Tuesday Magic Item – Mother Sugarfoot’s Kitchen Accoutrement

Voddick leaned back in the chair sipping a nice cup of tea.  “Hand me another of those lovely almond pastries, will you please?”

Gollaon slide the plate over.  “It would be entirely too easy to just while away the rest of our time in a place like this.”

Voddick took a pastry and dunked it in his tea.  “Enjoy the moment, my friend.  Our lives will spin out of control soon enough.”

“Truth,” nodded Gollaon idly stirring his tea.

Mother Sugarfoot’s Kitchen Accoutrement

This is not one magic item, but rather a whole kitchen full of items with small enchantment: pots that will not scald their contents (or burn those that pick them up), self-grinding pestles, measures that do not spill, self-stirring spoons, automatic flour sifters, and so on and so on.  Universally they are functional, self-cleaning and self repairing.

Ratikin Species for Dungeons & Dragons (5E)

“We have always lived in the undercity, for more generations than you can count, keeping the city safe from what lies beneath.  But they do not appreciate our work, calling us vermin or worse, but we persevere, as we must.”

Ratikin

The origin of the Ratikin species is unknown, however, there is no indication of them existing before the Sundering so they are believed to have been created by that cataclysmic event.  The Ratikin, like their animal namesake, have spread widely through the Sea of Stars living in the shadows of, and on the castoffs of, the big folk.

The Ratikin tend to keep to themselves, working (and stealing) at the edges of the larger society and, generally, society likes it that way.  The Ratikin organize themselves around family groups which in turn fit into larger clans that come together for mutual defense or larger projects.

Ratikin are usually tolerated at best and often scorned and shunned.  Dwarven communities can always find tasks for them and so many end up in the outer edges of the Dwarven lands.  The Visse, as a general rule, despise the Ratilkin and try to keep them out of Imperial lands when possible. The Dark Star Dominion has impressed all the Ratikin it can and uses them as sappers and expandable engineering troops making it both hated and feared.

Ratikin Traits

Your Ratikin character has a number of traits in common with all other Ratikin.

Tuesday Magic Item – Windrose Compass

Voddick stopped to mop his brow.  “From heroic last stands to being lost in the desert, our lives are never dull.”

“Our guide will find the way, my friend, do not worry,” said Gollaon adjusting the brim of his wide hat.

“Indeed not,” said the guide producing an elegant compass, “we shall soon be on our way again.”

Voddick just nodded.

“Lead the way,” said Gollaon.

Just then a cooling breeze washed over them.  “That is the sign for us to move on,” said the guide, waving the group forward.

Windrose Compass

These compasses are beautifully made and decorated with a mix of cartographic and magical symbols, they are also surprisingly tough able to survive considerable abuse.

Down and Out in Taren Kost – Campaign Report Episode 13 – Blood, Iron and Acid

This takes place directly after Episode 12.

Our cast for this episode (for more information on the game background, see here):

Reed Greenbottle, Mercutio, and Skathfka.

Episode 13: Blood, Iron and Acid

Tuesday Magic Item – Last Battle Medallion

Voddick and Golloan stood alongside the old folk, veterans of wars that had ended years, decades ago, clad in their armor, some finely polished, other patchwork.  They did not let their age bow them as they stood waiting for what they knew would be their final battle.

“A finer company could not be asked for,” said Voddick.

“Truth, my friend,” replied Golloan.  “Together we will half the invaders long enough for the next army to be raised.  These fine people will not give up.”

“No, we will not,” said the old woman next to them, the paint on her shield faded but her spear was newly polished.  “They will see our mettle and be broken by it.”

Last Battle Medallion

These medallions are usual made in small numbers for the veterans of a particular group that served together, often with something related to the service they performed together with a personal token on the back.

In Memory of the Brave and Noble Who Served

Time moves ever on and we have reached another Armistice Day (in modern parlance Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the US).  As Armistice Day it originally served as a remember of the end of the Great War, the Armistice that ended the war starting at 11:11am on 11 November, 1918, and those who served and died there.  Since then, it has been expanded to include the many others who have served and died for their country in honorable service through the years.

If you remember, pause for a minute of silence to honor the brave soldiers and other members of the armed forces that have guarded us -and still do- at 11:11am.

While it has been my wont in recent years to find poems from lesser known war poets, for this year:

Tuesday Magic Item – Swiftsure Horseshoes

Voddick aimed fired and recocked his crossbow.  “Keep it up lads and lassies, we only need to hold out a little longer.”

Gollaon loosed his last arrow and scooped up some loose stones to toss.  “The Swiftsure Riders will be here, we just need to keep these fools focused on us until they do.”

Quietly Voddick asked, “Do you think they will make it in time?  We are close to being overrun.”

“We had best hope so,” Gollaon answered equally quietly.

Then a cheer went up from the defenders as the pennants of the Swiftsure Cavalry appeared over the ridge.

Swiftsure Horseshoes

These horseshoes are made of polished metal and inlaid with a small amount of gold or silver, the inside is marked with runes and sigils.  Their magic keeps them bright and they often strike sparks when ridden across cobbles.

Down and Out in Taren Kost – Campaign Report Episode 12 – Blood Ties

This takes place directly after Episode 11.

Our cast for this episode (for more information on the game background, see here):

Reed Greenbottle, Mercutio, Skathfka with Agrippa off-stage as his player was not available

Episode 12: Blood Ties

PinkCat: Running in the Shade “Two for One” (A different sort of SR campaign report)

To understand what is going on here, you had best read the first PinkCat: Running in the Shade post, but short summary, this is a campaign report for our Shadowrun campaign set in NorCal through the filter of a cartoon made by one of the team members.

Episode Forty Four: Two for One

Guest Starring: Clawz, DoubleUp, Gimmick, and Tora.

The gang is asked to help out two of the students, twin ocelots as it happens, who have become estranged and bring them back together.  So, lots of comedic failed attempts to get the two back together always backfiring terribly . . . until at the end of the episode the twins bump into each other in the cafeteria line and bones over all the stupid tricks people have been trying to pull on them.  The team collapses exhausted and all’s well that ends well or something.

What really happened: