July ends, into August

August, which is named after the Roman Emperor (or First Citizen if you prefer) Augustus Caesar, the theme will be a month of personalities from the Sea of Stars (and possibly other places) if I can find some inspiration.  If there is someone -or something– in particular that you would like to see, write a comment or otherwise let me know.

Sadly, this year I will not be at GenCon which makes me a bit sad.  You who do go, feel free to share pictures and stories though!

#Petrichor365 keeps going on in July, 2023, but it is not the only content in the journal this month:

Ashyare, Messenger and Scout (Petrichor 365)

One of the reasons that venturers come to Petrichor is the hope of finding a unique magic relic that completes them in some way.  Most never find that thing (finding death is more common by at least two orders of magnitude).

Ashyare is one of the few who hit that particular jackpot

Yetalae, Creator of Ice (Petrichor 365)

Providing enough food, which includes the preservation of food, has been a continuing challenge for Port Imperial.  Salting and smoking are the primary methods used to keep food edible but recently, some have been using ice rooms as well to extend the time food can be stored.

Ice, in some places, can be harvested in the winter and stored, not so much in Port Imperial.  Occasionally, people will bring things packed in ice or snow from the mountains but very little of it, if any makes it to the coast.  Some wizards will create ice for use in the town, but only Yetalae does so as her profession.

Wreck of the Sister Gautselin (Petrichor 365)

While most ships that are wrecked anywhere near Port Imperial are salvaged for parts as quickly as possible, the Sister Gautselin is an exception.

The Sister Gautselin was a fine starship, full of passengers and, according to rumors, great wealth, leaving Port Imperial on its way to more civilized regions.  But just before making the transition from sea to the space between the island, she was caught by an unexpected gale, driving most of the passengers below deck.  Showly afterward she struck an uncharted rock which deeply holed the ship’s hull.  The Sister Gautselin sank in minutes with the loss of almost everyone aboard, the lifeboat aboard could not be easily deployed due to the storm conditions.

Marco’s Magnificent Musical Machine (Petrichor 365)

Music brings people together in the Sea of Stars as much as anywhere else.  There are all sorts of music, instruments, styles, and songs out there.

One of the more unusual instruments is the Musical Machine made by Marco Cogworthy and transported in a small wagon he had custom-built for his machine.  It is full of cogs and gears and functions much as a giant music box programable by a mixture of brass plates and drilled wooded cards.  It is primarily percussion-based with drums, chimes, and similar notes.  Marco hopes to add strings and horns to it at some point.

RPG Blog Carnival – Weather in the Sea of Stars

In support of this month’s RPG Blog Carnival “Terrain, Seasons, Weather (oh my)” (hosted by the Plastic Polyhedra) I thought that I should talk about the weather.

The weather in the Sea of Stars, like almost everything else, is odd but not entirely unpredictable.  The entirety of the Sea of Stars follows the same seasons, so it is spring everywhere and so on.  This is how the Empress wants it to be and so it is.

There are places that have oddly persistent or predictable weather patterns, there are places where it always rains at two in the afternoon for exactly an hour and then stops, others where it is always foggy in the morning, or that it always snows on certain days.

The Grest Family, Mussel Gatherers (Petrichor 365)

As has been mentioned, food is always a concern in Port Imperial, the sea is a good source of food, and one of those sources is from muscles.

The Grest Family took an early lead in establishing a claim to harvesting the mussels along the docks and setting up places for muscles to grow.  Luckily for the Grests there is a great deal of discarded rope around the docks which serve as an excellent place for mussels to live and grow once submerged.

Hakiya, Wondering Wheelwright (Petrichor 365)

Travel is the lifeblood of Petrichor and it is primarily by land, via foot, animal, and wagon (usually animal drawn).  Wagons are very popular but the road system . . . leaves much to be desired.

Hakiya is a wandering wheelwright, traveling from village to village repairing damaged wagons, especially wheels.  She has a very well-built wagon, customized by Hakiya, that carries her tools, supplies, and no small number of mostly finished wheels.  The wagon is pulled by four strong mules and sometimes has a spare mule or two trails behind.  She has access to a variety of weaponry to defend herself with though she will hire guards if she hears that there is trouble on the route she is taking.

Homazt the Hammer (Petrichor 365)

Mercenaries, always with the mercenaries.

Homazt, known as the Hammer for his weapon of choice and for his blunt personality, serves as a mercenary and as a field engineer.  He arrived along with a group of other military engineers who have since dispersed to help with various construction projects.

Homazt is a little below average in height and heavily built veering a little into fat.  His black hair is close-cropped, to better fit a helmet, and he keeps his beard neatly trimmed.   His brown eyes are observant and shadowed by his bushy eyebrows.  He wears heavy clothing suitable for wearing under armor as needed.  Homazt‘s weapon of choice is a two-handed battle hammer that doubles as a tool.

Tuesday Magic Item – Standard of Martial Sacrifice

Gollaon and Voddick watched stoically as the army marched by, clad in newly washed clothes and freshly polished armor, weapons flashing in the Sun following their standard bearer.

“How many will not return,” said Voddick quietly, a note of sadness in his voice.

“Even one is too many, but war never seems to cease its appetite,” replied Gollaon equally quietly and also tinged with sadness.

Standard of Martial Sacrifice

These items are literally forged in blood, taking a drop of blood from each member of the legion or unit they are to represent which is used in the quenching of the metals used to make the standard.  They are usually decorated in ways to evoke both martial valor and national pride.