Tuesday Magic Item – Exile’s Gate

Voddick shivered.  “As a reward for our last service, guarding a haunted gate does not seem like much of one.”

Gollaon shrugged.  “It is only for a few weeks and it pays as good as a war.  Also, we do not have to keep people out, we just have to keep our eyes open for something trying to cross through.”

Voddick shivered again.  “Where does it lead to?”

Gollaon looked at the structure.  “Anywhere, everywhere, as long as it is not here.  If you do not like life under the Empress you can cross to somewhere else . . . but you never get to come back.”

Exile’s Gate

In what was either a fit of pique, an act of mercy or a cruel joke, opinions vary, the Empress built this gate before the end of the first century of her rule.  Constructed of stones harvested from other gates gathered from across the Sea of Stars, the stone arch looks a little haphazard and mismatched but the aura of power from it is quite palpable.  Natural animals must be drugged or magically compelled to get them to approach the gate.

Back to the Pulps! – Noir Revolution: Pacific Star, Episode 2

This is bouncing back to the Fate Accelerated One-Shot I GMed back in 2013!  Though with considerably fewer players (three, rather than the seven[!] of the original game).

The characters for the game were: Trixie, the pilot, Number One Sun, the gangster, and Hamish, the operative.

Opening Scene: Shanghai, at night, the river where the Piggy (a PBY flying boat) is moored.  Trixie is coming back to check on something when she sees the light of a flashlight beam inside the plane.  Approaching cautiously, Trixie slips aboard only to be revealed in the flash from a camera taking pictures of the control panel!

At the same time Sun and Hamish are arguing on their way back from the Pacific Star offices and they notice that the warehouse guard has been knocked unconscious and the warehouse gate is slightly open.  Investigating, they find a gang of thugs heaving boxes aside looking for something.

(The two scenes play out simultaneously, cutting from one to another.) 

Petrichor Campaign Report – Of Wasps and Cults

Having claimed the tree (Old Father Masic) as their own, Johan and Elsbeth set about cleaning the place up and Johan sought to commune with the spirit of the tree and, hopefully, make its daughters less hostile.

Lorrend, Pedr and three of the companions (Klaus, Ozcalla and Tomlin, Leaf stayed back at the tree) head out to map more of the local area.  The first half day of travels and mapping is uneventful.  Just after they set out again, a droning buzzing approaches through the trees, so revealed as a trio of giant wasps!  Who promptly set to attacking Pedr’s pony (now named ‘Snapdragon’) and stung it to near death before they were killed.  Tomlin and Ozcalla tended to the poor pony while the others set about trying to locate where they had come from.

Coming over a hill they saw a massive hive-like structure rising up from the ground, over which two giant wasps were flying, and a natural amphitheater where some sort of cultish ritual was going on, complete with a victim tied to a altar of baked mud.  Lorrend immediate charged down the hill on his mighty warhorse Tulip, promptly driving his lance through two of the cultists.

Tuesday Magic Item – Gatebreaker Javelin

Voddick shook black blood from the now pitted blade of his sword.  “If this expedition was not paying so well, I would be regretting joining it.”

Gollaon checked and adjusted his charms and talisman.  “Agreed.  Imperial service pays well for such specialized missions.”

“I could do without the endless swarms of demon though.”

“Well, that is the aim of the mission, to shut their doorway into our world.”

“Another reason to be glad we are here,” said Voddick readying his sword and shield.  “Here comes another wave!”

Gatebreaker Javelin

These weapons are made of two types of bone, one white and inscribed with runes in gold, the other black and inscribed in silver, the two joined and reinforced with dragon steel.  The white bone is warm and almost welcoming to the touch, while the black is either icy cold or burning hot.  To those who can sense such things, the javelin causes a wake among the dimensions.  It is, is fact, constructed from the bones of angels and demons bound together for a singular purpose.

Creative Sunday – J E Shields, Art for Gamers

I do not remember where I learned of J E Shield’s work, but it was probably G+, but since then I have supported his Patreon and enjoyed the stockart that such support provides.  As a patron of his, you get to make suggestions as to what he will draw for his stock art which has lead to some wacky things indeed.

The other cool thing about how he structured his Patreon is that it provides a fair amount of art that he releases under a PWYW (pay what you want) option so you can take a look (and even use) some of his art at very affordable rate.

Now, Shields is actually not producing any new art for the Patreon this month as he is off to Alaska for a few weeks.  So you have some time to review and decide if you would like to help him out via his Patreon.

Art borrowed from his Patreon page and used with permission.

Edit: Updated with approval to use art.

Tuesday Magic Item – Death’s Doorway Ring

Voddick caught the blow on his shield and spun away.

His foe pivoted stabbed another guard through the throat and dissolved into shadow only the reappear, rimed with ice, and slash at Gollaon.  Who managed to deflect the blow with his parrying blade.

“Voddick, some help?”

“On my way.”

Death’s Doorway Ring

These rings are made of melted gold coins that had been placed on the eyes of corpses and the gold  never manages to shine or glint, not matter how much it is polished.  The interior is carved with runes of passage and death.  The ring is always cold to the touch, even when worn.

New Monster – Wood Warrioress (D&D5)

These fierce female warriors are not born but grown from seeds, planted in soil fertilized by fresh blood and marrow from cracked bone.  The greater the quantity and the higher the source, the quicker they grow into “adults”, usually it takes two years but it can be done in as little as a season with sufficient viscera and blood.  They are grown by power tree spirits, vicious druidic cults, and others.

They appear as athletic women with skin that resembles sanded wood (complete with grain), their hair has a greenish tinge to it.  When cut, they bleed a deep red sap.   They wear clothing salvaged from where they find it.  Their weapons are made of wood or other materials dug up from the natural world, they prefer massive war clubs lined with sharped stones or teeth, carved and decorated with glyphs and symbols.

Wood Warrioress

Good Bye David Bowie

As you have no doubt heard, the Thin White Duke is dead.  While there are only a handful of his songs that I really enjoy, I loved his constant exploration of music and pop culture.  He also starred in one of my father’s favorite movies, the Man Who Fell to Earth, and one of mine, Labyrinth.

He has been part of the music and pop culture scene for as long as I remember and we are poorer for his passing.  But I like to think he would rather we enjoyed his music rather than mourn his passing, and, in that spirit, I give you a link to Let’s Dance.

Reason Magazine has a good obituary to Bowie here.

Update: But let me give the last word to the man himself, though the medium of music, his final video, LAZARUS.

Photo by Jean-Luc found on Wikimedia Commons and used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Review – Shadowrun: Shadow Spells

Shadowrun: Shadow Spells provides additional information about magic in the Shadowrun setting filling in some gaps left by the Street Grimoire.  With the niche nature of the new spells and powers and the groups and threats provided, it seems aimed primarily at GMs who should definitely pick this product up if they are running a game that is magically oriented.  Players who are focused on the magic side of the game will probably want a copy too.

Campaign Report – Catching up with Petrichor (D&D5)

It has been a bit since my last report, we have played four sessions mostly fair short as they were either leading into the holidays or (like last night) getting back into the swing of things after the holidays.

We had new characters join the expedition:

• Elsbeth Stormstrong, inheritor of the Stormcalled mantle (and ring), but until now has lived a sheltered and pampered life and really just wants to gather money and go back to the life she is accustomed to.  Her family has invested in the VWC and she was sent to “keep an eye” on it, though really she was sent to live a little and hopefully toughen up.  (Dwarven Tempest Cleric 3, played by B2.)
• Johan Blutrotenhugel, proponent of Reformed Rational Druidism, explorer and naturalist (with a nifty shepherd’s axe).  Very much a many of culture and learning and slightly adrift in this wild (and rather violent) new land. (Human Druid 3, played by B1.)

The group, now bolstered by Elsbeth and taking Klaus, the two Wayists and Ozcalla, they set out to explore and, perhaps, find and rescue Ozcalla’s sister.

In the initial exploration they: