#titan fighting fantasy

[druidx]

Hello. I'm suddenly having emotions about the fact that when Elo says 'I'm fine' she really believes it -- even when she's extremely, obviously not -- and what this either says about her upbringing, or about what she endured as party captain.

"I know my limits." Girl, your limits stopped half a mile back. You absolutely do not.

[aquadestinyswriting]

Old writing snippet-ish

I was looking though my notes folder for something to inspire me and came across this scene I had originally written for Nano 2017. Naturally, I want to re-write this at some stage, but I thought the taglist might appreciate some of my early attempts at Edwin/Selene angst

Taglist: @druidx, @sparrow-orion-writes, @mariahwritesstuff, @ashirisu, @thesorcerersapprentice, @philosophika, @the-down-upside-finch, @lexiklecksi

Edwin frowned as he knocked on the door to Selene’s office, unsure of what to expect after Chrackle’s sudden and unexpected appearance in his bedchambers. While the cleric was no arcanist, he knew the magpie well enough to know that something was wrong for him to wake the Galanite up at this ungodly hour. The frown deepened when he received no response from the other side. He rapped more firmly on the door,

“Selene, is everything ok in there?” he called, “Chrackle was pretty insistent that I follow him all the way up here.” The cleric waited with bated breath as he heard a groan, a shuffle then, finally,  a soft click as the door he stood in front of was unlocked. Edwin gingerly took the handle and pushed the door open, peeking nervously into his old friend’s office. The room was dimly lit, but Edwin could make out the piles of books and scrolls scattered on top of the various tables around the room, but he paid them no mind as his gaze settled on the Grand Wizard. Selene was sitting at her desk, her head buried in her arms, glasses perched on top of her unruly mane of hair. She looked up with an unreadable expression as Edwin closed the door behind him, cast her gaze to her familiar, who was still sitting on the man’s shoulder, and glared at him. Edwin winced as Chrackle squawked indignantly in his ear, ruffled his feathers and took off to land on a hat stand that had been placed behind the door, keeping his back to his mistress. Edwin tentatively looked between Wizard and Familiar for a moment, noting with a great deal of worry how exhausted Selene looked at that moment. Selene sighed irritably, finally pushing herself into a more upright position,

“I’m sorry for the disturbance Edwin, Chrackle should know better than to go disturbing other peoples’ rest over nothing.” Edwin shrugged and walked over to the desk, freeing his arms from his cloak,

“It’s no trouble Selene. He seemed fairly worried and I believed it best to come by and make sure nothing was amiss.” Selene shook her head and rubbed at her eyes,

“Everything is fine, Edwin.” she retorted, “The feather-brained git is clearly going through a ‘mothering’ stage.” she muttered. Edwin crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby table, narrowing his eyes a little,

“I think I can see why. When was the last time you slept?” Selene glanced at the cleric, her own eyes narrowing a little as she perched her glasses back on her nose again,

“I really don’t think…” Edwin merely raised an accusatory eyebrow, causing the woman to trail off and look at the floor. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Edwin sighed and gestured to the chairs by the fireplace,

“I’ll get us some tea, and then we can talk about what’s on your mind.” he said firmly. Selene grumbled slightly, but nodded and pointed to a door off to one side of the massive room,

“There’s a small kitchenette through there, I should have some tea knocking about in there somewhere… at least I think it’s tea, it’s been a while since I last checked.” Edwin bit back the urge to ask what else might be in the larder, it was probably best he didn’t know. He cast another, somewhat worried look around the room, noting how… higgledy-piggeldy everything looked. He had visited the Library since arriving and it was completely immaculate; this was anything but. 

While Edwin busied himself with making the tea, Selene grudgingly collapsed into the wingback chair closest to the fire and ran a hand through her hair,

~If you were better at accepting help in the first place -~

~Oh do shut up you insufferable creature! I already told you I don’t need help.~

~Sure you don’t. It’s totally normal to not sleep for three nights straight and blow up at the junior wizards having a bit of fun before the New Year holiday.~

~I really should have picked a familiar that didn’t know what sarcasm was. At least then I wouldn’t need to put up with snarky attitudes.~

~My attitude is fun, carefree and loves to take long flights around the Garden of Galana thank you very much!~

~I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. It’s just… Of all the people to go and wake up in the middle of the night, why Edwin?~

~He’s the only one you’ll listen to.~

~*~

“I can’t help you if you keep pushing me away Selene!” Edwin snapped, his patience finally wearing thin, “What in all the hells are you so afraid of?” That seemed to finally get the woman’s attention as the wizard spun around to glare at him,

“I am not afraid, Edwin.” she hissed, “I just fail to see how any of this is any of your damned business!” Selene hugged her arm and turned back to the window and sighed, “Look just... go back to the Garden… please.” Edwin’s glare lifted as he watched his old friend continue to close him out, “Jij heimsk kvinde…” he sighed, “This whole situation is my business, Selene. It’s kind of in the job description to listen and advise, even when the people in question don’t want to hear it.” he said. He watched Selene’s expression from the reflection in the window. The wizard’s jaw twitched slightly, it seemed Edwin had struck a nerve. Seizing the opportunity, he pressed on, “Besides which, you are afraid, you just don’t want to admit it.”

[druidx]

@aquadestinyswriting Call out! 😉️

(DW it's a call out for me too 😆️)

everything reminds me of her (d&d character from now-defunct campaign)

[druidx]

what do you mean, there isn't a comprehensive dictionary I can google for a conlang I made up?

[aquadestinyswriting]

A Stand on Holy Ground- Part One

Summary: Selene is making her way down to the Church of Galana to speak to Abouna Shiverstaff about the problems the dwarves of Toreguarde are currently facing. She ends up finding more than she bargained for when she gets there

Words: 2,021

Warnings: fantasy violence, implied fantasy racism/xenophobia, blood mention

tags: @druidx, @sparrow-orion-writes ,@warriorbookworm, @mariahwritesstuff, @ashirisu, @philosophika, @the-down-upside-finch, @lexiklecksi

The autumn air was crisp as the Grand Magus walked down the city streets towards the Garden of Galana. She pulled the plain grey cloak she was wearing a little tighter as the wind bit through her robes and chilled her bones. 

~You’d save yourself the bother of getting cold if you’d just teleported out, you know.~ Chrackle’s voice noted inside the wizard’s head. 

~And give Schreiber the satisfaction of knowing how badly he got to me? No thank you.~

~I think he knows how badly he got to you already. You’re not exactly the most subtle person in the world.~

Selene grit her teeth. Damn it all! Why did the godsdamned bird have to be right? She ignored the smugness radiating from her familiar and focused on turning down the street that would lead her to the Garden.

~Alright, fine. No need to rub it in, Chrackle.~ she told him, ~The only reason I didn’t teleport directly into the church is because I know how much Egrim hates it when I do it, and the walk is helping me calm down enough that I’m not going to explode his office out of sheer frustration.~

~You calmed down enough that you won’t explode in the middle of the Garden instead?~

Selene slowed to a stop as she looked up at the sky and around at the trees and buildings surrounding her. Not seeing her familiar within eyesight, she frowned and started walking again, her steps more measured upon feeling the anger underlying the magpie’s words.

~Chrackle? Where are you?~ Dread descended upon Selene, settling on her shoulders and seeping into her gut. There was no reply. Instead, Selene felt the tug of Chrackle pulling on their link to cast something. Ignoring the stares of the people around her, the Grand Magus broke into a dead sprint. Instinct shook awake old, half-remembered habits and routines as Selene unthinkingly cast Mage Armour on herself and immediately ran through the spells she’d prepared for that day, trying to work out which one Chrackle might have used and for what reason.

Chrackle’s anger only intensified as she ran through the northern gates of the Garden and pounded along the trail through the trees and down the trail that led to the church. Selene felt her heart pound harder with every step. Especially as she began to hear her magpie’s furious cackling. It wasn’t like Chrackle to get this upset for no reason. What was –

Battle instinct alone was the only reason Selene avoided getting clocked in the temple by the rock thrown in her direction. The stone bounced off the Shield spell she’d thrown up and clattered to the ground. Selene stared dumbly at it,

~On your left!~ Chrackle’s voice echoed, an accompanying vocal squawk alerting her to the individual that was now targeting the human woman that had happened upon their fun. Selene immediately whirled, already muttering an incantation and let her spell fly in the face of the human man that was readying to tackle her. He fell back, swearing up a storm, his hands covering his eyes as Selene let loose with a Colour Spray. Selene didn’t have time to dwell on him, as she caught sight of a rather larger group of people than she was expecting, attempting to surround her out of the corner of her eye. None of them were wearing any sort of robes or uniform, nor were any of them wearing anything that Selene would begin to consider ‘adventuring gear’. So civilians then. Selene looked beyond them to the wisteria building she’d been running towards and fumed.

Thorns erupted from every conceivable surface of the facade. Thick, ropy vines completely barred the main entrance and all the windows, deep gouges marred at least a few on the door, and some of the vines covering the ground floor windows had scorch marks. She glanced briefly up to the tree branch Chrackle was now perching on,

~I hope you didn’t try casting Fireball at these louts.~ she commented smoothly. Chrackle clacked his beak,

~Might not worship Her directly, but I know better than to piss off Galana! Unlike these idiots.~  the magpie retorted huffily. 

~Just checking.~ Was all Selene said. She returned her attention to the mob that now surrounded her. She set her shoulders and tossed her hair back from her face,

“Right, then. I’m going to give you lot 2 minutes to skedaddle before I start getting properly upset with you.”

“Oh no, what’re you gonna do, lovie? Throw some more pretty lights in our faces?” One of the men scoffed. All of them were human, barring two that were clearly half elves. None of them appeared to be followers of the Lady of the Garden, and if the state of the rose bushes was any indication, they weren’t landscapers either. Selene gestured to the gentleman that was wandering around in a daze behind her, who had just bumped into the tree Chrackle was perched on,

“I mean, if you all want to be blinded and dazed for a few hours, I can certainly arrange that.” She replied, “However, trying to explain to the local Watch why there are suddenly thirteen people who have all gone blind and are babbling incoherently on top of that is too much effort for me to expend right now, so I suggest you take my earlier advice and leave.” 

~Not the brightest bunch are they? Do they even know who you are?~ Chrackle asked conversationally. Selene mentally rolled her eyes,

~I doubt it, and I’d like to keep it that way if you please. I’m here on my time off, I don’t want to have to explain anything to Schreiber right now.~

Two of the men looked over to their mate, who simply felt his way down to the ground and groaned, then looked to the human who had scoffed at Selene earlier,

“Henry, maybe we should take her up on that?” one of them suggested, “I mean, she’s clearly a finger wiggler of some sort, and I don’t think –”

Henry rolled his eyes and gestured at the rest of the group,

“What, you think a skinny little bitch like her can take us all on at once?” he growled, “Finger wiggler or not, she can’t cast fast enough.” he added, pulling out a knife and levelling it at Selene. He smiled at her lazily, “Now then, I think we all know who should be leaving now, don’t we?”

Selene felt Chrackle tense, ready to swoop the guy,

~Hang on, Chrackle, no need. I can still deal with this just fine.~ she told the anxious magpie. Chrackle growled in her head,

~Oh come on, the guy is begging for at least one of his eyes to get pecked out! Please?~

Selene ignored Chrackle’s begging and returned her full attention to Henry. She clucked her tongue in disappointment,

“Oh yes, I certainly do, but I’m not going to thank you for the paperwork you’re going to cause me.” she sighed. The Grand Magus immediately began mentally running through her spell list again, trying to find something non-fatal she could use to subdue the entire group at once. Henry snorted, gestured to the rest of the mob, and lunged at Selene. The rest, emboldened by his action, surged forward, pulling out their own weapons.

Chrackle immediately leapt into action, swooping down and clawing at three of the men, angling back up into the air before they could even hope to swat at him. Selene managed to dodge out of the way of most of the strikes, but three still managed to land. She hissed at the sting of blades cutting into her arms before muttering an incantation and teleporting out of the middle of the mob and reappearing only ten feet away to one side of them. The mob stared in angry confusion before realising what had happened and turning around. Selene waved at them with a sarcastic smile before moving her hands and muttering again. Henry bellowed and tried to rush the wizard once more. In a single second, the world had turned to pitch black and he slammed into a stone wall, breaking his nose. All he could hear was the confused and terrified yells of the rest of his friends as they struggled to comprehend what had just happened, banging their fists uselessly against solid walls that none of them could see.

Outside the 20 foot square Windowless Cell that had suddenly sprung up in the middle of the Garden, Selene dusted her robes down as Chrackle landed on her shoulder.

~You couldn’t have made it just a weeny bit smaller?~ the magpie asked, sounding almost disappointed. Selene shook her head,

“The smaller one wouldn’t fit them all. Be a dear and summon some Watch officers here, will you? The cell’s small enough that I’m concerned about how much air they’ve got in there.”

Chrackle croaked,

~We could just leave them in there until they’re unconscious.~ he suggested, ~They did try to at least seriously injure you, if not try to kill you.~ 

Selene tapped the magpie firmly on his beak,

“No, we won’t be doing that, Chrackle! This isn’t Old Toreguarde, and nor are we out on the road where such things might be smidge more acceptable.” she chided, “Now please go and summon some Watch officers while I try to convince Egrim that the threat to his church has been dealt with.” 

Chrackle gave her a grumbling chuckle,

~Alright, fine! But I want something shiny for the new nest in exchange for this!~ he exclaimed, before taking off and flying in the vague direction of the nearest Watchhouse. 

Selene ignored Chrackle’s comment and walked up to the barred door of the church. Three broken and spent torches littered the ground in front of the vines, which creaked ominously as the Grand Magus stepped just a little too close. She backed up a step and huffed out a weary sigh,

“You’ll be glad to hear that the louts who were trying to burn you out of your church have been dealt with.” she called into the small piece of copper she’d pulled out of one of her pockets. Selene waited patiently as the vines retracted back into the earth and the wood of the building. Eventually there was the sound of at least a dozen locks being undone and the door creaked open just a crack. A dark, small and wary face peeked out of the opening, which quickly brightened into a large smile,

“Selene, it’s so wonderful to see you! I do hope those layabouts didn’t cause you too much trouble?” Oakrose greeted, opening the door properly so Selene could step into the main vestibule of the church. Selene shook her head,

“I gained a couple of scratches, but nothing to be concerned about.” she replied, “They didn’t manage to hurt any of you did they?” she asked. Oakrose peered at Selene, tutted, then peered first at the young man sitting underneath the nearby birch tree before sliding her bemused gaze over to the large, stone box that had suddenly appeared not ten feet from the front door. She shook her head,

“No, Father Shiverstaff heard them coming and rounded everyone up right quick.” the much shorter and older woman replied, “And you and I have very different ideas of what constitutes a scratch, young lady!” she chided, gesturing at Selene’s arm. Selene blinked and looked at her arm. A small rivulet of crimson was clearly visible on the back of her hand and dripping onto the floor.

“Oh.”

Oakrose heaved a motherly sigh as she chivvied the much taller woman into an office and made her sit down,

“I’ll go grab the Abouna so he can patch that up for you. What happened to the lad outside anyway?”

Selene shrugged,

“He got a bit blinded and dazed because he snuck up on me with a knife.” she replied, “Don’t worry, it’s not permanent, it should wear off by tomorrow.” Oakrose simply shook her head, grumbled and left the room, shouting for Berkin to get some damned rope.

[oldschoolfrp]

The Bonerat Caves, an orc settlement (Titan: The Fighting Fantasy World, by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, Puffin Books, 1986)

[druidx]

It's not much of a paper, so please be kind with your grading.

In the Fighting Fantasy World of Titan, coffee is grown by the dwarves of Fangthane in specially constructed greenhouses on the mountain's upper slopes.

Now, coffee traditionally needs a warm climate, which is not ideal at the latitudes we find Fanthane at. However, the elevation and inclination of the mountain's slopes are such that early settlers to the mount were able to discover thin scrubby versions of the coffee plant.

Over the years, the coffee plant (named after Dunagur Kavee, clan Hemlig) has been cultivated in giant greenhouses, warmed by steam from the forges, which artificially reproduce the correct temperatures for growing the plants.

After it's grown and roasted, the beans are compressed into "blocs" and stored in air-tight containers. In this form, it not only keeps for a long time but is also very stable for travel. When serving, one takes a knife and trims a sliver off the bloc, allowing it to dissolve in slowly boiling water. The water is then strained for particulate matter and served. Sometimes specialized apparatus is used for this, sometimes all one has is a pot and a cheesecloth.

Culturally, the dwarves treat coffee as an extension of their famed beer; namely, they take it strong. As such, it's advised that non-dwarven visitors to Fangthane ask for it at beardling strength, else not partake at all.

Dwarven Bloc is rare outside Fangthane and fetches a high price if one can find a distributor. As such, it's usually the preserve of the rich, being served only in private homes. The sole exception to this is the Wizard's tower in Toreguard, on the Pagan Planes, where the Archmagus has a deal with Fangthane's dwarven delegation to supply the staff and students with the "black gold".

Fuck that post going around saying "you can have coffee in your story without justifying it :) you don't need to explain everything :)" I want, no, I DEMAND a fully researched ethnobotanical paper on every single food item in your work, if you don't explain to me where did potatoes come from in your fantasy setting or don't explain how the industry of coffee works over interstellar distances with full detail you are doing things wrong and I personally hate you and I hate your stupid story, fuck you

[druidx]

current writing mood:

words hard

[aquadestinyswriting]

Happy WBW! Does your world have any funny idioms or proverbs?

Hey Roses, sorry this is so late. Burnout recovery is being inconsistent as hell right now.

Oh the world I write in has a tonne of different idioms and proverbs, but I'll share the most consistent ones that I tend to use as far as the dwarves go.

"Heard it through the vein." is a very common saying in Fangthane, and you can thank @druidx for coming up with it. It comes from the idea that Stonespeakers can "hear" things through the rock and stone, which includes ore veins. So hearing something through the vein is basically the equivalent of hearing something "through the grapevine", i.e hearing about a rumour or some sort of gossip second or third (or more) -hand.

"What's coal is dust." is another I tend to use, which basically amounts to "what's done is done". Often used in a very matter-of-fact tone and usually accompanies a shrug of some sort.

"Moradin's balls"/"Moradin's saggy ballsack" are just hilarious swears used in the same capacity as "Jesus wept" or "Jesus *bleeping* Christ!" in our world. The less sweary version defaults to "Moradin's beard" which is one I use irl sometimes 😅.

Thanks for the ask though, because it highlights the need for me to come up with some more to sprinkle into the writing.

[evilhorse]

Conan is not intimidated by their sharpened swords or gleaming helmets.

(Conan the Barbarian FCBD 2023)

[druidx]

If you felt like reading my most recent longfic, Her Countenance was Light, or even just rbing, I would deeply appreciate it.

This is the Intro, so you know what you're getting into.

And this is all the chapters, in reverse chronological order.

This is the general tag for the work: #WIP 'Her Countenance was Light'

Yo, to all the writers out there, rebolog this if you want me to read your stuff

I’ll try to leave a comment or ask, and I’ll get to as many as I can. Or if no one who writes sees this, then just have a good day

[posthumanwanderings]

Golden Axe: The Duel (AM1 - Sega Saturn - 1995)

[oldschoolfrp]

Yaztromo's Tower, in Darkwood Forest (Russ Nicholson, Titan: The Fighting Fantasy World, by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, Puffin Books, 1986)

[druidx]

thinking about how, in her early days in the Watch, Elo might have been being the sort to hide any injuries.

because, well, she's basically a nepo baby right? So she's got something to prove. She's not just the niece of the fabled Shot in the Dark or the Grand Magus. She's her own damned person who is, incidentally, really quite good at being a Watchman.

Her first partner, Sargent Taube, her instructional officer, was reasonable. But he retired after finishing her instruction, so about a year and a half. Then she went through at least 4 or 5 other partners before Farren, who were at best indifferent or at worst actively bullying her.

And she quickly realised there was no such thing as sympathy in the Watch. But also she has to prove she - female, non-human and 3ft fuckall - has what it takes to be as macho as the rest. So she has to suck it up, not let on she's hurt, and thus got really good at hiding her injuries.

She knows Farren is different, but it doesn't stop the habit of hiding injuries, even after they've been partners for a while. Until he finds out by accident and gives her an earful for it, followed up by the equivalent of 'who hurt you?' to which she's like, I have a list if you want a copy.

It all about the 'goes through hell then finally finds the one who cares' 🧡️

[aquadestinyswriting]

OK, so I'm going to tell you a bit about two, just because they're so heavily interconnected with each other and they're both the main stories of my blog.

First up is The Wizard's Tale:

This one follows the story of Selene Frigidwake, Grand Magus of the city-state of Toreguarde. Selene is an ex-adventurer that has now landed herself in a position of power and authority in the city that she helped to build. Unfortunately the Divine Seal over the Hellmouth beneath her tower is beginning to falter, and she needs to find a solution before a second Demon War is kicked off when it fails entirely. Not only that, but the darker forces that exist in the world are rising up once more in an attempt to seize control of the Hellmouth for themselves. And to top it all off, her adopted niece and her friends have been Called to defend the world they all call home, despite the Edict against Adventuring within Toreguarde. Basically, think of this as the background story of a D&D adventure focusing on one of the major NPCs of the campaign, because that's basically what this is. Given that Selene is a major political figure in Toreguarde, there is a lot to do with the internal politics of Toreguarde as a city-state and all the drama that can unfold in such an environment. I also explore Selene's more personal issues, such as the completely untreated PTSD from her adventuring days and the severe trust issues that have come from being forced to work with the slimiest politician in Allansia. Not to mention having to dodge a bunch of assassination attempts and trying her best to keep her public and privates lives as separate as possible.

Next up is Destiny's New Servants: Fangthane's Folly Edition

You might as well have the WIP synopsis for this one:

Fangthane has stood as the shining beacon of dwarven-kind upon Titan for millennia, but the aftermath of the Demon War ten years ago has left the city-state with wounds that have only barely begun to heal. Unfortunately, there are those both within and without that would see the mountain crumble. Relations with the city-state of Toreguarde have been fraught since the Drakemari Empire became involved in its construction, but things have been more or less amicable until recently. With the rise of the dread Necromancer, Darkhide, problems both old and new are threatening to ignite a war that Fangthane can barely cope with. In the midst of all of this, a young cleric of Moradin must attempt to navigate the lies and treachery of her own people to uncover the truth at the centre of all this madness. Whether anyone wishes to listen to said truth… well that’s another matter entirely.

This story follows Meredith Gruksdottir, cleric of Moradin, through the trials that she faces as part of the Destiny's New Servants D&D 3rd edition campaign. Expect your standard fantasy adventure shenanigans, including a bunch of angst and drama, character deaths and some comedy here and there.

Since Meredith is a cleric first and foremost, expect to see a lot of references to her religion and an exploration of her connection to her gods. There's also quite a lot of politics in this story as well since the relationship between the kingdom of Fangthane and the city-state of Toreguarde plays a major role in the plot.

Let’s get to know your main story! Tell us a little bit about it!

[aquadestinyswriting]

A Stand on Holy Ground

Genre - High Fantasy, drama

Themes: friendship, fantasy politics, fantasy racism/xenophobia/bigotry

Warnings: fantasy racism/xenophobia/bigotry, likely a bunch of swearing, fantasy violence, blood mentions

Stage - In Progress

Pov - Third Person

Synopsis

Selene has been watching the rising tide of violence against the dwarven community within Toreguarde from her tower, and is not best pleased about it. When it becomes clear that the gang responsible for most of this violence, the notorious Brotherhood of Cleaving, is being bankrolled by someone on the Council, she tries to step in to help as many people as she can; starting with her close friend and ex-adventuring partner, Egrim Shiverstaff.

Author's Note

Please note that this whole WIP is based on events that took place in a Dungeons and Dragons 3rd edition campaign, Destiny's New Servants, which was played between 2015 and 2018. That is all.

Chapters

Chapter 1