#Trackless train

[multisnapshott]

Trackless Trains in China: The Future of Urban and Tourist Transportation

Modern trackless train, showcasing its sleek and futuristic design China has long been at the forefront of transportation innovation, from high-speed rail to electric buses. One of its latest breakthroughs is the trackless train, an advanced form of public transportation that combines the flexibility of a bus with the capacity and comfort of a train. This futuristic mode of transport is gaining…

[iepnw]

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[equinesandeducation]

A pony ride with Ála as a hand horse and Frelsi in the lead. A first time for Frelsi and she did so well! Very happy that Ála is a pro at this, so we can get Frelsi prepared for Líf, while Ála gets fitter with low risk of injury. Happy!!

[oneamazingbounce]

Trackless Train Rental | Concession Equipment in Bakersfield

We are a full-service party rental company and trackless train rental based in Bakersfield. We offer a wide variety of concession equipment rentals in Bakersfield.

[1amazingbounce]

Bakersfield's Trackless Train Rentals

We specialize in trackless train rentals and the best party rental supplies in Bakersfield. We offer a wide selection of Bakersfield best bounce houses & jumpers.

[weepingwidar]

Hend Samir (Egyptian, 1986) - A Ride on a Trackless Train (2023)

[gotstabbedbyapen]

Do you have headcanons about Ares and his daughters the Amazons? Otrera is my favourite mortal lover of Ares. You can also include Artemis too, since she is also their patron god. No pressure though

Today's heacanons about the Amazons are brought to you by the Amazon delivery ;)

I'm not actually sponsored by Amazon lmao

There isn't much I can find about why Otrera would build a temple for Ares, so I'm gonna assume the temple was a gift she made for her godly lover for making her the queen of the Amazons. Most of the time it's the gods who showered their mortal lover with gifts, but ya girl Otrera was one of the few who was very reciprocal.

Ares and Otrera's daughters were personally trained by their father. Ares would dramatically fake his defeat when combat-training with his children to boost their confidence, similar to how big cats would pretend to be scared at their cubs' ambush to encourage them.

Ares asked Artemis, the Patron of Hunters herself, to teach the Amazons in archery. He cared a lot about his daughters' training program and only wanted the best teachers for them. For her teaching and assisting, Otrera built a temple for Artemis as an act of gratitude.

Through their time spent training the Amazons, Ares and Artemis grew closer than ever and finally fully forgave each other for their not-so-happy childhood together. Artemis even promised that her virgin hunters would be a trusting ally for the Amazons whenever they need.

When Otrera passed away, Hippolyta succeeded her mother's position as the new leader of the Amazons. On Hippolyta's coronation, Ares gifted her the magic girdle as a symbol of her queenship.

However, father Ares took the "you did nothing wrong and I love you for it" to an extreme in his parenting. Because of his overly indulgence, his children can become too arrogant for their own good. Although the Amazons, blessed by their father, were fierce warriors who vanquished and conquered many lands, they might underestimate many formidable opponents like other Greek heroes, and that would lead to many of their tragedies.

Ares had a deep hatred for Theseus and Heracles for attacking his Amazon daughters. In Heracles' ninth labor, he sailed to retrieve Hippolyta's girdle, which resulted in a war between Heracles' crew and the Amazons that may or may not be ignited by Hera.

After the conflict, Heracles and Theseus successfully defeated the Amazons, stole the magic girdle, and even abducted Antiope, a sister of Hippolyta and Penthesilea. With their Ares' guidance and support, Hippolyta and Penthesilea led the Amazons to storm Athens and rescue Antiope, leading to the Attic War.

Unfortunately, the Amazons were once again defeated. Antiope was killed by Theseus, and Penthesilea accidentally killed Hippolyta. Having lost two wars and two sisters, Penthesilea was wrecked with survival guilt. Ares was there to be her safe haven as she screamed and cried her heart out from pain, even though the god wasn't in the best state either after two consecutive deaths of his daughters.

When one of his Amazon daughters died, Ares would mourn and honored her greatly. Something something the god of war who excited with bloodshed cried for the bloodshed of his kin.

When Penthesilea declared she would join the Trojan War to die an honorable death and repent for not being able to save her sisters, Ares was heart-broken. He didn't want to lose his remaining daughter, but upon seeing Penthesilea's unmovable determination, he eventually let her go.

And when Penthesilea died as well, Ares finally broke. I think this excerpt capture his grief better:

Then Ares' heart was thrilled with grief and rage for his child [Penthesileia] slain. Straight from Olympus down he darted, swift and bright as thunderbolt terribly flashing from the mighty hand of Zeus, far leaping o'er the trackless sea, or flaming o'er the land, while shuddereth all wide Olympus as it passeth by. So through the quivering air with heart aflame swooped Ares armour-clad, soon as he heard the dread doom of his daughter. - Quintus Smyrnaeus, "Fall of Troy"

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Ortho Shroud - Playful Gear Vignette

"That's super rare and amazing"

[Playful Land – Stage]

Ortho: Heheh, I got to sing and dance with everyone from Night Raven College, as well as all the other guests…

Ortho: That was the best stage show ever. I'm super glad I got to come to Playful Land!

Ortho: Now then. Time for me to check out some more places.

Ortho: I was at the game corner with Vil's group earlier, so maybe I'll get on some rides in a different area.

Lilia: Well then, how about you join us, then?

Ortho: Oh, Lilia Vanrouge-san, and Trey Clover-san!

Ortho: Thanks for inviting me to go with you. Where are you two heading now?

Trey: We're heading to the Undersea Walk area. Apparently, they make it look like you're actually at the bottom of the ocean there.

Trey: Really makes you feel like we're in a theme park, huh. Just walking through that will probably be fun.

Lilia: And of course, we're gonna find stuff to ride, as well. The one I'm looking forward to ride is the 'Whirl Bottle"!

Ortho: "Whirl Bottle"… That's one of those trackless rides. According to the park guide map…

Ortho: "This is a thrilling attraction where carriages shaped like glass bottles spin around on a revolving floor."

Ortho: "Once you climb on board, all that's left to do is to leave your fate to the ocean's tides! Careful not to become too dizzy."

Lilia: Yup. Doesn't it sound like a swell old time?

Trey: So basically, it's a teacup ride.

Trey: Back home… At the amusement park in the Queendom of Roses, just like the name says, the ride is with teacups.

Ortho: I bet that's 'cause the people in the Queendom drink tea basically every day. It's fascinating to see the differences just based on the region.

Ortho: Since the Playful Land's attractions are all based on the Wish Upon a Star story…

Ortho: Whirl Bottle must be modeled after the scene where the Wooden Puppet's teacher braved the stormy seas by using a bottle as his ship, right?

Trey: Aah… That makes sense. Now that you say it that way, I can see it now.

Lilia: I can't wait to see it in person. So let's hurry and get on to check it out ourselves!

Ortho: YEAH!

[Playful Land – Bazaar]

Lilia: ALRIGHT YOU SCALLYWAGS, TURN THE WHEEL, TURN THE WHEEL～～～

Ortho: AYE AYE SIR!! LET'S GOOO～～～!!

Trey: Both of you don't go so hard…! Urgh, I'm starting to get dizzy…

Trey: …That was a much harder ride than I was expecting. My head is still going in circles.

Ortho: Trey-san, are you alright? Did you get motion sickness from all of our spinning?

Lilia: I'm perfectly alright, but… Guess I just trained my inner ear better.

Lilia: Here ya go, I brought you water. You should take a rest on that bench yonder.

Trey: Thanks, Lilia. Once I feel a bit better, I'll go see how Ace's group is getting on and take a stroll around the park a little.

Trey: So you two go on ahead and have some fun. Go and enjoy Playful Land.

Ortho: Oh… Alright. Then we'll head on out.

Trey: Yeah, go on. Take care, have fun.

Lilia/Ortho: Yeh! / Okay!

Ortho: Trey-san said he'd be alright so we just left him there, but… Was that really okay?

Lilia: Kufufu, no need to worry about him. He said it himself, didn't he? It was just a slight bit of motion sickness.

Lilia: He's the Vice Housewarden of Heartslabyul. There's no way he's that weak of a person.

Ortho: I don't think being the Vice Housewarden of Heartslabyul really matters… But I do agree that he's not weak.

Ortho: But that ride just now…

Ortho: …Honestly, it wasn't too wild, right?

Lilia: RIGHT!? I was just thinking that it wasn't thrilling enough.

Lilia: Just as you surmised, the Whirl Bottle ride was based on the scene of the Wooden Puppet's teacher floating on the stormy seas.

Lilia: So don't you think that they should have had water splashing us, or a giant seagull attacking us during the ride?

Ortho: Absolutely! And instead of just spinning around and around, I would have loved being shaken all up and down, left and right too.

Lilia: Mhm. That would've been a great idea. There's not many rides out there that can give you the feeling of roughing it in a storm.

Ortho: But if we want to implement more random movements, we'd have to completely redesign the attraction's structure…

Ortho: Ah, but if we just adjust the program, maybe the movement and spinning could become even more random.

Ortho: It would be much more exciting to not be able to predict which way it'll move next, don't you think?

Lilia: Mhm. That's because it's just as thrilling whenever you face a foe that doesn't showcase their next move, after all.

Lilia: ...AH! ORTHO, CHECK THAT OUT!

Ortho: EH!?

[Playful Land – Bazaar]

Lilia: ...AH! ORTHO, CHECK THAT OUT!

Ortho: EH!?

Ortho: THAT!? …WAIT, WHAT THING!?

Lilia: When I say that, I of course, mean that. The ever exciting…

Lilia: GIFT SHOP!!!

Ortho: A gift shop…? Ah, I see it. They have a lot of character merchandise and sweets on display.

Ortho: It's probably a little too early to even think about going home yet… But are you thinking of looking at souvenirs already?

Lilia: Mhm. So actually, last night I tried to invite Silver and Sebek here too, but…

Lilia: Neither of them had the slightest interest in skipping school.

Lilia: Malleus had gone off somewhere on his own again, so I couldn’t find him. I wasn't able to invite him at all.

Lilia: That's why I thought I'd at least bring home some souvenirs from Playful Land for them.

Ortho: I'm sure if you got them special Playful Land merch, it'll be just like they came here with you.

Ortho: In general, the souvenir shops get crowded near closing time, so…

Ortho: The risk of the item you wanted selling out, or rushing and forgetting to buy something you wanted may increase.

Ortho: I've decided! I'll shop for souvenirs with you, Lilia-san.

Lilia: Good. Then, let's go on a little treasure hunt!

Ortho: They have chocolate crunch, cookies, and candy… They have the whole array of standard theme park fare.

Lilia: These are marshmallows, hm. I'm not really a fan, but the package is so cute that I'm seriously considering it.

Ortho: Ah! This pasta snack is made into the shapes of the Friendly Fox and Gentle Cat.

Ortho: This looks easy to eat even while gaming… I think I'll get this for my brother.

Fellow: Well, well, what a discerning eye you have, young scholar! That pasta snack is the third most popular gift here.

Gidel: … [nods]

Ortho: Fellow-san, and Gidel-san! You surprised me showing up out of the blue.

Lilia: It's usually my forte to catch others unawares, but… Looks like you've won this time.

Ortho: You said the pasta snack is the third most popular, right? So then…

Ortho: The assortment tin that had plain cookies in the shape of the Friendly Fox and cocoa cookies in the shape of the Gentle Cat must be the second popular!

Ortho: And the chocolate crunch with 12 different kinds of little charms randomly thrown in must be the first popular!

Ortho: …Is my calculated prediction, how did I do?

Fellow: Amazing deduction, young scholar, what keen insight! However… Mmm～ You're just a little off!

Fellow: You're correct about the second popular. However, the first popular is something else entirely…

Ortho: Ehhh～ I was wrong? I chose those based on the rankings of other theme parks in general, though.

Lilia: Kufufu… How naïve of you, Ortho. I knew at a single glance, you know.

Ortho: Eh, really?

Lilia: Mhm. The number one popular souvenir for Playful Land is…

Lilia: WITHOUT QUESTION, THE WHALE FIGURINE!!

Ortho: EEH!?

Lilia: Those raging waves, the violent sprays of water, and the lone figure of the fiercesome whale that opens its mouth widely to swallow everything it can!

Lilia: I'm surprised an amusement park has something of this quality. Isn't this more of a work of art?

Ortho: Hmmm… I do think it's really well made, but… Isn't think too big to even fit in one of the park's lockers?

Ortho: It looks heavy, too, and I don't think it'd be a great souvenir to want to haul home after a long and tiring day at the park.

Ortho: Besides, the scene depicted here is one of the scariest scenes in the Wish Upon a Star story.

Ortho: I can't expect this to be anywhere close to the top of the popularity rankings.

Fellow: Well now, how astounding that this figure caught your eye. You certainly know your stuff!

Fellow: This figure was made as a souvenir for those who have ridden the Expedition Whale ride.

Fellow: The whale's teeth, the waves, and the spray of the water… Everything is so meticulously added down to the smallest detail!

Lilia: As I thought. Come now, Fellow, tell us. Where on the popularity scale does this figure fall!?

Fellow: The rank of this figurine is…

Lilia/Ortho: Is…?

Fellow: Dead last.

Gidel: …

Lilia: DEAD LAST…!?

Fellow: Indeed. Rather, ever since this park opened, never has a guest actually chosen to buy this item.

Fellow: Ortho-kun hit on every possible reason. It's heavy, unwieldly, and above all, terrifying!

Fellow: It seems our pursuit of quality was our downfall. Ahh, how disastrous!

Ortho: That's what I thought… So then, what's the number one popular item?

[Playful Land – Bazaar]

Fellow: Playful Land's number one popular souvenir is… The "apple core" flavored candy.

Ortho: Apple core flavored candy! You mentioned those to us earlier.

Lilia: An apple core flavor is rather unusual. I wonder if it has its own specific tang.

Ortho: Vil-san said that the apple core flavored popcorn just tasted like regular apples…

Ortho: But if you're interested, we can go to Candy Road after this.

Lilia: Mhm. But first, I have to find proper souvenirs to bring home here.

Lilia: Oho, here's a hat that looks like the head of the Friendly Fox! And they have one of the Gentle Cat as well. I need to get both.

Lilia: I'll give these to Silver and Sebek, and for Malleus… I think the goldfish hat would be cute.

Lilia: Oh but wait, would he even be able to wear this with his horns…?

Fellow: Come now, Ortho-kun, you should also pick out something you want. Please take as much as you want home.

Ortho: Thank you! Although, both my carrying capacity and the space available in my room is limited, so I'll have to be more selective in my choices.

Ortho: My brother doesn't really tend to use stationary… Ah, but these might be good!

Fellow: This? Ah, our postcards. They're light, thin, and easy to carry around, so it's perfect.

Ortho: There's a ton of different designs, and there's even some that have a pop-up. I bet my brother would love something like this.

Ortho: It says here that we can drop them off in the mailbox in Gentle Square, but…

Ortho: If I write the address and drop it in the mailbox, will it really reach Night Raven College?

Fellow: Why, yes. It should reach your school in a few days. In addition, it'll come with a special stamp.

Ortho: A special Playful Land stamp! That's super rare and amazing.

Ortho: It'll be a nice little surprise for it to show up in a few days… I think I'll send a postcard to my brother.

Fellow: You sure are rather thoughtful towards your brother, Ortho-kun. Now, what sort of card design are you thinking to choose?

Ortho: There's so many good scenes in Wish Upon a Star, it's hard to decide.

Ortho: This one shows when the Wooden Puppet met the Friendly Fox and the Gentle Cat. Heheh, they're all smiles.

Ortho: It's always great to make new friends. But I think my brother would be more scared that bright and cheerful strangers are coming up to talk to him…

Ortho: This scene of the Old Toymaker and the Wooden Puppet dancing looks really fun too…

Ortho: The card with the scene where they're searching for a whale at the bottom of the ocean is really interesting with these little moving fish and shells.

Ortho: And this hologrammed card is… The scene of the miracle of when the Wooden Puppet became a real boy.

Ortho: Hrrrrm… There's so many that it's hard to choose, but…

Ortho: If I have to pick one to send to my brother, then it has to be this one!

Fellow: Have you made your decision? If so, then please, use our counter available for you in the back to write your message.

Ortho: Thank you! I picked out the card, alright, but now what about the message?

Ortho: If I write about how I had fun hanging with Vil-san and Lilia-san, that may go into too much detail and may hamper his ability to read everything.

Fellow: Oh my, is there that much you wish to write about? I'm so honored that you have enjoyed Playful Land so dearly.

Fellow: Sure hope your postcard actually arrives where you need it to safely～

Gidel: … [nods with smirk]

Ortho: Yeah! …Oh right, I'll write down about the Playful Stage performance.

Ortho: With all that singing and dancing… I had such a great time!

[Ignihyde Dorm - Idia's Room]

Ortho: Nii-saaan, you have a package. It's that thing you mail ordered, and… Ah, this is…

Ortho: As I thought! It's the post card I sent out from Playful Land!

Ortho: All of my souvenirs were left with the amusement park, so I had completely given up hope that this card would ever show up…

Ortho: What a surprise that it actually arrived here safely!

Ortho: I wonder if Fellow-san sent it for me? That must mean they made it safely to some other town.

Ortho: …That was really an ordeal, but I guess it still made for a good memory.

Ortho: I sure hope my brother likes the postcard I chose.

Ortho: Similar to how the Wooden Puppet and the Old Toymaker used their wisdom and courage to escape the belly of the whale like in this postcard art...

Ortho: As long as me and my brother join forces, we can take on quests of any difficulty.

Ortho: That's why next time, I really hope we'll be able to go to an amusement park together!

[aurorabayrpg]

EVENT 022 ~ PART 1: PRIDE & PART 2: SUMMER CARNIVAL ~ PT. 1: JUNE 19TH - 24TH, PT. 2: JUNE 24TH - JULY 6TH

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡HAPPY PRIDE!💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

With the success of prom, town hall has decided to continue its traditions of going all out during the summer with event after event! Your muses will have noticed the town getting ready for the annual summer carnival, but they will also have noticed something new! Rainbow flags and balloons have been hung all over the town square, and various locations have all been prepping for a big celebration!

MORE INFO BELOW:

PRIDE:

Join Aurora Bay for its very first Pride parade that will make its way through town square and down main street!

Friday: kicking off Pride weekend, The Palacio Club will be having a foam party starting at 9pm! as well as having added extra performances over the weekend!

Saturday: the day of our big parade! Hosted by Town Hall, floats, music, and joy will take over the town starting at noon! Muses can of course say they worked on floats, as well as marching in the parade throughout town!

Sunday: Along with a very special drag brunch at the Palacio, the town will be hosting a 5k color run! Anyone may join to either run or volunteer at color bomb spots! Runner entry fee is $25 and all proceeds will go to various LGBTQ+ charities!

But that's not all! There will also be various pride events happening all weekend long!

Sea Foam Bar is where the party never stops! Each night they will have specialty drinks, games, and live music! Any musicians in the group may send a message to the main and volunteer their artist/band to perform if they wish to participate!

Oceania Bookstore has handpicked the best books for pride and will have them on display at the front of the store. There will also be a special reading time with Drag Queen from Palacio for the kids!

Crescent Moon Tattoo will have a space within Seascape Hotel with various pride flash sheets all weekend long, with all proceeds will go to LGBTQ+ charities

Food and art booths can be found all over the town square and a percentage of the proceeds will go to a charity! Any of the restaurant owners may have a booth or (just specials at their locations), as well as any artist muses! just let us know over on the main!

CARNIVAL:

Its finally here! Aurora Bay's annual end of the school year/beginning of summer carnival! Here are some of the things you'll find on the carnival grounds this year!

Carnival rides - Ferris wheel, kiddie coasters, tilt a whirl, carousel, trackless train, feel free to use your imaginations!

Food stalls: - Sea Shanty Shack, Sweet Spot Ice Cream Shop, Well Played Game Cafe, Fired Up Pizza will have stalls, as well as cotton candy stations, popcorn, pretzels, and lots of cocktail and mocktail vendors!

Games: Balloon pop, bottle ring toss, dunk tank (muses may volunteer), longshot basketball, axe throwing, water gun races, and video game stations hosted by Well Played!

Attractions: pop up fun house, tarot card reading, firetruck to show kids around the truck as well as sharing summer safety tips, pony rides from Sea Horse Ranch, bounce house, photo ops!

JULY 4TH BONUS:

Since the carnival will be happening during the fourth of July, there will be a huge fireworks display that evening! They'll be visible throughout various parts of town, but the best view is not only on the beach, but also up on the ferris wheel!

OOC INFO BELOW:

The first 3 open starters may be posted before needing to reply to others, but after those first 3, please be sure to reply to at least 2 open starters before posting your own!

For pride, please use #ab.pride, and for the carnival, please use #ab.carnival!

As always, feel free to post your characters outfits for each event! Be sure to tag @aurorabayaesthetic if you'd like your post to be reblogged!

Pride starters can start as of June 19th while carnival starters can only be started as of June 24th! Of course threads may continue even after the event, just be sure to tag them!

[portableanimations]

Meet Me at my Side (When Dawn Breaks over Britain) - 1/30(?)

An Ineffable Husbands Human AU with Lancaster Navigator Aziraphale and Engineer Crowley

Rating: E (Eventual smut, but also graphic descriptions of violence)

Summary: For all our worth, mankind lacks that sixth sense which seems to guide sea birds across thousands of miles of trackless ocean...

Upon transfer to Tadfield, newly promoted Flight Lieutnentant Aziraphale Fell is set to take off on his 11th operation within the hour with the mission of navigating his new crew across to Berlin and back. The war in Europe has been raging on for four years and tensions are higher than they've ever been after weeks of poor winter weather have caused more wreck than night fighters in enemy skies.

He’d already made peace with the fact that any one of these nights could be his last but it's after one of these operations, at three in the morning, that Aziraphale finds himself staring at another man working on an aircraft set aflame. His hair is auburn and his eyes are liquid gold. Just the same as they were thirteen years ago.

And suddenly, all such peace is shattered.

Excerpt:

“Starter button,” he heard Newt say. From where Aziraphale was sat, the start-up sequence of the Lancaster’s four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines was an experience that was both mechanical and almost alive-like . As soon as Lucy pressed the Engine Starting button, there was a brief, sharp whirr as the inertia starter spun up before the flywheel engaged with the engine, followed by a chug-chug-chug as the first cylinders coughed into life, spitting smoke and vapor into the wind.  Then, suddenly, boom— the engine roared to life with a deep, throaty growl that shuddered through Aziraphale’s frame. The cockpit trembled as the propeller blades bit into the air, building into a steady blur. There was a momentary fluctuation in the tone, almost like a misfire, before it smoothed out into a low, rolling thrum that settled deep into his chest.  Newt stood momentarily to glance out of the window. For the Lancaster, Aziraphale knew that the turning periods could not exceed twenty seconds, and that at least thirty seconds needed to pass before another engine could be started up. It was now the ground crew’s job to work the priming pump until it picked up on the carburettor.  “All okay!” The flight engineer said to the window.  Lucy’s gaze was trained on the back of Newt’s head, waiting for any sort of indication that the engine saw any signs of being over-rich. It never came. “Starboard outer, Engineer?”  “Go ahead, Skipper.” And so, the process was repeated. First with the starboard outer, then port inner, then port outer.

[platosshadowpuppet]

Worldbuilding idea - a pagan Britain mixing solar punk with folklore and magic

Britain has always been riven by the Wild. Islands of stability separated by trackless, ever changing forest, full of strange creatures and stranger people.

That's why all of the waves of invasion - Roman, Viking, Norman - ultimately faltered and failed.

How do you police a people who can retreat endlessly into a boundless wilderness? How do you a tame a land that tumbles walls, rejects roads, and swallows legions whole?

That fracturing is what shapes modern Britain. At the turn of the 20th century the Heptarchy's rule is fragile but enduring.

The Albion kingdoms of Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex, and Wessex retain a shifting union with the kings of Alba and Cymru. Queen Victoria notionally rules the whole island from her throne in Ludsland but plots and border skirmishes abound.

The one things that unites all the counties' rulers is money. Great hammers clash in the water driven foundaries of the Pennines and Western Alba. All the treasures of the world pour into the air docks and harbours of the British Isles - whether their original owners wanted them too or not.

Pilgrims from across Europe flock to worship at Britain's shrines. The pagan gods are still alive here and unbowed before the modern scourge of monotheism.

Alongside the buyers of Sheffield steel come those looking for magic. Close to the wild as they are, British magicians and witches retain their reputation for cunning and power. And if those cunning folk can't make what you're after, enough gold will employ a whole army of knights eager to prove themselves on a quest into the Wild.

But all this appetite for trade goods, all the laying of train tracks and progress of engineering, is leading the greedy to forget the compact they have with the Wild. People have forgotten what happens when the Wild wakes. They've stopped telling their children stories of bloodthirsty Fae and the monsters that walk in the night.

But as the drums of war beat across Europe, kings flex angrily against the restraints of their queen, and the Fae stir in the forests, a girl comes of age in old Jorvik. A girl whose blood could provide the spark to set it all ablaze.

[iepnw]

Experience the IEP Difference: High Quality Rental Items, Great Customer Service, Always Safety First.

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ORIGINALLY FOUND ON- Source: Inflatable Event Professionals(https://www.iepnw.com/why_choose_us/)

[radiantmorningstar]

Something Different: Micro RPG-R, “Into the Skeleton Cave”

Sessions: May 25 and May 30, 2025

Resources:

Micro RPG-R: Fantasy Role Playing Core Rules Booklet; One-Page Mythic GME; Cairn 1e; Break!!; Otisville region map and skeleton cave dungeon map (self-generated according to Micro RPG-R generator rules); and the Deck of Signs (Tales of Argosa card oracle)

Background:

Zamael is a human soothsayer and magic user, trained from an early age by the Lunar Order with the expectation that he would eventually become a low-level court wizard somewhere on the continent of Amya. However, he was expelled from the Order after killing one of the magisters in a magical duel.

Outcast from Ansiva, the City of Glittering Spires, generally considered to be the center of the world by those who live there, he wandered through many of Amya’s kingdoms, going mostly unnoticed by the great powers and heroes of the realm, until he found himself in the town of Otisville, broke, and in need of a place to sleep. The Inn of the First Otis had relatively inexpensive rates. Zamael was able to use his last gold pieces to pay for a few days of room and board.

Otisville was located in the forested southwestern region of Amya (Kingdom of Memda) and served as a tiny way-station for trading caravans headed down to Port Kathunder on the north coast of Bihsa Bay. As such, the town comprised a surprisingly wide array of traders, merchants, and provisioners. Goliaths, oracles, chibs, tenebrates, rai-nekos, gruuns, feykins, undelfs, wood elves, dwarves, humans, and Shar gnomes from the eastern Red Hills lived there together in relative harmony. The mayor, a half-elf named Volkabith, employed a watch of eighteen warriors and there was a friendly cleric of Sindla in a small chapel at the end of town available for low-cost healing and spiritual counsel. In general, Otisville seemed like a fairly pleasant place to live in spite of its proximity to the surrounding forest, Ye Wood of Mordred.

Feeling tired of wandering across the weird and largely uncharted landscapes of Amya, Zamael decided to remain in Otisville for a season and explore the forest, which is rumored to contain dangerous ruins. He reasoned that there were enough caravans moving through the place (sometimes daily) along the North-South road that he might be able to hire on with one eventually. In the meantime, he would look for treasure in the many (reputed) local ruins and, if worst came to worst, offer to perform day labor or some other service in exchange for something to eat. He decided he might even pass himself off as a full wizard if the town watch didn’t have one . . .

Summary:

Having provisioned himself with torches, water, rations, spell book, ironwood staff, and curved dagger of Ansivan steel, Zamael set off in the morning, heading east, into the trackless wood. Somewhere in that direction, there was supposed to be a ruined keep, said to be the center of a nameless cult over five-hundred years ago. No one in recent memory had attempted to explore the eastern area of the forest, for the Court of the Midnight Sidhe was also thought to reside there with many Black Matter Portals to their eldritch realms secreted amid the caves and trees. Mordred himself was a warlock of some repute throughout the Age of Wind and there are many towers and dungeons across Amya named after him.

The dense canopy ensured perpetual darkness and Zamael found the forest teeming with ferocious monsters, slimes, and aberrations. While he didn’t see any Midnight fey, he soon realized that the rumors about Ye Wood of Mordred were true. The place was definitely “fell” and most certainly under a longstanding curse.

He located the ruin of an ancient keep, but there was nothing of interest, only the moss-covered foundation and a few stone walls. Zamael did, however, have to fight multiple bloodthirsty hogbats and a dire deerwolf. Exhausted, he made camp at the base of one of the standing walls and was able to sleep most of the night without interruption by monsters or other threats.

On day two, he continued into an even darker region of forest and discovered a stone door set into a mound at the base of two mighty oaks. The door was carved with sigils and would need to have several of its stones removed for entry. Zamael recalled the legend he’d heard of the ancient cult. The few explorers brave enough to enter Ye Wood of Mordred must have found the previous ruins and concluded there was nothing more to discover in the area. The stone door, overgrown with roots and half-coated with dark green moss, seemed like a secret.

Whatever magic was in the sigils did not seem threatening and Zamael was able to remove several of the large bottom pieces of the door. He shined his torch into the opening he’d made and saw a dusty stone stair leading down into the earth.

In he went and he soon understood that the sigils on the door were not meant to keep anything out. Rather, they were meant to keep the inhabitants in. The dungeon seemed like the below-ground levels of what was once a temple or monastery. It alternated between flagstone-paved rooms and natural caverns. Several large caverns could only be described as “stalagmite forests.” Some areas were bisected by rushing subterranean rivers. And the place was filled with the aftereffects of dark sorcery.

There was a vortex of dark energy slowly consuming the floor of one of the corridors (who knows what that was bound to do or create or even how long it had been there). There were more mundane traps, blocked stone and metal doors, and a veritable army of all sorts of animated skeletons—from humanoids to huge owl- and ravenbears.

It seemed that whatever found its way into the caverns over the years eventually died and rose as a skeleton; though, most signs of the necromancer responsible for this (Mordred?) had long since been effaced. There were large “white mirrors” (sometimes called “ice mirrors,” due to their appearance and the extreme cold they give off), which have been traditionally used along with the black and red variety, to store magical energy. And Zamael wondered whether these were responsible for the animated dead, but there was no way to know for sure.

The most notable discovery was a shrine to the Oerthian deity of secrets and undeath, Vecna, with a life-sized statue of the lich standing on a dais. One of its eyes was a fat, glittering emerald, but the statue was so unsettling that Zamael did not want to risk touching it.

Eventually, after many battles, he came to a lonely crypt where he discovered a sarcophagus containing an undead knight. The knight animated and Zamael barely survived the confrontation. With minimal answers, no more healing herbs, one torch left, and all his magic expended, Zamael fought his way back to the surface, chased by a gigantic undead ravenbear.

Bleeding and exhausted, he was just able to wriggle out through the opening he’d made in the stone door before the monster caught him. It could not cross the threshold (or fit through the opening). So Zamael was safe. Unfortunately, he’d lost so much blood that he collapsed on the outskirts of the forest at midnight before he could reach Otisville.

He had a dream that he came before Lady Death, the Raven Queen, and she told him it was not yet his time to transition into the after-world. Then she told him to wake up and he came to in the common room of the inn, surrounded by townsfolk and Zalt, the cleric of Sindla, offering him an herbal brew. They told him a woodsman had found him unconscious at the edge of the forest and brought him back.

Unfortunately, everything but Zamael’s spell-book had been stolen, even his old leather boots. The residents of Otisville were no doubt too superstitious (or wise) to touch a spell-book; though, merely considering its fine metallic inks, the book was more valuable than all of Zamael’s other possessions combined.

Epilogue:

When he was well enough to emerge from his room, Zamael was summoned before Mayor Volkabith at the town hall. To say the mayor was displeased would be putting it lightly. He told Zamael that every few seasons, traveling adventurers enter the Ye Wood of Mordred and never return. As far as Volkabith was concerned, this was neither here nor there. But stirring up the dead is a bad idea. And the Midnight Sidhe have a tendency to rampage and kill indiscriminately if townsfolk trespass in their part of the forest.

Volkabith gave him two days to be on his way or, “The watch will strip you, take you back to the forest you seem to love so much, and tie you to a tree for the displacer beasts.”

“But someone stole my boots.” Zamael pointed down at his stockinged feet, as if that were some kind of refutation.

“Indeed,” said Volkabith. “It seems finding passable footwear would be a quest more within your abilities.”

Zamael found himself standing under the front awning of the Otisville town hall in a torrential rain with only his humble woolen tunic and trousers and the spell-book in his empty traveling pack. Boots did seem like the most pressing concern as the North-South road through town turned to mud . . .

[DM Note: I had a great time running these two sessions of Micro RPG-R. I think Noah Patterson might be a game design genius. I’d had some experience with Micro Chapbook, and so I was a bit skeptical of what this would be. MC, while in some ways a brilliant hack of Four Against Darkness, always suffered from a kind of inconsistency and incompleteness. Patterson kept changing the rules and sometimes it wasn’t clear which rule sets superseded which. Add to that my disappointment with his highly promising but annoyingly incomplete Adventures Simplified: A Simple Solo RPG Experience and I was ready to quit his games entirely.

I’m glad I didn’t. With Micro RPG-R, I had a kind of breakthrough and developed a deeper appreciation for Patterson’s weird asymmetrical design ethos. I realized that there are some things he cares about and others he does not care about when it comes to his games. Unlike other designers, who try to cover everything, Patterson just seems to emphasize the game aspects that excite him personally. His overland hexcrawl and dungeon crawl systems are very nice, for example. But the rules lack a general equipment list and the food items for sale at the inn (among many other details) seem very video-gamey and unreal (unicorn beer, anyone?). So to add a little more grit, I incorporated elements of first-edition Cairn, which fit seamlessly into Patterson’s system.

I’ve also been reading the OSR-ish, anime-inspired Break!! That also fit in well, particularly the species, giving Amya (at least my version of it) a very diverse and whimsical dimension to offset the lethality of the combat.

That said, Patterson is all about diversity, unwilling to separate his personal politics from his game design. Much of his material is set in the “Gay Realms”; though, Amya is not overtly part of that. I’m sure it could be, especially in a game DMed by Patterson himself. And I’d want to be part of such a game just to enjoy his overwhelming creativity and clear good humor.

The “combat wheelchair,” which also exists in Micro RPG-R, has never been an issue for me. In a world where talking dragons can melt your face and “crawling batcat skeletons” inch towards you in an underworld stalagmite forest, magical wheelchairs can be there for players who want to make a hero like themselves or who want to experience another way of life. Despite the fact that I love the OSR and consider myself an old-school ttrpg grognard at heart, I hate exclusion and want to invite everyone to the gaming table. If I’m soloing (which is my usual mode of play these days), I still have that sensibility with me. The best game is the one where everyone has an opportunity to be a hero.

So I want to recommend Micro RPG-R. The PDF is inexpensive on DriveThru and worth a look if you can approach it with an open mind. I did and I had a really good experience with it.]

[scary-lasagna]

The Christmas Express of the Underrealm Pt iii

Sally hurried back toward her room, and slipped on the first thing she could find to protect her feet from the cold snow, her pink, oversized snowboots that Splendor claimed she would "grow into", despite never growing an inch since she died.

Sally thumped down the stairs, almost tripping over her own feet before she got to the giant front doors which Ben had left ajar for her to squeeze through, the wood being too heavy to even budge for her tiny arms.

Sally trudged through the snow eagerly to catch up to Ben, who was also making his way through the snow with silly-looking flip-flops.

"About damn time!" A familiar voice barked.

"Tim?" Ben narrowed his eyes.

"What about it?" Sassy as usual, Tim leered at the foot of one of the steps leading onto the train car. Dressed in blue proper train conductor attire, he held an old-timey lantern somehow aggressively. "You're late."

"Wha- Tim! Is this your train?" Sally asked, flabbergasted, trailing next to Ben.

"For tonight." He nodded. He even had a sharp-looking conductor's cap on. "And you, missy, had a lot of questions, didn't you?"

Sally looked down at her feet a little nervously, and sheepishly nodded, looking between Ben and Tim.

Tim smiled curiously, tilting his head, "Well. We'll have to get you some answers, then, huh?" He clapped her shoulder with a certain gentleness he only saves for those who need a delicate touch. He squatted in front of her, the snow pelted the three of them, and he looked between the two ghosts with a conniving smile. "Do you know what kind of train this is?"

"Yeah it's a Baldwin-"

"It's a magic train." Tim cut Ben's 'know-it-all' attitude off, with a jazz hand. "And it's up to you to decide to get on or not."

Sally felt a tingle deep in her stomach, a bundle of butterflies poking and fluttering around. She wasn't sure if this was a good idea. The whistle of death and everything…

"We'll go, right Sally?" Ben asks.

Sally snapped her head toward him. "Don't put words in my mouth, Benjamin!"

"We're on a tight schedule, make up your minds…" Tim strained, flicking open his pocket watch. He didn't wait for a response, and waved his lantern toward the front of the train.

The whistle howled in spurts and hissed fog from under the wheels of the train, all of the cars lurched forward a foot before the wheels churned forward on the invisible track.

"It's not or never, but I'll come with you no matter what you choose, best friend." Ben put his hand out for Sally to take. She had the ultimate decision. She paused, shifting her weight in the snow in thought. But the train was already speeding up, so in a leap of faith, she took Ben's hand, and ran forth to the train's escaping steps.

Ben hopped on first, and swooped Sally up in his arms just in time before she was met face-first with a snowman waving in the wind. Ben set the girl down, and led the way in front of them, hearing familiar cheers and laughter caused him to feel quite perplexed.

"Ben! Buddy, how ya doing?" Toby grinned from behind a red suede seat, accented with gold twists and spirals.

The interior held so much detail, down to the holly leaves on the top trimming, to the small golden bow-shaped lights illuminating the car. All the seats were made of red suede, with gold accenting the booths and arm rests.

"How'd you get here?" Ben asked the brunette, who wasn't even wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Only his spiderman-themed summer-style pajamas he wore year-round.

"I just followed Tim and hopped on the train." He shrugged so casually like it was an everyday thing to hop on a giant, trackless train.

"And you didn't like…think that it was wrong…?" He asked his friend.

"Why would it be wrong, it's a magic train. And isn't magic just great enough to not have anything bad wrong with it." Another voice piped up, Ben recognized it as Silver. Wait, Silver? As in Lost Silver talking amongst a group of people, that can't be right.

Both Ben and Sally exchanged glances, not quite comprehending the weight of what was happening.

As Sally peered around, she recognized most residents of the manor had a nice seat with a buddy, some were fighting for the window seat, and others were trying their best not to get motion sick.

The Slender brothers seemed to be missing, as well as someone else that Sally held dear. Ben guided her to sit down, already presuming the role of her caretaker for the night.

"If you're looking for Slender, we couldn't wake him up, he was like dead asleep, I've never heard him snore like that before, it was kind of freaky if I'm being honest." Toby giggled, leaning over the back of the seat to get closer to Ben.

"Where's [Y/N?]" Sally tugged on Ben's jacket, who seemed to be wondering the same thing.

"I dunno." He glanced around the rather large car, with open seats still available. "Maybe they're in another car."

Tim's voice interrupted the various conversations with the slight squeal of the loud speaker, "Stopping at the proxy cabin next. We missed a dumbass. Last stop."

"Maybe that's [Y/N]!" Sally jolted excitedly.

"Hey! It might be!" Toby let himself fall back into his seat to look out the window past Jane, who seemed like she couldn't care less to be on a magic train.

"We're stopping at the cabin, maybe they had overtime?" Toby suggested.

"[Y/N] said they were going to get a few presents they forgot from the cabin's storage area." Jane spoke up as she turned a page nonchalantly from beside Toby. "It was the only place to hide 'em without Slender poking around trying to get an early peek."

"How'd you know that?" Ben pointed out, standing so he could hear Jane better over the clammer of noise.

"Slender was chasing us off to bed and they whispered it to me so someone knew where they were goin'. I tried telling them it'd be locked, but you know how stubborn [Y/N] is." Jane propped her knees up on the seat in front of her, and cozied herself up for a long read, earning a joust from Jeff who will be suffering from a sore back.

The train screeched to a halt, and Tim's lantern peeks around the shadows through the whipping snow.

Ben could barely recognize his friend in that brown fur coat. The ugly one they received from an abroad friend, that they swore they'd never be able to wear in public. No doubt it was ugly on a hangar…but it suited them, Ben thought.

It suited them nicely.

[Y/N] kept debatingly looking backward toward the cabin, and pointing while discussing with Tim.

"What are saying, Ben?" Sally whispered.

"I don't think they wanna come on," Ben mumbled, rubbing the condensation off of the interior window to see clearly.

The lantern waved, and the train lurched forward.

That's when he caught it.

[Y/N]'s eyes.

Even through the fog, their color had no discoloration, and he could make them out perfectly clearly.

They paused, staring at Ben in the illuminated window. Seeming a little disappointed, they tucked their coat around themself and nodded Ben a bid of farewell.

But Sally had other plans, and climbed over Ben and ripping down the window with strength she didn't remember having.

"[Y/N]!! Hurry up! It's a magic train!!" She yelled, and although her convincing skills needed work, all [Y/N] needed was the sight of the little girl.

They started running, no- trudging hazardly through the snow. It was getting thick and tall, and their knees could barely pierce through the heaviness of the cold blanket.

And they fell. They fell facefirst as the train chugged past them, a few residents who were watching gasped, and whispered amongst themselves.

Even if they didn't make it on the train, they'd be dead by morning with no way back into the cabin.

[siliconosaurus]

Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway Remote Control Trackless Train

[drmorbius12]

Desire

Outside, day turns to gentle dusk, birds hide away where only they can go, perched in sleep

Tiny animals awake, another night to burrow deep in search of deeper secrets

Inside, I write of anything but love for that has passed my by like a wild train barreling along a trackless waste

Yet, still there might perchance in kind, I might find a secret known only to those others upon whom I may touch

Another heart touching mine in sorrow and in light we each attuned, to the other, listening for the faintest call of desire