#rogue trader prophecies

[cawyden-gaming]

Rogue Trader - Act 1 - Idira prophecies about companions - spoilers

If you speak with Idira in Act 1 and ask about your future she will give you 4 prophecies.

Prophecy about the child - Cassia

2. Prophecy about the red-robed sage - Pasqal

3. Prophecy about prison - not about a companion but I think the prison in the Rykad system and Evayne Winterscale perhaps?

4. Prophecy about chained hound - Heinrix

He is looking for the cult/ Aurora and we find him in the electro… cenobium … (where the tech priests are). True lord/chain might be referring to the inquisition/Xavier?

[theplotmage]

50 Worldbuilding Setting ideas for your fantasy book

Cities and Settlements

1. Capital City - The central hub of political power and culture in the realm.

2. Harbor Town - A bustling port city crucial for trade and naval activities.

3. Elf Village - A serene settlement hidden within a forest, home to elven inhabitants.

4. Dwarven Mines - An underground city where dwarves mine precious metals and gems.

5. Nomad Camp - A temporary settlement for wandering tribes and traders.

6. Market Square - The commercial heart of any major city, filled with vendors and artisans.

7. Sky City - A floating metropolis held aloft by magic or advanced technology.

Natural and Enchanted Locations

8. Mystic Forest - A dense, magical woodland filled with ancient trees and mythical creatures.

9. Enchanted Lake - A serene body of water with mystical properties.

10. Secret Cave - A hidden cavern that might contain treasure or danger.

11. Dark Swamp - A treacherous wetland often home to dark magic and creatures.

12. Forbidden Desert - A vast, arid expanse known for its harsh conditions and ancient secrets.

13. Floating Island - A landmass suspended in the sky, often home to unique flora and fauna.

14. Hidden Valley - A secluded, fertile valley protected from the outside world.

15. Charmed Meadows - Peaceful fields imbued with protective enchantments.

Magical and Supernatural Places

16. Wizard’s Tower - The abode of powerful sorcerers, filled with arcane knowledge.

17. Sacred Temple - A place of worship and spiritual significance, often protected by divine magic.

18. Haunted Castle - An ancient fortress inhabited by ghosts or malevolent spirits.

19. Necromancer’s Crypt - The lair of a dark sorcerer who practices necromancy.

20. Oracle’s Sanctuary - A holy site where oracles deliver prophecies and visions.

21. Magical Academy - An institution where young sorcerers learn the art of magic.

22. Alchemist’s Workshop - A place where alchemists experiment and create potions and elixirs.

23. Time Portal - A gateway to different eras, allowing travel through time.

Dangerous and Uncharted Areas

24. Ancient Ruins - The remnants of a once-great civilization, often hiding secrets or dangers.

25. Dragon’s Lair - The home of a fearsome dragon, filled with treasure and peril.

26. Cursed Forest - A dark, haunted woodland where malevolent forces dwell.

27. Battlefield - The site of a significant past conflict, often haunted by the spirits of the fallen.

28. Volcanic Wasteland - A desolate, fiery landscape wrought with volcanic activity.

29. Giant’s Keep - A massive fortress built and inhabited by giants.

30. Pirate Cove - A hidden inlet where pirates gather to plan their exploits.

31. Shadow Realm - A dark, parallel dimension filled with malevolent entities.

32. Frosty Tundra - A vast, icy wasteland where few dare to venture.

Cultural and Social Hubs

33. Royal Palace - The lavish residence of the ruling monarch and their court.

34. Thieves’ Guild - A secretive organization of thieves and rogues.

35. Warrior’s Training Grounds - A facility where soldiers and heroes train for battle.

36. Arena of Champions - A grand coliseum where warriors compete in combat.

37. Goblin Market - A chaotic and colorful marketplace run by goblins, offering exotic goods.

38. Hermit’s Hut - The secluded home of a wise hermit, often sought for advice.

39. Secret Hideout - A concealed refuge used by rebels or outlaws.

Mystical and Legendary Sites

40. Ethereal Gardens - Magical gardens with rare plants and enchanting beauty.

41. Celestial Observatory - A tower dedicated to studying the stars and celestial events.

42. Sanctuary of Lost Knowledge - A hidden library containing ancient and forbidden texts.

43. Sunken Ruins - The underwater remnants of a lost civilization.

44. Gryphon Nesting Grounds - A mountainous area where gryphons make their nests.

45. Spiral Staircase - An enigmatic, seemingly endless staircase leading to unknown depths.

46. Giant’s Keep - A colossal fortress built and inhabited by giants.

47. Protean Plains - A region where the landscape constantly changes, reshaped by powerful magic or ancient curses.

Adventurous and Explorative Spots

48. Treasure Hunter’s Camp - A gathering spot for explorers seeking lost relics.

49. Relic Seeker’s Cave - A cave rumored to contain powerful artifacts.

50. Explorer’s Outpost - A base for adventurers preparing for expeditions into unknown territories.

***

Discover the Ultimate Sci-Fi Fantasy Planner, designed by a fellow writer to transform your worldbuilding journey! This meticulously crafted template will unlock your limitless creativity and add unparalleled depth to your storytelling.

Why You Can’t Miss This:

• Comprehensive Worldbuilding Worksheets: Delve into political, cultural, historical, and economic facets to create a rich and immersive world.

• Series Support: Perfectly tailored for epic, multi-book sagas, ensuring consistency and coherence across your narrative.

• Lifetime Use: Invest once and enjoy a tool that will support your writing endeavors forever.

• Easy Navigation: Designed with a user-friendly interface, allowing for a seamless workflow and effortless organization.

• In-Depth Character Sheets: Develop complex, unforgettable characters that will captivate your readers.

• Centralized Information Hub: Keep all your worldbuilding details in one accessible place, making it easier to reference and build upon your ideas.

• Writer Tool Repository: Gain access to a curated selection of top tools from around the web, enhancing your writing process.

• Guided Writer Tasks: From idea generation to book publishing, this planner supports you every step of the way.

Don’t let this opportunity slip away! Experience the joy of writing with the Ultimate Sci-Fi Fantasy Planner and watch your world come to life. Build your universe. Inspire your readers. Act now and start your journey toward extraordinary storytelling.

Buy now for a 50% off to this planner!

[shadow--writer]

12. “Tired radiance and quiet suffering” 

For the prompt meme!

It uh. Got a little out of control. 1.6kish out of control lmao. Have Heinrix realizing that he lowkey likes Maeve but its an absolute mess that I looked over twice but I'm posting it before I delete it all and die in a hole lmfao <3 the prompts

~~

The Orsellio Prophecy was like any other system in this blasted expanse. A few planets with nothing, yet at the prospect of one having something worth landing for, the Rogue Trader had them stop and explore. 

This Jungle Planet was like any other they had seen, he didn’t see the use of coming here. The prospect of more water or meat from the wildlife was something for the lower command, not the Rogue Trader herself. 

It was not long after they landed that she noticed a wall of rocks blocking off the flow of a nearby river, and the animals hiding in the brush beside it. The animals didn’t look like much to him, like giant rats with square faces and pathetic wet eyes. 

But oddly they had an impact on the Lord Captain, so there he was, clearing a dam away for strange rodents.

He tossed another rock to the side, turning around to ask why they were doing this, words dying in his throat as he watched her. She was humming a song, swaying her hips and moving her head the beat of a song he would never come to know himself. 

He should stop watching her move. He should stop watching her period. 

And yet…it was like she was an unusual star, he couldn’t find it in him to look away from her. She had stopped humming, listening to something Abelard was saying. She smiled at Abelard, closed lipped and poised. It was a very practiced smile, to anyone else it was pleasing, pleasant. 

He looked away from her face, throwing more rocks to the side to keep from staring at her further. She was laughing at something now, the sound a little too controlled for laughter. 

He didn’t understand why he cared so much about that, cheeks flushing hot with embarrassment. 

He had taken his gloves and much of his armour off because the water was bogging him down and the gloves were starting to get slick. He’d hate to drop a rock on his foot and have to spend the time mending it.

He looked back at the Lord Captain again, searching for any logical reasoning for this…kindness. Hunting? Was she trying to get meat from them? A rare hide? 

She threw the last rock away, bracing for impact of the river, scurrying to the side. She was covered in mud and soaking wet. She had discarded her armour long ago, just wearing a cream shirt with a high collar and her black trousers. 

He averted his eyes from her torso as the shirt’s wetness made it rather…transparent. She didn’t seem to care, trying to herd the animals back into the river from where she shooed them away. The water spilled into the riverbed with powerful force, the sound of running water almost…calming. 

She was uncharacteristically gentle to these animals and it was nothing like what he was used to.

He was wrong about her. His assumptions were wrong. She wasn’t helping them for anything other than just to…help them. She had a strange kind of affection for…large rodents.  

The birds were chirping. This was the most at ease he’d ever seen her, basking in the light and the water. She liked these creatures, and wanted to do them a good deed. And somehow, he couldn’t wrap his head around it. She was…eccentric. 

He made a note of it for later, crossing his arms and staring into the sky. Emperor guide him, she was going to get herself into trouble with empathy like this. 

He sighed, gathering his items to prepare to make the trek back to the shuttle, casting a glance back up at her. 

Maeve had her back to him now and he took the moment to inspect her. Her hair was a disaster, falling out of its braids and it was very unlike her. Letting her hair be a mess like that. It was all wet from the work, and then she turned around.

Oh. 

Oh. 

When she looked at him now she was smiling. Not her little polite smile that never showed many teeth, no, this smile was a full wolfish toothy grin. A real smile. It nearly stole the air from his lungs when he looked at her, the pure joy lighting up those…beautiful blue eyes. 

Her front teeth were crooked. She’d never smiled big enough to show it before, but there they were, overlapping and crooked. Such a perfect imperfection he almost fell to his knees. 

She was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen, soaking wet with her hair falling out of her two perfect braids, smiling the most beautiful perfect crooked smile. Throne take him; he wanted to rip open his chest and bare his heart to her to see that smile more.

And she was holding a…rodent. She was laughing and grinning like this while holding a wet rodent that was almost the size of her torso. 

It was there that he realized that he would follow her to the ends of this world and the next. 

Abelard was the one to call the excursion's end, talking about sending more people down to collect the water and he was…disappointed. 

The emotion wasn’t how he normally felt it, not like the disappointment that someone died before he could get what he wanted from them nor was it like the disappointment when things were at a dead end. No. This disappointment was different. 

He wanted to stay here. He was disappointed that her smile would be tucked away back into the recesses of her being and how she would be back to despising his very being and existence. That was the most agonizing part of it all. The little bubble built here was about to burst and she was going back to trading spiteful words with him and he had to live with the knowledge that he had come to almost enjoy her presence. 

The ride back to the voidship was…quiet. The Lord Captain was slowly unbraiding her hair, brushing water from her curls. 

Curls. 

Her hair was curly, wildly so. He was impressed she was able to tame them into those braids of hers, and make them look so polished and perfect. 

She looked lovely with her hair down, silver woven through deep brown. 

They were the last ones to get off the shuttle when they made contact with the Voidship, sitting in a moment of silence. She was twisting her fingers together, clasping and unclasping her hands. He wanted to hold them, keep them still for a moment.

“Thank you for your help, Master van Calox,” she said after a bit, getting to her feet. She turned to look at him, moving closer. He stayed seated, and their knees were nearly touching. He wanted to reach out and pull her in by her waist. Wanted wanted wanted. He was ashamed of the word and how it fit. He hoped his face didn’t express it. “Shame you’re still breathing.”

“Rogue Trader,” he said, paused, closed and opened his mouth for a moment, floundering. She stared at him with a raised brow, the look not nearly as menacing as it had been in the past.

A surge of confidence washed over him and he grabbed her hand, and it was soft in his. Calloused from years of combat, textured from scars, and yet her skin was still soft. He hadn’t put his gloves back on since getting to the river, so he took the moment to appreciate the feeling of her skin. 

With her hair down she looked…younger. It would almost be an innocent kind of youth if it weren’t for the shiny pieces of silver metal holding her face together at the seams. Her gaze was much softer than he was used to receiving, blue swimming with an emotion he could not place. 

He turned her hand over, staring at the scars resembling a bug’s web marring her palm. He softly caressed them for a moment, like he was trying to memorize the feeling. She didn’t try pulling away. He wondered if her other hand looked the same.

Then he looked back up at her, and from this angle with the lights illuminating her hair like a halo, she was almost divine. 

He kept his eyes on her face as he pressed soft kisses into her palm. “You may call me Heinrix.” He breathed the words over her skin, watching her shoulders straighten and her face widen in her surprise. 

He dropped her hand after a beat, mourning the loss of touch almost immediately. Her fingers curled into her palm, like he gave her a gift to hold onto. 

He got to his feet. 

She shifted out of his way, lips parted in a soft o shape. She had dried mud smeared on one of her cheeks, and he would’ve wiped it away if he didn’t feel like he already overstepped his bounds. “Try to stay out of trouble,” he murmured to her as he shifted around her. 

He cursed at himself for walking away, for leaving her behind, for finding an affection for her. Her smile was burned into his vision, and when she smiled like that she looked at him. He hated the fact that he wanted to see that smile again, hated the fact that he wanted her. 

He could feel his ears warming with a blush as he moved away, steps echoing in the silence, leaving her with her hands clasped at her chest as if she were in prayer.

[lordcaptains]

wip word train

rules: for each letter of the word, share an excerpt from a wip that starts with that letter.

tagged by @cawyden-gaming - thank you!!

W - "What exactly does the Inquisition hope to gain by seducing the Rogue Trader?"

"The Inquisition is attempting no such thing!" Looking away, Heinrix spoke more quietly. "My feelings for the Rogue Trader are entirely my own."

A - An agonizing jolt of pain wrenched her back into consciousness. It would have brought her to her knees if she hadn't already been sprawled face-down on the floor. Above her, the heretic drew back his boot for another kick.

R - The Rogue Trader knelt and began to strip one of the charred corpses. Behind her, the magos did the same, his mechadendrites moving with mechanical precision. Eyeing the remaining bodies, Heinrix selected one that looked to be about his size. When he bent to set about his grim task, the Rogue Trader glanced over at him. Heinrix met her gaze.

"I will be accompanying you."

S - She'd fallen asleep to the sounds of Abelard's semi-coherent mumbling, Jae's quiet cursing as she'd tossed and turned, Idira's delirious, inarticulate prophecies, the soft whirring of Pasqal's mechadendrites.

And when Tervanitas had finally let him go, she'd slept with Heinrix beside her.

next word: STAR

tagging @mathlann, @s1ithers, @avas-poltergeist, @velvet-apricots, and @pizzafishandchips!

[tacticalgrandma]

Started playing Rogue Trader, thoughts:

I thought heinrix was just going to be a dick about me saving people & then flounce away but now he’s back. Now I’m just stuck with this narc forever.

I know I want to romance Yrliet (I got the game in the first place bc I heard she was an ace romance). BUT my character’s an operative (I like playing characters with high int/perception my first go so I can get as much lore as possible). AND I really like Pasqal and I’m trying to see if I can make a melee operative build with him. AND okay I could do 3 ops Abelard and Jae BUT that doesn’t seem wise AND I want Argenta and Cassia too AND I really should have just played warrior huh

Idira if all your prophecies are just “vague bad things will happen” that’s not actually super helpful

Character creation is wretched but there’s a Mara Sov lookalike so I’m set.

Were all the character models made in Heroforge??

[memento-morri-writes]

10 11 Things, 10 People Tag

Thank you for the tag @the-chosen-half-of-one !

Last Song: Make a Sound by BYRNE

Last Book: Technically I think it was "We're All the Same in the Dark" by someone whose name I don't remember, but that was only because I ran out of books to read on vacation and had to read what my dad and sister brought (they both like thrillers, I do not). The last one I actually wanted to read was The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, which was very good!!

Last Movie: I actually have no idea. It's been a LONG time since I watched a movie.

Last TV Show: I've been rewatching Black Sails (my absolute favorite show of all time) with my dad. Well, it's his first time watching it, my 2nd. But now that I'm back on campus, I told him to keep watching and keep me updated so I could keep pace with him, but I don't think he's watch a single episode yet...

Last Video Game: (adding on because I'm a gamer and I'm curious) Yesterday I started playing Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader for the first time, and I'm having a good time!! I bought it on sale on my birthday after being fucking obsessed with Owlcat's Pathfinder games all of last year. RT is more of a learning curve because even though the PF games are based on 1st edition and I've only barely played 2nd, there's still enough in common with both 2nd edition and dnd that I was at a better starting point. But I'm entirely new to WH40k, aside from the fact that one of my dnd games I briefly played in borrowed some lore from the WH universe. Also yesterday I was playing Knock on the Coffin Lid, which is a fucking amazing roguelike deckbuilder, and the only one I've ever played (out of many) that compares to Slay the Spire.

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: Anything but spicy. I love salty/savory things for snacks, but I also love sweet things. Depends on what I'm craving, I guess.

Relationship Status: Aroace, so single and very happy about that fact.

Last Thing I Googled: The Fifth Season so I could remember how to spell the author's last name.

Current Obsession: All of my dnd games and OCs, but especially Rook, my idiot bastard man. (Half-elf swashbuckler rogue who used to be a pirate and just became captain of the ship he used to sail on.)

Looking Forwards To: Next session of Rook's campaign!! We were supposed to play yesterday, but it was snowing where the DM and his brother live, so their internet decided no dnd for us, sadly. In the more short-term I have dnd tonight!! Should be fun!! Also, in the even more short term, I want to make more progress in Rogue Trader today. I'm only 5 hours in, and about 3 of those were spent on the prologue.

Tagging: @transmasc-wizard @half-hell @space-writes @chayscribbles @emrowene @ashirisu @dragon-swords-prophecies @akindofmagictoo @atomatowriter and @zmwrites (no pressure!!)

[vossprime]

World's longest and latest tag game: WIP word train

Rules: Tagger gives a word, then for each letter of that word you share an excerpt from your WIPs that starts with that letter.

I am very sorry to @inquisitornocturn , @jaal-ama-daravv , @holylustration , @fuchsiareign and @pycnolite for taking a whopping month to get back to writing anything and answering this and even more so if I've forgotten anyone. Thank you so much for tagging me <3 Without further ado:

Words:

LURK

L

Likewise he doesn’t know why the feeling besieges him that this might be important - Idira is the diviner, and has spared them more of her prophecies - but it does, and he manages to intercept the young man before he can get from the main vox relay, situated next to the orangerie, to the main palace at the other end of the courtyard. 

U

Until he has the architecture of her body burned into memory, until he can practically taste her at the back of his throat.

R

Rime had never been beautiful. It was a lie you believed when you were a noble girl with no obligation to go outside, when your life laid in the well-heated lap of wealth and the frost never once stung your face until the surface died. It never was, never had been, and never would be again.

K

Kunrad bit down that last part and swallowed it together with the saliva that collected in his mouth, announcing the rising bile.

___

HUGS

H

Hailing from a knight world, he knows the board, the rules, the moves one can make. Heinrix supposes every childhood eventually comes to an end by learning just how the workings of the world look when laid bare.

U

Und wenn die Lenden einer Anderen Besitztum bedeuten würde dir die ganze Welt gehören, statt sie wie ein Joch auf deinen Schultern zu tragen.

(poetry drafts)

G

Gola keeps itself quiet like a beaten animal. She cannot tell if it is because it is about to pounce or dying.

S

Someone would greet him in the hall and, were he here to see the Rogue Trader, ask him politely but firmly whether he is expected. There’d be refreshments and then an endless series of rooms he’d have to pass through, minutes to turns creeping by before he’d eventually make it to the study of the Lord Captain and under his scrutinising gaze. 

___

HAND

H

He’d asked and gotten his answer. Now he wishes he hadn’t received it at all.

A.

As a girl, she knows her father will beat them back down. As a woman, she commands such men, and the teeth are rotting out of their skulls. And so her revolution starts with teeth.

N.

“No.” Zlatko laughs. “And you aren’t answering my question.”

D

Dargonus is opulent even for his tastes. A noble house and the palace of a Rogue Trader are two entirely different sets of shoes. While the home of his early days probably still exists as a sanctuary for a family he’d once been part of, the Rogue Trader's palace has been built only with other people in mind. Nobles, petitioners, future generations.

___

STAR

S

She loves Zlatko von Valancius, but not enough to tie herself to his Throne. For not standing in the way of her freedom, she loves him almost enough. 

T

Thank the Emperor, the Rogue Trader is alone. Zlatko von Valancius looks at him over his desk, Lho in his hand. Ever since Commorragh he’s picked up smoking again, mostly in his office, and though he uses the kind of quality tobacco that doesn't stink up the place too much, Heinrix finds it distracting at best. The door clicks shut behind him and all the tumult is, at once, silent. “What do you want?”

A

A new tattoo closes the gap in what was previously a bare forearm, a xenos skull with hooked needles he knows runs over scar tissue. A symbol as blatant and boorish as the man himself.

R

Red ran down the full swell of Valerie’s bottom lip and Throne, was it a sight to see. “Permission?”  There was laughter in his voice and blood on his teeth. 

___

GOLD

G

Go on - she passes over the name so it hurts less that it is no longer her own - dance.

O

Outside, the sun lowers itself just enough to herald dusk within the next turn.

L

"Look at you and tell me you aren’t half inbred filth.”

D

“Does the kill sate the hunter?” he asks her, each word a step, “Does hunger sweeten the feast?“ He comes to a standstill before her, a breath away.  “Does desire devour control in its wake, to leave nothing but relief?”

Thank you again to all <3 Tagging @mortallyperfecttimemachine , currently sitting right beside me. Your word is SWORD.

[rats-and-robots]

"Gold..."

She whispers, her eyes wide and her words reverent as she stares at the Rogue Trader in the midst of the warp jump.

"Gold like a waterfall in the first rays of Dawn, gold like cut wood, gold like hot bread and mother's love. Gold... Not a cape, but it falls off His shoulders, not..." She steps forward, "Not fabric. Reflecting, refracting, splitting, golden glass. In pieces, shattered in patterns and so soft-- feathers! Feathers, they're feathers, they're wings. But sharp as shattered glass..." She reaches out... And a hand grabs her wrist. She shrieks, staring at the sharp black armor, dragon-scale, insect-segmented. A horror fills her that she can't describe and her legs collapse beneath her, the sharp gold and tans and black tower over her, three piercing pinpricks of steel-gray sitting at the pinnacle of a towering spire. A black spire, branching in barbed spikes and twisting blades. A wind kicked up, only the hand on her wrist holding her in place as the voices screamed with their joyous laughter in her ears... A horror as she'd seen in her Lord Captain's past lays in his future, his very fate--

"Idira!!" A voice tears through her vision like beast-claws through bare flesh. Her reality comes crashing onto her. It's the Rogue Trader's hand on her wrist, his face twisted in concern and some small offense.

They're not on the bridge anymore. They're not in the Warp any more.

"Emperor's holy corpse..." Garion muttered--so quietly none but her heard it--and relaxed before he spoke up, "There you are."

She looks around. They're in her quarters. Two medics stood to one side.

"What happened? You were prophesizing and collapsed. You started seizing." There's serious concern in his voice, his brows are furrowed.

She sat up, his hand falling off of her wrist, "I saw... I saw you as a mountain..." She shakes her head, "No, a spire. A rising black spire surrounded by golden feathers made of glass-like shards. There was so much wind whistling through twisting black blades and sharp feathers..." She held her head as she tasted blood, realizing the skin of her chin was sticky. As she reached to touch her face, Garion's hand gently set on her back.

"Don't stress yourself out..."

There's a darkness in his voice, and she knows what it is. He knows what she saw. A black spire. Commorragh.

"It wasn't your past." She shook her head, "It was your future."

"..." Garion scowled, "I will not be going back. Perhaps some part of me that is affected by that place will become prominent."

"The wind--"

"Turmoil, discourse, it doesn't mean--"

"It was a storm. No, greater than a mere storm, a typhoon of wind, swirling up the glass-feather-blades and..." She begins to cough, and sees that her chin is sticky from a mixture of spittle and blood as it comes out now, too. A medic comes over and helps her with a respirator. She realizes they're deafened, their ears covered. Had she shrieked while she was out? Or, more likely, did Garion not want them to hear her prophecy?

Garion is frowning, deeply, when she looks back at him. His eyes dart this way and that, searching the distant wall, "...What of the feathers you saw?"

"They were wings that came flowing off of you. Replaced your coat and covered the ground around you like the cape of a king around you. Around the spire, then."

"An attacking force."

"No. Defending it."

[yunessa]

Rogue Trader natterings.

I'm slowly re-shaping a Rogue Trader -'s right hand helper- Yunessa through scraps. (Changing it up from being the main character.)

Idira and OC chatter.

Idira  was a rarity. A unsanctioned psyker and a surprisingly friendly woman once you weren't surprised by the unsanctioned part. She saw and heard things that nobody else would have known from the voices that whispered in her mind. She was dangerous and strong and when I remember her it's always her leaning against the bridge railing or talking to the Vox Master. I remember her laugh and the time spent drinking with her. She enjoyed everything she had as she had it- once she'd recovered after Lady Theodora's passing.

She knew where to find the best bars to sit at. More than one evening was spent drinking and just speaking together quietly. As big as the ship was, there were plenty of nooks and crannies- sanctioned and otherwise to do whatever you might please in them.

She enjoyed hearing about the urban legends from the planet I grew up on.  I told her about the usual celebrations, the religion we had, what I thought of the Imperium- no thought was  to heretical, no complaint to strange when compared to my life before the Imperium. Idira was perhaps, the only person who truly understood those complaints and comparisons without ever once  doing what any of the others would have done if I said the same unfiltered words. Take that as you will, if you knew any of them then you'd be aware of what they'd say. I shan't elaborate.

One night drinking she told me her friends were whispering about me. I hesitated to ask her. I was afraid, sure, but also I never wanted to ask. It felt like I might in some way hasten her slide from unsanctioned psyker to gone. I've known and lost many friendly names when I was in the guard. But if I could help keep them around longer- well, i tried.   Idira laughed at my concern, but not unkindly and told me what the Warp was whispering to her anyway. She might as well if they're telling her and laughing.

When she was done blue smoke came from her mouth and she passed out. We were considerably deep in our drinks that evening. But I wrote it down as much as I remember. It isn't exactly the accurate words, as much as I've tried to force an accurate recollection. But I think this is as close as I can get it after writing it down so drunk that  I wrote it on the wall (and went to the medical bay in the morning to stop suffering. No matter how much I tried idira had a liver made of steel and far outmatched me.) and not at my desk.

The messenger sleeps, still unaware Of the cosmic thread woven in their hairs A path of thorns, story yet to be told Gifted by star-born hands, a message yet to unfold Through trials on paths gone far and deep Rewards might yet be reaped Shadows twist and lie As familiar voices pierce the sky Dangers loom over your soul And darkness seeks to devour you whole Tread with care, for greater things than you are far more capricous But with luck your path will start auspicious A dance with oblivion Is destined to be stygian But if you are willing to pay their sin tax You might survive, though not wholly intact.

The Lord-Captain's time as Lord-Captain went as well as could be expected and as much as I have tried to piece it together, I think her prophecy is complete.  The Lord-Captain's whole story isn't one the Imperium would truly appreciate. But I still miss her. She might be gone now but I won't let her memory go.

- Allein

[sabin1108]

Thank you so much for the tag! @faneposting-my-beloved and @sadhaappreciationsociety

So for my Godwoken OCs, I got 3...

A male lizard named Edgar, a female elf named Navier and a male human named Lyon.

They have been friends since childhood. They got separated when they're adults, but got together again in Fort Joy.

Who are they ?

Edgar is the son of one of the main judge/jury of the House of Law. Before going to Fort Joy, he served as an advisor and work closely with his father. Edgar is named as a successor of the partriarch in his family due to a family prophecy, where only those born with White horn can be the successor. He works as an advisor by day, and by night, he leads a secret group named Shadow, with the purpose of liberating slaves in the Ancient Empire. It was until a member of the Shadow betrayed him and led him to his downfall. Tags: Noble and Outlaw

Navier came from a tribe that dabbled in Blood magic and necromancy. Her father is the scion of the tribe. She moved to Arx at a young age with her mother to explore the outside world and gain more knowledge, leaving her father behind in the Elven land doing his duties. In Arx, she work as a trader and a scholar. She would constantly dabble in potion-making and frequented the library to pursue further knowledge. It was until the Chaos War happened and the deathfog unleashed, She had to went back to Elven Land to find her father. Tags: Mystic and Scholar.

Lyon is a Paladin for the Divine Order. He is the son of a count and a war hero. It was his mother's tale of adventure and glory that inspired him to be a soldier. As a paladin, he used to work under Thom Hardwin, before being promoted to be under Kemm. His excellent work ethic, nobility, strength, and source skills piqued Kemm's interest, especially in the last one. Aside from Paladin's duty, Lyon also shares tasks with his sister to take care of the family and the estate. He was sent to Fort Joy as a punishment for his 'failure' at his duties as a Paladin. Tags: Noble and Soldier

What is their damage + Fighting Style

Edgar

Weapon: Dual Dagger

Class: Rogue

Skills: All Scoundrel skills + Polymorph for support (such as Chameleon cloak, Chicken Claw and Heart of steel) + Warfare for stun (Battering Ram & Battle stomp)

Limit Break: (1) Fan of Knives (2) Daggers Dawn (3) Mortal Blow

Fighting style: Finesse + Wits [Offense + Meelee]. He has speed as his advantage and normally uses backstab to land more critical hits. His style is more of exploiting the enemy's weakness type, such as blindspots. He is the one who normally starts off the battle by doing a sneak attack while invisible/stealth

Source Skill rating: 4/5

Navier

Weapon: Staff or Dual Wands

Class: Blood Mage (Necromancer)

Skills: Basic 4 elements for support (Fire, Earth, Water, Air) + All Necromancer skills + Polymorph for support (Apotheosis)

Limit Break: (1) Mass Corpse Explosion (2) Grasp of the Starves (3) Blood Storm

Fighting style: intelligence [Defense + Caster]. Before the battle, she buffs the offence (Edgar and Lyon) before they engage. She kept her distance while casting spells to keep herself safe from the enemy. Her style is more fluid and takes advantage of the surrounding environment. She served as the area denial.

Source Skill rating: 5/5

Lyon

Weapon: Two-handed weapon

Class: Knight

Skills: All Warfare skill + Scoundrel for support (Adrenaline) + Polymorph for offense (Tentacle lash & Bull horn) and support (Skin Graft and Apotheosis)

Limit Break: (1) Skin graft (2) Onslaught (3) Overpower

Fighting style: Strength + Constitution [Offense + Meelee]. His fighting style is more of a military soldier knight style. He uses his strength to overpower his enemy and constitution to tank the damages and endure long battles. He is the finisher of the battle (Executioner).

Source skill rating: 3/5

Are there any differences between in-game model?

In-game model

My rendition

Yes, but it's mostly the hair, eyes, and clothing. All of them have yellow eyes. Their clothings are re-designed to match their fighting style and personality. Lyon and Navier's hair is tweaked slightly

Who do they love and why?

Edgar: Edgar doesn't really love most of his family members, as he has bad memories of his mother and siblings. The only person that he looks up to, admires and loves in the family is his father, but even then, it's quite a complicated relationship. But Edgar loves his friends, especially his childhood friends (Lyon and Navier), and really cherishes them a lot.

Lyon: Before she passed, Lyon loved his mother the most. He also loves his remaining family members, such as his dad and his twin sister. He has a nephew from his sister, whom he also loves and likes to spoil. Lyon also cherishes his friendship with Edgar and Navier and the friendship he builds with people in the Divine order, such as Paladin Cork and Thom Hardwin.

Navier: Navier is the only child, and she really loves both her father and mother. She loves that her father taught her knowledge about people, culture and customs while her mother taught her about herbal medicine, potion making and crafting. Despite being a trader, Navier has problems with social interaction, as she can be a bit dense. She didn't have friends when she first moved to Arx until she met Edgar and Lyon, whom she also loves and care for.

Anything else you'd like to share about them? (Some fun trivia)

In my canon, the blood mage tribe that Navier came from dabbled in 'Light Necromancy': where necromancy is used to further expand medical studies and healing benefits. Necromancy and blood-bending can also be used for attack, but they prefer to use it for medical discoveries.

Edgar is really close to both Navier and Lyon, but Lyon and Navier are not as close to each other. They knew each other through Edgar and took turns babysitting him when he was in Arx.

Edgar came to Arx once a year to work with the Lizards consulate in Arx for his father. He likes to sneak to hang out with Navier and Lyon. When Edgar went back to the Forbidden city, he sent letters to Navier every month on routine for more than 10 years

The trio are the same age (currently 31), and they met when they were 12. During that time, Edgar first came to Arx with his father and stayed at Lyon's family residence as their fathers used to do business together. Because Edgar likes to sneak out, that's where he met Navier.

They lost contact with each other when Navier went back to the Elven land (Age 22). Lyon and Edgar start to lose contact when Edgar starts to do more work with his father, and Lyon starting to be more busy with his Paladin duties (age 27)

Lyon received his first sword at the age of 12. He became a knight at the age of 17 and trained with his maternal family's knight. He became a Paladin at the age of 22 after the Chaos War

When Navier first moved to Arx, she is having a hard time in befriending friends her age. Noticing that, a female dwarf merchant/blacksmith took a pity and starts befriending her. From her, Navier learned how to analyse and identify weapons.

And that is it. Lol.

I encouraged those who stumbled upon this, to please share your Godwoken! We need to fill Rivellon with heroes :)

DOS2 fandom, show me your Godwoken? Tell me about your Godwoken? (For example:) Who are they? What is their damage? What do they look like? Are there any differences between their in-game model and how you imagine them? What is their fighting style? Who do they love and why? Anything else you'd like to share about them?

Everyone who sees this post, consider yourself invited. And feel free to tag your friends if you'd like.

@flower-khajiit, @divinityiswasted

Just do it. This is a threat.

[banshee-king]

Art for Owlcat's Rogue Trader Game. I really wonder how we'll be able to interact with the Eldar. We know that we'll be fighting Dark Eldar, and one of our companions can be a Ranger. But what about the other Craftworld Eldar?

Owlcat have stated that they've invented a new Craftworld for their story which I have mixed feelings about. On one hand its a great idea because it will give them more freedom and we won't see Ulthwe fail at prophecy, Saim-Hann get bested in speed, or Biel-Tann fail at military strategy. On the other hand, why do I feel like we're going to see another Craftworld invaded and destroyed?

Like it's Owlcat's history of choices/roleplaying freedom vs Eldar's history of being mistreated.

[cawyden-gaming]

Rogue Trader - (mostly) Heinrix related romance and general information, toybox flags + etudes

My youtube channel with Rogue Trader videos.

Heinrix romance related

Toybox - general and Heinrix specific information

Devil/closeness flirt

Heinrix romance - flirting differences (devil vs. closeness)

Corruption points

Act 4 - Heinrix + Guard difference (kill/spared) and corruption points

Act 4 - Heinrix 2nd romance scene and Corruption points

Questions

Janus corruption dialog popup when

Heinrix quest flag/etudes + affected endings

Act 4 Date trigger

Toybox Navigator Points

Dialog screenshots/videos

Heinrix - amasec and wine

Act 1 - shard options and affected Heinrix dialog

Act 2 - Black Ship - Heinrix romance specific dialog

Act 3 - Heinrix joining party dep. on romance

Act 4 - Heinrix romance - Date - love confession

Act 4 - Heinrix romance scene if he was not in Commoragh

Act 4 - Heinrix romance specific talk after freeze scene (video bridge talk)

Not romance related

warp event - Heinrix, Argenta and Abelard

Act 1 - Idira prophecies about companions

Act 1 - Heinrix changed voice over in intro

Act 1 - Heinrix recruitment - disguise

Act 1 - Heinrix and Evayne in Prison (Evayne unharmed)

Act 1 - Rykad Minoris - Ritual Chamber + Heinrix dialog

Act 1 - Heinrix dialog at Cassias recruitment quest

Act 1 - lower deck banter (Heinrix+Abelard, Idira+Abelard)

Act 1 - Heinrix - Triumph and Psyker

Act 2 - Heinrix add. dialog for iconoclast act 1 ending

Act 2 - Heinrix Footfall (interactions)

Act 2 - Footfall - Heinrix dialog - Drink in Cantina

Act 2 - Janus - Heinrix and Abelard

Act 2 - Heinrix dialog suppressed on Janus

Act 2 - Kiava Gamma mission talk with Heinrix - additional/hidden dialog line

Act 2 - Kiava Gamma mission briefing

Act 2 - Heinrix at the Magnae if not romanced

Act 2 - Ceremony - joining Inquisition - affected Endings

Act 3 - Heinrix + Achilleas/underlings spoiler

Act 3 - Heinrix + companions interactions in Commoragh

Act 3 - Heinrix escape dialog dep. on Yrliet/Marazhai

Act 3 - Heinrix, Yrilet and Marazhai versions (anat. opera)

Act 3 - Heinrix joining party dep. on romance

Act 3 - Help Achilleas/Wrack return to realspace

Act 4 - Xavier Calcazar - Heretic > 2 and Heinrix reaction

Act 4 - Heinrix on bridge "Lies"

Not act related

Examples of Heinrix not blindly following Xavier

Heinrix and his rosette

Some Heinrix dialog observations

Ulfar and Heinrix interaction

Other

Regicide

Turns and Cycles (time)

Act 2 - Inquisition Signet Ring color

Xavier Calcazar appreciation (spoilers act 2-5 + ending)

Interesting details (Time spent/Theodora/von Valancius dynasty)

[obserbolisk]

I just came across your DS9/Warriors mashup art and!!! I love it so much!!! The level of DETAIL! I just kept looking and looking at it!!!

The way Jake and Nog cats look so similar to their dads! Nog cat’s adorable little face! How Dr. Bashir cat looks a little nervous/unsure of his surroundings. You gave Jadzia cat a name that is a homage to her Trill spots and a beautiful coat pattern! The way Sisko cat has starry fur! How the non-Federation cats don’t follow the Clan name structure! Have you done a larger drawing of Kira cat by any chance? Or maybe a design for Ezri cat, or O’Brien cat with his 2 kittens? OR KIRA CAT HOLDING NEWBORN KIRAYOSHI KITTEN 😭

Basically this is my long winded way of saying AMAZING WORK, there is definitely a following for more if you want to make it!

Oh my god this is such a nice ask, thank you so much! I do plan on making more, whether there’s a following or not tbh.

DS9/shadowclan is definitely the clan I’ve spent the most time thinking about lore-wise. My base concept is that Shadowclan was at one point a pretty basic warrior clan up until it was destroyed by a conflict between two distinct groups of rogues. The first group of rouges had been chased from their homeland, after they showed up, the second group who had chased them from their home arrived, no longer willing to let them get away. The resulting war basically dispersed Shadowclan when the majority of cats on the territory either joined the fight ir fled to neighboring clans. For about two generations Shadowclan was gone and the land belonged to rouges, Thunderclan, and Skyclan.

Eventually thunderclan and skyclan decided to band together to recreate Shadowclan. The process of taking back the territory involved freeing the first group of rouges from the other. Modern Shadowclan is comprised of cats from those two clans and a lot of cats from the first group of rouges.

Sisko/Moonstar was originally a skyclan cat named Moonshade, he had no desire to join this new Shadowclan, but prophecy indicated that he was the only cat fit to lead it.

The main three Ferengi are kittypets living in a nearby cabin. There’s like a whole guild of kittypet traders here I guess. They give wild cats baubles in exchange for freshkill. Nog/Mousepaw is Firestar coded.

Hopefully I can get around to drawing some of those things eventually!

[astriiformes]

It’s the two year-anniversary of the start of the @friendshipcampaign​, and while I’ve been struggling a lot recently with brainthings making it hard for me to feel valued by the people around me, I am still (and frankly, consequently) so, so lucky to get to be a part of such a wonderful group of people in-game and out, who are not only telling an story that I love with my whole heart, but doing so much for each other as an adventuring party in the real world and not just our fantasy game.

Last year I wrote a filk song summarizing the events of the campaign thus far and I recall several people asking if I intended to do another set of verses when the next anniversary rolled around. But there’s just too much that has happened since then (and not just in-game, if we’re being honest -- in the year since, our whole group met each other and played in person for the first time over an incredible several days, pretty much everyone banded together to get me out of an incredibly bad situation and into one where I could start to heal, and countless other life events for a lot of us). I thought trying to tack a second summary of equal length or so on to it would just be too long.

So I picked a different song

Cheers to one of the best groups of people I’ve ever had the privilege to know. May we continue to work through our ups and downs and be there for each other even when it feels hard for me to believe I am cared about. And I hope we manage to, you know, prevent the apocalypse and stuff too. In the meantime, take my offering of a second semi-comprehensive summary, set to the stylings of that famed bard, Billy Gnoll

Ocean Voyage, Kraken’s Beak, cheerful wizard, portal geek Former pirate, bard and fighter, kid who’s seventeen, Kuo-toa, Bloop is free, sea hag cave, prophecy Giant kisses, selkie trader, this was unforseen

Faewilds, sorcerer, bargain with Elessea, Elder mother, deadly poison, time to face your fears, Doppelgänger, bat ruse, all but Voski get tattoos, Soreth portal, split the party, something bad is up here

We didn’t light the pyre But our plane’s in danger So we can’t be strangers We didn’t light the pyre But the world is ending So let’s get to mending

Midnight mission, portal sense, dragon’s breath in self-defense, Erwyn’s dead, soul ring, Sylvan cipher translating, Bramble’s ill, Rooster stabbed, quick escape, no one’s nabbed, Mountain hideout, dragon meeting, mercenaries spring

Castle raids, Coila freed, Ditto grabs the stolen seed, Raise Dead, modrons, deva wants a paragon, Portal closed, sword ablaze, Calma crisis, mind maze, Laird insane, lots of pain, nautiloid ship blasts away!

We didn’t light the pyre But our plane’s in danger So we can’t be strangers We didn’t light the pyre But the world is ending So let’s get to mending

Second wizard, kitchen crime, goblin market, goat time, Giant mimic, shadow fight, Folly’s End is not alright, Erwyn makes a fiend foe, Amaranth’s is older though, Auntie’s in a demiplane, five adventurers remain

Hex crawl, turtle lift, Morkoth lair has got a rift, Hypnotism, grave site, boys get in a solo fight, Paisley stairs, Neg-En, undead jerk is back again, Breach sealed, rogue-icide, Amaranth revifivied

We didn’t light the pyre But our plane’s in danger So we can’t be strangers We didn’t light the pyre But the world is ending So let’s get to mending

Myling in the area, Erwyn names them Melima, Alembic, Palava, Devil’s Dirge ballad trauma, Something’s in the woods at night, second rift, twig blight, Long-forgotten isopod, Kriv shares his head with a god,

Voski talks us out of doom, demon in the courtroom, Void the contract anyway, angry Hayel gets away!

We didn’t light the pyre But our plane’s in danger So we can’t be strangers We didn’t light the pyre But the world is ending So let’s get to mending

Ditto’s creature from the past, Caftner eggs are safe at last, Apologies, Wayspell, ACORN TIME, beholder belle, Wand theft, polymorph, cat is actually a dwarf, Dreamscape, night jar, curtain closed on opera star

Access to the library, flumphs inside, portal keys, Limbo, shrieking gusts, white deer, battle lust, Flirting with a giant gal, drinking too much alcohol, Fungus demon prophecy, everyone hates Carceri!

We didn’t light the pyre But our plane’s in danger So we can’t be strangers We didn’t light the pyre And it’s not ideal But it all can heal and heal and heal and heal And heal and heal and heal and heal...

(x3) 

We didn’t light the pyre But our plane’s in danger So we can’t be strangers We didn’t light the pyre But the world is ending So let’s get to mending

[starlitreading]

Tarot to Tarokka Deck

So I was reading the Curse of Strand to modify for my game and I really like the idea of the Tarokka Deck but didn’t want to spend the 60 dollars to get my own copy or just use playing cards so I made a list of Tarot cards with a Tarokka card counterpart and its meaning.

Major Arcana

The Fool- Innocent (A being of great importance whose life is in danger [who may be helpless or simply unaware of it)

The Magician- Seer (Inspiration and keen intellect, a future event, the outcome of which will hang on a clever mind)

The Empress- Artifact (The importance of some physical object that must be obtained, protected, or destroyed at all costs)

The Hierophant- Donjon (Isolation and Imprisonment, being so conservative in thinking as to be a prisoner of one’s own beliefs)

Strength- Beast (Great rage or passion; something bestial or malevolent hiding in plain sight or lurking just below the surface)

The Hermit- Raven (A hidden source of information; a future turn of event; a secret potential for good)

Wheel of Fortune- Fog (Something unexpected or mysterious that can not be avoided; a great quest or journey that will try one’s spirit)

The Hanged Man- Broken One (Defeat, failure, and despair; the loss of something or someone important, without which one feels incomplete)

Death- Horseman (Death; disaster in the form of the loss of wealth or property, a horrible defeat, or the end of a bloodline)

The Devil- Tempter (One who has been compromised or led astray by temptation or foolishness; one who tempts others for evil ends)

The Tower- Ghost (The looming past; the return of an old enemy or the discovery of a secret buried long ago)

The Moon- Marionette (The presence of a spy or a minion of some greater power; an encounter with a puppet or an underling)

Judgment- Executioner ( The imminent death of one rightly or wrongly convicted of a crime, false accusations and unjust prosecution. )

The Emperor- Darklord (A single, powerful individual of an evil nature, one whose goals have enormous and far-reaching consequences)

Swords

Two of swords- Hooded One (Bigotry, intolerance, and xenophobia; a mysterious presence or newcomer)

Three of swords- Avenger (Justice and revenge for great wrongs; those on a quest to rid the world of great evil)

Four of swords- Mercenary (Inner strength and fortitude; those who fight for wealth or power)

Five of swords- Berserker (The brutal and barbaric side of warfare; bloodlust; those with a bestial nature)

Seven of swords- Myrmidon (Great heroes; a sudden reversal of fate; the triumph of the underdog over a mighty enemy)

Eight of swords- Warrior (Strength and force personified; violence; those who use forced to accomplish their goals)

Ten of swords- Dictator (All that is wrong with government and leadership; those who rule through fear and violence)

Knight of swords- Torturer (The coming of suffering or merciless cruelty; one who is irredeemably evil or sadistic)

Queen of swords- Paladin (Just and noble warriors; those who live by a code of honor and integrity)

King of swords- Soldier (War and Sacrifice; the stamina to endure great hardship)

Coins

Ace of pentacles- Rogue (Anyone for whom money is important; those who believe money is the key to their success)

Three of pentacles- Guild Member (Like-minded individuals joined together in a common goal; pride in one’s work)

Four of pentacles- Miser (Hoarded wealth; those who are irreversibly unhappy or who think money is meaningless)

Five of pentacles- Thief (Those who steal or burgle; a loss of property, beauty, innocence, friendship, or reputation)

Six of pentacles- Philanthropist (Charity and giving on a grand scale; those you use wealth to fight evil and sickness)

Seven of pentacles- Beggar (Sudden change in economic status or fortune)

Ten of pentacles- Swashbuckler (Those who like money yet give it up freely; likeable rogues and rapscallions)

Page of pentacles- Merchant (A rare commodity or business opportunity; deceitful or dangerous business transactions)

Knight of pentacles- Tax Collector (Corruption; honesty in an otherwise corrupt government)

King of pentacles- Trader (Commerce; smuggling and black markets; fair and equitable trades)

Stars

Four of cups- Evoker (Magical or supernatural powers that can’t be controlled, magic for destructive ends)

Five of cups- Necromancer (Unnatural events and unhealthy obsessions; those who follow a destructive path)

Six of cups- Elementalist (The triumph of nature over civilization; natural disasters and bountiful harvests)

Seven of cups- Transmuter (A new discovery; the coming of unexpected things; unforeseen consequences and chaos)

Eight of cups- Abjurer (Those guided by logic and reasoning; warns of an overlooked clue or piece of information)

Nine of cups- Diviner (The pursuit of knowledge tempered by wisdom; truth and honesty; sages and prophecy)

Page of cups- Wizard (Mystery and riddles; the unknown; those who crave magical power and great knowledge)

Knight of cups- Conjurer (The coming of an unexpected supernatural threat; those who think of themselves as gods)

Queen of cups- Illusionist (Lies and deceit; grand conspiracies; secret societies; the presence of a dupe or saboteur)

King of cups- Enchanter (Inner turmoil that comes from confusion, fear of failure, or false information)

Glyphs

Two of wands- Monk (Serenity; inner strength and self-reliance; supreme confidence bereft of arrogance)

Three of wands- Missionary (Those who spread wisdom and faith to others; warnings of the spread of fear and ignorance)

Five of wands- Druid (The ambivalence and cruelty of nature and those who feel drawn to it; inner turmoil)

Six of wands- Charlatan (Liars; those who profess to believe one thing but actually believe another)

Seven of wands- Bishop (Strict adherence to a code or belief; those who plot, plan and scheme)

Eight of wands- Traitor (Betrayal by someone close and trusted; a weakening or loss of faith)

Page of wands- Anarchist (A fundamental change brought on by one whose beliefs are put to the test)

Knight of wands- Healer (Healing; a contagious illness, disease, or a curse, those who practice the healing arts)

Queen of wands- Shepherd (Those who protect others; one who bears a burden far too great to be shouldered alone)

[griffins-bane]

Quest 4.3: I do like to be beside the lakeside

Playing tourist

The party makes its way to Qrago, a peaceful, busy fishing town where (we are told) we can find a scholar who knows where the lost city of Pinnacle lies. Thúndur livens up the journey by rolling a nat 20 and making a cart-driver cry.

At Qrago, we head to the market to get a better idea of the town. A shady jewellery trader catches our eye, and we set about gathering intel in our classic low-key fashion.

Octavia: I start browsing the jewellery stand and give JB and Thúndur the face that says ‘pump him for information’. Gallais: Which is remarkably similar to your expression for ‘pump him’, which has led to many bad situations.

The shady trader tells us that the scholar lives in a tower in the middle of the lake. There is wildlife in the tower that is pretty rough, and that nobody goes there but Jeffrey of the Deliveroos, who takes food to the scholar every few months. We’ll know Jeffrey on the docks by his beard and his beautiful boat. By way of tanks, Thúndur uses castanets to intimidate the trader into giving us an ugly, overpriced necklace for free, and Octavia decks Lady out in it.

Jeffrey’s near-prehensile beard astounds Thúndur and JB. He tells us that the scholar is an old elf who doesn’t apparently have a name. We negotiate for passage by giving him the ugly necklace, and he very obligingly rows us through the lake to the tower.

After dropping us off on the shore, Jeffrey and his beard row away, knowing that we’ll make a smoke signal if and when we need him.

Aggressive gardening

We explore the island, picking our way through the thick forest that lies between the shore and the tower. A wild scythe tree appears! We don’t take the bait!

At the base of the tower, Gallais (and Lady) fail a will save against a hangman tree right next to the tower door. We yell for the scholar to come let us in, but…

Andrew: In response to your yelling, the door opens, and an old elf peeks out. He is promptly strangled by the tree.

We collectively roll our eyes and get down to fighting the hangman tree. It displays an astounding level of competency by swallowing the scholar, grappling JB, and continuing to bamboozle Gallais into thinking his pals have gone mad and are attacking the herbage.

Thúndur’s battle song for today: “We’re going down / I’m yelling timber…"

Several rounds later, when JB is salty about still being grappled, Andrew helpfully tells us that the scholar still doesn’t think the tree’s a threat.

At long last, the scholar finally realises what is going on and disappears. (Gallais: “I could make him un-invisible if you wanted.” Octavia: “Please don’t glitterdust our potential friend.”)

A lightning bolt strikes the tree. Andrew rolls some dice, rolls some more… and then keeps rolling, which tips us off to this scholar being a real big name.

Publish or perish

Ironically, the scholar can’t actually remember his name (“Morthan? Morthal?”), but he readily remembers the prophecy is a Bad Thing Indeed. He would give us info about the ancient city we’re after, but a rogue fey has set traps all along the library, and he needs our help to get past them first.

We make small talk while he leads us through the tower. The scholar says he studies the life cycles of slimes. (Andrew: “He begins to regale you with –” Laras: “That is not at all the right word.” Finn: “It really is!”)

After several trap encounters (a sliding staircase, a net, and a suspicious-looking chest with "OPEN THE CHEST” scrawled on the wall nearby), we finally reach the fourth floor. Gallais offers to deal with the chest but the scholar demurs, to which Gallais mutters, “He’s definitely going to be eaten by that chest after we leave.”

Our final obstacle is a Gargoyle Guardian, massively stony and crouched in the centre of the room. We are exhausted and know from experience how challenging gargoyles can be, so the thought of fighting it doesn’t exactly inspire much bloodlust. Can we find another way?

JB: I don’t like giving names to monsters right before we kill them.

With us as her hype band, Thúndur self-help pep talks the Gargoyle Guardian and it signs that it wants to sit on the window. With Thúndur’s song pumping one last burst of vigour into our tired, tired veins, we haul the gargoyle over and set it up, clearing the path for Morthan/Morthal to get to his books about the city of Pinnacle.