New Year's Resolution? Not quite 4K

 Apparently there was a lot of talk about "Dungeon '23" going on on the Internet lately. Something about megadungeons and hundreds of rooms and creativity.

Happy DM's Day, and belated Alternity Game Day

What is it they say about March…? Something about it coming in like a lion? I don’t know about roaring, but it sure did sneak up on me.

The corner of the internet I hang out on does this thing, GM’s Day (March 4th). And the corner of the corner of the corner has another day of remembrance, then day before: March 3rd is Alternity Game Day, commemorating Wizards of the Coast’s shuttering of the Alternity Generic Science Fiction Role Playing Game line.

Nuwmont 13, 998 AC: Kor Karrest, the Ringway

“Not wi’ yer glove, use your cloak, ye gobwit!” another of the mercenaries said, at my back. “Ye think we’ve gloves aplenty to just give out?”

“What is this stuff?” I heard Gilliam ask.

“Breathe through yer filter, Uplander. Lest ye wan’it t’take root in yer pipes.”

Nuwmont 13, 998 AC: Kor Karrest, The Ringway

It was nearly, but not quite a run, for us. The twins hurried, and I noticed occasional glimmers from beneath the hood or drape of their borrowed cloaks: the white dragonstones at Aurora’s tiara and at Silva’s throat were at work, pulsing with each footfall. A dull but steady shadowlight gleamed between the fingers of their clasped hands; Aurora augmented the healing with a black. I did not fail to notice the shrike’s grip firm at each attempt of Silva’s to pull her own hand free.

Nuwmont 13, 998 AC: Kor Karrest, The Ringway

If the portion of the city we’d seen so far was a twisting, ramshackle ramble, the portion Grellk and his mercenaries led us through was equally labyrinthine, but the buildings crowded to each side were of a more permanent nature: made of fitted, mortared dark stone blocks. Most were streaked with an oddly greenish tracery. Some that we passed, though, exhibited beautiful branching wispy patterns, almost... tree-like.

Nuwmont 13, 998 AC: Merchant's Warren, Kor Karrest

For all the concealment afforded the broad, deep hoods, they did no favors for our vision.

“Only first-timers wag their noses back and forth,” Grellk said.

Faerealms of the World That Was

The fey have always been a part of Thorn's World That Was, just as they are a part of the world as it is, and as it has yet to be.

Nuwmont 13, 998AC: Full Measure

Despite the high ceiling and multiple ventilation slits cut across the roofing panels, it was still painfully obvious to my nose and eyes that Tamac was a tanner. Shadowy figures moved about behind canvas partitions, their movements becoming more agitated as our gnomish host began to bark orders. Several shorter gnomes, their hair more gray than white, appeared from the gloomy depths of the tent, squares of slate and chalk in their hands, scratching at them as Tamac called out measurements.

DM's Workshop: The Iron Ring

Before they encountered the would-be Winter King, Thorn & company ran afoul of an encampment of the Black Eagle's troops, holed up in the cliffside city of Byxata, in the Lost Valley. While Gilliam's bluff was enough to get them through the gates, it was not enough to keep them out of hot water once they met the leader of the Glantrian mercenaries augmenting Baron von Hendricks' garrison.

Nuwmont 13, 998AC: Merchant's Warren, Dockside

It took three platinum coins, but that price also got us off the barge ahead of Imperial Brass cargo inspectors. It involved a leap from the connecting joint just before reaching the docks, and was nearly worth the price, to watch Grellk’s smirk fade after his off-color remark about Sera and I getting entangled in the collar-and-lead. The strange connection the device forged made the jump easier. Sera’s sense of space and timing is much better than my own. The briefest of nudges of woven Thought helped a bit, as well.

Nuwmont 13, 998AC: The City of Crystal Splendors

The great whistle at the front of the iron barge gave a long wail, and below, as well as behind and in front of us, wheels began to grind and shriek. Bright orange and yellow sparks leapt forth, some of which tried to jump through the gaps in the planked flooring. Orange and red pinpoints showered the sandy ground to either side of the metal lines on which the barge rolled, quickly fading to coal black specks. Between the scalding steam belching forth from the massive boiler tank at the front of the line of barges and the cascades of sparks from the grinding wheels, there wasn’t all that much to be seen through the square windows. I, for one, was not keen to lean out and catch any of the sparks or cinders in my teeth, or eyes.

Nuwmont 10-13, 998 AC: Towards Kor-Karrest

First Half Moon (on or about Nuwmont 10-13, 998AC)

“This will never work,” Ana muttered, tugging the tattered cloak tighter about her shoulders.

“It’ll work,” Gilliam said. “It’ll work better if you slouch more.”

“And scratch,” Demarra said. She brought her hand up, clad in a too-big leather glove, and worked at the back of her hood.

Thornspace: Sarimaar, the Red Wanderer

A readingglass representation of Rowena's stellar-mechanical
"visitation arc" trajectory. The Shavarathian skyshield's thermal
ablation polished the major plane of the Andahar onyx block to
within one and a half degrees of perfect Aetheric refraction.

“Shavarath,” from the Skandaharian word for “Warrior.”

“ZugZul,” to the Afridhi

“Nerigaul,” to Nithian star-gazers, and later corrupted to “Arik-hem” when their glyphic language was overhauled into Thothian script.

Darine astrologers know it as “Halav-eiboh.” “Halav’s Eye.”

Astronomers of Thyatis call it “Sarimaar.” The Alphatians know it as “Zwerverüd”(both of which translate to “Red Wanderer”)

Magic of Thorn's Mystara: Blackflame Lanterns

While the use of magic is tightly regulated by the Special Council of the Ministry of Guilds and Services, there are those who practice their shadow craft for coin, rather than the good of the empire and blessing of the Karrnath. Knowing what their brethren are capable of, the magecaptains of the Imperial Army have developed a number of devices with which to minimize the chaos sewn by rogue bahrthron.

Nuwmont 9, 998 AC: Syharwehrven

“Eyes!” Aurora hissed, and I barely had time to bring my arm up to shield my vision before she rasped “Diphiya!” It was followed a moment later by a chorus of screams.

Project Dragonwatch: The Greenshae

"Avoid it if you can, skirt it if you dare, tread Greenshae's Bog at your own peril."

Magic of Thorn's Mystara: Wizard's Eye Globes and Seeing-Stones

Quite a few developments with this new year, not the least of which is a delving into gameplay of the newest edition of the world's greatest role playing game.

I've spent most of this past month developing the Sylvan Realm, harkening back to that nation of elven refugees shortly after its founding and before Ilsundal's creation of the Tree of Life.

As the great elven wizard's apprentice plumbs the depths of ruins and catacombs on behalf of her mentor, helping him with his Great Work, she stumbles across a minor artifact from the former inhabitants of the Sylvan Realm, which would have been somewhere near the  northern polar rim before the Great Rain of Fire.

Take a look at Aimeel's-Age Blackmoor's answer to the security camera and monitor, the wizard eye globe and seeing-stones, detailed at the Piazza forums, and let me know what you think.

Another New Year?

Happy New Year, blog-o-sphere.

It would seem last years' resolutions were a bit... ambitious.

TC2 and 3 are still in holding patterns. Ideas are well in place, but there is still very much left to do with the plot lines and encounter building.

Thorn & company are having way too much fun in Kurest Hurgon. The last vestiges of Loktar's Glittering Empire are taking a bit more time to explore than I'd thought....

The Handmaidens' adventures are a bit on hold as I work on some pre-Mistamere backstory amongst them. Will those tales see the light of day? It depends on how many want to see them, I suppose...

Act 2 of the Throne of Stars is nearly finished. Will the heroes finally manage to dock with the First Throne? What will they find there?

The play test of TC1 is technically still going. I think the players may need a kick, though...

I eagerly await the re-starting of Havard's Vales campaign, as well as reading what LFC material Rafe finally manages to cough up.

I look forward to working with the Threshold Magazine editors in fleshing out a couple levels of the Koskatep megadungeon.

And lastly, yes, dear sister(s), I do hope to get back to that other story some time this year. And maybe the other one, as well...

Nuwmont 9, 998 AC: Trouble follows

It was difficult to tell whether Gilliam’s or the dark-bearded dwarven merchant’s eyes went wider as Silva began producing platinum coins, one after the other, from the pouch at her waist. They were thicker than those minted by the Empire, and at first drew a skeptical glance and a snarl.

Nuwmont 9, 998 AC: Brisk Trade

The press of market-goers was soon too much to make the Veiling worthwhile. Drawing up the hoods of our cloaks made our group as inconspicuous and anonymous as any other. We would have made much better time past the various stalls and booths, had not Silva or Gilliam stopped at every third or fourth to look over the offerings.