#the magpie and her bandit

[hollowmend]

Hollowmend Project Masterlist

Hey all! I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately (especially about Red-Handed Robin Redux), so I thought I’d make a masterlist/FAQ of sorts.

Here’s an overview of all the projects I have going on/planned for the future! All of these projects are commercial.

~~~~~~~~~~

Fetch Quest Series

Fetch Quest Remastered  - (Comedy, Fantasy, Otome)

[Coming Soon]

Would-be adventurer Flora accepts a job to retrieve a stolen item for a shady bartender. In order to retrieve the item, she'll have to infiltrate a group of notorious bandits by posing as a new recruit. Fortunately, she has the help of two other adventurers. UNfortunately, her companions seem completely useless without her!

According to the strangely vocal narrator, this would have gone more smoothly if everyone had remembered to make their characters beforehand...

A remastered version of my 2019 NaNoRenO game, Fetch Quest!

FAQ

What’s different from the free version?

-With all new scenes and a brand new “true” ending, the script has gone from 13k words up to 20k words

5 brand new CGs

A new original soundtrack

Shiny new UI

There’s an extras menu now, including a CG gallery, music room, and endings list

Can you date Dan?

Nope! Not this time. 

However, the “true” ending miiiight just be about him…

~~~~~~~~~~

Fetch Re;Quest - (Comedy, Slice-of-Life, Stat Raiser, Otome)

[Current Project]

After a remodel of their workplace leaves Flora, Dan, Connor, and Todd with a week’s worth of free-time, the group decides to play some games together…

The perfect opportunity to grind some stats!

Can Flora increase her Acumen, Charm, Gud, or Moxie enough to gain the courage to ask out her crush by the end of a self-imposed one week deadline? Or will she chicken out and be forced to pine after fictional 2D men instead?

Fetch Re;Quest takes place directly after the events of the Fetch Quest remaster’s new “true” ending. Here’s some of what you can expect from the game-

A (very) light stat raiser!

One love interest (It’s Dan.)

No DnD this time, but each stat is tied to a particular video/board game the group plays together. Shenanigans ensue.

Go on a cute date at the end

get all the endings for a special beach day episode

~~~~~~~~~~

The Maiden and the Magpie Series

Red-Handed Robin Redux (Dark Fantasy, Otome)

When career thief Robin comes across a boarding pass for the Whirlwind Express, she thinks she's found a literal ticket to freedom. With a case full of stolen jewelry and her loyal bodyguard at her side, she's ready to flee the country in style...

That is, until she runs into her childhood friend turned detective.

Can Robin keep her cool as she navigates a series of magic and mind games? Or will her cover be blown along with her escape plan?

That’s right! Red-Handed Robin is also getting the remaster treatment!

FAQ

What’s different from the free version?

There will be new content and a new canon “Golden End”

New CGs throughout the game

An original soundtrack

A new UI

Extras! In addition to the usual CG gallery/music room/endings list, there will also likely be fandisk-esque extra scenes showing more of the gang’s life before they boarded the whirlwind.

After outlining the entirety of the 3 game series, some details might differ in the Redux version than the free version. The Redux version will be considered the canon going forward!

Will there be a Fletcher route?

Nope! For many reasons, not the least of which is that he is gay.

With the new Golden Ending being canon, will Jay and Wren still get their own endings?

Yep! Those endings are staying in, they just won’t be the canon version of events when you see the trio again in the 3rd game of the series.

Will Robin/Jay/Wren end up in a poly relationship?

I’d like to keep some secrets to myself until they’re revealed in game… but if you follow me anywhere and have been paying attention, I think the answer to this is pretty clear.

~~~~~~~~~~

The Scarecrow Knight (Dark Fantasy, Mystery)

A few hundred years before the events of Red-Handed Robin, a strange traveler, his adopted daughter, and a tag-along who considers himself the traveler’s apprentice unravel mysteries surrounding the ancient curse of witchcraft.

The Scarecrow Knight takes place over ten years, with each of the three acts focusing on a different mystery along the way.

Though events in both games are related, The Scarecrow Knight and Red-Handed Robin can be read in any order.

FAQ

Are Robin/Jay/Wren going to be in The Scarecrow Knight? 

Nope! The Scarecrow Knight features Mac, Corbin, and Lark as its protagonists. You won’t see the RHR gang again until the 3rd game in the series.

Is The Scarecrow Knight an otome/dating sim/will it have romance?

Nope. While this game is still focused on relationships, the cast’s bonds are familial in nature.

Will The Scarecrow Knight have a ‘game’ in each act, like Red-Handed Robin?

Yep! In order to solve the mystery presented in each act, you’ll have to navigate that act’s ‘game’. 

What are Corbin’s pronouns?

Corbin uses she/her pronouns for the first two acts of The Scarecrow Knight. In act 3, however, he switches to he/him pronouns as part of a disguise... One that he suspiciously doesn’t want to come out of.

~~~~~~~~~~

3rd Unnamed RHR Game (Dark Fantasy, Amare)

Directly after the events of RHR, Robin, Jay, and Wren find themselves in a foreign country, no safer than they were aboard the whirlwind.

Meanwhile, Corbin finds himself in a very strange predicament… Waking up in the apartment of Oliver Tangram and Merle Barrows, two young men entangled in Gales’ occult scene.

This game will wrap up the stories started in both RHR and SK.

FAQ

Is 3rd Unnamed Game an otome/dating sim/will it have romance?

The answer is yes! Kind of! Both sides feature romance, and those relationship dynamics are integral to the plot.

On Robin/Jay/Wren’s side, the game will explore the trio’s dynamic more in depth. Corbin also has his own love interest (Oliver) on his side.

Who’s the protagonist?

The story is told from multiple perspectives, with Robin and Corbin being the most important characters.

Will 3rd Unnamed Game have a ‘game’ in each act like Red-Handed Robin?

Hopefully! That’s the plan anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~

Other Upcoming Projects

Believe it or not, I’ve got even more stuff planned! 

If you’ve been following me for otome, I’m sorry to say that The Maiden and the Magpie series will probably be my last one for the foreseeable future. As a queer man, writing queer stories is what gets me motivated.

That being said, my next upcoming project is a BL!

Counter-Side (BL, Drama, Sci-fi, Kinetic)

[Current Project]

A mining facility on the dusty, barren planet of Ikarus is the last place most people would expect to find their true love… But that won’t stop peppy mecha pilot Rosco from trying!

In fact, he’s positive he’s figured it out this time. Sure, his new partner seems bored and dismissive, but this has been Rosco’s longest relationship yet! That has to mean something, right?

Meanwhile, HR manager Rae has just transferred to the facility and is determined to keep any new acquaintances at an arm’s length. Convinced that he is cold, boring, and judgemental, Rae is certain that there is only one person who can accept him for who he really is… and he already screwed that up.

Just as both men feel like they’re at their lowest points, their evenings are brightened by a newfound friendship forged at a cozy bar…

Counter-Side is the result of a writing experiment gone wild– I wrote one character’s viewpoint, and my friend/co-writer @brii-nanas wrote the other! The result is a story seen from both Rosco and Rae’s perspective.

Choose to play through the entirety of one character’s side before starting the other, or pick from either character’s perspective chapter by chapter. Both options offer an interesting way of experiencing the story.

The script is almost completely done (over 100k words!), and we will be working on putting out a demo containing the first 1/3rd of the game soon.

If Rosco looks familiar, it’s probably because I did his sprite for @brii-nanas​ amare jam game, Under the Skies of Ikarus! This game is set in the same world/facility. 

Unlike Under the Skies of Ikarus, which is very wholesome, Counter-Side’s tone is... different, to say the least xD. Rae and Rosco’s relationship is extremely sweet, but they both go through some rough stuff before they get to that point. Which leads me to the...

Content Warning

This game is for readers who are 18+! It contains some heavy subject matter such as:

Abusive relationships (both physical and mental)

Dubious consent

Gaslighting

Anxiety

Sex (Nothing written/shown is super explicit)

Alcohol use

[soclonely]

Whenever you gwt a chance if you're up for it

The clones as which episode of bluey made them emotional

HELLO IT IS I. I AM BACK, AND HERE AND READY FOR SOME CLONES AS! Ironically I am watching Bluey with a group of little ones as we speak and had to hold back a few sobs a moment ago:'))

Rex- Daddy Dropoff: It's Dad's turn to get the kids ready for school and kindy, but Bluey and Bingo aren't making things easy! Dad tries to keep everything on track, but can't help playing along with their games, making them all late… again!

Echo- Camping: Bluey is on a family camping trip, where she makes a new friend, Jean-Luc. Even though Bluey and Jean-Luc don't speak the same language, they teach each other how to camp, plant trees and hunt a "wild pig"

Fives- Bike: Bluey struggles to learn how to ride her bike, but finds inspiration when she watches her friends' determination with their own tasks.

Jesse-Curry Quest: Bingo and Dad must brave a swooping magpie protecting its nest, when they go on a curry swap to Mackenzie's house through the park.

Kix- Rug Island : On Bingo and Bluey's Rug Island, a pack of felt pens can be anything: bananas, campfires, even a snake. But Dad will need to embrace his inner kid if he wants to make it his home.

Tup- Sleepytime: Bingo wants to do a Big Girl sleep. As she drifts away into a dreamy adventure with Flopsy, will Bingo make it through the night and wake up in her own bed?

Dogma-The Show: When Bingo accidentally spills Chilli's Mother's Day breakfast in bed, Bluey decides they should put on a show to make her feel better.

Hardcase- Army: Jack is the new dog at school and the newest recruit in Rusty's Army. Jack struggles with following instructions and always forgets his hat, but Rusty will make a soldier of him yet.

Coric-Bumpy and the Wise Old Wolfhound :Bingo is sick in hospital, so Bluey and her Dad make, and send her a homemade video to lift her spirits. It tells the tale of Barnicus' quest to heal her spotty dog named Bumpy.

Bly- Onesies: When Mum's sister Brandy comes over for a visit, she brings the kids onesies as a present, which has an unexpected effect on Bingo.

99- Flatpack : Bluey and Bingo turn flatpack boxes into a whole new world while Chilli and Bandit struggle to assemble the furniture itself. it is the symbolism of its final scenes that hit home as we see Bluey pretend to become a mother of her own and watch her own child head into adulthood.The show tenderly depicts her passing as she heads to a heaven-like Utopia alongside her own parents as she watched her ‘daughter’ live on.

Cody- Charades: Bluey and Bingo want everyone to play Charades, but Muffin and Socks are too young to understand the rules, which threatens to derail the game. But Nana has her own special rule so everyone is happy!

Waxer/Boil- Bingo : When Bluey has a playdate at Chloe's, Bingo must learn how to play by herself. But all the games she knows need more than one person! Luckily, Dad has a problem that needs solving.

Wolffe- Stories : Indy thinks she's no good because her model horse looks like a cow, but Calypso encourages her not to give up, so she tries to fix it with a little help from Winton.

Boost/Sinker- Butterflies : Playing Butterflies in the backyard is great fun, until Bluey runs away with Judo leaving Bingo all alone. Now poor Bingo's heartbroken and Bluey needs to make it better.

Hunter- Baby Race: Mum reminisces about Bluey and Judo as babies. Bluey learnt to roll over first, but Judo was the first to crawl, so then it became a race to see who would walk first.

Wrecker- Handstand: At a party, Bingo is desperate to show off her handstand skills, while Nanna can't find a way to make herself useful. They're both feelings bit lost, until they find each other.

Tech- Mum School: Bluey plays mum to a brood of bouncy balloons, including an irrepressible floater named Greeny. But she soon discovers that mothering is much harder than she imagined.

Crosshair- Space : Mackenzie, Jack and Rusty are playing as astronauts on a mission to Mars. But during their journey, Mackenzie keeps going missing and no one knows why, not even Mackenzie.

Omega- Bin Night: Bluey, Bingo and Dad always take the bins out. Over a few weeks, Bingo tells dad about a new kid at kindy who is mean to her and Mum offers some good advice.

Howzer- The Decider: Bluey and Lucky's families get together to watch the big game!

Fox- Copycat: Bluey's having fun copying everything Dad says and does, but the game takes a serious turn when Bluey finds a hurt budgie, and they have to make an emergency trip to the vet

Gregor- Grandad: Grandad is supposed to be resting, but when Bluey and Bingo go to visit him, he makes a run for it with the kids and takes them on a madcap adventure into the bush.

[roguemonsterfucker]

The 14 birds living at my house right now. All are sorted by who they’re living with with the exception of Neptune who is in the same image as the birds in the cage next to her.

First image: Merry, Sunny, Happy, and Bucky.

Second image: BeBe, Pluto, Jupiter, Skylar, and Neptune.

Third image: Magpie, Cloudy, Tweety Bird, and Bug.

Fourth image: Bandit.

Not pictured: Ducky, my cockatiel being kept at my parents’ house right now.

[l-i-n-u-s-k-a]

Bluey and birds

I think it became universally acknowledged that Bingo he the lait motif of bugs throughout the series, she often has closeups with bugs like in Weekend with the walking leaf or in Butterfly with the ladybug, bugs are a recurring theme for things related to Bingo like in the background of her Kindy class, and sometimes bugs are used as a metaphor to symbolise Bingo herself like the lonely ant in the episode Bingo. But one thing I haven't seen pointed out or at least I've not seen being pointed out as much is how Bluey in parallel has the leit motif of birds.

Some of the episodes where I think this theme is particularly present are Copycat, Bedroom and Curry Quest. In Copycat of course we have the budgie and Bluey recreating the day with it as a way to process the experience and the death of the bird. At the end of the episode Bluey reflects on the lesson of accepting things that are out of our control by watching Bingo playing the budgie flying around the backyard, the bird is not present physically but it's present in spirit and in memory through Bingo.

In Bedroom the sisters reference Malcolm, who is a bird that lives on the tree in the Heeler's backyard, when Bluey moves her bed to the old bedroom Bingo asks her bed to be moved so that she can still look at Malcolm even without her. This ties back with the theme of the episode of the sisters being inseparable and not wanting to separate their bedrooms because they love eachother too much, Malcolm represents the affection the two have for eachother, where even when Bluey's bed is moved Bingo still wants to have this thing the two of them share, neither of them really wants to leave the other and thus neither really want to let go of Malcolm.

Curry Quest is another episode with a very prominent bird, this time the park magpie serves as the antagonist to Bingo and Bandit's curry swap quest while the events mirror Chili's retelling of the hero's journey. At the end of the episode we see the magpie bringing food to its chick representing Bandit's return from his work travel, showing that despite the magpie having acted as a villain to Bingo and Bandit, birds are still a symbol of family and home in Bluey

[theyaremanycolours]

I just realized something when Mirtala meets Bluey and Bingo she'll bug either Raz or her parents to visit Australia because she wants to visit the land of talking dogs

You're right.

(After Bandit's okay, he tries to scare her off with stories about Magpies so she doesn't annoy Augustus and Dona to death.

It doesn't work.)

[emblematicemblazer]

World building and theories of Engage

Timerra

Timerra's name in Japanese is Misutira which is an anagram of the desert tiramisu. Tiramisu comes from the Italian for ‘cheer me up'. Timerra's joyful personality is enough to cheer anyone up. 

Her battle outfit is inspired by Sicily and Brazil . Mika Pikazo said that she got some inspiration from Passistas for Timerra's design. The bright and bold colour palette, the revealing nature of the top and skirt, the decorative balls around her ankles and the wrists and the body art are all evocative of the style. The Moor's inspiration is demonstrated by the headdress. In Sicily there are famous ceramic heads which are used as planters called ‘Moors Head’. They are brightly painted and often feature a decorative headdress with fruit and flowers. The heads symbolise impossible love, according to legend, a young girl fell in love with a Moors man. When the Moors man said that he was returning to his wife and children she became jealous, cut off his head and used the head to plant basil. 

Timerra's outfit is designed for freedom of movement, so she can jump into battle or sing and dance at any moment. The balls may not be the most practical element in a battle but I imagine She has more balls to replace the ones she has lost. 

As a royal she adorns herself with finery. Gold bangles and a gold choker are worn not only for aesthetic reasons but they are shiny items to attract magpie eyed bandits and thieves in the desert. 

The flowers she adorns are Frangipani, in Sicily the flower was gifted from mother to daughter to decorate the new home after marriage. Her floral circlet could be a symbol of a strong mother and daughter relationship. In Buddhism they symbolise immortality because after they are uprooted they can still grow. 

All the colours of her clothing are colours associated with Sicily.

When she is upgraded to picket, her unique class, she gains the same three feathers as her mother's coppolo and extra fabric and flourish to her dancer's skirt. She also gains a black and gold slash. 

Timerra's Somniel Clothing

Timerra tones down the dramatic outfit for leisure at the Somniel. The giant colourful balls are removed and replaced with a golden gemstone set hairband. The pink, yellow, peach and turquiose colour theme that features on her ball decoration is referenced by the colour of the gemstones. Her too features similar colours and features the plumera flower. She keeps one bracelet of giant colourful balls but the bangles have been removed. Her jewellery consists of a gold choker, gold chain bracelets and anklets. 

The style of her outfit is very similar to her battling ensemble. The materials are light, flowing and give freedom of movement. The tulip sleeves and frills upon her sarong are designed to accentuate her movements as though she was a dancer.

[dailyadventureprompts]

Hi i really enjoy your stuff, I prefer the epic level stuff myself but i do enjoy the concepts of most settings. The adventure i would like to request is tied to the next campaign i am building which is very related to fairy tales and mythology. Do you have any adventures about those? i am looking for more grim fairy tales like the original stories not the Disney versions

Adventure: The Vault of Fables

Don’t judge a crook by their cover  

Setup: As archmages go, the gnome Pirrada Breezebinder was about as whimsical as they could get, using her tremendous arcane power to indulge her slightest curiosity, and reshaping the world around her in accordance with her fancy.  Decades after her passing the forest surrounding her home is still the haunt of bizarre, transmogrified beasts, and host to all manner of enchantment seemingly designed only to confound travelers and give those aforementioned beasts time to strike. 

Greatest of all Pirrada’s creations was her “Figmafolium”, a truly massive tome constructed with conceptual materials from the feywild and woven through with her most powerful magics, capable of opening doorways to the imagined lands described upon their pages. Pirrada spent decades exploring the worlds she created, retreating entirely from life outside her home, at least until a band of adventures came knocking, in need of a the archmage’s assistance with a realm destroying threat. Facing a beast that could not be slain, Pirrada had the genius idea of trapping the creature inside her creation, isolating it to one pagespan of story and using binding magics to prevent it from getting out. The idea ended up working so well that over the ensuing years the Figmafolium became the defacto means of imprisoning those creatures and criminals too dangerous for execution, kept secret from the general populace and referred to only as “The Vault of Fables” by those in the know in order to further obscure its existence. 

Adventure Hooks: 

Though Whendelin Breezebinder is his aunt’s successor, he is no archmage, and his century or so of guarding over the Figmafolium and its inhabitants has mostly been a study in hermitage. More of a warden than a wizard, Whendelin was content to putter around his aunt’s arcane manorhouse sliding more and more into eccentricity each year. Recently however Whendelin has taken on an apprentice, a smiling elvan man who’s VERY interested in how exactly the Figmafolium works.  This elf is named Janusset, sometimes lover and sometimes lieutenant for the usurpatious elvan princess Ignominil, who was imprisoned in the vault some decades ago after her last attempt to raise and army and cease the throne by butchering her way through her extended family. After teasing the secret of using the Figmafollium out of the dottering gnome, Janusset has managed to extract his princess and toss Whendelin into her “cell”, fleeing back to their homeland where even now they plot their next attempt for power. 

Made in haste and with little understanding, the spell Janusset used to open the Vault of Fables is poorly made, and has not dissipated since it was cast, opening random pages of the figmafolium and letting their inhabitants spill into the manor and the world beyond. Its been months since the princess’s escape, and already a dozen or so monsters and malefactors have escaped from the pages, fleeing to all corners of the map and beginning to trouble the settlements closest to the forest that surrounds the vaults, leading to a series of encounters that will draw the party to the Breezebinder Manor in the hopes of stopping this tide of evil. 

Notable escapees of the Vault include: Conri Cardinal, a lycantrhopic bandit queen. An exiled fey lord known only as “The huntsman”, who has a taste for perusing innocents through the night. A demonic huckster who calls himself “Magpie Mal” and enjoys suckering innocents out of their souls.  Rounding out this number is a multi-headed monstrosity known as the King(s) of Chimera, a trio of Machiavellian masterminds affixed to the same bestial body, driven by a need to both rule over people and devour them on sight. 

Thanks to @emberdm for bringing one of my favorite old critters to life, please go check ‘em out, their homebrews are always top quality!

Art 1

Art 2

[cadrenebula]

Character Roster

Destiney Koellian Age: 32 Married to Syluss Koellian

Dest is currently on leave as a healer for the OSR Free Company after the birth of her first child with Syluss. One half of the Delvanguard twins. She does run a free healing clinic at her house. Shroud born and always willing to help those in need. Loves tea, sweets, and novels. Also has a wolf named Tucker.

(Open for RP and all asks. Sin Day asks may or may not be answered.)

Stefan Delvanguard Age: 32 Dating: P’sahji’to Bajhiri

Stefan currently serves in his sister place at the OSR Free Company, the other half of the Delvanguard twins. Shroud born but often avoids the Shroud when he can. His primary study is as an arcanist but he does know black magic as well. Loves exploring ruins, books, and black coffee. 

(Open for RP and all asks.)

Alexois Dubeltaire Age: 36 Married to Sanagi Satou

Alex is a assassin for hire though also does typical mercenary work as more of a cover. Ishgardian Brume born and holds a grudge against the Highborne over things he suffered as a kid. Loves cooking as a hobby and fighting at the Gin Mill. Gin Mill is a special date night with his wife and their cats. Has a black cat missing part of one ear that he named Shadow.

(Open for RP and all asks.)

Lancefer Aurifore Age: 35 Dating: Kyneirra Beausejour

Lance is a knight for House Haillenarte at Skyfire Locks under Francel de Haillenarte. Served Chlodebaimt de Haillenarte before the fall of the Steel Vigil. Disowned by his immediate family and taken in by the Loche family. Cousin to the Delvanguard twins. Loves being a knight and needs to learn a hobby. (According to Tara.) Has a pet owl named Owlvael, named after Aurvael de Haillenarte.

(Open for RP and all asks.)

Valentin Charledore Age: 23

Valen is a wandering minstrel and bounty hunter. A notorious flirt which can often land him in trouble for flirting with the wrong person. Loves music and dancing. Often seen with the doman magpie he named Lily. Nephew to Alexois. Works as a music teacher at his aunt’s free company in his spare time.

(Open for RP and all asks.)

Keaira Stark Age: 23

Keaira is an adventurer who has studied as a pugilist. Though she is currently taking martial arts lessons from Aliiza to further her fighting skills. Picked up her father’s sense of justice as he is one of the Sultan’s Sworn. Loves to challenge herself with brawls and dressing up when she’s not adventuring.

(Open for RP and all asks.)

Marielle Valeroyant Age: ???

Mari is from Anyx Trine but was cursed as a young dragon, becoming trapped in her current form. She makes the best of her imprisonment, wandering about using the knowledge a former dragoon passed along to her. Works as a herbal healer when she’s not spending time with Bodge. Adopted a raptor as a baby and named him Blue.

(Open for RP and all asks minus Sin Day ones.)

Alfarinn Westergaard Age: 31

Alfa is from Tailfeather out in Dravania. A hunter that left home after the death of his partner. He currently is still hunting the group or person responsible while working as the head of security for Sanagi’s free company. He loves hunting and physical labor. Has a hunting dog he’s named Frode.

(Open for RP and all asks.)

Adelena Frostwyght Age: 31

Adel is a member of the Sanguine Sirens like her mother was. However her mother was lost in the fighting at the Flatts against the Garleans. Her fellow Sirens have dubbed her the Frost Siren after a maneuver she came up with in an raid on a Garlean ship. Works mainly as a healer for the Sirens but is fully capable of handling her own in a fight too.

(Open for RP and all asks.)

Asher Thorne Age: 39

Asher is Shroud born and used to belong to the same group of bandits as his brother. After disagreements with his brother, he left and found his way to the Sea of Clouds. There he met his Sky Pirate Captain and joined up. Is an excellent marksman with a bow or gun and works as the crew’s mechanic. Built his own smart bomb that looks like a harmless Bomb minion that he named Charlie.

(Open for RP and all asks.)

Aryn Lockwood Age: 36

Aryn’s family were nomadic and he’s spent much of his life traveling. Joining the circus troupe called the Blue Moon at age of 22 despite his parents not entirely liking the idea. He performs as a dancer and special effects artist for the troupe. Following him around is a kidragora he’s named Basil, gifted to him by a fan of his during the troupe’s travels. He’s currently taking a break from the troupe when it passed by Ul’dah and is spending time with his troupe sister, Ely. 

(Open for RP and all asks.)

Nebula Carina Age: 38

Nebula is part of Clan Carina, a clan born from survivors from the War of the Magi. The only child of the current head shaman of their clan and on a personal journey to see more of the world before they step up to become the next shaman of the clan. Gentle witch bun who is a little out of touch with current society for having lived their entire life within a secluded clan.

(Open for RP and all asks.)

Ronove Age: ??? (Predates the War of the Magi)

Stefan’s shapeshifting voidsent partner. Often found in the form of a toy vampire bat where he hides to avoid being hunted or killed for being a voidal. A rather terrible voidal at that. As in he’s bad at being a voidsent, not the scary creature one might think he should be despite his void form being that of a gargoyle. Easily ruled by his stomach and a love of spicy foods.

(Open for RP and all asks.)

Cedrik Meier Age: 40

Cedrik is a Voidhunter from Clan Carina. He left the clan with Marceline d'Arsenault years ago and took up void hunting with them. Marcy tried to leave without him following and he was rescued by Marcy when his attempts to follow got him preyed upon by a voidal instead. He’s a bit of trickster and prankster with a hatred of voidsent. Commonly he will act as prey to lure in voidals just to kill them when they fall for the trap.

(Open for RP and all asks.)

Carrd for full character profiles

[ocean-in-my-rebel-soul]

HELLO for DA Drunk Writing could I please have Hawke/Anders and "4. “I didn’t think doing this would get us killed”"? Thank you and good luck!!

Forgive the references, I really couldn’t help it! I watched this scene recently and it stuck with me, lol. 

For @dadrunkwriting

cw: blood, graphic violence

===

“’Let’s go to the coast,’ he says,” Anders mutters to himself. He whacks a bandit with his staff, sending the man reeling back in time to get peppered by a volley of crossbow bolts. It’s no small amount of satisfaction that glows in his belly. “’We’ll all get together, have a few laughs...’” 

“To be fair--” Hawke bursts into a flurry of movement to Anders’ left, his short sword dancing in the afternoon light. He gives a triumphant shout when the heavily armed woman goes down beneath his blades. Grinning, he looks across the battlefield to find Anders’ gaze. “I didn’t think this would get us killed.” 

“It’s the fucking Wounded Coast, Hawke,” Varric yells from his vantage point on the rocks above them. “Kinda comes with the territory, don’t you think?” 

“It’s like it brings us all together,” Hawke says wistfully, a smile twisting across his face. He digs an elbow into the face of the bandit who unsuccessfully tried to sneak up behind him. An easy flick of his wrist has his dagger plunging into this one’s ribs, and it doesn’t take a spirit healer to know when the man has died; his rattling groan cuts off, breathless, as he slumps to his knees before falling forward onto his face. 

“Next time you want a homecoming, you two,” Aveline shouts, her shield mowing through a cluster of heavily armed bandits like a plow, “let’s just have a bloody potluck or something!”

“Only if it means you’ll cook, Leen!”

“Not on your life, Garrett!” Anders barks, “I’ve had her cooking!” 

“Oh, shove off!”

Anders lobs a fireball into the enemies still trying to hold up under the brunt force of Aveline’s shield. She shoots a grateful glance his way, and he nods in acknowledgment before turning to find a rush of daggers barrelling his way. He switches his grip on his staff to toss it to his off-hand and reaches for the pommel at his hip with a Fade-cracked hand. The blade explodes into being just as the bandit and their daggers come into reach, and Justice brings the Fade-born blade up, into, and then through their stomach. They watch as the bandit drops their daggers to scramble at the rapidly spilling innards that drip from them. 

“Nifty trick, that,” comes a cooing voice from behind him. Anders sighs, a tired smile creeping across his face when Isabela presses against his back in a familiar stance. “I want one.” 

Anders snorts. “Learned it from the Inquisitor. Glad you decided to finally join us.” 

“It’s called fashionably late,” she laughs. Her daggers make a sick squelch as she stabs into a bandit. “Had to make a dramatic entrance, you know.” 

A flash of green shoots past Anders' head to wrap around a bandit. He watches with growing satisfaction as their legs flail and hands scrabble at the thorny vines. It takes less than a minute for the vines to squeeze them to death, and when the vines fall away he glances over his shoulder and meets Merrill’s bright, focused gaze. 

“She says it’s all the rage,” Merrill chirps, casting another spell that knocks out three bowmen that were raining arrows down from the cliff above them all. “But I don’t feel angry at all!”

“You know, I feel like we’re missing someone,” Hawke calls. A bandit goes down by his blades, his dagger and short sword both finding a home in their ribcage, and he wrenches them both free to meet his next attacker.

A blue and white blur whizzes through the battlefield. “Well, speak of the demon,” Anders laughs, and he traces the path of Fenris’ trajectory to find him elbow-deep in a ribcage.

“Funny you should say that,” comes his droll voice. The Fade pulls tight around him, and Anders feels more than sees Fenris phase into being beside Hawke, taking up a defensive stance at Hawke’s open flank. 

“The gang’s back together!” Hawke laughs. 

Bodies and gore soak the loose dirt and sand beneath their feet. Another wave of enemies find them, somehow serendipitously falling upon their party when they crawl out of a tunnel ahead. Hawke beats his way to Anders’ side and slots himself at his back when Isabela takes off to chase down someone who Anders only assumes has a heavily jingling coin purse. Or maybe they’re wearing something shiny. He snorts at the thought; she’s such a magpie, even more than Hawke himself. 

Hawke, who is yelling at him from over his shoulder. 

“--me!” 

Anders turns slightly, not taking his eyes off a mountain of a man clad in what looks like silverite armor. The bandit leader, he can only guess. Their gazes clash like swords, and Justice tightens their hand around the silverite pommel of their Fade-born blade. He levels his staff toward the mountain man and shoots a beam of concentrated fire. The man dodges, dropping to his knee and twisting to the side with a grace even Isabela would be envious of, were she looking. 

The bandit doesn’t have much time to savor the close call. Fenris’ blade opens that armor like a hot knife through butter. 

“What?” Anders shouts over his shoulder, fighting to be heard over the violent screaming that tears from the man’s throat. 

“I said--” Hawke laughs and slashes at a bandit that rushes them from the side, trying to catch them off-guard. “I said,” he says again, “marry me.” 

“Wha--right now?” 

“Yes!” 

“Don’t you think we’re kind of busy?” 

“Aren’t we always?” Hawke says. “I love you. I will always love you. I’ve made my choice. Will you marry me?”

The grin in his voice is infectious, and Anders can’t help but laugh himself, something bright and bubbling from his middle, something that even Justice’s serious demeanor can’t help but join in on. He finds Aveline up the battlefield, and with a booming voice, crackles out, “Captain! Marry us!”

“Little busy!” she yells back. Aveline barely spares them a glance. 

“Now, Leen!” Hawke shouts. “Might not get the chance later!” 

“Fine, then!” Her sword flashes in the light as she brings it down in a vicious overhand slice. “Dearly beloved, we’re gathered here to--will you stay dead? Why aren’t you staying dead?”

“Anders of Ferelden, do you take me as your husband?” Hawke has to shout it to be heard.  

Anders’ sword flares against the blade that bears down for his shoulder. “I do!” he yells. He brings his knee up hard into the bandit’s gut and breaks the bind of their swords, and follows it up with a slash of his own. The bandit falls to their knees with a wet gurgle. 

He turns to Hawke and cups his hand over the nape of his neck to nudge their foreheads together. They’re both covered in blood and it’s the lightest Anders has felt since stepping foot back in Kirkwall a week ago. “Do you take me as your husband, in sickness and in health--” He stabs his sword out to spear a man who rushes out at Hawke’s back. “Even when health seems bloody unlikely?”

“I do,” Hawke breathes. “Now, always, forever.” 

“You’re a fool,” Anders murmurs, though there’s no heat there, no guilt. They share a private, knowing smile. 

“Then I declare you-- Oh, for the love of-- Just stay fucking dead, will you?” 

“Just kiss already and put us all out of our misery,” Varric shouts, with Merrill and Isabela acting as his echoing chorus. 

“I love you,” Anders murmurs. He shifts his grip to wrap his arms loosely around Hawke’s neck, plastering himself in a hot line down his body. 

“I love you, too,” Hawke whispers. He grins and Anders surges up to kiss it from his mouth to scattered, joyful shouting from around them. 

[jomiddlemarch]

Behind the perfection of a man's style, must lie the passion of a man's soul

“Poor Henry,” Mary said quietly. She and Jed were in an alcove of the Hopkins’ pleasant front parlor where a bay window overlooked the garden. It was the perfect spot for a tryst—or a private conversation between a couple married long enough to both find the idea of a secret assignation more amusing than exciting, though Jed insisted there were circumstances which might challenge this belief. The current situation, a birthday party for Reverend Hopkins, was not an apt test case, given the absence of moonlight, the number of guests, somehow including Miss Hastings holding court with half the college classics’ department, and the imminent return of Mrs. Hopkins from the kitchen with what promised to be an enormous cake, as the former Emma Green was widely known for her hospitality and liberal use of homemade raspberry jam,

“Poor Henry? Seems to me to be quite the opposite,” Jed replied, matching his tone to his wife’s. “Even Anne is behaving herself, though she may end up with a proposal in Etruscan before the day is through.”

“Professor Sims knows better, I’m sure—and Emma says he’s an incorrigible flirt and a confirmed bachelor,” Mary replied. “He and Anne must have each other’s measure. No, I meant the gifts.”

“But what’s the trouble there? They were quite fine, I admit, more elegant than I would have expected from a collection of dusty academics and solemn men of the cloth. I’d anticipated a half-a-dozen tomes on abstruse theological conundrums and an endless supply of monogrammed handkerchiefs to go along with the chess set you picked out for him. I’d say Henry made out like a bandit, though he’s the furthest thing from one,” Jed said.

“Not everyone is a magpie like you are,” Mary countered. “Don’t look so affronted—I’m well aware of the state of your wardrobe and your fondness for flash and folderol.”

“Why, Mary! You wound me—”

“I love you, just as you are, my dearest,” she said, laying a hand on his to remind them where they were. “But Henry is not made as you are and the surfeit of cuff-links he received today are worse than coals to Newcastle for him. And Emma.”

“Mary, it pains me to admit I don’t follow,” he said. There was not one sign that he was in any degree of pain, rather that he was enjoying himself madly, his dark eyes bright, his countenance lively, but she would indulge him.

“This is not Mansion House Hospital at the peak of the War, Jedediah, when a man in his braces and shirt was nothing to be remarked upon. You’ve never noticed how Henry keeps his sleeves rolled up in nearly every situation? In the garden, in the house, when he is returning from his calls or finishing up a sermon—I imagine he keeps them buttoned under his frock coat when he preaches and perhaps if there’s a true cold snap, but otherwise—”

“It is a trifle informal, for a minister, I grant you that, but he’s such a man of the people, Henry is,” Jed said. “But why should all the cufflinks, especially those ones with the college crest enameled in purple and silver, really fine work there, why should they trouble Emma?”

“You cannot think Henry keeps his sleeves rolled up for only his own pleasure? I had not thought you so…unobservant of those around you, how Emma smiles and when and why,” Mary said. She’d read the truth of it in Emma’s high color and her dropped lashes as clearly as any theorem by Euler, in Alexandria, in Boston and now here. She saw too the realization in Jed’s expression and the devilish, delighted pride he took in her for noticing all of it.

“Shall I say I’ve only ever had eyes for you and have done with it?”

“You may if you’re telling the truth,” Mary answered, playing at primness. “I set a great store on candor, as you know.”

“And I set a great store on you. Shall we see though, whether we can get him to put on the pair from the college president—a wager, if you will,” Jed said. “There are no Unitarian prohibitions against gambling, I do believe.”

“And am I betting for or against you?” she asked.

“Whichever you chose—the reward is the same for us both,” he said.

“The satisfaction of being right?”

“No. A kiss,” he said, squeezing her hand. She paused, as if she were considering him seriously, thoughtful, discreet Mary Foster who loved mathematics and philosophical debate, a leader of church committees and mother of three reasonably polite and well-mannered children.

“You’re on,” she murmured.

[roguemonsterfucker]

Headed home from the vet with Magpie!

She stayed at the vet overnight and had a procedure this morning. We don’t know for sure that the procedure will help but hopefully it will.

She seems pretty good right now, just stressed. So we’ll see how she looks once she’s settled in at home.

The other birds were really missing her last night. I swear Bandit the cockatiel that lives beside her was calling for her. 😭

[junejalow]

"Is everything okay?"

This fic is for thicciq who requested IQ/GSG9 with the prompt "Is everything okay?"

Honestly took me awhile to come up with something for this but I hope this is alright <3 Thank you for reading!

Chapter Text

The last two months had been hectic and rushed, It seemed like once a team was dropped off, another was being picked up at the same time. The White Masks were pulling one stunt after another. Everything seemed to be on the table right now, hostage situations, bomb threats, bank robberies, networks being hacked for information, well known people being targeted for assassination. The world was on high alert and for good reasons, they had never been hit like this back to back. It was almost like a last ditch effort to make a push against the world but they were also having trouble getting past Rainbow who shielded and protected everything and everyone they could from the terrorist's. But this is what Rainbow was brought back for, to serve and protect. IQ let a few thoughts linger, she loved her job and her teammates. Monika wouldn't give up her position for anything. This was her perfect area to work in, she could be her best with Rainbow and she was never alone. She rubbed at her tired eyes as she updated her Spectre, it had glitched out on her last deployment and it nearly cost her and Capitao their lives despite the injured ankle she gained from the C4 blast that rocked them. He didn't hold it against her, blaming it on the jammer the terrorist had set up to block them out from Ash and Thermite who had overseen the mission.

Her gaze settled on the crutches resting against the work table beside her as the dull ache in her ankle bit at her as a reminder that her gadget wasn't always reliable but she needed it to be. Never again, I won't let them jam my device again. IQ though to herself as she got back to work once the update finished, she was applying a thicker cover to the device to protect the electronics inside it. It also didn't help she currently had no one else from the GSG 9 to hang out with. Blitz, Glaz, Ace, Ying and Jackal were currently out on a hostage rescue operation somewhere in Florida while Bandit, Warden, Clash, Rook and Castle were out defending a VIP in Greenland that had been under an assassin's scope for a while now. Jager was busy flying teams to and from base, taking small naps in between the trips in his helicopter. She wished she could at least keep the pilot company but she had no flying experience and wouldn't be of any help to him. The door to the workshop suddenly swung open, causing the German woman to glance up from her work. She was greeted by Twitch who held two cups of steaming coffee. The French woman walked over and handed her a cup, earning a quiet thank you and smile. They simply sat in silence for a bit, Emmanuelle could easily find most of the operator's even if they didn't want to be found and could cheer them up within minutes of simply chatting or sitting with them with an offering of snacks and a drink but considering it was still very early in the morning snacks were out of the question. Doc would fuss at them about eating properly and avoid snacking or forcing them to do extra training with Rook and Montagne to work it off. Either way Twitch always waited for the other to speak first, most were glad for that but IQ wasn't sure what to say. She missed her team, all of them. She was out of the rotation for missions and resting for the other's she was sure would happen. "You are worried about them, yes?" Twitch asked with a smile, she had already been fully aware of the reason IQ stayed in certain parts of the base.

The workshop for a legitimate reason this morning and secondary familiarity of having to drag Jager away after over night stays working on his magpie, Bandit from the gym if he couldn't sleep due to nightmares or insomnia, pestering him to go visit Doc and finally Blitz from the training simulations, he was always worried his shield wouldn't go off at the right moment or it wouldn't be able to block everything the enemy had to offer. Monika felt like the big sister of the GSG 9, always worried and looking after them and they very much apricated it, even someone like Bandit. She nodded in reply, "Marius mostly, he hasn't slept a actual bed for almost three day's. He's been napping in his helicopter between transporting equipment and teams to different locations." "He'll be fine, Jager has spent nights in worse places before, besides he loves flying so he's living the dream right now." Emmanuelle chuckled, "Although I'm worried about Rook as well. He just got over a cold and he's back out on the field." "Really? He seemed okay and was his usual hyper self when they left out." "He just doesn't want anyone to worry but he's been in near daily contact with Doc just to make sure he's doing okay. Everyone should be back tomorrow afternoon at the latest." IQ smiled and nodded a bit, taking a much needed sip from her cooling coffee. She couldn't wait for them to get back and for Jager to get proper rest, despite Twitch's words she wouldn't rest either until her family was home safe and in the GSG 9 dorms but thankfully with a small spread of word around base they helped each other pass the time. Monika even got a lift cross the court from Tachanka who was going the same way instead of trying to navigate the busy hallways of the central area of the base. The recruits had been put into over work by some of the operator's around base, wanting to get work done and keep reports, paper work and equipment flowing for their friends out in the field. Tachanka carefully set the injured German down, allowing her to use his arm as support until she got her crutches under her good enough. "All good?" He asked with a smile tugging at his forest camo balaclava. "Ja, thank you for the help Alex." She replied with a grateful smile, earning a gentle pat on her shoulder from the giant man before he disappeared into the building to track down Kapkan over some subject he had been tasked with replying. Monika on the other hand worked her way around to the common room and spent a good few hours there, checking her phone for messages and replied to a few from Blitz and Bandit before getting distracted by a movie Mozzie and Gridlock were watching, enjoying it and laughing along with them until Mira and Twitch came to gather her, wondering if she wanted to come down them to greet everyone back. She nearly jumped at the chance before Mira reminded her of the injured ankle she had much to the German woman's frustration. They eased their way to the landing pad with Doc joining them halfway with his medical bag in tow just incase anyone was injured, he took a moment to inspect Monika's ankle before following them to the landing pad, dreading the injuries their friend's might be sporting. Usually he knew before hand but with the base in such a scramble he didn't have time to answer every call unless it was his personal cellphone only Harry and the other operator's had his number to. Jager's beloved helicopter came into view along the airstrip, swinging it around to land on the helipad with practiced skills. Once the blades died down and stilled the side door slid open as the exhausted operator's filtered out one at a time. Ace turned around after he hopped down to help Ying out, her left shoulder nestled in a sling. No one else seemed injured aside from dirt and grim sticking to them, possibly some scrapes and bruises from their jobs but otherwise they were in good health. Doc preformed a quick and thorough with each other before he escorted Ying to his infirmary with Ace in tow for a mission update on any injuries he tended to in the field. IQ pulled the GSG 9 crew into a large group hug despite protests from Bandit and Jager, both disliking close contact or public affection until Blitz who caged them in from the other side. Her family was finally home and safe, she held back her emotions until they returned to their dorm room. Mainly from the fact that Blitz had given her a piggy back ride all the way while Bandit carried her crutches without a word. His attention on bothering Jager who was trying to stifle yawns from lack of sleep. Once they reached the German dorms she was carefully sat down on her bed while the boy's left to get showers and change into more comfortable clothes. When they returned from the shower room they paused at the door to hearing soft sobbing and sniffling. Blitz shot the other two a look of concern which was promptly returned before he carefully opened the door to inspect the reason behind their teammate's crying. "Mein Freund, was ist los?" (My friend, what's wrong?) Elias asked softly as he knelt down in front of IQ who was hiding her face behind her hands. "It looks like you sprung a leak." He added after a moment, trying to lighten whatever burdened their teammate. He always tried to cheer them up the best he could. "Is everything okay?" Jager asked as he fidgeted with the swing on the front side of his sweat pants. He still had a hard time picking up on social que's but knew the air was a little heavy right now, watching Bandit take a seat beside their friend and gently bump her shoulder with his own. "Ich weiß, du hast uns vermisst, was sollen die Tränen?" (I know you missed us, what's with the tears?) Dominic said in a uncharacteristically soft tone, worry clear in his honey brown eyes. "J-ja... I missed all of you. I'm okay." IQ replied, wiping her tears away and gave them a genuine smile. She had her boy's back, everything was diffidently okay.

[nutbrain]

Documentary: Love in Space

Jager/Iana for @retrodisaster​. Hope you enjoy!

It had started with a documentary and a simple question.

“Did you know the void of space is -270.45 degrees Celsius?” Jäger queried, seemingly out of the blue. Iana stalled, the screw she’d been fiddling with sat, momentarily forgotten about. She looked over at him, Jager still making adjustments on his magpie. Bandit, who she originally presumed he’d been talking to, sat on the counter a little further down, slurping noodles. Broth splashed everywhere; Pulse’s lab coat would likely have to be incinerated after the German was finished with it.

“And the hottest planet, Venus, is 450 degrees Celsius.” She returned back, making idle chatter, as she returned her attention to her device. Being new, it was often difficult to find ways to engage in conversations with some of the other operators. 

The slurping stopped long enough for Bandit to groan.

“Oh? That’s quite the temperature difference. I was watching a documentary last night, Wonders of Space. They left out that little fact. But they did mention—“ and with that, Jäger was off, regaling Iana with a variety of space factoids that he had picked up. She nodded and hummed her way through it, smile soft as he listened to the man’s excited voice. Occasionally she would expand on a fact or add in something she had noticed during her time in space. While it was simple material compared to her research, it made the time pass much faster.

Eventually, her adjustments to the device were finished and Iana’s stomach growling angrily. Jäger hadn’t seemed to notice, hands gesturing as he expounded in tardigrades and their unique biology. Bandit, appearing again but now looking like he’d rolled in grease, decided to take mercy on her.

“Marius, isn’t it time you ate something? I’m sure your newest docu-victim wouldn’t mind eating as well.” Bandit clapped a hand across Jäger shoulder, tugging him towards the door and winking towards Iana.

“Oh yes, I have been talking quite some time. Would you like to—“

“Let her have a moment to process your info dump, eh?” Bandit cut in. Jäger wilted a bit.

“Perhaps, Marius, you might enjoy watching Black Holes, Mysteries Abound. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.” Iana called after him, the other man perking up instantly. He turned around to say something further but Bandit snagged him and continued to march him away. 

That went on for weeks. Every time one saw the other, they would discuss space and the facts that Jäger had collected. Iana would supplement them with her own experiences and research, leading to many thoughtful conversations. Jäger’s source materials became more in depth as Iana encouraged him to look up different topics.

“I have another documentary I found about Europa. It was quite enthralling in regards to all the ice that forms there.” Jäger said, pausing with a bite of food half way to his mouth. The cafeteria was blessedly slow today, allowing the two to have meaningful conversations.

“That does sound fascinating, Jäger. I too found an interesting documentary about the space station I was on. Would you like to watch it together sometime? I could tell you interesting things about it as we go through.” Iana paused, feeling her heart speed up slightly, though she wouldn’t admit to herself why.

“Really? I’m free tonight, if you had time. And if you wanted to watch mine, I do think that you’d find it interesting that Europa is tidally locked, so the same side always faces Jupiter.” And with that Jäger had launched into his factoids, Iana smiling gently at him, heart still thundering in her chest.

Night rolled around and Jäger arrived at Iana’s living space the exact time he had promised. He wore a matching set composed of NASA branded t-shirt and sweats, something Iana had given to him following their initial conversation.

“These are very comfortable. Bandit has already tried to steal them twice, but they’d been unrecognizable if he got his grimy hands on them.” Marius chuckled at his own joke, settling down on the worn couch of Iana’s living space. She offered him a blanket, shifting to allow him room to relax.

The documentary was intriguing. Jäger would frequently pause to allow Iana to tell him interesting facts about the people or certain spaces the camera was moving through. She pointed out viewing areas and explained what her life had been like, so far from home; how her gadget had made an enormous difference in the research done there. Jäger listened, attention fierce as he took in every word.

Eventually, the documentary came to an end, credits rolling, and Jäger was still quiet,gaze unfocused. Iana feared he hadn’t enjoyed it until he hesitantly reached out and wrapped his fingers around hers, resting them both on the blanket. He stared intensely at them.

“You look so pretty when you’re excited about something. I would like to see that more.” Jäger said, voice quiet and unsure. Only when Iana’s fingers sought a tighter grip, did his gaze flick up to meet her’s.

“But not possibly as cute as you when you’re talking.” She smiled at him, voice playful. His tense shoulders sagged in relief. “I would like to do this again sometime soon, if that’s alright?”

“I would love nothing more.” Jäger said, smile soft and warm in the flickering light of the TV.

They allowed their relationship to blossom for a few weeks more. When they were both ready, Jäger informed his squad mates that they had made it official, much to their overwhelming happiness. The GSG9 congratulated them both, though Bandit couldn’t help but lament the fact that being so nerdy had gotten Jäger a girlfriend. IQ shushed him before continuing to gush over the two.

Bandit waited another few days before taking his nephews’ copy of Wonders of Space back from Jäger, confident that it had accomplished what he’d hoped for. 

[rpgsandbox]

                                            Introductory Fiction

                         Download the Root Quickstart Materials Here!

Root: The Tabletop Roleplaying Game is a game of woodland creatures fighting for money, justice, and freedom from powers far greater than them. Based on the Root: A Game of Woodland Might & Right board game and officially licensed by Leder Games, Root: The TTRPG brings the tales of the Woodland to your RPG table!

In Root, you play vagabonds, outcasts from the normal society of the woodlands who have come to live in the spaces between, whether that's in the forests themselves or on the fringes of society. You are competent and skilled—you have to be to survive as vagabonds—and you aren’t tied down to any particular place or faction. You might be a badger arbiter, serving many sides in resolving conflicts and defending their interests. You might be a cat scoundrel, sliding on your mask before you sneak out into the darkness to cause mischief and mayhem. You might be a wolf ranger, at home in the wilds and the untamed places of the woodland.

Root is based on the Powered by the Apocalypse system used by tabletop RPGs like Apocalypse World, Dungeon World, and many of Magpie Games’s own games like Masks: A New Generation, Urban Shadows, and Zombie World. It uses the core framework of that system and provides a strong, simple way to tell your own stories of adventure in the woodland. You’ll create a character using one of several vagabond archetypes, and then you’ll take action, rolling two six-sided dice to resolve the outcomes of desperate situations.

Root creates stories like those you’d find in Redwall, Watership Down, Mouse Guard, The Warriors, and The Guardians of Ga’Hoole.

The Woodland is, first and foremost, a deep forest. It hides dark deeds, ancient ruins, and dangerous creatures. The land is not tame—the trees and those who live in them are not safe.

The closest a denizen will come to safety in the Woodland are the confines of the clearings, areas either natural or paw-made where the trees thinned out and the denizens of the Woodland built lives. They set up homes and shops and forges, and they found safety in each other’s company.

Of course, it took no time at all for others to try to take power over these clearings. The Eyrie Dynasties were the first, and oldest—the birds built their homes in the trees above the rest of the denizens, and soon enough believed themselves to be above those denizens in power and status, too. The Eyrie took control of clearing after clearing, until it was the reigning institution in all of the Woodland.

But the Eyrie's nobles and petty tyrants squabbled with each other over control and rulership. Until eventually, in the Grand Civil War (only "Grand" because it's the most recent), the Eyrie Dynasties tore themselves apart. They were left without enough support, armies, or resources to hold control over much of anything at all. And for a time, the Woodland denizens took charge of their own clearings.

Until the cats arrived.

Armies from the far away Feline Empire swept into the now uncontrolled and undefended Woodland. Some denizens of the Woodland fought back, but the invaders were well-trained, well-equipped, and too much for any civilian militia to turn back. The valuable resources of the Woodland would feed the bellies of the Feline Empire. Soon enough, the Marquise de Cat, dispatched by the Empire’s bureaucratic overlords, arrived to take control of the new colony, and the Woodland denizens found themselves under the paw of a new aristocracy.

As the cats were consolidating their rule and establishing new industrial buildings to tap the Woodland’s resources, the newly reunited and resurgent Eyrie Dynasties returned to the Woodland, seizing power from the Marquise’s forces to reestablish their hegemonic ascendancy. They rebuilt roosts in the treetops of the Woodland clearings, and opened up full war against the Marquise’s soldiers.

In the midst of the blooming conflict, the denizens of the Woodland began sharing secrets and new words in the shadows. Foxes began stockpiling weapons, and mice began stealing communications between officers on all sides of the war. Meetings in root cellars called to a war for freedom, and the fires of rebellion began to smolder. The name of “the Woodland Alliance” was whispered across the clearings.

The vagabonds have been a part of the Woodland for as long as anyone can remember. Outsiders and outcasts, criminals and ideologues, exiles and mercenaries—those who didn’t fit into the quieter lives of the clearings, who were hardy enough to survive in the spaces the other denizens avoided. Some dwelt in the forests themselves, completely eschewing the taboos against living in those most dangerous of places.

In times of peace, the vagabonds did what others would not, for a price of course. In times of war, the vagabonds found ample opportunity to fill their purses, from scavenging to sellsword work to straight-up thievery. In all cases, they would do what it took to survive, each one finding their own niche of safety and damn the rest.

But now, in the midst of this great war that threatens the whole of the Woodland, even the normally solitary vagabonds are finding it more and more difficult to survive by their lonesome. They are banding together, protecting each other, and forming into groups potent enough that even the great powers of the Eyrie and the Marquisate are taking notice...

The thick woods of the Woodland keep the denizens contained to the pathways and the clearings. To venture out beyond that safety is to risk running afoul of bandits, foul weather and rough terrain, and terrible things like bears. Fortunately, those paths between clearings are well-worn and patrolled by merchants and armed forces.

The clearings play home to many, many different kinds of denizen, from wolves to badgers to squirrels to opossums. But the primary inhabitants of the Woodland are the birds, foxes, mice, and rabbits. The birds spread themselves out among all the clearings, but most clearings are dominated by a majority of one kind of denizen.

Some clearings will be open and friendly to any kind of Woodland denizen, from those who dominate their clearing to those who are from far away; other clearings will fear any strangers who come by.

As vagabonds, you can navigate the Woodland both on its paths, and by venturing into its forests, braving the dangers that no others will face.

In Root, you will travel from clearing to clearing, and you will take on jobs and missions from diverse sources, and in so doing you will reshape the Woodland as you change the course of the war between those who would rule it.

To do all that, the game uses the Powered by the Apocalypse framework to resolve interesting moments of uncertainty. The game has a set of moves, bits of mechanics that by and large say: “When you do [x], [y] happens.” Each move trigger—the “When you do [x]” part—is designed to help point at moments of uncertainty, when neither the players nor the GM know exactly what happens next. Some examples of such moments include:

When you swing your sword at a towering buzzard Eyrie soldier.

When you try to sneak past a group of bandits to plunder their secret stash.

When you plead with the rabbit mayor to evacuate her clearing in advance of a major battle.

When you try to trick a Marquisate guard post into giving you the food and supplies you desperately need.

And so on. When you trigger a move—when you perform the action described in the move’s trigger—then the rest of the move kicks into effect, most of the time requiring some kind of die roll. You’ll roll 2d6 (two six-sided dice) and add in one of your stats to find out what happens.

Every vagabond has five stats:

Each one is ranked between -2 and +3. You’ll add your stat to some rolls when you trigger certain moves. For example, when you clash sword-to-sword with a foe, you’ll roll 2d6 + Might.

On most moves, if you get a 10 or higher (10+), things will go your way! If you get a 7-9, you’ll get what you were after, but usually with some cost or complication. If you get a 6 or lower, that’s called a miss, and the GM gets to tell you what happens next—and you can bet your tail it won’t be good.

The Root RPG will have basic moves for all of the different common activities that the vagabonds are likely to get up to, along with special moves for traveling and battle.

Beyond those basic mechanics, the Root TTRPG features a slew of specific and carefully designed systems for some of the important, unique elements of the Woodland.

The Woodland is a big place with many different clearings. The paths between the clearings are safer than the woods themselves, but they’re certainly far from safe. And even though the vagabonds are brave enough to travel the width and breadth of the Woodland, it’s not any safer for them than for anyone else. It might even be more dangerous.

Your adventures across the Woodland will take you from clearing to clearing, using the paths or slipping through the forests in ways that only the vagabonds can. Every clearing has its own problems, after all, and that means every clearing is a bed of lucrative opportunities for enterprising vagabonds like yourselves.

To handle all that travel, the Root RPG features a set of moves designed to allow the vagabonds to move between clearings with ease at a player level, but with interesting complications and concerns at a character level. Will the vagabonds sacrifice their exhaustion to travel more safely along the paths? Will they spend more supplies and degrade their equipment to travel quickly through the forests? Or will they chance being waylaid by the many dangers of the Woodland—anything from bandits to squads of soldiers to BEARS?

Vagabonds are all very skilled and capable individuals—after all, they have to be in order to survive! To represent their capabilities, every vagabond has access to all the basic moves, their own special playbook moves, and weapon moves.

Weapon moves are the skills that the vagabonds use in combat to wield their weapons with unmatched prowess. Each vagabond will have access to a portion of the overall weapon moves, and as long as they have the right weaponry to then use those moves, they can perform incredible feats, from smashing through heavy armor with a single blow, to bouncing arrows off walls to reach an unreachable target, to taking out unsuspecting foes instantly.

In Root: The Tabletop Roleplaying Game, each vagabond has three tracks representing their wellbeing. Their exhaustion track represents how tired they are, how much energy they have left to give. Their decay track represents how much of their supplies they’ve used up. And their injury track represents how many major blows they’ve taken.

Using the three different tracks lets the Root RPG land consequences in different ways, pushing the vagabonds to take different actions to deal with those consequences. A band of vagabonds with all their decay boxes marked will need to seek more supplies or the aid of a blacksmith, and soon, while a band with all their exhaustion boxes marked needs to find a safe place to hunker down and rest. Filling in these boxes will ultimately lead to more stories as the vagabonds move from clearing to clearing to resupply and recover.

Root: A Game of Woodland Might & Right, the original Root board game, featured a Woodland at war, caught in a struggle between different, powerful factions. The Marquise de Cat and her industrializing armies; the Eyrie Dynasties and their bureaucratic structure; the Woodland Alliance and its insurgent revolts. The Vagabond was one of the factions in the original game, but its role was often of a single adventurer, slipping in and out of greater conflicts, helping one side, hurting another, all the while ready to tip the scales in favor of one group or another.

In Root: The Tabletop Roleplaying Game, that idea of a living backdrop for the adventures of the vagabond is crucial. Clearings will not sit, static and unchanging, while the vagabonds go on adventures. They will be taken or lost in the wars between the factions. Sometimes those factions might actually improve the clearings. Other times those factions will destroy buildings, take advantage of the populace, and take hold of any valuable resources.

And amid this ongoing war between the factions for control of the Woodland, the vagabonds will adventure and tip the balance. They will have reputations with different factions, allowing them to borrow resources or even lead forces from friendly factions, and leading to constant conflict with opposing factions. Their decisions will change the Woodland.

Root: The Tabletop Roleplaying Game will be a 6” x 9” hardcover full-color book of about 240 pages. The book will feature Kyle Ferrin’s extraordinary art throughout, along with matte pages and all the playbook and basic moves materials you need to play. The book will feature full color end papers. Inside the book you will find:

6 vagabond playbooks—the Arbiter, the Ranger, the Scoundrel, the Thief, the Tinker, and the Vagrant

All the core rules for the game

3 factions—the Marquisate, the Eyrie Dynasties, and the Woodland Alliance

A map creation system to procedurally generate your own Woodland

Additional tables and randomized generators to make running the game even easier

Root: Travelers & Outsiders is a 6” x 9” hardcover full-color book of about 240 pages. This book will contain:

6 new vagabond playbooks—the Adventurer, the Champion, the Chronicler, the Envoy, the Harrier, and the Raider

4 new factions—the Riverfolk Company, the Lizard Cult, the Grand Duchy, and the Corvid Conspiracy

More weapon moves, map mechanics, and Woodland details

Example clearings for quick and easy play

Additional rules on how you can integrate the board game into your campaign of the role playing game

Kickstarter campaign ends: Sun, October 20 2019 7:00 PM BST

Website: [Magpie Games] [facebook] [twitter]

[simonxriley]

Can you do a r6s hand cannon with the Russian bois and the hostage is some one they know or love in training like how are they in then and such

Ooo I love this. I’m gonna do these as if they were actually rescuing or defending the hostage. And sorry this took a bit, and feel free to request more of the Russian bois!! 

Tachanka:

Overly careful, will make sure the hostage is nowhere near a breech-able area. Might have them hide under a table/desk/bed for more safety. 

If possible he’ll set up his LMG in view of every entrance into the room, the shield being in the spot where his body is opened most. 

Makes sure the team reinforces every breech-able wall and if Kapkan is with him, make sure he mounts his EDDs on each door frame leading into the room. If Frost is their her frost mats are being placed by each window in the room and the surrounding ones. 

Will keep telling the ‘hostage’ that everything will be okay and that he’s gonna make sure they get out. 

If need be he will take a bullet for them. He’d rather get hurt then them. 

In intense situations he can become a lot more blunt but in an offensive way. When it comes to people he knows or loves he will make sure everyone keeps them safe. 

He’ll check up on them in the hospital afterwards, make sure they’re okay and will bring a small gift. 

Glaz:

He’ll snipe (with a silencer) from a distance, picking off anyone that is alone outside or inside the place where the hostage is being held. 

Glaz is patient, it comes with the job of being a sniper. As he picks off people one by one he is also surveying the building, picking a place for the best entry and exit. 

He’ll drone inside the building, looking for the hostage, knowing full well he would have to switch to his side arm since a sniper isn’t a close quarter kind of weapon. 

Uses his grenades as a distraction when he’s going to grab the hostage, hoping the men inside will check it out. 

Depending on where the hostage is, he’ll either shoot a window open from where he is or re-position himself in another area. Either way a window is being shot out and he’ll take out any remaining people inside the room. 

Glaz will rappel up the building and quietly enter the room, making sure the hostage is okay to move and makes sure anybody who is with him is watching the room for anybody to enters it. 

He’ll rappel down the building with the hostage on his back and make their way to the extraction point. Making sure the other operators are watching every angle as they move.  

As they wait for evac he’ll have everyone surround the hostage in each direction and pick off any terrorists that come close. 

Kapkan:

Maxim is a hunter, he’ll figure out where the terrorists will come in and plant his EDDs on the windows and door frames leading to the room where the hostage is. 

Will make a barricade around the hostage for more protection. He knows how chaotic a fire fight can get, he doesn’t want a bullet to hit them. 

He’ll plant nitro cell around the building, especially near where the cameras are and will detonate them when the terrorists are nearby or have them self-detonate. 

Tries his best to have good bedside manners and tell them that everything is going to be okay. 

Very patient, as a hunter should be, lies and waits for his prey to come to him. 

Likes to have Doc with him, just in case of any injuries that may happen. Frost because of her traps, they come in handy if they’re placed underneath a door. Mira for her Mirror, Bandit for his shock wire and of course Tachanka. Also Jager because of his magpies. 

While most of the operators stay in the room or roam very closely to it, Kapkan will roam the building, checking on his traps and taking out any one else that’s in the building that is not supposed to be. 

If he can, he’ll also have Glaz with him, because a sniper can come in handy on taking out hostiles that haven’t made it into the building. 

Fuze: 

Takes his time and is equipped with both his shield and AK-12.

Will use his cluster charges in rooms where it’s filled with more than one hostile. It much more quicker to clean a room out that easily. 

Tries to remain in contact with his team, not just for his sake but for the hostage as well. 

Will use his drone to locate the hostage and look for any C4 that might be in the room. 

Doesn’t really have a preference on who’s on his team, as long as it’s not Ying. Glaz has to be though, he trusts him the most. 

Before entering the room, they’ll breech through a wall to hopefully stun the hostiles in the room and take them out and any C4 before entering. 

Once they have the hostage, he’ll put the hostage behind him and his shield in front. Anything to keep the bullets from accidentally hitting them. 

He’ll make sure they’re alright before the ambulance takes them to the hospital to get looked over and will check up on them the next day. 

[dalishunter]

h e l l o so i’ve updated arasulahn’s biography (will be updating the blog & the google doc momentarily) bc after doing some thinking and learning i just felt like. iffy? idk. it’s nothing major, but below the cut is a jot note version of her bio reference! you defs don’t need to read it but it’d be much appreciated.

a fair warning, arasulahn’s backstory is somewhat canon-divergent, especially in relation to her clan. there’s use of blood magic that i’ve been going back and forth with and ultimately decided to keep with some modifications (i like that it sort plays with arasulahn’s vulnerabilities). if it’s too out there and unbelievable pls lmk lmao i love playing with/stretching the lore here and there but if it’s outwardly breaking some pretty key canon i’d wanna change it up.

anyhow! changes/biography notes below the cut. :’>

arasulahn was born a city elf in tantervale but found and taken in by clan lavellan (originally i had written her born in denerim, completely forgot that lavellan mostly roam the free marches as if i haven’t played the game a billion times)

she became separated from the clan shortly after manifesting her magic, following a raid where bandits chased her far off into the wilderness

when her clan did not find her, she (much later) assumes they simply did not look, and that they had meant to send her away anyhow; she becomes bitter toward the clan and her magic

some perilous months later, she is captured by traffickers and punished when she fruitlessly attempts to escape

clan alifalon eventually comes to rescue and liberate the captured elves; with time the keeper grows close to arasulahn and adopts her

now a part of clan alifalon, arasulahn struggled in allowing herself to be open with the other clanspeople, and instead took to spending time with herself and with animals. she befriends a magpie by giving it gifts. 

the keeper fails in persuading arasulahn to explore her magic and to mingle with her newfound family. over time, he is sympathetic and introduces her to the use of blood magic which allows her to use her closeness to gain control over the mind of her magpie companion. this allows her to further understand her companion by seeing through its eyes. both terrified and delighted, she indulges in this only rarely, but secretly enjoys the feeling of control it bestows upon her. (she is taught that blood magic draws from one’s innate powers rather than the fade which appeals to her. she is, however, frightened at the thought of becoming an abomination.)

arasulahn finds a place among the hunters of the clan. their tight-knit dynamic allows her to open up. over a decade, she gains skill and reknown.

she makes her mark when falon the magpie warns her of danger along the clan’s path. using blood magic, she uses falon to see what he had seen. as such, the caravan diverts their direction and is saved from danger. the keeper sees the worth she brings into this skill and instructs her to pass it along to a few select hunters. they are then referred to as the eanithal.

present-day: arasulahn is a respected hunter and the keeper’s confidante. clan alifalon had grown over time, and now split into two factions, one remaining in the free marches and the other travelling about orlais. the eanithal act as scouts and messengers between both factions, communicating on leads toward identifying traffickers or any suspicious groups. 

clan alifalon pay little attention to the inquisition until they are forced to seek them out for aid after becoming tangled with cultists seeking penance from the herald of andraste. having taken a few hunters and two inquisition soldiers hostage, arasulahn writes on behalf of the clan to implore the herald to either help kill the cultists or hear out their demands for the safety of the soldiers and her kin. if the inquisition saves the elves, keeper dhavihal offers clan alifalon as allies to the inquisition, putting their eanithal to the herald’s use, and passing on any information on suspicious sightings and discoveries (more specifically, that of venatori or affiliates of the inquisition’s enemies).

arasulahn joins as a companion on behalf of the clan, and reports to leliana.