Nuwmont 8, 998 AC: To Kurest Hurgon

“I still don’t like it,” Varis grumbled, as we marched along behind the line of halfling scouts. The bright bluish shadows cast by their blackflame lanterns leapt and receded against the vast bulk of stalagmite and column, shapes seeming to flit and leap in the darkness between.

Even after a mile, I found myself darting glances to the left or right, my grip tightening on my ironwood staff. The buzz of Sera’s unease prickling along my arms and the nape of my neck did little to ease my own uncertainties. She held her Power close, her senses sharpened, spread out around us.

Handmaidens of Petra: Ugly Truths

The Queen of Krakatos sat back, staring for a long while into the small, sputtering camp fire. She glanced over to Zirchev, who puffed away at a small, thin pipe.

“If this is another of your tricks…”

From the Netbook: Magitech, continued

The difference engine was originally of gnomish design and manufacture (but said to have been inspired from some contraption they’d seen in one of the dwarven cities of the Crystal Peaks). Several of them were commissioned by the Empire to help tabulate the hundreds of thousands of responses from the decennial census. Rowena’s tinkering uncovered the machine’s ability to execute punched-card instruction rather than simply tallying and sorting the input cards.

Nuwmont 7, 998 AC: Fire and Ice

“What happened in Urzud?” I asked. I knew the name, of course. The Cursed City. The Jewel of the Wastes. Said to be the birthplace of the orcs, the resting place of their legendary Blue Knife. Aurora snorted as I recounted to her and her sister what little I knew of the place.

Nuwmont 7, 998 AC: Shadowlights

“We think this was originally built by gnomes,” Grelda told us, as we made our way along the platform. A dizzying span over the spire-ridden darkness was bridged by a wide wooden gangplank. Ghostly bluish-white lights flickered behind distant windows, from doorways. She further explained that it was not precisely wood that we walked upon, but specially treated planks and timbers of giant mushrooms that grew wild in the further reaches of the cavern.

From the Netbook: Magitech of the World That Was

Over at the Comeback Inn forums, there has been some discussion of the magitech of Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor, throughout the settings’ various incarnations.

Artifacts from the City of the Gods can potentially make it into the hands of PCs through modules DA2 and 3: blasters, blaster rifles, glow wands, medkits, battle suits… Taken out of the Valley of the Ancients, or through the time portal in the Comeback Inn, these wondrous items have the potential to make the heroes into near godlike figures. It is noted in the various timelines of Mystara that developments gleaned from the tech of the City of the Gods are what made Blackmoor a force to be reckoned with, and promoted the kingdom’s rapid rise in power and influence.

Happy Holidays!

Aimeel had to use "Hold Animal"
on Sevenz to capture this memory-keep

Warmest holiday wishes to my small following.

Looking Back....

Already?

Blackmoor, in the Late Imperium: Regency Council and the Ministries

With each kingdom and state added to the fledgling empire, the Regency Council grew, with each new realm taking seats. Before it grew too unwieldy, the Council decided to create the ministries.

Now available at the Vaults

Thanks to Shawn's hard work, the first part of the Handmaidens' tale is available at the Vaults of Pandius.

In the week following the events of Wake of the White Witch's Wrath arc, the Handmaidens return to their normal lives in and around Threshold... Or do they?

"First Quest" puts the Thorn's Chronicle spin on Tim Beach's Hail the Heroes CD adventure (TSR2502) from the 2nd edition adaptation of Karameikos, following the Handmaidens of Petra as they unravel the mystery behind the location of Halav's shield. The PDF includes a map of the area surrounding Threshold, as well as D&D stats for the four main heroines appearing in the story: Jasna, Katarin, Brynne and Petra.

From the Netbook: The World That Was, in the Late Imperium

Thorn’s knowledge of the World That Was is primarily based on firsthand accounts from the Imperial Princess herself. They are supplemented by what secondary sources could be salvaged from the library in the Reflected City, as well as what was tapped and vibrocoded from the First Throne databanks’ skylink. Clarifications — when they could be untangled from her riddles, puzzles, and enigmas — were provided by the Gray Lady, who still haunts the ruined archives.

The Compiled Chronicles strike again....

Coming soon, to the Vaults of Pandius....

Putting the "No" in NaNoWriMo

So, it looks as though I "lost" this year.