a good move: killing Lorokeem would have meant fighting him multiple times as each clone emerged, equally enraged.

Lorokeem, once returned to lucidity, thanked the heroes. He and Flutter became good friends. Lorokeem continued his work in Silvercap, plotting with the patience of one with many lifetimes of clones, planning to return to get revenge on the orcs (or descendants thereof) who destroyed his homeland.

Act de Triumph

Calpurnia (first seen Act 1) teleported to Silvercap Mountain, sent to collect the party for a Triumph in their honour in the nation's capitol Lyria. They accepted, and were honoured in a parade, met the nation's two Consuls, and watched a play based on their adventures.

The real heroes watched actors playing them perform a dramatisation of their deeds. They even talked with their theatrical counterparts after the show.

I thought I would paste from my notes about the content of the play. If you're not interested, skip to the next chapter.

A number of acts precede the main show. There's singing, dancing, equestrian and military displays; a variety of things to entertain the crowds. As the sun sets, the coliseum floor is cleared. The main show is to begin.

Mirrored lights focus beams on a figure in the centre of the area. He is dressed as a traditional Cantian warrior, and he is quickly revealed to be Pheland Phylund. He sings a foreboding aria about needing to punish Lyria for splitting his country in two and slaying so many of his country-folk.

As he sings, others in traditional Cantian attire gather around him, as if drawn by his message, and join in on his chorus. His aria concludes as a Cantian extra asks him how Lyria can be defeated. With a sinister refrain, he sings:

What bests Lyrian hand and sword? Let's look to ways of old to give us hope, Their shields sundered, their throats clawed, By ravening packs of lycanthropes! Let lady Selune cease monthly rotation, And face our cause as we face our foe. Our new forms will be Lyria's damnation, First Cantia, from there? To anywhere and everywhere we go!

A large, full moon appears hanging in the sky above the coliseum. At this, the figures listening to Pheland don head-gear to suggest transformation into were-beasts: rats, wolves and bears. The lights shut off and the scene ends.

Next the lights are shone on a figure near the edge of the coliseum floor. An armoured figure: he fights off an endless stream of were-beasts from the previous scene. He sings in a bassy voice, and his words quickly reveal him to be Garo. His aria is almost rhythmic and chant-like, and the phrase "punish the wicked" is repeated time and again.

A flamboyant tiefling bumbles into the light, chased by were-beasts, and quickly he and Garo are fighting against a common foe. This is Ezekial, and he is played as a light-hearted character bordering on comic relief, singing in counter-tenor. He and Garo sing about their odd predicament forcing a tiefling and a crusader to work together. Soon they are both singing to "punish the wicked".

Anachronistically, Trystan arrives, claiming to also be displaced by the were-beast attack. He is another tenor, and stylishly whips his foes.

Next Cyrus appears in the circle of light, teleporting in. He's played by a half-elf wearing a long blonde wig and he sings as a tenor. He tells the pair he knows what is causing the moon, and that he can stop it, and that he was sent to help. Cyrus blasts the enemy extras with prestidigitation-created rainbow sparks, representing more powerful magic.

Flutter appears last. Played by an extremely acrobatic actor wearing a bird-mask, he doesn't fight the lycanthrope extras but rather leaps over and around them. When the trio of combatants question his presence the actor simply plays on a whistle-like instrument to represent Flutter "speaking". This will be this character's means of communicating, but the actor does it well, and little notes convey emotion and thought well. Flutter also fights with prestidigitation blasts of sparks, but tends to rely on his acrobatic skills more.

The group have been slowly batting across the coliseum's ground. By now they near the middle, where Pheland Phylund appears when lights are shone on him. After some pithy remarks by the heroes, and cliché remarks by Phelund, they stage a mock battle, which the heroes win. As Cyrus and Flutter shoot sparks at the moon to cause it to disappear, Garo, Trystan and Zeke surround and defeat Pheland.

The were-beast extras slowly stand, as if recovering from the fight, and remove their head-wear. They thank the heroes for saving them.

Suddenly, the lights come up on a new figure: Magnus Strabo -- a bass -- and a number of extras dressed as soldiers and centurions. Katarina is also present. The music stops as Magnus surveys the scene. He points to the heroes, and declares them as enemies for working with the Cantians. The lights fade as the scene ends.

The play continues for two more acts. The second act is the court-room scene, and is packed with back-and-forth libretto.

Anachronistically, Cyrus is still present, and does participate in the back-and-forth. Zeke sings a mournful recollection of the Nova-Laconian revolt and Strabo's role in it, but no specific mention of his ancestors are included. Strabo and Garo argue clash about Katarina; it is painted as Garo not feeling true love. Katarina gives a forlorn aside where she laments being used as a pawn for political power.

The act finale comes as Trystan baits Strabo into admitting that the laws are absolute with regards to Garo working with Cantians: Strabo replies that "lawbreakers must be punished". Those words are turned against him as his Tetrarchy affiliations are revealed. The court chants his words back at him, and he stands, enraged. He orders his soldiers to attack as the lights fade.

The final act features the heroes battling through a few contrived scenes. Each hero contributes a solution to a contrived and historically-inaccurate obstacle. But Flutter does, in a moment of powerful music, lift an off-stage boat that appears rising outside the coliseum walls before plummeting back down with a crash. The performance ends with a choreographed fight scene. Katarina fights alongside her father but is convinced by the heroes -- and ultimately Garo -- to switch sides. Garo delivers the final blow to Strabo, and gives a final line about Cantia finally being safe.

Lyria Layaway

After the celebration, the party remained in Lyria for a while.

The party dined with Trystan's family, who were of high noble birth. His parents encouraged him to run for Consul. There were simmering tensions in the family between Trystan and his brothers. (I had planned this to be a story arc, but as the campaign continued there would not be enough room for it.)

Zeke was still affected by dreams and visions. Claudius Ensis (first seen Act 9), who Zeke had killed, was appearing as a vision that would offer advice. In one of his dreams, Zeke managed to throw Claudius to Arcadion (first mentioned Act 9).

Additionally, Zeke was newly experiencing some strange reaction when touching certain people in power (including Calpurnia), noticing symbols on their arms.

Using their status as heroes, the party visited a library to learn more about a certain prophecy that Zeke, and his weapon, was a part of. Laila (first seen Act 9) had teased about such topics. The party learned a good deal.

Alas, Zeke's contract (see Act 9) caused some problems. An Imperial College wizard named Jaropple Newblost was studying inactive retrievers. The contract caused them to lurch to life and seek Zeke out, creating a massive panic on the streets. The party defeated them. But the truth of Zeke's contract came out, and he was exiled from the city: a mild punishment in recognition of his previous deeds.

This rendition is a little more future-tech than fiendish, but hey.

To Nyctimene

Zeke's exile was little immediate concern for the party. The plan was to head into Zeke's homeland of Nova Laconia to visit Zeke's father and piece together these mentions of prophecy. This destination was a few days' travel away.

The party had acquired mounts for easier travel. Flutter rode on a giant pink salamander from the Feywild.

The heroes found that Nova Laconia was crawling with St Cuthbert crusaders, who were on the lookout for forbidden Tetrarchy practices amongst the tiefling population. Their attitude was mixed: some behaved well, but others were overbearing occupiers.

The party also encountered a band of tiefling bandits. Far lower level than the party, these poor bandits were lofted by Flutter's reverse gravity and eviscerated by Trystan using animate objects on a pouch full of coins. The few survivors were left to flee.

Laila (first seen Act 9) had arranged to meet Zeke in the Nova Laconia countryside. They found her with two mentally-dominated Cuthbertine crusaders. Garo convinced her to let them free. Laila agreed to guide the party to Zeke's home village of Nyctimene. As they travelled, she plied Zeke, suggesting he used his weapon and the prophecy to help her and his ancestral people.

Nyctimene was deserted. Though probably not quite this overgrown -- it had only been abandoned a few days!

Nyctimene

Laila could not follow the party all the way to Nyctimene, as some kind of ward prevented her entry.

The village itself was empty, save for one teenage boy called Kobaloi. As fellow villagers, Zeke and Kobaloi recognised one another. Kobaloi recounted how, a few days' past, Cuthbertine crusaders rounded up everyone and took them away. Some then stayed to perform a ritual before leaving.

That ritual, it soon transpired, had placed a powerful celestial guardian to watch over Nyctimene. It descended from the sky with some couatl allies, demanding that the heroes leave. They did leave, but not before trapping the angel in a forcecage.

I used the stat block for Ashen Rider for this creature. Apparently this is a cross-over from Magic the Gathering. Mighty as it was (even without a mount) it was little match for forcecage.

Skala

Curious as to where Zeke's father (Aeneas) and the other villagers were taken, the party used scrying. They saw him imprisoned in a cell in the nearby town of Skala, inside the town hall which had been commandeered by crusaders. He shared the cell with another tiefling villager named Cassander.

During the scrying, the party learnt some things:

Cassander had been badly treated during an interrogation, but the Cuthbertine crusaders witnessed this and saved him, and were now keeping an eye on him so it didn't happen again.

Cassander chided Aeneas for having Zeke, given the prophecy. Aeneas' defence was that he planned to have more than one child, but Zeke's mother Zenobia died before that could happen.

Cassander also chided Aeneas for stealing Asurath from Magnus Strabo's collection. This was another "enabler" for the prophecy.

Finally, Cassander chided Aeneas for sending Zeke out into the world with such ill preparation. Aeneas seemed to disagree, saying Zeke was resourceful, and that ignorance of the prophecy would keep him safest.

The party travelled to Skala, and attempted to free Cassander, Aeneas, and any other villagers. They used a combination of stealth, trickery, magic, and violence to bypass the crusaders and get into the cells beneath the town hall.

It worked, but some of the party -- including Zeke -- were captured. Zeke met Zertnia, a monk from the reclusive Tiger's Monk Monastery. She was in charge of the crusaders here. However, the crusaders were not willing to tolerate her cruel interrogation tactics, and so demanded to oversee her interrogate Zeke.

Though both parties were cagey in what they revealed, it became clear that Zeke was considered the prime subject of an important prophecy. Zertnia hinted that he would cause great strife, and asked if he would willingly offer up his life. She could not take it, though -- not with the crusaders watching.

In the end, the rest of the party managed to free Zeke and escape, but not before Aeneas and Cassander were teleported away to a new, unknown, holding location. Some of Zeke's possessions, including his contract, were missing from his things, suggesting that they had been taken off-site.

During this, Zeke was confronted by a vision of Claudius. Claudius seemed genuinely distraught that he had been thrown to Arcadion. He begged to be saved, even hinting at the use of a magical tuning fork the party had found previously.

Tiger's Nest Tea-time Then Tussle

The prophecy and Zertnia both pointed the party to the Tiger's Nest Monastery. So they undertook a journey of a few days to get there.

The Monastery was set into a cliff-face. The final leg of the journey involved ascending a lot of stairs. Mounts were left behind in a small village stable in the foothills. (These mounts would never be collected again during this campaign, but abandoning them in a nice village stable was probably a better treatment than most TTRPG mounts get.)

The monks were waiting. The head monk, known as The Master, actually sought to have tea with the heroes. He was very forthcoming, and a number of things were discussed:

The prophecy text was kept here, and the monks were sworn to defend it, though they hoped any combat would involve as little death as possible.

A wise monk, from many generations ago, wrote the prophecies. His name was Malavisch.

The monks believed that Zeke was indeed mentioned in the prophecy. The Master believed that attempting to kill Zeke would backfire, so instead he implored Zeke to surrender, and be kept in a safe Shadowfell prison.

Zeke's fellow villagers had been taken to this Shadowfell prison, known as The Undercroft.

Zeke's contract had been sent to Tiger's Nest. The Master had shared its contents with other churches, including the Cuthbertine Crusaders. The Master warned the party that Crusaders would be searching for them, including coming to Tiger's Nest. Time was not on the party's side!

The party did not back down. They fought the monks, battling through the cliff-side monastery against monks, animated statues, and elementals.

Tiger's Nest Monastery is a battle-map which I used that is based on a real place.

The party battled into the chamber where the prophecy was kept, defeating The Master and his best students. The large chamber was carved deep inside the cliff, and was utterly dark, leading to moments where party members lost sight of one another. Flutter, for a second time, blind-fired lighting bolts into darkness barely missing his comrades.

The Test and The Prophecy

Defeated, The Master respectfully left as per the tea-time agreement. After he left, another monk entered the chamber. This was Malavisch, or at least a programmed illusion of him.

He told the heroes that he had foreseen them being here, at this time and place, and set up a series of illusions to speak with them. While he interacted faithfully with some heroes, others he seemed to ignore or say incorrect things to, suggesting that this group of heroes was not quite those who he had predicted. Zeke and Garo seemed to be the ones he interacted with correctly.

Malavisch was friendly to the heroes, and answered some questions. He also quietly implored Garo, in the celestial language, to be prepared to stop Zeke.

"You stay with him, Crusader. Not just because you've seen each other through things so far. But because you are one of very, very few who would kill a brother who made the wrong choice. You will know it when you see it; if you see it."

To get the prophecy, the heroes needed to pass a test. The test involved choosing one of two options in a hypothetical morality conundrum. (Based on this.) Each answer caused a golem corresponding to a certain virtue to step forward, and if any golem reached the center it would attack the party.

This is from the fight preceding the test, but here you can see most of the golems, currently inert, in their starting positions.

The heroes engaged with the test perfectly. They balanced their answers such that no golem reached the center. They were thus given access to the chamber that contained the prophecy and also Zeke's contract and other things. They took these, but left various other holy texts behind.

Crusaders, led by Zertnia, were storming the Monastery as the players went to leave. However, Katarina (first seen Act 9) and Xanaphia (first seen Act 1) were waiting outside the chamber with an escape plan ready to go. They had scrolls of enlarge/reduce, enough to shrink the party to fly on Xanaphia's back as she transformed into a giant raven.

They were pursued by griffon-riding Crusaders, but Flutter used a spell (I forget which) that allowed the party to race ahead. Once they were out of range of anti-teleportation magic surrounding the monastery, Katarina used word of recall to take the party to safety.

It turned out that both Katarina and Xanaphia had received oddly-worded letters instructing them to meet up and fly to the monastery high-point. The heroes surmised that this was Malavisch's doing; presumably in the past having left precise instructions to deliver certain letters at certain times.

The Undercroft

Katarina teleported the heroes to a quiet and private shrine in the heart of Cortona, capital city of the Theocratic States. Not too far from here was a crossing to the Shadowfell. It existed beneath the Cuthbertine Crusader's main church and led to The Undercroft, where Zeke's family were imprisoned.

After some time resting, Katarina summoned a heroes' feast for the party. They ate up, knowing the Shadowfell was a dangerous, spirit-sapping place.

En-route to the church, Garo met Burt Cobb (first seen Act 9). Garo had come to realise Burt was not an ordinary man, but had some divine element about him. Amongst the topics discussed, Burt gave Garo a similar warning to the one Malavisch gave.

In disguise, the party entered the church and bluffed their way into the cellars beneath, finding the cross-over point to the Shadowfell in an open tomb.

The Shadowfell mirrors the real world, so the party needed to ascend back into the bleak reflection of the church.

This is where they met Charun.

Charun the Senectifier

Chained up in the church was an ancient black dragon. Restrained by mighty mithral chains, and sapped by the Shadowfell's influence, the creature had little to say and less ability to act.

Zeke, however, noticed a piece of Asurath affixed to the creature's chains; one of the pieces dropped by Arnus Cuthbert atop Arcadion's Ladder (see Act 9). He wanted it, to further empower his sword, and when quizzing the dragon about it he was told it would be his if he could take it.

Take it he did. Using Asurath to smash the piece. The sword absorbed the piece, which was a crucial part of the chains' enchantments. The chains fell from the dragon and it attacked!

(Freeing an ancient dragon was something I did not expect as a GM.)

Most of the party fled from the church, imploring Zeke to do the same. Zeke and Flutter were slow to depart. The dragon's breath squarely struck Flutter, whose frail body was was reduced to ash by the dragon's necrotic breath. After witnessing his friend die due to his impulsive decision, Zeke soon suffered the same fate, though his body at least was not reduced to mere ash.

The surviving members of the party watched as Charun burst from the church and flew into the sky. The church was engulfed in an orb of shadow, yet beyond they could see the blue sky of the Material Plane. Charun, rendered fully a shadow dragon from his imprisonment, was merging the Shadowfell with the Material Plane.

The merged area grew over time; if left unchecked it would threaten Cortona, then the surrounding countryside, then all of the Material Plane. The Shadowfell's inhospitality to life, and its undead denizens, would potentially wipe out to the mortal races.

The party had some work to do...

Legend Lore on Charun

The heroes used legend lore to learn more about Charun. I don't remember exactly when this happened, but I suspect it was after they released Charun because I vaguely remember a fragment of his chain used to aid the spell.

As has been the case previously when using legend lore, the players played out figures in a pivotal historic scene. In this case, it was how Charun was captured.

About twenty years ago, Lyria sent forces to capture Charun, because they knew of his war-mongering nature. After battling through his clans of subservient dragonborn, these forces arrayed outside a cave where Charun was known to be lurking.

These forces were led by a younger Magnus Strabo. Assisting him was a younger Calpurnia Askew (first seen Act 1) and Claudius Ensis (first seen Act 9). There were also scores of Lyrian legionnaires (represented as homebrew units using swarm rules) and siege engines. They fought against Charun. All of these units were controlled by various players.

The battle went poorly for Charun. Perhaps a little too aggressive, he was peppered with javelins from the legionaries. Forced to the ground, Magnus Strabo critically struck him, which we imagined as a severing blow part-way along his tail (which became canon, and will matter in the future). Charun was captured and would be taken to Cortona and sealed in The Undercroft.

[alterchaos]

TIME BOMB

Sonic races onward to fight the Ifrit. Worried for her friend's wellbeing, Eve follows closely behind, ready to jump in at a moment's notice. Time is running out...

(cw: death-like imagery, viewer discretion advised)

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: SCORPION SHUFFLE

NEXT CHAPTER: THE EVE OF DESPAIR

It didn’t take long for Sonic to recover thanks to both the antidote and the flame’s curse, which seemed keen on causing him as much suffering as he could physically take. Though he did everything he could to hide the immeasurable pain and fatigue, Eve knew. He was her best friend. Of course she knew when he was lying. Even Sharah was starting to take note of the subtle changes in his demeanor despite his attempts at quelling any worry within the group. For starters, he’d grown much slower. Even the simple act of jogging ahead or leaping up a ledge left him nearly breathless. That wasn’t all though. Sonic was growing quiet, reluctant to speak as much as usual thanks to him now stumbling over his words to a more noticeable degree. He also kept shuddering from time to time, as if a chill would suddenly wash over him. But through it all, Sonic kept smiling.

They didn’t need to worry about him.

Everything was going to be okay.

They were going to make it.

It was all going to be okay…

…

…

“Brrr…”

Sonic shuddered once more, taking a moment to lean against the metal wall of the foundry as he took a few deep breaths. Eve, having heard his footsteps stop so suddenly, turned to face her friend with deep concern.

“Hey…You okay?”

“Y-Yeah…” Sonic forced out the words, taking an extra moment to catch his breath from the exertion. He shuddered once more.

Her brow furrowed, “A-Are you cold?” She rubbed her arm worriedly. Though she wouldn’t say it out of fear he’d force himself to pretend harder, it was concerning given that they were walking in the middle of a molten-hot building with metal on all sides reflecting the insane heat back onto them.

Yeah…

Incredibly concerning…

Sonic took a few more breaths before standing tall and responding, aware of the situation surrounding him, “N-No…I-I’m okay…I’m s-still-”

GROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRR

Eve turned her head sharply.

“The fire ifrit!”

“W-We…Have n-no time to…l-lose!”

Shooom!

“Sonic!! Wait!!”

TAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAP

Eve skidded around the corner of the hall, following the faint, blue trail left in the hedgehog’s wake. He wasn’t running at top speed, something the human didn’t know whether she should fear or be thankful for in her pursuit. She turned down another few halls, racing as fast as her legs would carry her despite the sweltering, suffocating heat of the foundry. Eventually, she came across a large, circular room with no windows or doors that descended below the platform she stood upon. Eve bent over, wheezing as she fought to catch her breath. The heat was enough to make her want to puke, though she quickly pushed aside the feeling. If she did, she would only lose whatever little water she was able to find out in that expansive deser-

GROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRR

“Ha!”

SHOOM!

CLANG!

GROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRR

Eve’s eyes flew wide at the sounds of the intense battle happening below her. She peered over the edge of the platform. Sure enough, Sonic had already engaged the ifrit golem and was currently fighting for his life against its fiery rage. Lava surrounded small footholds upon which the hedgehog raced between, dodging a barrage of explosive barrels thrown at him from all directions.

“Ha!” The hedgehog stood tall, rubbing his nose with a small smirk, “R-Ready to give up…y-yet…”

Though he attempted to hide it, Eve could see the fatigue in his stance as he swayed slightly, sweat dripping from his quills as he winced. She gasped as she watched the ifrit take advantage of this, launching a massive, metallic fist at the dazed hedgehog.

“SONIC WATCH OUT!!!!”

“-!!?”

The hedgehog jolted, catching sight of the attack just before it collided with him, sending him careening to the far wall. He hit it with a loud thud, the wind being knocked loose from his lungs as he slid down towards the lava beneath.

“SONIIIIIIIIIIC!!!!!”

shing

Sharah appeared from her ring in a flash, grabbing the limp Mobian before he could meet his end. He had burn marks from where the golum had struck him in its molten-hot state. The ifrit roared once more as the half-genie lowered the ailing hedgehog safely onto another foothold.

“Master Sonic!?”

“N-Nnnngh…” He opened one of his eyes, grimacing against the pain throughout his body, “Y-Yeah…I-I’m…huff…o-okay…”

She shook her head, “Please, Master Sonic! Just wish for me to aid you and we can-”

“N-Not…huff…h-happening…haaa…”

She noticed him tremble as the flame began to dance somewhat erratically. She looked up in horror at the ifrit, which was now drawing in all the heat and fire in the area in an attempt at creating a massive blast. Sonic gasped for air, trying desperately to clutch his chest and maintain the flame’s hold to no avail.

Eve’s eyes flew wide, “NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”

Without a second thought, her feet left the platform. She unsheathed her sword, drawing it back in preparation to strike as she dove down the molten shaft. Terror filled her heart. She was only human after all. She shut her eyes in anticipation for the impact, having no clear plan for how to land safely should she even survive the force of her attack.

Sonic…

She opened her eyes, which crackled with electric blue energy.

You have to live…

“MASTER EVE!!!!”

The girl glanced over her shoulder at the genie waving below.

“USE THIS!!!!”

She reared her arm back, throwing the water blue ring in her direction. Eve caught it with a nod.

“THANKS, SHARAH!!!!”

She held out the ring as she continued to fall. It glowed with the power of her desires, calling forth a rainstorm that turned the lava to stone and doused the ifrit’s hot temper. It roared out in its trapped state, halting its absorption of the flames surrounding itself as she, once again, prepared to strike.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

GROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRR

She pierced the golem's head, stabbing her sword deep within it’s dense, metallic frame. The force of the impact was enough to rip the sword clean from the human’s grasp, causing her to tumble down the side of the ifrit and onto the rocky surface below.

“N-Nnnnngh…”

She gripped her head, blinking a few times as her eyes returned to their natural hue. The girl looked herself over, noticing a curious lack of any scrapes or bruises.

“How-”

“MASTER EVE, GET DOWN!!!!”

The girl turned, watching in horror as the ifrit began to glow with the might of its unused energy, preparing to explode.

VREEEEEEEEE

Everyone braced themselves.

BOOOM!

Thunk

clink

clink

…

Eve slowly unshielded her eyes as the explosion subsided.

“Phew! That was a clos-EEP!!!”

She jolted as her sword pierced the rocky ground before her, its sharp blade glinting against the light of the foundry. She let out a sigh of relief, walking over and pulling it free from the stone. As she sheathed her weapon, the ifrit’s metallic heart rolled towards her, stopping just shy of her feet. Curiosity lined her features as she bent down to pick up the strange object, turning it over in her hands as she pondered its existence.

“So…no ring?”

Sharah joined her, equally as curious, “Hmm…I could have sworn the ifrit’s rage was being fueled by such a power…Maybe its heart holds the key to finding it?”

…ck

…ck

“Huh?”

She leaned her ear in close to the metallic heart, unaware of the hedgehog leaning against the far wall as he struggled to catch his breath.

…ick

She narrowed her eyes in concentration.

tick

tick

tick

tick

tick

tick

She gasped, her eyes flying wide.

“Master Eve? What is-”

She jolted backwards, holding the ifrit’s heart outstretched in her hands.

tick

tick

tick tick

“BoMB! BOMB!! IT’S A BOMB!!!”

tick tick tick tick

Sharah jolted as well, “WHAT DO WE DO WITH IT!!?”

“I DON’T KNOW!!! YOU TELL ME!!!”

tick tiCK TICK TICK TICK TICK

With a grunt of pain, Sonic pushed himself off the wall, dashing for her hands.

SHOOM!

“SONIC WAIT!!!!”

TICK TICK TICK TICKTICKTICKTICK

He raced for the open sky beyond the foundry.

“SONIIIIIIC!!!!!”

TICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICK

He leapt up past the entrance with every ounce of strength he had, curling into a spindash as he reared his arm back.

TICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICKTICK

He launched it.

MUSIC END

tick

BOOM!!!

BOOM!!! BOOM!!!

Sonic shielded his eyes as bits of shrapnel broke off, exploding in tandem and knocking him back down towards the sandy earth beneath.

CRASH!

plink

plink

“SONIIIIIIC!!!!”

“MASTER!!”

Sharah and Eve ran through the entryway to the foundry as the explosions ceased, the two of them coughing against the stirred smoke, dust, and debris surrounding them. Sharah was the first to spot it, a small, red glow emanating from a shallow hole in the sand. She stepped over to it, grabbing the object of concern before it could disappear.

“The ring…” Her eyes glowed red, “...of rage…”

“SONIC!!!! SONIIIC!!!!”

Sharah snapped out of her trance, turning towards the frantic girl who had already skidded to her friend’s side before the smoke had a chance to dissipate. She shook him, tears flying from her eyes as she stared into his blank gaze with panic. He remained like that, unmoving and unresponsive despite his sporatic and shallow gasps, a small stream of drool sliding from his lips down his pale cheek in his catatonic state.

“NO!!! NOOOO!!!!”

Eve shook him harder, praying to chaos that something, anything, would wake him from his half-living state. Sharah took a few steps closer, her eyes widening as they fell on his chest…

It was…so small now…

The flame…

Sonic’s life…

A few tears slid loose from the half-genie’s eyes as she watched the girl lean forward in her grief, covering her face with her hands as she rested it on his chest. A few loud sobs escaped her intertwined with deep gasps for air in a desperate attempt to remain calm. She brought her head back up, running her trembling hands through her hair as she gathered her thoughts, a few more rapid gasps escaping her as her watery vision swayed. After a moment, she steeled herself, her red and splotchy face scrunching in determination as she clutched one hand over the other and brought them to his chest, pushing down hard in a rapid but steady rhythm, screaming with each push.

“WAKE UP!!! WAKE UP!!! WAKE UP!!! WAKE UP!!! WAKE UP!!! WAKE UP!!!”

Sonic’s eyes remained glued open, blank and glossed over.

She continued to push.

“WAKE UP!!! WAKE UP!!! WAKE UP!!!”

The trembling in her body worsened until, inevitably, she was unable to continue, the force behind her hands lessening with each push. Eventually, she was back to shaking him with desperate pleas, her vision completely blinded by her tears.

“SONIC!!! SONIC PLEASE!!! PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!”

Another shallow gasp escaped him.

“COME BACK TO ME!!!! I NEED YOU!!!!”

She laid her head on his chest once more, sobbing uncontrollably.

“You promised…”

sob

hic

…

…

twitch

Sharah gasped slightly as she noticed a slight jerk in his hand…

Then his face…

He blinked, tiredness settling into his gaze as he refocused, processing the scene before him as well as the increased effects of the flame’s curse. He steadied his breaths, though they remained shallow, as he noticed the trembling girl sobbing into his chest in her anguish. It broke his failing heart to see her in such a state and he decided to focus on that rather than the terror that would creep over him should he let it. With a solid push of effort, he raised a shaky hand, settling it on the golden hair flowing down her back and rubbing slightly for comfort. She jolted slightly as her eyes flew wide, though she remained as she was, taking in the soothing sensation as her breathing steadied. The two of them stayed like that a moment as the world around them fell quiet and still. Then, without warning, Eve shifted her arms around him as her face remained buried in his chest. She hugged him close, a few shaky breaths escaping her as she did. Sonic frowned knowingly as he closed his eyes, biting his lip as his brow furrowed in genuine fear. He squeezed her back with his hand, too weak in the moment to lift the rest of himself and offer her a proper hug in return.

Neither of them needed to say it.

They knew.

They knew…

…

They knew…

…

…

Sonic’s time was running out…

CHAPTER END

[horademagic]

Fundição de Golem/ Golem Foundry

Artefato de Gerar Ficha

Custo de mana: 3 incolores e/ou de quaisquer cores

Por que ela é interessante? Toda vez que conjurar uma mágica de artefato você vai poder colocar um marcador de carga alocado nesse artefato. Posteriormente poderá remover 3 marcadores dele para colocar em campo uma ficha de criatura artefato incolor do tipo Golem 3/3, ou seja, é uma geração de Golem para você.

Preço da carta: em torno de 5,50 até 11,50

Disponível em Português

"Essa carta tem algumas edições disponíveis, o preço pode variar a depender da edição que escolher adquirir"

Link: https://www.ligamagic.com.br/?view=cards%2Fsearch&card=Golem+foundry&tipo=1

Até a próxima postagem, Ulli e Thiago

[maguro13-2]

Darkness Reborn ~ Origins of the Ink Demon Final Chapter Pt.2 ~

[Evil Foundry Zone - Arabian Nights (Sonic World)]

[The Palace That Was Found - Rublebee, Kenichi Tokoi]

Seto : Hurry! This bomb will blow up any minute!

Grim (Metal Sonic) : If that happens, then this place blown into a billion pieces!

Moirai Albarn : So this is what I feel about running to the emergency exit!

Seto : No time to loose! But hey, the music's quite catchy and rocking!

Grim (Metal Sonic) : So this entire castle that the king said, is no ordinary castle. But a complex full of machinery and molten magma.

Moirai Albarn : I don't why this place is active, but this might be the work of Erazor Djinn or they were just totally fine with the working!

Hiro Hayashi : Don't push your luck to it! It's the problem that we need that bomb outside to the exit!

Sonic : Hey, need some help? Sounds like a you're a little rush to the exit!

Seto : Ah, Mr. Sonic. So glad that you're right on time!

Sonic : Toss that bomb over to me! I'm wide open! [Seto tosses the bomb to him] Got it!

Seto : I'll create the bridges to get across, will be able to pickup the pace. You steady cross over to slide on the walls and do not fall.

Sonic : Or you could do some speed break to do that.

Seto : Oh seems fair. But wait how de we get to the exit on this mission beat the clock?

Sonic : Easy! Just flip this entire background around! [flips background to where the exit]

Seto : That was quick. Cartoon logic.

Sonic : And now, for a home run! Do it!

Seto : Okay! Batter up! [swings sword to hit the ball out of the explosion]

*DBZ SFX : EXPLOSION*

Seto : Home run!

[the group cheering]

Seto : Heh! That was a pretty close one. Who knew that the Ifrit Golem had gifted me a bomb that would the destroy the factory and get us killed? That Mechanical idiot wasn't smart enough to destroy us. [a Red World Ring appears] Hmm? Hey, something dropped from the Ifrit. That's rage ain't it? That's one of the seven world rings, the Arabian equivalents to the Chaos Emeralds.

Sonic : Yep that's the ring all right.

Seto : What's it doing here anyway? How do you feel?

Sonic : I...I...I feel...

*DBZ : POWERING UP*

[Misgiving - Seirou Okamoto]

Sonic : Rage. The rage that built inside the ifrit, all that rage consumes a burning heart.

Seto : So the World Rings in the book are actually equivalent to the emeralds.

Grim (Metal Sonic) : Who knew that the Arabian Nights was a part of Sonic's world? The World rings are actually equivalent to the Emeralds? This should be very interesting. I heard that erazor was punished for those misdeeds, because those misdeeds were his crimes of putting the Arabian version of Mobius in genocide, the world rings were equivalent to the emeralds, apparently there was one teensy problem in sonic's world, villains like Erazor were genociders.

Sonic : Genociders. What are Genociders? [gasped in shocked] So what you're saying that negative powers of the emeralds was only conjured by Darkness was it. Maybe the ancients that arrived on Mobius had a meaning that the Emeralds were highly dangerous, and Chaos had them sour'd it when he destroyed Mobius along time ago. But Chaos wasn't the only one who destroyed Mobius, It was "The End" itself.

Grim (Metal Sonic) : Yes. It all began a long time ago, the Ancients or I like to call the visitors of mobius, were a race of intergalactic beings from another planet that was destroyed caused by the energy of the emeralds. They were a tribe that ruled the Starfall Islands before the birth of humankind in mobius. The civilization on the islands have created the via network system and we beings did not know that the Chaos Emeralds were highly active energy used for machinery. Eventually the ancients disappeared after their conflict with The End itself.

Seto : I get it. Now I get it, I finally found what made Knuckles Clan angered Chaos in the first place. The Mobians of Influence that you mentioned were selfishly arrogant and wanted to monopolize their civilzation. To monopolize the civilization on Angel Island, they had Pachacamac in charge of the clan after his mother's death. Not only that he violated Angel Island nor the Ancients' technology, they angered Chaos and made him destroy the world! Then around 200 years ago, The Black Arms arrived on mobius to colonize before Shadow was even born! And after that, villains began to use the negative energy of the emeralds for death and destruction. They were no gods nor were they monsters, they were mutans, demons, and machines trying to put the world in genocide! Only you, a Mobian Death God wanted sonic to have them dead, but the mobians influence, had stubbornly kept the truth out of the eye. By calling them the Gods and Machines of Mobius, they hid the truth from Tikal and the public eye! Spreading lies to the human race as we all know it!

Grim (Metal Sonic) : Is that so? Now I understand what's going on. That Echidna bastard, Pachacamac! He used the entire echidna tribe as puppets on a strings the entire time and nobody listened to me! That's the reason why Knuckles is the last echidna on Mobius, no wonder the Comic Book people saying that the Echidnas were a superior race, consider that non canon.

Seto : And don't forget, the cause of the Space Colony Ark's massacre was the fault of Gerald that he contacted the Black Arms in the first place, and the responsible for Maria's death, they did it. Black Arms did it to make Humans and mobians hating each other. The United Federation wanted to destroy all livings to hid the 50 year old truth and wanted to capture shadow in the monopolization of political power. That's the cause of Gerald's madness when he revealed that his granddaughter Maria died at the hands of that Mantis Platoon leader, the pilot of that mech called Heavy Dog.

Grim (Metal Sonic) : So you see Sonic. I had lived for so long in the afterlife to observe Mobius, and I even had to spread truth to all of those who lived on mobius for a long time period.

Sonic : Is that the reason Eggman was lonely in the first place.

Grim (Metal Sonic) : True, but it seems that he never really met his cousin, because he was afraid that he would her if the Black Arms were not on the Colony. That's the reason Black Doom was being a part in the family. Just to make Shadow a pain in the ass.

Moirai Albarn : Well I guess the Sonic Lore does kind make sense, but that's just dark, real dark. That explains why the Gizoids were created in the first place.

Seto : Because the Nocturnus clan that created them considered to be non-canon to due to copyright concerns. What was that name of the game that caused a major controversy

Sonic : Sonic Chronicles, a game for the Nintendo DS released in 2008, led to the trials of having no sequels, bad music, and of course, the Ken Penders lawsuit.

Seto : Yeah, I get it. Too bad that's part of delisted video game list, Sonic 06 could've been way better if you know what I mean, and I bet the Time Eater is responsible for bringing Crisis City after Solaris was destroyed and the game's events were reset all thanks, to the Time Stones' power. This was led to the birth of the chao-eating demon Ifrit and the Time Eater is what was left of Mephiles and the Ifrit is the relative to the Flames of Disaters, that's what led these monsters to destroy Mobius in the first place. So once we get all of that done, who should we worry next?

Moirai Albarn : Long enough to see this, I've found a photo of braided-black hair girl with megane glasses that is somehow conntected to the Time Eater, a related human to see this difference.

Sonic : Who that? [Moirai shows a photo of a braided-black hair girl wearing glasses what appears to be Homura Akemi]

Moirai Albarn : It's this girl in the photo, a middle school student in Japan that hasn't been around. They call her, Homura Akemi. We don't know who the parents but all we know is that she had been childhood friends with a pink-haired girl nowadays and she says that she's from a place called Plymouth. They calle her HomuHomu, or Homulily. That' all we know.

Sonic : That's quite a mystery to say how this Homura Akemi is related to the Time Eater. Let's all sink that in.

~ Seventy Eighth Scene : Lore of the Dark Past ~

[thegeo549]

One small story from my current D&D campaign

I play a masked variant tiefling bard named Fortune, now you'd think that I'd be geared towards support, but I always manage to find myself in the thick of combat (which isn't too taxing as not only do I have cure wounds but I also have Thunderclap, Vicious Mockery, and Thunderwave). But my ability to wind up in the middle of combat literally bit me in the ass once.

My party was exploring an extradimensional mansion belonging to a long dead author who hid its portal in one of their books. The mansion was complete with all you could want: a magically conscious broom, two small golem chefs, a horrific basement lab right next to the room with the demonic summoning pentagram that was housing a small bug demon that poisoned me and reduced me to half health in one swipe, the works.

After dealing with that mess, I healed myself and went upstairs as the two golems (Coriander and Cumin) were preparing dinner for us. Small problem: an extra chair had appeared in the corner of the room. Our entire party went to examine this chair, but even with our decent checks our DM kept remarking it was a normal chair. And as we were getting nowhere with the corner chair, one of the other party members told me to sit across the table from them, so I obliged.

Unfortunately, the moment I moved my token to a chair (we were using Foundry for our games), one of us rolled a high enough perception check for our DM to go "As you look at this chair, you realize it's quite similar to the one Fortune just sat down in", and we all had a split second of knowing just what exactly had happened before the DM continued with "Fortune, you find the chair under you shift as it reveals itself to be a mimic."

It immediately broke through my AC, and dealt me almost my entire health's worth of damage, and despite my best attempts to save face, our entire party agreed that it just bit me on the ass. Cue our entire party gang-rushing this diabolical chair, and as I laid sprawled on the table in front of it, I thrusted my rapier down on it, nearly dealing max damage, but it immediately retaliated by taking another bite out of me and sent me into death save territory as Fortune was left bleeding out on the table. Our Bugbear monk attacked it next, and our DM proudly proclaimed "and with that attack, it surprisingly dies after only having one hit point remaining."

TL;DR: Don't sit down for dinner if you suddenly find yourself with an extra chair laying around.

[the-mighty-dalob]

*You manage to slip inside. The inside seems simply but well build. Contrary to it's purely industrial look from the outside the workshop also seems to be the Mans home, with a hearth directly opposite of the door and a table on the right below a window. To the left you can see stairs leading up and even further left you see a doorway. The man stops for a moment looking back at the entrance door with an intense look but ultimately walks through the doorway on the right. As he passes through you can see the Large door you could see from the outside to the left, a storage area with several different bars of metal right ahead and a small foundry radiating Magical energy at the back to the right of the doorway. The Workshop wall is open to the outside behind the storage area. You can see three deactivated carrying golems there along with further bushes and trees like the front garden had.*

*I suddenly appear before you while you're walking outside*

Hello, long time no see...

*he jumps and turns around* oh... H-hey..

[caeora]

Hello everyone!

Here is the long-awaited free CR9 tokens from the D&D Monster Manual! These new tokens use the new sizes of 200px per square and the detail is much more better! (this is what KTech said anyway)

I put a ton of work into the colouring of these, spending ages doing the little details, the Fire Giant for example took me nearly 3 days but I think it's very much worth it in the end for such a huge and important-looking token for a game :D

Oh and the dragons that are part of this CR, the blue and silver dragons are included from our basic dragon's pack but are not on the display because they aren't exactly new tokens, also they don't use the new sizes and I want to redo dragons like that at some point in the future.

This pack is available for free over on patreon!