#ttrpg recap

[babybluesquid]

Session 19, A Glimpse of Inferno

Our Players this Week:

Hog 112, they/them, Weapon Thaumaturge, skirmisher warforged, the leader of the inquisitives agency and founding member, tends toward practicality and following a command structure.

Vestige, they/them, Bones Oracle, warforged placed into a human body, a healer and the agency’s fleshborn face, remains on the periphery with an individualistic streak.

Strategy, it/its, Empiricist Investigator, officer warforged, an old model who’s seen much action and uses the tactics they learned back during the war now under Sharn.

——————

Feeling the press of time, the sleuths hurry to the lift, various trips taking them up to Eliot’s mansion. The guards there delay the inquisitives only momentarily, as Hog tells them that they’re expected to investigate the scene. In the burned out husk of his workshop, ir’Valgernard paces nervously. Malrut nods appreciatively at the party’s approach.

It’s a wreck. There are two rings of melted stone on the ground, which Strategy inspects. The pattern of soot around them is consistent with the other arsons undertaken by the Karsaal’lyc cult, the same exact obsidian stones the sleuths are far too familiar with. Eliot’s able to confirm that the Watch took the stones away when they did their sweep of the scene. It asks Eliot ir’Valgernard what was stolen. He reveals a magical safe which has been melted open, saying that there were specially carved psicrystals within it. As Strategy continues its search of the room, nothing else seems notable.

“It seems we’re wasting our time here,” Vestige comments, looking around the desolate workshop. “I wanted to be thorough,” Strategy sighs, “but yes. Finding the machine is more urgent. We should head over to Smoky Towers.” “Let’s be on our way then.” Malrut tags alongside the sleuths as they head down to the middle district.

There, Strategy pulls out the crystal lens from ir’Valgernard and places it in front of its good eye. Immediately, it’s overwhelmed by the sheer volume of magical connections that it’s sudden aware of. The air of Sharn is thick with them, holding up every tower, illuminating every everbright lantern, connecting the sending stones. Strategy focuses, looking for something out of place, and finds it. One emanation is weighty, but disconnected from other things. It focuses in on the steady signal, noting how it seems to be growing stronger and quicker. As Strategy stares, it feels warmth, then heat on its metal. A whisper of nonsensical and incomprehensible words is audible at the back of its mind.

As Strategy removes the lens, it looks in the direction of the magical emanation, sure of its origin. “I believe I’ve found it,” it announces, handing the lens to Vestige to take a look. As Vestige follows Strategy’s direction, it finds the same odd magical signature, and when the heat touches their flesh and whispers creep toward their mind they pull their gaze away. Nodding in affirmation, Vestige says: “let’s go.”

As the party heads down though, Malrut whispers to Hog. Something’s following them. Hog hands their mirror over so the man can check. It’s the creature, the one that he’d chased from ir’Valgernard’s workshop. Suspecting it’s here to prevent the sleuths from reaching Jack-in-Irons, Hog nods and produces their whistle, “attack on my signal.” They then break off from the others and duck behind a house precipitously perched on the parapet, hoping the thing will get itself surrounded.

But it stops, realizing it cannot see Hog anymore, and starts to search for them. Hog curses their luck and blows the whistle. The positioning’s not optimal, but might they catch it by surprise? No such luck - the thing scurries to the edge of the bridge and drops off! Hog doubly curses and hurriedly prepares their grappling hook. Strategy, meanwhile, uses the lens to find the thing crawling on the bridge’s underside, and the inquisitives give chase. Too quickly, the spindly thing reaches the end of the bridge and starts to crawl down a tower at breakneck pace.

Hog leaps after it! Their feather fall token activates as they take a shot and fire, pinning it to the wall with a crossbow bolt. Vestige extends the pull of Dolurrh to the thing, but it’s not enough to tear away its soul. Strategy jumps as well and tries to line up a shot, but the creature frees itself and scuttles down the wall with inhuman speed! Unable to pin it down, Strategy watches helplessly as its enemy scurries from sight. It and Hog land on the lower bridge, utterly defeated. No doubt, the thing will inform its master of their approach.

——————

Notables:

Malrut, he/him, Eliot ir’Valgernard’s trusted guard. Compared to the Demon Wastes, Sharn’s a cakewalk.

[keganexe]

Its Campfire Scouts finale day, and I'm so excited to kill my players put to bed the threat of BAN-CHI. Catch up here, or join us at 7pm tonight for the big finale!

[powdermelonkeg]

Okay, I'll bite. Who is the ginger wizard I always see kissing the drow?

[eric-the-bmo]

I made these memes super quickly on my phone

[floralzombae]

My last session of my game with Yvonne was a bit of a big one. Starting the session with one of the characters getting the other side of all those tales of goblin tribes being slaughtered and then an adventure parties adopt the survivor, trying to be adopted by the source of his trauma.

While struggling to figure out how to deal with this, the other character not knowing the background had a minor breakdown over not being adopted. So overall a great start.

This being followed up with me going to search for the pretty lady I've been spending time with them being missing, and the one clue I find is someone saying if I go after them I'll probably die before going for it, so everything going well.

[mythicalmo]

Question???

Crazy idea, no clue if this is even gonna find any traffic, maybe I'm talking to the void.

I think I figured out what I wanna do with my blog??? My friends and I started a D&D campaign in January. I'm a new DM and things are going really well. I brought up possibly posting our session reports online somewhere to see if we get an audience or something from it, y'know? We've talked about making content for awhile, just haven't been able to and maybe this is our avenue to get started.

Idk what I'm trying to say. I guess I just wanna see if these tags work and if people would even be interested in reading our session reports and getting involved in our story??? Should I make a separate account for that??? I'm still new to how Tumblr works and I do read fics, I know that reblogging those and interacting are a big thing but I don't wanna cause clutter in the profile???

This is a mindless rant at this point, I have no idea if anyone is even following what I'm trying to say.

It's the way it took me so long to post this from my drafts wtf-

[the-infinite-dungeon]

The Infinite Dungeon Game Session 2

Click Here - The Infinite Dungeon Session 1 Session 2

"So tell me. What brings you comfort?"

Guthrie@guthrie-odonto loves wandering through the wilds. Through the forests. Nature and birds bring him peace of mind. Lyr@Lexarga seeks comfort of a boat on the open sea. The salty breeze of the ocean and the gentle rocking of a ship bring her stability and calm. Lorem@moreclaypigeonsseeks the warmth of moondogs after a long day. Cuddling with these huge glittering, gleaming, glowing and glistening dogs brings her serenity. Damien@abstractbabble wears a lot of woven friendship bracelets around his wrists, he uses them to fiddle with them every now and then to comfort himself.

Once more, each member of the group wakes up in a cell. Cobblestone all around, ground, walls, ceiling. A thin straw matt on the ground. Each of them quickly determine, that they have been somehow reset to the first floor where they started their venture before. However, this time they each find themselves in a different cell to before. Each of them uses the tools to their disposal, just as before. Guthrie uses the key he found the first time around. He starts walking down the narrow corridors to find the others. Lyr wakes up in her cell and once she oriented herself, she starts her attempt to break out of her cell. Brute force leads to success and the lock of the cell's door falls to the ground. It's almost a bit too easy, as if the lock was possibly loosened up to begin with. All characters notice, that aside from torn clothing, their previous wounds are all gone and they have the full arsenal of spells back at their disposal. Lorem decides to use her keys again, but as she approaches the door, she notices that the door is already unlocked. Without any further thought, she leaves the cell and marches down the corridors. Damien wakes up in his cell, and he is pissed to say the least. Not only remembers he very much the moment he.. supposedly died - he is done with all this. He does not want to leave. He notices though, that his jacket is gone. He beautiful jacket was taken from him and it's not with him. Below: Audio Snippet from the Session. DM@siriwesen telling Player @abstractbabble that Damien's jacket is missing.

Audio Transcript: Siri "Well, as you slowly awaken, you notice.. maybe a couple of things. But first of all. Your jacket is gone." Jack: "They're gonna fucking pay, they're gonna fucking pay! You took his jacket, are you fucking kidding me? YOU TOOK HIS JACKET?! [gasps for air] Why did you take his jacket, what did the jacket do to you??? That.. That was probably the most expensive item he probably wore, and you TOOK IT FROM HIM? WHY IS IT GONE?!" This - and a mysterious note reading "Check outside. It's okay" is enough to lead him to leave his cell. Luckily, the door is unlocked. Draped over one of the two large clay pots in the left corner of the corridor is his jacket. It looks washed. Damien takes his jacket, and then decides to give the jars a closer look. Guthrie keeps following the corridor, hoping to meet one of his companions. He gets jumped by a skullbug, and it just barely misses him with its sharp claws. It blocks his path. "It's shanking-time" and Guthrie reaches for his dagger in return, only to have the blade be redirected by the bugger's claw and he cuts himself [7 points of damage]. A critical failure in self-defense for sure. As most of the group begins to engage in combat, Damien is still looking at the inside of the jars. Inside one of the jars, the one which had his jacket hung over, is water. Damien puts his hand inside the water and now that he has touched it he can see, that water is not clear, but instead of a red-ish colour. "Okay, I taste it!" - Damien decides to see what the liquid tastes like and the salty iron taste of blood sure lingers within. It now finally dawns on Damien, that he is probably in the exact same dungeon and place as he woke up in before and he begins to grab some paper and a pen and draws maps for himself and his companions. Damien manages to recall the layout of the floors the group has explored before and with ease he manages to just nail the exact proportions of the rooms towards each other. He marks Monster positions without much effort, it feels almost like fate is guiding him in this quest.

Before he leaves the area, he decides to leave a message in the cell he woke up in using illusionary script. "Hello, it's not very nice to take people's things without their consent." He writes the message in abyssal, common and dragonic.

Lastly he ponders, if the water with the blood in the jar is his own.

Audio Transcript: Sierra: What if... what if the blood in the jar was your blood. Because they washed it. They washed your jacket..?" Guthrie: "how would you know it's your blood? Jack: "Do you want me to do a history check to make sure it's my blood? Even though it tried to poison me. Can I do a history check to see if the blood in the pot is mine?" Siri "Maybe more like.. a medicine check?" Jack: "Uuh okay... Medicine check... uuh" Siri: "Like.. Like.. you're not gonne be like "I remember reading a book and that's why I can identify my own blood now." - laughter - Jack: "Well.. Damien KNOWS a lot of random facts, maybe it can be like "Ah yes, by Taste alone I know this is MY blood-" Siri: "BY READING A BOOK?! Or like being like "My grandma once told me a story once that my blood is red and therefore i can TELL- if like.. WHAT THE FUCK" Jack: "Okay I'll do a Medicine check... which has... Minus 1." Lorem employs the revolutionary technique of kebab-ing the skullbugs with her spear.

---

Once reunited, suspicion lies in the air. Damien's reluctance to join the combat and quite baffoonish decision to poke the mimic, leads Lorem, Lyr and Guthrie to not quite trust the young man. Damien realises this distrust and keeps a bit of a distance of the group for now, in the meantime they all discuss what tools and weapons each of them has at their disposal. Introductions are finally made, names are exchanged. As the group gives the prison floor another thorough look, they discover a box filled with bottles of high percentage alcohol. With the intention to take on the next floor in a more structured method than they have done before, the group resorts to the only possible decision for combat in a space without windows. ARSON!

Original post + video/animation by @guthrie-odonto https://www.tumblr.com/the-infinite-dungeon/713607029557723136?source=share The players manage to surprise their enemies. Damien manages to use a hidden entrance to the upper floor, located in the fifth, but seemingly empty cell. He creates an illusiory sound to distract the skullbugs in the room and also attract them to gather around in a similar area. Guthrie uses the moment won by the distraction and emerges with high velocity from the stairway, throwing one of the newly created Molotov Cocktails at the foes. All of the enemies take some proper damage and the furniture surrounding the skullbugs also begins to catch fire. The group manages to defeat the skullbugs and begins to investigate the rest of the floor. They discover in the room connected to the one with the skullbugs a tiny window with iron bars. Outside they locate something that looks like a bright red orb, sitting on an island in a small pond. As they are stuck with no way to advance, they decide to shoot an arrow at the orb, Guthrie hits it with ease and steady aim. A mechanism activates and a secret area is revealed. A new set of stairs is shown to lead to the next layer. The group ponders wether they should immediately advance or not, but the smoke caused by the burning furniture, which is still on fire, even after the fight ended, makes the decision easy for them.

They find themselves now seperated, each on their own plattform with a large colorful rock behind them. When they look their left and right, they see the room's plattforms repeat in infinite. Once Lyr tried to inspect the pillar behind her, she accidentally causes it to crumble and a rock falls on her head. Luckily, she does not fall into the void and takes no major damage. Damien grows impatient and also curious of this new environment. He throws a knife across the gap to the platform closest to his own. The knife lands safe and sound. Without further hesitation he decides to make a jump for it. As he jumps, the space between the platforms seems to stretch and expand for him. His companions see him slow down mid air, as if an unnatural force is preventing him to reach the other side. Lorem reaches out in desperation to cast levitate on Damien, but the spell does not reach him and he sinks into the depp dark void. ------- Four people wake up in a cell to their own. Guthrie escapes his new prison, not without finding a note that reads "Hello, it's not very nice to take people's things without their consent." He discovers a secret small tunnel, through which he squeezes and discovers Lorem. Together they escape the cell and track down Lyr, who has escaped her own prison with the power of violence. Practise pays off and she not just unlocked, but completely shattered the lock of her cell, upset by the forced reset. Skullbugs are beaten, but no trace of Damien. As the three wander the corridors they hear angry screams echo through the tunnels. + Guthrie is pretty sure the screams do not belong to a person, nor do they sound human, but Lyr and Lorem insist they must belong to Damien. Sure enough, they reunite with Damien, but it takes some proper convincing to get him to leave his cell. The group makes their way to take out the skullbugs on the upper level once more.. The furniture from before is still scorched from the flames of the previous attempt. The fight seems to take forever this time, Damien tries to avoid being hit or taken out at all cost, but his reluctance to engage in combat causes the skullbugs to respawn over and over again after each round of combat. Eventually, the group finally manages to take them out in one round and is finally left alone in this layer of the dungeon. Damien has started raiding the cupboards and unearthes some drinks and cups. The group decides, despite not feeling hungry or thirsty, to take a break to re-assess the situation. Damien also takes some silver spoons. As he inspects them to evaluate the spoon's actual value, he notices that they are somewhat off. "They are as if Ai is trying to render Hands correctly. Sometimes they have small holes or unexpected twists, but from afar, they can be seen as spoons."

Before the group settles down- In the far off corner of the adjacent room to the one they are in, Lorem checks if there are any skullbugs left to defeat. Lorem only finds a pile of bones, one similar to the ones in the layer below where one of the skullbugs has always been hiding. But there is no skull this time. No bug to be found... Sierra (thoughtful): "That's really weird..." Siri (cheerful): "Yeah it is, isn't it?" Sierra (whispering): "What the fuck?" As the characters sit down, Guthrie shows off his cool stone of good luck which has not had much of any effect so far in this weird adventure. Damien curiously inspects it. "Yeah uh, you gotta shine this, for it to work." The characters realise they are truly stuck with each other, but also, in an odd way, they don't mind the company as much as they mind the location they are trapped in.

[tonysaintborgi]

🔫 tell me about your OCs 👀

I have decided to ask all my mutuals about their OCs!

i don't really have many, actually? other than fursona and fursona (2). and for the first one of those it's literally just me if i was a bearman. despite everything pointing to the contrary i am not a very creative person.

any other sort of loose concepts of OCs I've had over time have been kinda rolled into a ttrpg plot i was working on! but because I'm still working on it I ain't revealing nothing about it. plus, idk who I'll play it with, so theoretically it could be any of you... and what would the fun in the story be if it was already spoiled. right.

thank u for the ask tho 💙 even tho I'm sure this answer is underwhelming

[syqkos]

So, here's almost all of the art I've made in 2022, with a total of 82 pieces in this image alone!

I left out some studies, WIPs and a few projects.

Very proud of my growth this year, I hope I'll do even better in 2023!

[babybluesquid]

Session 18, The Valgernard Affair

Our Players this Week:

Hog 112, they/them, Weapon Thaumaturge, skirmisher warforged, the leader of the inquisitives agency and founding member, tends toward practicality and following a command structure.

Vestige, they/them, Bones Oracle, warforged placed into a human body, a healer and the agency’s fleshborn face, remains on the periphery with an individualistic streak.

Strategy, it/its, Empiricist Investigator, officer warforged, an old model who’s seen much action and uses the tactics they learned back during the war now under Sharn.

Samanta, she/they, Swashbuckler Fencer, skirmisher warforged, a spotter during the war who turned to spying for one of Sharn’s criminal families before joining the inquisitives agency.

——————

Hog stares at the load of psicrystals, feeling off balance as if the wood cords in their legs have been severed. They collect themselves, remarking, “there’s no way Hendrick is gonna do something good with these things.” Strategy, having found its way to Hog’s side, nods in agreement, “maybe the Boromars will use them for mind control.” “I don’t think we can do this job,” Hog adds, overwhelmed, “it’s too much. We oughta dump these in the lava pits and pretend we never intervened.”

“Hendrick will know.” Strategy says, “It’s only a matter of time before news of this attack spreads. Besides, this is our best shot at the bodyguard.” “And I suppose if we don’t go to Hendrick, he’ll put in a bad word with his buddy Malrut.” “Agreed. Getting on his bad side is a very bad move. I think instead Jack-in-Irons should be our only target. The attacks are only getting worse.” Calmed by Strategy’s cool analysis, Hog replies: “I think you may be right. I regret getting us into this situation in the first place, but it seems handing them over to Hendrick is the quickest way to get this over and done with.” “We could hold some crystals back,” Strategy offers, “I do not think Hendrick knows how much there is.” “But if he does, he has great reason to think we stole them. Let’s turn them over and face the consequences. If we become known as Boromar allies, well, I suppose there are worse reputations to have.”

With the agreement made, Strategy sets to repairing the cart’s damage. Then it’s off to Smoky Towers in Middle Menthis, the prescribed drop-off point. The building in question looks as shady as could be expected of a Boromar den. Outside, a khoravar woman with a mace and daggers waits. Recognizing her as Hendrick’s contact, Hog lets her approach the cart and check the goods. At her confirmation that it’s all there, the rest of the Boromar goons come and unload. One hands Hog a large ruby, calling it a tip and a token of friendship from their employer. As Hog stares at it, they mutter, “Our employer, huh? I’m gonna have to have a talk with Hendrick.”

The trek back to Deathsgate is haunted by anxiety. However, it is otherwise uneventful. Presently, Hog finds themselves back at the gator’s clubhouse. It’s damn near empty, but Hendrick’s right where he said he’d be. The man smiles, bit cruelly, at Hog’s approach. “So, you’re back. And I’ve got word on the wind that we got our stuff. I assume you’d want to schedule a meeting right away with Malrut.” “You’d be right,” Hog replies. “Well, circumstances are in your favor. Malrut is heading down to the Bazaar on behalf of his master tomorrow. You’ll be along when I meet him. I think you’ll find his account of events,” Hendrick pauses, “illuminating.” “That’s what we’re hoping for.” “It’s been real great doing business with you,” the man continues, “I’d like to keep in contact. And besides, I still owe ya a favor.” He scribbles something out on a page, then hands it over to Hog. “This is the mailing address for my crew.”

Remembering something, Hog asks, “Hey, what about your employer? That elusive wizard?” Hendrick takes on a disinterested affect, “He’s out right now, but I’ll see if I can get you in touch.” “So we can’t talk right now?” “No.” “Can we at least know his name?” At that, Hendrick flips to serious, “I’ve been told not to, and I intend to keep my word. Farewell inquisitives. I wish you Olladra’s own luck on your case.” “Thanks,” Hog states flatly. “Appreciate it,” Strategy adds to be more diplomatic. Hendrick shoos them off.

On the way back to the agency, Shadowblack splits off to search for his few remaining friends among the Blades. Samanta travels to the Bazaar to purchase some poisons. The rest of the sleuths rest and repair at the HF&A. Cloak is there when they return and delivers their report on the new Blades hideout. It’s a major operation, with many forged coming and going. Some of them are arriving with no possessions and strange accents. It looks like a base and an armory for these new arrivals, and the Blades’ supply of weapons seems nearly bottomless. There’s even an artificer installing armblades. Hog asks Cloak if they feel safe staking out the hideout. “No,” the goblin replies, and then shrugs, “Pay’s good.” With that, they disappear again into the streets of the cogs.

While Vestige and Strategy catch up on casework, Hog heads down to the Red Hammer to gather intelligence. It’s normally Samanta’s domain, but somebody has to keep a finger on the pulse. It’s the middle of a factory shift and the place is almost empty, except for two old faces: Dandy and Shot are standing at the bar. The names of Cyran cities and artists drift across the silent space. Hog quietly approaches, and Shot nods and greets them. “Ho, Shot, how goes your investigation?” “I seem to have hit a dead end,” the archer replies, “It’s been difficult since the arsonists moved out of the lower city.” “Have you heard of the Valgernard case?” Hog asks. “Yes, but I haven’t got any leads.” “Neither have we,” says Hog, “but if we do find something, can I find you here?” “I’m normally in Highwalls,” Shot admits, “but I came down here for the company.” “Okay. If we find anything, I’ll look for you there.” Shot nods in reply. “Say,” Hog continues, “if you find anything, stop by the agency.” “I will,” says Shot.

Next, they ask the pair if either has heard anything new about Hook. Dandy explains that nobody has seen him in a few days - the Fists have been spending more time training in the abandoned tunnels, and sending out representatives to buy weapons. Returning to the agency, Hog mentions this to Strategy. “I think that after meeting with Malrut, we should check on the Fists,” it advises. “Assuming we don’t immediately face Jack-in-Irons,” Hog responds.

The next day, the sleuths take the long walk across town to Dura, to meet Malrut in the Bazaar. The bodyguard is sitting with Hendrick in a crowded beergarden, in a lonely patch of sun on the edge of the district. He stands out among the common people of Sharn, with dark red skin, a huge stature, and a pair of curled goat horns. His origin is written all over him - this one was born of Khyber.

Hog cautiously introduces the group. “I hope you’re ready to get down to business,” Malrut replies, “without the pleasantries.” They sit down, and Hog gets started. “We’re aware of the recent fire at your employer’s residence and we were hoping to be allowed to investigate the scene.” “I would have to ask my employer, but I think you want to hear what I saw on the day of the fire. When the fire started, I ran to the workshop and caught the arsonist in the act. This being ran away with a bag of my master’s possessions. I was unable to catch up with it.” “Being, it…” Strategy observes, “You believe the culprit was not a person?” “No, it was not,” says Malrut, “It only had the appearance of a man, but anyone who sees it move would know differently. It had a third, long arm which it hid beneath its cloak, and its legs bent in two places. I lost it when it leapt from a bridge, and crawled down the side of a tower like a spider.” “Was it flesh?” Hog asks, hesitating, “Or did it look like a forged?” “Flesh, to be sure, though its hand glittered like steel. You ought to crush the legs of that creeping thing… That is all I remember of the creature.” Hog looks at Strategy, who asks Malrut, “Did you find any pieces of obsidian at the scene?” “Yes, one,” says Malrut, “We gave it to the Blackened Book.” “The Blackened Book… who else has been investigating?” Hog asks. “Medani,” replies Malrut, leaning forwards, “and I must warn you, I do not think my master will allow you to investigate, unless you can offer something Medani and the watch cannot.”

Hog thinks for a second before replying, “Your master’s stolen property, does he want it back?” Malrut softens. “Yes. His devices took years to make and are not replicable. The telepathic engine, he calls it.” The guard becomes dreamy as he carries on, as if he were staring through the towers at the Ring of Siberys above. “It will transmit messages using the mind-magic of Sarlona. He says it will change the world…” “We were hoping you would put in a good word for us-” Strategy begins. “Of course!” Malrut interrupts, “What message shall I relay?” Hog takes a business card out of their bag and hands it to the tiefling. “Tell Mister Valgernard that we’re interested in helping him with his missing materials. If he’s dubious of us, tell him we were in the papers. There was an incident with a werewolf in Middle Dura that you may have heard of.” “I have. Few Southerners can boast of such a thing. I will tell my master.”

Hendrick grunts. “Alright, if you don’t have any other questions, I’d like to get back to having a day with my friend before plunging myself and my team into mortal danger from which we will only narrowly escape.” “How can you be sure it won’t be an easy escape?” Samanta jokes. “Seems to be the way of things,” Hendrick replies. Strategy speaks to Malrut: “How long will it take your master to respond?” “Not long. He has canceled his engagements since the arson.” The sleuths rise and make tense goodbyes, before heading back to Blackbones.

At the door to the office, Hog is blocked by Gentle. They look up at the larger forged, who immediately begins speaking their mind. “I’d prefer if we’re not bringing people back here and killing them. Khyberlurk was as wicked as they come, but it still saddens me to see them snuffed out like that.” Hog sighs, tapping their arm, “Gentle. You’re not seeing this right. If I’d let Khyberlurk go they could’ve targeted someone else. They could’ve targeted you.” For a moment, Gentle mulls it over, “true. I am worried this agency is becoming a platoon against Aggregate. I’d thought I left the war behind.”

“Well,” Hog replies, “that was up to Aggregate. Believe me, I want to return to normal detective work as much as you.” “True enough. I guess we just have to see this through to the end.” “I like that,” Hog remarks, “to the end.” Gentle suddenly moves in to embrace Hog in a full hug. Surprised, they stand rigidly still until their employee releases them sheepishly. Hog just nods at Gentle as they step aside and let them enter their office.

Vestige is already there, awaiting Hog’s arrival. “What do you make of the new Blades in the city?” They ask. “You mean the ones Cloak told us about?” “Yeah, those ones. Fresh from the Mournland.” “It sounds dangerous,” Hog replies, “it sounds like an invasion.” “Or perhaps an opportunity,” Vestige suggests. “For what?” “Well, Aggregate’s been here for some time and I’m think that new Blades wouldn’t exactly be loyal to him. We might be able to convince some to come over to our side, especially once they’re told what Aggregate’s been up to here.”

Confused, Hog asks: “Didn’t Aggregate come from the Mournland?” “Yes.” “I just, I think we’d have more luck with good Brelish forged. You know, the sort of folk who want what’s best for their country and they joined the Blades because they saw what the foundry owners and the incompetence of the Watch has done to this place.” “That may be,” Vestige admits, “but I dunno. I’m thinking- I’m hoping that the Blades from the Mournland hold the ideals of our Lord. You know?”

“Our Lord…” Hog mutters, “who is this Lord anyways?” “The Lord of Blades.” “Sure, but who is he?” “I suppose you didn’t hear during the latter days of the war.” “No,” Hog admits, “nobody ever spoke to me about the Blades.” “I never met the Lord, of course, but when I was traveling around Cyre I heard the Machine Manifesto from some of the forged on the front.” “Is he the one who wrote the manifesto?” “Yeah.” “Sounds like you have a lot of respect for this Lord.” “I do,” Vestige says, “he’s the one who’s demanding better treatment for our people. That’s why I’m so angry with Aggregate for corrupting his message and turning it into an invasion of Sharn.” Vestige ponders, and then speaks again: “We need to get in contact with these new arrivals. If we can tell them the truth, they’ll turn on Aggregate.” “What makes you think that? If they’re really foreigners, what could they be here for other than an invasion?” “Recruitment, perhaps.” “Who do you think these foreign Blades are?” Hog asks. “I think that they’re probably Cyran forged.” “And they’ve been living in the Mournland since the Day.” “Yes,” Vestige replies, “I would’ve stayed in the Mournland had my circumstances been different.” “Yes. Hm. Well, if you think you can turn some of them back to the light, I’m not going to stop you.”

The thought hangs in the still air before Vestige says, “I think I could try, but given my situation they might not be inclined to listen to me.” “You never know,” Hog offers, “you are a true forged like the rest of them, and Shadowblack is your friend. That counts for something. Do you think you and Shadowblack are of one mind on this?” “I believe so. Shadowblack wishes to return to the Mournland and inform the Lord of what Aggregate’s been doing.” “What makes you think the Lord will intervene? Was it not the Lord who sent Aggregate to this city?” Vestige’s reply has a hard edge. “We don’t know whether that’s the case, actually. I told Shadowblack it was too risky to go and give such a report now.” “Why do you think so?” “If Aggregate has indeed taken over a group of the Blades,” Vestige explains, “it’s likely that he has friends on the way back to the Mournland.” “And if Shadowblack gets intercepted…” Hog offers. “Then he’ll be killed.” “And then we haven’t got a chance at fixing the Blades in Sharn.”

“Yep. For now it seems that we’re on our own, until we can deal with Aggregate.” “Indeed, but you heard what Cloak said. There were dozens of warforged in that warehouse, and that was just one base. I wonder, if we wanna take down Aggregate, we’ll need to start turning some of the Blades first. Maybe it can even be done without any bloodshed. Things like that have happened before, like in Thrane.” “I think if we could appeal to their ideals, we’d be able to turn them,” Vestige says, “our disadvantage right now is that Aggregate controls the flow of information to the Blades. I don’t know what Shadowblack’s friends have been doing, exactly, but it seems they’ve been staying quiet.” “Aggregate’s control is too tight for them to speak up?” “Seems so.” “But you think we can crack it?”

“I think if we can show them that Shadowblack is no traitor, then they would realize that Aggregate is the villain here.” “How do we show them that?” Hog asks, then answers their own question, “we make him into a hero, I s’pose. You know, if he was the one who killed Jack-in-Irons, that’d certainly make him a hero.” “And if he returned the bodies-” “That would be even better.” “We should try to facilitate this,” Vestige says, “I think that we can outmaneuver Aggregate. He may be smart but there’s only one of him, and if he’s relying on deception, well, we just have to expose the lies.” “You’re right. Just have to expose the lies… that’s easier said than done, but perhaps we should look a little more into this crime ring they’ve been running. We still haven’t got any hard proof.”

“I have that hat now, perhaps I could do a little digging on the Daask side of things,” Vestige suggests. “It sounds like a risky operation, but maybe it’s less of a risk than getting into another head to head with Daask.” “I think I’ll be able to handle myself out there, and I could bring Samanta along for backup.”

The conversation is interrupted by a weak knock at the agency’s front door.

Vestige opens the door to discover a short, middle aged human man, well-dressed with glamourweave and fancy Aundarian shoes. Coughing in the Cogs air. He collects himself, “hello, fine inquisitives. Upon seeing the message that my loyal companion relayed to me, I was moved and resolves to visit you myself but-” he pauses to cough some more- “the sulfuric condition of the air in the Cogs has seemed to upset me. May I come inside?”

Hog welcomes the guy in, noting that the air inside is much the same as outside. “Master Valgernard, thank you for coming.” “Uh, Lord,” Eliot ir’Valgernard corrects, then immediately gets to business, speaking about the missing research that he would like the sleuths to recover for him. See, he is missing a prototype Telepathic Engine, near complete, and rambles on concerning its difficult construction and the overwhelming loss of the stolen components and device.

Strategy immediately asks if the arsonist could construct the device using the stolen pieces, and ir’Valgernard dismisses the notion out of hand. Strategy presses, “we know Jack-in-Irons is a skilled artificer. They might have supernatural inspiration to draw from.” “Truly this is an abominable villain then, and they can only be up to wickedness with the components they have seized from me.” “Jack-in-Irons uses magics from the Daelkyr, and their followers are Daelkyr cultists. I believe they want to use this research into psicrystals to achieve some devastating effect here in Sharn. Would your device be able to broadcast distressing psionic messages?” Eliot confirms that it could, with some more power and recalibration.

What follows is additional questioning from Hog, trying to determine how dangerous this thing it. They don’t like it, that ir’Valgernard created such a thing that could be used this way. Vestige listens in silence, having much a similar judgment.

The man does reveal that a docent to control the device has been located in Xen’drik, but it will be some time. Strategy asks, “would it be possible to use something else in place of the docent? Something less ethical and conventional?” “Well,” ir’Valgernard replies slowly, “if one were to take an animate warforged and bond them physically to the device with magic flowing directly to their mind it would be functional. However it would be a horrible crime, it would destroy them utterly with thoughts that are not their own flowing through them, driving them to insanity.”

“How do you know this?!” Vestige demands angrily. “I have been in the study of how the warforged came to think and their connection to the docents. The basic components and how they create the ability to think in these devices are the same. That’s why the docents interface so well with the warforged,” ir’Valgernard explains. As he does, Vestige becomes even angrier, coldly remarking back, “warforged. Are not. Devices.” He’s surprised, backtracking a bit, “w-why of course, they’re alive with livewood and capable of things no artificers understand.”

Strategy moves the conversation back to the question of the device, and Eliot is eager to move back to discussing logistical matters. He even offers his aid in the form of money and connections so he can recover his priceless device.

More logistical discussion follows, mainly that a broadcasting would require massive amounts of energy and be wildly expensive under conventional means. Strategy reveals that the Daelkyr is of fire and madness, revealing the charged obsidian stone and asking if they could be used to power the device. All Eliot can do is speculate, he doesn’t understand the magics of the Lords of Madness, but it may be possible. Considering the danger, ir’Valgernard offers his loyal guard, Malrut, to assist the sleuths in retrieving the device. Strategy asks to examine the scene of the arson and theft, and Eliot ir’Valgernard grants it readily.

Lastly, Eliot grants Strategy a device like a crystal lens with dragonshards studding it, “I have created this as a measuring device of the Telepathic Engine’s operation. It allows you to have a visual representation of the power and property of the magical and psionic energies that the device emits. It is a compound lens of psicrystal and siberys dragonshard. Although it does greatly reduce the normal functions of the eye, as the background magical emissions of Sharn are massive. Though it can be tuned to focus on one specific device such as the one I have created. It will require some work to retune it to the expected output of the larger device.” Hog questions what will happen if the magic of the device is altered, and Eliot replies that then the focuser would not be able to pick it out from the rest of Sharn’s magic. Without tuning, it would be possible, but hard to pick it out.

Strategy theorizes that either the cultists will cover the entirety of Sharn, or they will do maximal damage in a small area to cripple the city. Eliot suggests that perhaps the psionic power of the warp step could be used to broadcast the signal to anywhere, from anywhere. Hog asks what that even means, and ir’Valgernard briefly explains how it can be used to transport the mind and body through space using Dal Quor, which cannot actually be reached. Hog says that for practical reasons, they can’t consider it as a possibility. An adversary that can broadcast to anywhere from anywhere would be impossible to find. Eliot says that the villains would be unlikely to figure out the warp step in any case.

So, the first theory is accepted. The cultists are likely going to broadcast over the whole of the city from Middle Menthis. Further, their base is likely far from the center of their criminal activity, just like their base in Fallen.

Finally, Hog asks for ir’Valgernard’s account of the attack. He says, “I was unable to see much. When I heard my workshop was on fire, I flew into a panic and hurried to try to save my work. When I entered the room, I came into contact with the fire and was thrown into a strange vision… a bright white flash filled my eyes for quite some time and I saw a vast titan, crowned in a material I cannot begin to describe. All aflame, this vision overtook me. I glanced the figure of a being of pilfering my components, another arm extending from his shoulder.” “Thank you for your time, Lord Valgernard. We’ll come up to your residence as soon as possible,” Hog offers.

——————

Notables:

Hendrick, he/him, a mercenary adventurer. Skilled at getting his crew out of trouble, and other people into it.

Malrut, he/him, a warrior from the Carrion Tribes. He tried to escape Khyber and wound up in Sharn instead.

Eliot ir’Valgernard, he/him, an Aundairian noble with a penchant for psionics and dreams of a bright future.

[freaks-and-facades-ravenloft]

Freaks & Facades: Session 0 - Cast of Characters

Welcome to all you wonderful readers!  

Here is an introduction to the wonderful character cast for the Freaks & Facades campaign!  This is meant to be a brief overview on the characters’ starting personalities and goals (with some insights gleaned after feeling them out between sessions 1 and 3). 

We hope you love them all as much as we do!   Check them out below the cut!

-- Aboleth Eye!

Pryrrish Norfaer - ( @moonstruck-vixen )

Pryrrish of House Norfaer was once one of the serene and mysterious star elf race; now exiled from their cloistered and dying realm of Sildeyuir.   

She is a forsworn scholar, hunting for the most hidden secrets of the otherworldly.  In her hands she clutches a tome of spiraling script, the cause and salvation to her quest for knowledge.  Only she can truly understand what the maddening, spiraling script deigns to tell her.  For her eyes and souls both hold that same spiral of unreadable darkness within them…  

Her youth was cut short after witnessing devastation on the Material Plane.  The dreaded Day of Mourning.  And when she endeavored to uncover how it had come to pass, that foolish quest brought her no answers.  Only terrible personal disaster.  Paying a price she never anticipated, Pryrrish was branded a heretic.  Forced to embrace the darkness of her new accursed patron--the Elemental Dark itself--to save and begin her life.  The dark book’s secrets both doomed and saved her; perhaps it will now guide her to what it all means?  There must have been a reason behind her misfortune.  A reason for why she was offered the brand of the Elemental Dark upon her soul…  

Will she find what she seeks through her determination to reclaim knowledge thought lost?  Or will the Elemental Dark, forever whispering in her ear, consume her in this foolish quest’s end?

Star Elf Warlock 6

Ludwig Hossler Schrödinger - ( @atlysium )

Ludwig Hossler Schrodinger is a young man fascinated by the world around him; and people fascinate him more than anything, for reasons we all take for granted...

He appears a proud scientific noble of Lamordia, tastefully austere and rational to a fault.  Except when it comes to human osteology, the study of bones.  His parents (who love him very very much) helped him acquire a taste for this little-understood branch of science.   But they never truly introduced to the world beyond their cryptic household.  How odd, considering their influence as Markgrafs of the mountain village of Schwartzsteinburg…

It was a great surprise when Schrodinger’s idea to travel beyond the town was embraced wholeheartedly by his parents.  For their darling son hoped to meet with the Society of the Enlightened Mind in Ludendorf!  Lady and Lord Schrodinger thought it would be a life-changing opportunity for their son to share the fruits of his labor in the field of osteology (and osteomancy).   And so, departing from the safety net of his protective and equally gifted parents, he has proudly shared his life’s work to the Society! But the Society, unfortunately, quite misunderstood his enthusiasm for this strange new science.  

Is he a victim of academia tirelessly struggling to be understood?  Or, perhaps, the Society saw his endeavors in self-experimentation as the unnatural obsession it truly is?  

Human Boneblade 6

Fenri Sunwillow - (Redbrown [not on socials])

Fenri Sunwillow is an exceptional, strong-willed halfling priestess; her smile lights up a room even in the darkest of times.  

She is tirelessly devoted to the teachings of the Dawnfather Pelor–God of the Sun, Healing and Mercy.  With her unshakeable faith, Fenri has gone on many adventures beyond the Free City of Greyhawk.  She has faced monsters, scoundrels and failure, all alongside friends who welcomed her gifts and her optimism.  She treasured them wholeheartedly and offered them the grace and healing of her god!  

But now Fenri the halfling is no longer among friends.  She is a light with no one to shine upon.  She continues what the tenets of Pelor ask of her, seeking to find those most in need of her gifts.  And her friendship.  Everyone is a friend Fenri hasn’t met yet!  But life is hard on such a small bundle of joy, and the Sun does not shine all day without rest.  And yet Fenri shines and shines–through true faith, inner strength or misguided delusion, who could say?  

Will she push through what awaits her, through the darkest time in her life?  Or shall the Sun inside her heart not be enough to sustain her once its out of reach?

Halfling Cleric 6 (Patron Deity: Pelor)

Channa Devir - ( @aureliagaming )

Channa Devir knows much about sacrifice; and she is willing to risk much in order to reclaim what is hers.  

An aspiring prodigy in the arts of elemental theory and magic, Channa was lifted up and taught by some of Khorvaire’s greatest conjurers.  They taught her about the laws of reality, and how to make a life with the gifts she was given.  She followed their guidance and friendship, becoming attuned to the  principles of elemental earth in the process.  Earth is steadfast and patient while the world seems in flux.  And she felt through her mentors she had sacrificed enough of her body and soul to have real achievement in this crazy world.

But then her foundation for living was suddenly lost.  Her best friend; gone without a trace; not even a note...  She went to their mentor, supposedly the greatest conjurer in the realm for answers.  Together Channa learned more and more, hoping to unravel the elemental ritual left behind by her friend...  But then her mentor, her only support and teacher, vanished as well.  The ritual remnants in their laboratory...   Channa had lost everything to this mystery, so she decided to follow in her friend and mentor’s footsteps.  To make them answer why they had abandoned her.  The sacrifices needed to for such a ritual would be great, but Channa would follow it to the end.  To be with them again!

Will those she searches for weep that she was drawn onto their same path of mistakenly pursuing knowledge?  Or has Channa offered herself before a hungering evil that has fed upon greater mages than she and her friends?

Human Duskblade 6

Solange Therese Charron -( @owldork1998 )

Solange Therese Charron has long embraced her lot in life, forever on the outskirts.  

She had a rough start of it: a strange foundling raised by a pair of poor gravediggers, just beyond the walls of decadent and lively Port-a-Lucine.  She was born touched by the grave in more ways than one, however; for Solange is a caliban, a creation of humanity’s aspirations twisted by the darkness of taboo and unforgiveable sin.  She is forever forced to hide her  deathly beauty behind the veil of the mourner; which suits her fine.  No one asks a  gravedigger why they hide their face...  But those that linger beyond death have taken notice of her, a being trapped between worlds.  And to hone this connection and defend the living, she was invited to watch over the crypts of the city’s oldest bloodlines.

She became a gravekeeper of St. Leonburg’s Cemetery by night, hoping to earn the experience to see what the Order of the Moonlit Vigil protects within the uncharted catacombs below.  The dark of those bone-decorated labyrinths calls to Solange, but she instead pushes towards her duties of protecting the noble dead (and tolerating the living nobles who visit the cemetery to socialize and scheme).  But she cannot truly escape the call, literally and metaphorically...

Can one seemingly born to serve death find peace in her duties among them?  Or must Solange dare to walk among the living to find answers about her spectral-afflicted existence?  

Caliban Gravedigger 6

Read the next part, Session One - Vignettes (Part One) here!

Thanks for reading!  We hope these characters fascinate you with their tales!

Parts: Zero/Cast, One P1, One P2, Two, Three [tbd]

-- Aboleth Eye @aboleth-eye

[triskaideka-13]

...I'd say this is a good summary of how the session went.

(Those Bingo cards are always so much fun, I couldn't possibly pass a chance to make my own.)

Also, one of the guys has already decided to get Sunless Sea "to do some character research".

Sounds promising - and NO - I do not feel guilty, at all.

I just may have a tiny little rodent problem... but I guess that's bound to happen when you invite DnD players to playtest a game of Cthulhu... 😅🎲

[eric-the-bmo]

The Neighborhood Watch Recap S2ep6: A Walk in the Park

[Summary: Markus and Bob make a plan to kill Lestat, and almost everyone seems to be mad at Louis. Fatima recommends Song a new book. John finds a flower. ]

(@gr3y-heron here u go! ⭐)

During the night, Song had waited to see if Louis would return home. After half an hour she Did in fact try to see what was going on, but was stopped by Lestat's lackeys ["Do you work for The Master?" "No, I sleep with him."]. She threatened them, and eventually decided to just sleep in Louis's bed.

Louis let Lestat feed on him.

Markus is sad, since the other two forgot about the meeting they wanted to do, and indulges in one of their bad habits; it's almost becoming routine now.

John, meanwhile, is woken up by a loud noise at around 4am.

He rushes over to where the sound came from and sees that the TV's been turned on, playing the ending credits of some old anime. Shelby's holding the DVD remote in her hand, and says maybe she just fell asleep watching TV, maybe she turned it on by accident?

But John, with his second-hand knowledge, knows that this show isn't aired anymore. And with DVDs, you have to put them in, so there's no way this was an accidental tv turn on. John sees the box of old DVDs Shelby had gotten from their neighbor. Hm... They decide to have an early breakfast, and John makes waffles as Shelby goes back to working on the Lego set. She seems annoyed at being interrupted from her task when he tries to distract her from it, so he ends up walking the hour to work.

Louis wakes up in Lestat's house, and checks the basement for his coffin. He doesn't find it; he ends up insulting himself in the mirror as his pep talk for the morning, and gets home to see Song in his bed.

He goes into his guest bedroom (where he stores his extra suits), and gets dressed for the day and starts to make breakfast. Song eventually wakes up and puts on one of his shirts before heading over to the kitchen.

As she enters, she makes a comment that if he's going to hook up with his ex while a woman is in his house, at least let her know; send a text or something. Louis tenses and apologizes; he had no intention of staying, and tells her he wished he could've staked Lestat, but he's not a good or strong enough man.

Song raises her eyebrow, and looks for Signs that he's been bitten- he’s pale, and his shirt is buttoned up a lot. Louis is good at hiding vampire bites- or at least he thinks he is.

Song gets up from her chair and pushes Louis against the wall (!!!!!!) and unbuttons his shirt to look at the vampire bites. She's stone-faced, and warns him "This might sting" before sticking her fingers into the bites and casting a healing spell. She hopes it'll scar. It does. Louis feels like his wound is being cauterized from the inside- He says he deserved that and worse, and thanks her for healing him.

["I see a lot of bad decisions when I look in the mirror, Ms. Song."]

She asks if he knows how to use a stake, and he makes a comment how they don't really need stakes, we could just go grab some sticks from the woods, and she reveals she has a vampire hunting kit- they then both realize that hey, didn't Markus want to tell us something last night? Louis calls them only for it to go to voicemail, so Song properly gets dressed (hiding weapons under her clothes), and heads over to their house.

She runs into Bob Patterson, who's also on his way to Markus's. They have a short conversation about the HOA meeting happening later that day and she checks his aura during it, seeing a thread from his hand that was stabbed connecting him to Markus. He eventually starts to walk away, and Song knocks on Markus's door.

They answer, Song apologizes for forgetting their proposed meeting last night, and that things are getting complicated. Markus says it wasn't important (it totally was). Then Markus sees Bob and rushes past Song over to him, asking if he needs anything. Bob asks what the next steps for camping trip should be, and Markus invites him in for coffee.

Song texts Fatima, and says she'll be over in ten minutes for coffee.

John arrives at work and sees there's much fewer people at work today- while there were 20 yesterday, there are only 6 now, including himself. Clara isn't there. The manager sees him- "Oh thank god, you're finally here, John- wait John where are you going"- but seeing as how Clara isn't here, the man turns on his heel and just starts walking away.

John heads to the woods to grab a sample for Emmett- The AI said he would like one, and Joe Miller the Park Ranger kept saying yesterday how many seeds were dumped in the park. The place is practically overgrown, and John's distaste for them is clear as he tries his best to step over them- and then at the edge of the woods he sees someone go into the trees. White shirt, black pants, long auburn air- that's Clara. He follows her quickly, not wanting to lose sight of her- it would be harder to find her if he did, with him only being human now. He walks through one of the thorny plant brambles, getting a thorn stuck in his hand, and his hair gets undone from its ponytail.

John ends up in a clearing, and the trees around it are bending away from the clearing, as if to funnel more light into what's at the center of it: a giant flower, with petals of every color and a giant bulb at its center with a split in the middle. There are people standing around it in a circle, swaying slightly with a green tint to their skin. The bulb moves to lay on its side, releasing some kind of scent as it does, and opens up to reveal a mouth full of teeth. One of the people starts to walk into it; John bolts over, tackling them out of the way.

The plant doesn't like that; it screams, and the people all turn to point at John before screaming as well. John, realizing he can't possibly fight/defend himself from all of them the way he is now, scrambles up and bolts out of there- one of the plant's thorn projectiles gets him in the face. He angrily rips a root out from one of the park flowers, and marches over to Emmett's.

Louis, meanwhile, is taking a hot shower. He cries a bit; he always knew he wasn't good person but had prided himself on being good friend, but he’s not even that, since he skipped out on meeting with Markus. Once he's done he looks at himself in mirror ["He sees all the mistakes hes made in his life"]. There's many other scars on his body- he's been shot and stabbed, and there are other bite scars. The one Song left is just the most recent one. Louis gets new clothes on, and goes to Markus's house.

Meanwhile over at their house, Markus makes coffee for Bob, advising him to not touch their bugs; those are their friends. Bob proposes the plan to kill Lestat during the day, but Markus counters that the two of them really shouldn't break into someone's house. They ask why Bob doesn't like the Main Cast; Bob's the second worst person they've ever met, and they want to know why he's Like That. Bob tells them that he's been in this town for 30 years and is very set in his ways; There's all kinds of crazy shit in this town, and as soon as it got to the point where all the crazy stuff left them all alone, new crazy stuff moved in. He just doesn't like change. (Markus says he needs to change or else he'll get left behind and die alone; Bob responds that he's got his wife, and won't die alone if he's with her.)

Bob makes a comment saying he's dealt with vampires before and says they're tricky, and also their weakness to garlic is a myth (Markus silently pulls off a garlic necklace they were wearing and throws it away). They continue to make their plan- Together they'll attend the HOA meeting, and Bob will keep everyone distracted while Markus searches for Lestat's coffin; they're small, and good at not being noticed. They can stake Lestat in the morning.

There's a knock on the door as Louis arrives. Markus greets him coldly, and when he tries to apologize, Markus says they're kinda busy at the moment hanging out with their friend Bob, who realizes who's at the door, marches over to tell Louis they're busy, and slams the door on him. Louis stands there for a moment before starting one of his rambles: "Wow, how are you Louis? Horrible! I got bit, it was a terrible night!" He continues to ramble all the way back to his house, and heads down to his basement, which he's been using as a wine cellar; he gets well-acquainted with the drink down there.

Meanwhile, Song is over at Fatima's house for coffee; She tells Fatima that Markus found some of the melted plastic from Amira's face and had brought it to Emmett (Fatima and her husband have met the man, but he was standoffish and they haven't seen him since), but she was able to cover it up with a lie. Song will let Fatima know if anyone gets too close to the truth.

Fatima wants to know the gossip about Lucretius (which, btw is the name Lestat has been going by)- Song informs her Louis spent the night with him, and Fatima was all "whats the deal with YOU spending the night?" and Song's like "well I didn't know Louis liked having multiple set pieces, so yknow" The two of them agree that Lucretius is pretty; Song said sleeping with him was worth it.

With the conversation going the way it is, Fatima recommends a book series to Song, saying it's very good (a fourth book is being made, she excitedly says) before grabbing the first book off the shelf and showing it to the witch: It's this paperback book called Steam Rising by Lauren Smith, and seems to be about sexy firefighters- the man on the cover looks exactly like Ted, one of the firefighters in town, to the point it's uncanny. The main character even has the same name as him! They agree it's wild, and Fatima suggests maybe Ted served as inspiration for the author, but Song counters that surely she wouldn't use his name for the character? Song learns that the author is actually Greenville's librarian, and makes a note to head over to the library to try and get more info from her; She promises to tell Fatima everything about it.

Song then changes the subject and asks if she can rekindle her friendship with Amira. Fatima pauses before telling her that when Amira was with Song, she was the happiest Fatima had seen her be in a long time. They agree that Song can interact with Amira again and even start up her lessons again, but Fatima has to be there to supervise.

John managed to dig out the hand-thorn on the way to Emmett's and sends Shelby a quick text to check in on her; no response. John shows Emmett the flower, putting it into the drawer, and the AI begins to analyze it; however, as John's filling Emmett in on what happened and as Emmett is trying to make sense of it, red popups appear on the screen. The drawer is rattling, and Emmett yells that the plant seems to be trying to take over the mechanics. The fire alarm goes off, and after a bit of panic it all gets resolved. Emmett offhandedly wonders if he can make a poison from the plant, and then he gets the analyzation results.

["...I've never seen a reading before like this." Emmett looks at him. "It's alien."]

Comments:

We love messy relationship drama! Song you're so petty, girl why the Fuck did you do that

SONG PUSHING HIM AGAINST THE WALL??? MADAM?? I was losing my mind during that part, we love women

John just turning away and leaving is much more funnier if you know his walk to work took him an hour

Fatima loves gossip she's just like me fr

Lauren Smith totally brought the firefighters to life through her books I'm calling it now!!!

When John found the grove all of us (includnig me) were like "Well, nice knowing you John, you might get killed here /lh"

Hey guys do you think if I save Clara I can get a second shot with her- /hj 👉👈

[Little Shop of Horrors theme playing softly in the distance]

[thefandomentals]

Get ready for the next episode of @dimension20official 's Mentopolis with a recap and review courtesy of our newest Tabletop Writer Rowan Zeoli!

[alexissara]

Alexis Sara In 2022

[Image taken by April, she is the one with the fancy awards, but ya know, my names on it] I was part of the first team ever to win the best game award from the Nebulas.

I won an Ennie for best game for Thirsty Sword Lesbians along with the rest of the of writing team. It also won the Ennie for Best Product.

Thirsty Sword Lesbians was also nominated for a Gayming award.

My adventure was released as part of the launch of To Change.

I released my own Story Synth TTRPG developed by me and my GF The Polycule's Grand Multiverse Adventure!

Thirsty Sword Lesbians: Advanced Lovers & Lesbians released in May physically allowing people to touch and feel The Matriarch Pages I wrote.

I created this tumblr as well a co-host and Mastadon to try and diversify from Twitter for social media stuff.

I traveled to California to see April in person and work on TSL as well as other projects.

I redesigned Soul Of The Hero and am working on the newest version.

I did a ton of work on Thirsty Sword Lesbians: Falling Deeper with April.

I've done a good chunk of playtesting and designing my big TTRPG project TrueSelves.

I helped friends and partners with their own TTRPG projects.

Started work on a new TSL actual play podcast.

I was a panelist for big bad con online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbFHuKykVwg

I wrote the first part of a Pokémon Sun and Moon Fan Fiction

My fan playbook for Thirsty Sword Lesbians, The Swindler, was part of two bundles this year https://transcomics.itch.io/the-swindler

I kept up with my patreon making sure everyone was updated on all the progress I was or wasn't making on projects.

I worked hard on my mental and physical health after 2021 was a year that had me hospitalized 3 times. I've started eating better, stressing myself less, and being more proud of little progress.

I made sure to spend lots more time with friends and loved ones doing more TTRPG campaigns and just hanging out more often too.

Here's to everything exciting and 2023 and whatever great opportunities may come my way.