Honest Cid's Outer Rim Transport: Tales of Team Aurek - Wrrlryyhn's Story

Born in the city of Kachirho, Wrrlryyhn was, as most other wookiees were, raised in the nursery ring. Even at such a young age, she stood out among the other young females as she engaged in the rough-and-tumble play of the male children. Afterwards, she would return home to her mother and father. Besides the regular chores that wookiee children were expected to perform, her mother, Isshanta, taught her of the healing arts while her father, Shortobuck, showed her how to play the yykrn, a wookiee string instrument that made use of the silk fibers of the syren plant. Young Wrrlryyhn developed a passion for the arts, specifically music and stories, alongside a keen interest in medicine.

Within wookiee society, young males went through rites of passage to prove they had become adults. The most common of these practices was the gathering fibers from the carnivorous syren plant. Her older brother Chewkazza completed this ritual and, brat that he was, lorded the accomplishment over his sister. Despite her parents warnings and eventual pleas, Wrrlryyhn decided that she was just as capable as Chewkazza and so, armed with her father's bowcaster, descended into the lower levels of the forests to find one of the syrens.

Instead, the adolescent wookiee stumbled across a savage katarn. Before she could slay it with the bowcaster, the beast knocked the weapon from her hands and she was forced to rely upon her natural strength to wrestle the creature to the ground. Wrrlryyhn was thankful for the many lessons on the biology of the native fauna, the knowledge giving her the edge she needed to strike the animal's weak points and subdue it. Wrrlryyhn decided that she preferred defending herself with her hands rather than a large and unwieldly blaster. When she returned home, it was not only with the fibers of the syren plant, but also with the hide of a vicious katarn, more than enough to put her boasting brother to shame.

When she was old enough, Wrrlryyhn began proper training in the healing arts, learning not only of standard medical procedures practiced throughout the galaxy, but also of the more native treatments involving various plants, herbs, and the leaves and sap of the wroshyr tree. While her musical studies faltered, she proved to be a quick study when it came to the practice of medicine. Her teachers were rather surprised by the speed with which she grasped the often complicated subjects. Some of this was due in part to the fact that her mother had taught her quite a bit already, as well as her rather keen and intelligent mind.

After finishing her Kashyyyian medical training, Wrrlryyhn served for several years as a healer in the city of Rwookrrorro before deciding to move on. While the work was rewarding and sometimes even taxing, her desire to learn had not been sated. She decided to leave Kashyyyk to continue her studies elsewhere, visiting some of the most prestigious medical schools in the galaxy where she would spend decades, first learning and then teaching. During that time, Wrrlryyhn developed an interest in various styles of unarmed combat, dabbling in her spare time and creating a mixture of techniques combined with medical knowledge in a potent style that was all her own.

When Wrrlryyhn eventually returned to her arboreal homeworld, she brought with her all number of interesting stories about her journeys, as well as a few medical advances that were quickly disseminated amongst the various schools of healing. She even taught what she had learned of hand to hand combat to those willing and capable of learning. She was on the verge of achieving the status of Elder in Kachirho before the Republic's war with the Separatists made its way to Kashyyyk. With her unusual training and aptitudes, it was no surprise that Wrrlryyhn served as a combat medic during the droid army's invasion, on the front lines repelling the enemy even as she tended to wounded wookiees and clone troopers alike.

Like so many of her people, she was caught off-guard by the sudden betrayal of the clone soldiers. Before she knew it, Kashyyyk was under attack by the very people whom she had fought alongside. The wookiees fought a long and desperate battle but they simply weren't prepared for the overwhelming forces of the newly christened Galactic Empire. Wrrlryyhn had fled back to Kachirho to gather her family and had managed to gain passage onboard a ship that was attempting escape. Unlike the other transports that were fleeing the Empire, one of the wookiees aboard this one had been a member of the Claatuvac Guild, carrying knowledge of secret hyperspace routes which were used to help them escape Imperial forces. Even still, Wrrlryyhn was agonized by the sight of so many transports captured or destroyed by the Emperor's fleet.

They eventually managed to find safe haven on the Outer Rim planet of Voss. While still under the Empire's control, it was beneath its notice. However, Wrrlryyhn was not content to simply hide for the rest of her life. Rather than remain on Voss, she left to continue her work as a healer. It wasn't easy, moving from ship to ship as she was forced to avoid Imperial detection. However, fortunately, the wookiee had a chance encounter with the Herglic by the name of Sid Ybom. The Tapani Knight was in need of someone with medical training to serve on his freighter and, in return, he would 'purchase' her as an indentured servant, allowing her freedom to roam without being targeted by Imperials or bounty hunters.

Since then, Wrrlryyhn has been doing a satisfactory job as one of Honest Sid's medical officers, though she finds the work of treating minor bumps, bruises, and occasional illnesses less than fulfilling. As a result, she's taken up playing the yykrn again. With most of her time spent aboard traveling freighters, she rarely has opportunity to visit her family, but she makes the effort when she can. Still, more than anything, the doctor wishes that her job offered her a bit more excitement.

Honest Cid's Outer Rim Transport: Tales of Team Besh Part 1 - T3-R9's Story

Built in a Duwani Mechanical Products factory 4000 years ago, T3-R9 began his existence as a simple utility droid. Designed for repair and general maintenance duties, the T3-series worked at their best aboard starships. Such was not the to be for R9 who was assigned to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, specifically to one of the Jedi, a young man by the name of Vandara. It swiftly proved to be a less than pleasant partnership, as Vandara did not speak or understand binary, and expressed distaste for the droid at worst, complete dismissal at best.

Nonetheless, the little droid worked alongside a rather ragtag bunch of Republic soldiers, mercenaries, Jedi, and even a senator (briefly) on a mission to investigate and discover Jedi imprisoned during the war with the Sith Triumvirate. It was during this time that he began to develop a personality of his own, possessing a fascination and talent for gambling. It often proved to be a boon to his companions when they were low on credits. Of course, this didn't stop them from considering selling the droid.

Despite his programming, he steadily developed a disdain for organics who treated him as little more than a talking appliance, and R9 often entertained the idea of blowing his 'friends' out of the ship's airlocks. Of course, he never did so, having formed a camaraderie with them despite the many difficulties they all faced in working with one another. His personality continued to emerge, thanks in large part to a technician by the name of Bidon Vask who worked in the Jedi Temple. Vask and R9 had developed a relationship during the droid's tenure at the Temple, and in exchange for being able to witness the team's holo-recorded adventures, he forewent R9's scheduled mind wipes.

The little droid has led an interesting life, involved in a number of adventures and vital missions to the republic during his many years of service. He fought against a Sith Lord, defeated a sentient spaceship, and helped to run a fight club within Coruscant's lower levels. Not all of his accomplishments have been.. praise-worthy, obviously. In fact, T3-R9 remains noted in the Senate Archives as one of the few droids to publicly insult and berate a senator and avoid being dismantled as a result:

Of course, records of any Republic soldier's activities, especially those of a droid, are difficult to keep track of. At some point during a crisis in the Enorath Sector, information on R9 and his fellow members of Republic Intelligence become increasingly difficult to find. Of course, this is not entirely unexpected of documentation several thousand years old. Many such droids from those days long past are no longer functional, serving as pieces of prized collections rather than continuing the functions that they were built for.

It is entirely possible that such was the fate of this particular T3 unit...

Honest Cid's Outer Rim Transport: Tales of Team Aurek Part 1 - Katya's Story

Katya Vesst was born on Dantooine, a planet on the Outer Rim beneath the notice of most folk traveling amongst the stars. It was a pleasant sort of place, with wide sweeping grasslands and deep blue rivers flowing freely. The land was good for farming so, unsurprisingly, it was home to many farmers. It wasn't perfect, mind you. There were plenty of native beasts that could prove particularly dangerous to simple folk working the land, like packs of wild kath hounds or even kinrath. But Katya had never seen the rolling hills or the large mountains, she didn't even know what the grass looked like. She had been far too young to remember any of it when she was taken away by the Jedi Order.

She grew up in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, as so many others did, never truly knowing of her previous life. Sometimes she wondered about her parents, who they were and what they did, but her instructors would gently remind her of the dangers of attachment and idle fantasy. Still only a small child, her days as an Initiate were filled with training, instruction, and contemplation upon the Force, learning to open herself up to it. Katya was slow to progress in her studies and her meditation techniques, though she never lagged far behind. She simply never quite grasped the purpose of the training.

When she was old enough, she underwent the Initiate Trials to prove that she understood the Jedi Code, the fundamentals of lightsaber combat, and the basics of wielding the Force. She passed. Barely. Katya had learned later that there had been some discussion on whether or not she would be placed into the Jedi Service Corps rather than being taken on as the apprentice of a full Jedi. Eventually, it was decided that Initiate Vesst simply required a more personal touch to her training to allow her to better grow and master the ways of the Jedi.

It was not long after this that she was taken on as a Padawan by the Master Anza, despite the demand for Jedi to protect the Republic from the Separatist forces. Wise beyond her years, Anza still had a youthful mischief in her eyes despite the beginnings of wrinkles and crow's feet. Of course, her apprenticeship was short lived, as the Clone Wars ended and gave way to the Jedi Purge. Katya was still too young to truly grasp what was happening, only able to see the fear and pain on Master Anza's face as she felt the death of the Jedi Order.

Teacher and student made for a desperate escape from Coruscant, attempting to reach the space port before Imperial forces managed to catch up with them. However, this was not to be. As the clone troopers began to advance on their location, Anza shoved what few credits she had left into Katya's hands and told her to purchase a transport to one of the Outer Rim worlds, that she would find her, but she needed to leave now. The Padawan did as she was told, managing to evade the patrols through equal measures of training and luck before gaining passage on a freighter headed for Denab. And that was the last that Katya ever saw of her Master. Arriving on an Outer Rim world creditless, she was forced to sell her possessions, including her lightsaber.

On her own, Katya made do however she could, often finding work on various ships, if only to pay her way from transport to transport. The years passed and life settled into something that was manageable and predictable. The Jedi Code that she had spent years memorizing and meditating upon faded from her mind, replaced by a different code entirely. A code of survival. There was no Light or Dark, just people who wanted to use you or kill you. There was no such thing as self-defense. Here, you shot first and you certainly didn't ask questions. Katya learned her new code well, but discarding the teachings of the Jedi had left a hole in her. A hole that she attempted to fill with drink.

From time to time, she attempted to practice her Jedi arts, to use the Force, but her skill had also atrophied. It seemed to work best when she was angry or upset, but afterwards she would feel a palpable evil, as though her own will were turning dark and tempting. Over time, Katya used her powers less and less and drank more and more. She became bitter, bitter after all the years of fighting, back stabbing, lying, and killing. Bitter that she had been abandoned by the Jedi and by the Force. Bitter that drink was the only way that she could escape herself.

And now, sitting in a quiet cell, Katya thinks upon her life, everything that has brought her to this point, and all that she has to show for it: bruised knuckles and a bloody nose from a drunken cantina brawl. Everything that had made her Jedi was gone, and she had no one to thank for it but herself. However, echoes of it remained, little memories of the proper sitting position, taking deep, slow, breaths and calming her thoughts. And there it was: the Force. It was within her reach, but only just barely. It had always been with her, just as her Master had once told her.

She only needed the courage to open herself up to it again, and she would not find that at the bottom of a bottle.

Road To Civil War: The Private Journal of Bruce Banner (Part 1)

KnightErrantJR is currently running a Civil War campaign over Google Hangouts using the awesome (and now defunct) Marvel Heroic Roleplaying game. There's 7 other players involved, and I'm impressed with how well Jared's been handling it so far. I have the awesome privilege of being able to play Bruce Banner (and the Hulk, of course). Surprisingly enough, I find Banner far more interesting than his mean, green, alter ego but haven't yet had much chance to explore the man behind the monster. Reading up on his history, watching a few episodes from the television series and the movies, I just feel really bad for the poor guy.

He risked his life to help someone else and, in return, he was cursed. I'm not saying that other heroes don't have it rough, but still, they've got nothing on poor Bruce Banner. Sure, Spider-Man's got the Parker Luck and he's suffered his fair share of tragedy, but he also gets to make out with Black Cat. Just sayin'.

However, I'm getting off point. Basically, one of the players (who plays Wolverine) has started writing a journal of sorts for his character. I liked the idea and, well, here we are. Hopefully, I can do some justice to Dr. Banner and Jade Jaws.
 

Spellbreaker Notes

Given that I'm planning to reformat my hard drive in the next few days, and given that I don't have an external hard drive to transfer most of my stuff too, I figure now is as good a time as any to share some of the notes I've written up for a setting that I've been writing up called 'Spellbreaker': an alternate history set during the wild west, but a wild west where both magic and mythical creatures exist.

The notes I'm posting here are on one of those groups of mythical creatures: the Fae. Faeries show up in a lot of RPGs, of course, and they show up in a lot of fantasy fiction. While I'm not as knowledgeable as I'd like to be on the subject, I tried my best to put my own personal spin on them:

The Fae Courts

Tales told about the Fae, or the 'Fair Folk' as they are sometimes called, are often rife with dualities. Angelic or nightmarish beings of terrible beauty, inhuman gods of day and night, bringers of good luck or terrible misfortune, forces of right or (more often) wrong, and so on. In the Old World, many believe that all life behaves in this manner, as a series of oppositional forces that, by working against one another, inadvertantly work together to make all of life. And so, the creatures of the Fae Realm also embody this duality.

Not all creatures of the Fae belong to the Courts, however. There are many 'commoners' of the Fae Realm who simply perform their duties without having any impact upon the unceasing war between the Night and the Day. These fae are considered too low to be of any consequence and so are left to their own devices. Only the Fae Nobles belong to either of the Courts, though even these high 'born' beings are not bound eternally to a single Court, their allegiances lasting only as long as their notoriously capricious natures find it amusing to do so. One of the Fae might belong to the Day Court for a thousand years and a day, only to pledge themselves to the Night the next on a whim.

As one might guess, the two Courts are always in opposition of one another. Of course, there is always a balance of power in place: during the day, the Day Court's power is at its strongest. And when the sun goes down and darkness reigns, so too does the Night Court's power grow. When the sun is down, the Day Court must abide by the Laws of Night, and so too must the Night Court abide by the Laws of Day when the sun is in the sky.

The two Courts constantly oppose one another, working to thwart one another's schemes, struggling against each other in a constant back and forth battle for resources, advantages, allies and territory. This is an endless war, and the Fae are aware of that fact, but it does nothing to slow the constant tug of war between the Night and Day. Though from time to time a particularly powerful Fae comes along who seeks to change this, trying to destroy or at least permanently weaken the other Court, but even this, the Fae say, is just another part of the balance.

The Day Court

(Court of the Sun, Court of Light, the Seelie Court)

All of the Fae are truly inscrutable creatures who are driven by thoughts and goals that mere mortals are not truly capable of understanding. Despite this fact, such short lived beings still desire to categorize such beings. Those who have a limited knowledge of the Fae merely assume that of the two Courts, the Day Court is 'good' and the Night Court is 'evil'. What they fail to realize, however, is that the Sun, burning bright in the desert sky, does not discriminate against those that it kills with its heat.

Beings of 'righteousness', the Sun Courtiers act with quick and unceasing wrath, wreaking unforgettable harm upon their enemies: the servants of the Night Court. Unfortunately for these servants, most of them are rarely ever aware of their apparent allegiances to the Court of the Moon. Those who embody aspects of the Night Court, who share some behaviour, no matter how minor, with the Day's foes are treated as servants of that foe.

The Night Court

(Court of the Moon, Court of Darkness, the Unseelie Court)

Though the two courts battle one another, it is a surprising fact that the Night Court is far less concerned with the Day Court than the Day Court is with the Night Court. The dark and monstrous Fae of the Night Court care only for doing whatever they desire, with utter abandon. The Courtiers of Night have no boundaries, and act in whatever manner pleases them. They roam the land, preying upon the innocent, stealing babes from their cribs, stalking lone travelers, haunting their dreams until they can no longer sleep, for fear of the nightmares they will have. Those of the Court of Darkness are constantly in pursuit of fulfilling their urges; the more grotesque and horrifying those urges, the better.

The Fae of the Day Court are beautiful creatures, sometimes terrifyingly so, but always resplendent and always courteous. The Fae of the Night Court are monsters, and they relish in that fact. Though it would be foolish to consider the Day Court 'good' it would not be too far a stretch to look upon those creatures of the Night Court as 'evil'. At night, they own the surface, and during the day, they dwell beneath the earth. But even when they retreat from the sun, they still influence the world above, leaving behind their allies and their servants: criminals and monsters of the human variety who pursue the Night Court's interests.

Courage Necromancers

Yeah, I know I haven't posted in a while. I need to get back into the habit of doing this. Of course, I'm not really going to be able to catch up where I left off on the Earth 52 game. For that, you'll need to check out KnightErrantJR's blog. But I will attempt to continue the write ups as soon as the next session.

In the meantime, enjoy some hilarious (not really) Courage Necromancers:

If anyone has any ideas for other Courage Necromancers, please feel free to make a comment and I'll likely create it. I've got nothing else to do today. Bleh.

Earth 52 Fantasy Covers

Two posts in one day? Unthinkable. Anyway, having plenty of time to kill and a picture editor to kill it with, I've had more than ample opportunity to whip up some potential covers for future 'issues' of the Earth 52 game. Of course, there's no guarantee that they'll ever be used, but it's fun and it's something to do. So check them out and tell me what you think, alright?

Portrait Of A Necromancer, pt. 2

 

Portrait Of A Necromancer

Caught Between Two Worlds And Halfway To The Next

I don't think I've ever really explained much about the Necromancer's powers. I've mentioned that he's a mystic, capable of casting spells but during game I've ever only really said the names. After reading the section of the M&M book on descriptors, I figured that it was as good a time as any to go ahead and explain the spells most commonly used by my character and describe what they actually look like.

Review: Earth 52 #11

 

Alright, it's been a while since I've made a post on here. And while this is very last minute, at least I'm getting it done. Plus, I finally figured out some stuff with Blogger and was able to update the post editor, giving me access to some neat tools and the like, including an 'After The Jump' button (thank god). So, without further ado, I bring you the recap for the eleventh 'issue' of the award winning* Earth 52 game

Portrait Of A Necromancer, pt. 1

Portrait Of A Necromancer
Caught Between Two Worlds And Halfway To The Next

I'm writing this thing primarily for myself, though also for the wonderful GM of our DC Adventures game. This is mostly just a collection of notes, thoughts, and other things that I want to expand on, to give myself a clearer picture of who the Necromancer is.

Review: Earth 52 #9 & 10

Sorry I haven't had a chance to post lately. This damned oppressive heat has kept me from making any sort of trek to the library, as I have no desire to be cooked alive. But I've made it now. So, without further ado, my write ups for the last two issues of Earth 52.

Review: Earth 52 #8

Possible Cover For Earth 52 #8

Is this the cover for Earth 52 #8? I don't know. It's a possible cover. Let me know what you all think of it.



Honestly, all this Death stuff is just wishful thinking on my part.

Oh! Before I forget, I also made a Necromancer Soundtrack. Just a compilation of music that I think fits the character's mood.

Review: Earth 52 #7

How The Hell Do I Recap All Of This Part 3: Necromancer vs. Clubber Lang

Hrm. Where were we last time? Oh right.

Random PBF Of The Day

Adventuring Tips With Adventure Time

Adventuring can be a fun and profitable lifestyle choice. And who could miss the appeal? Slaying evil monsters, rescuing fair damsels in distress, and looting fortunes and magical items. However, before you head out the door to begin a career in fighting evil, there are a few things you'll need to keep in mind:

Rule #1: Choose Your Weapon

Before you start battling against the unholy undead or bizarre dungeon dwelling creatures, you must first choose a weapon. Perhaps a weapon that suits your own personal style? If you are small and weak, perhaps it would be better to focus on weapons that are also small and weak, like you. Or if you're big and strong, a large, powerful, weapon might be just the thing for you. There are a plethora to pick from, but it is vitally important that you make the right choice.



Rule #2: Always Be Careful

When you begin adventuring, most of that adventuring will be done in dungeons. Dungeons are the natural environment for some of the most vile and putrid creatures in need of a good smiting, and (for some reason) there seems to be no shortage of dungeons to delve in. Keep in mind, however, that dungeons are extraordinarily dangerous places. They have been designed specifically to kill you in the most unusual and horrifying ways possible.

As a rule, when dungeon delving, never trust anything you see.



Rule #3: Always Be Prepared

Like the boy scouts, it always helps to be prepared. Of course, a single adventurer can't be prepared for every situation. As such, it works to your advantage to form an adventuring party of like-minded individuals, preferably individuals who can all fill a certain niche. As an example, in many dungeons you will encounter what are called 'locks'. These pesky things, believed to be some sort of dungeon-based growth that occurs on wooden objects like doors and chests, will prove to make your adventures difficult if you do not have someone with you who can take care of them.



Be sure to look out for more Adventuring Tips in the future.

How The Hell Do I Recap All Of This Part 2: The Quickening

Wait, that's not what I'm recapping... Oh right.

It's been a while since I've posted about our game. As I may have mentioned in the past, in the DC Adventures game, I play Necromancer, a magic user who can summon and communicate with the dead.



Earth 52: DC Adventures Recap



The last time we caught up with our band of intrepid heroes, they were headed to Central City to begin their crime fighting escapades, or should I say icecapades?

After getting set up in a hotel and having some time to relax after their last fight, the group decides to head out and start patrolling the city for villains and ne'er-do-wells. However, before they can get to work, the nearby monorail breaks and the train flies off the tracks, causing damage to nearby power lines and creating all sorts of chaos. The team jumps into action, with Necromancer summoning up the shadows themselves to do his bidding, lifting the train back up onto the tracks as Demoana(?) and Beorn (bear guy) work to turn off the electrical grid, and Fahrenheit Myrmidon goes about putting out nearby fires, Fahrenheit with his powers, Myrmidon with his body.

After the situation is under control, the media is on the scene to interview this group of strange new heroes. The team follows Waller's instructions to not inform anyone of their government origins, and so remain somewhat tight lipped on the subject of their origins, though Fahrenheit comes up with some bizarre backstory featuring volcanoes and I think there was something about cursed tiki idol. Wasn't there something like that in the Brady Bunch? Anywho...

The citizens of Central City are relieved to see a group of heroes after so many have gone missing, and so the team decides that what they need to do is take out some high profile villains to better improve the people's morale. After following the crimes being committed by Flash's Rogues, they discover a pattern in the attacks, realizing that the next location to be hit will be the Flash Museum! In order to stop these nefarious.. nincompoops.. they stake the place out, preparing to spring a trap on their unsuspecting enemies.

While most of the team hides, Marathon (team loudmouth) decides to stand on the front steps in his garish yellow and red costume for everyone to see. The criminals arrive, their group consisting of Weather Wizard, Heat Wave, Tar Pit, and Captain Cold (I may be missing someone). However, only Weather Wizard seems to notice Marathon waiting for them, but before he can inform these ignorant individuals of their immediate and impending immolation, the team springs their trap. As they realize Weather Wizard is the only one aware of the trap, the team immediately gangs up on him, much to Weather Wizard's dismay.

The team makes short work of the group, even managing to stop Captain Cold from escaping with the help of his friend Mirror Master. With him in tow, the team begins the interrogation, discovering that this group of vile villains was hired to perform these crimes, perhaps as a distraction for some other abominable agenda. Captain Cold gives them the directions to their hideout and once the bad guys are in custody, the team takes off to investigate. What they find, however, is an empty warehouse. With no sign of Mirror Master, the group does some searching, but what they discover is that they're the ones who've been found. By a group of speed ninjas, that is.



Luckily, thanks to their ability to sense danger, the group is not caught too off guard, and they manage to make short work of the ninjas. But after interrogating one of these super speedy assassins, they discover that they are cultists of Savitar, one of Flash's Rogues. The cultist speaks of the 'Reckoning' but much of what he says is useless. The team ties up the cultists and calls for the authorities to collect them before heading out. On the way out, though, they are greeted by another team of super powered people, though this one is decidedly less.. heroic then their own.

With the help of Fahrenheit's somewhat unusual knowledge of superheroes and villains, they learn that this is a group of villains. Not just that, but a group of supposedly dead supervillains. However, Necromancer's finely tuned magical senses discover that they are not zombies. Apparently, this team was sent by Waller to do the 'clean up' on the less.. photogenic jobs. They're the team that does the dirty work, apparently. However, several of the team are not interested in handing over anyone to a group of supervillains.

Growing tired of this stand off, Mongul breaks away from his team to attack Myrmidon, and the two duke it out. Even though faced with the undisputed lord and master of War World, Myrmidon manages to hold his own, even bruising the alien conquerer before Task Force X can rein him in and take him away. With the authorities arriving to take care of the cultists, the team sets off to return to their hotel and prepare for the next day of crime fighting.

Recap to be continued...

Mood: Hungry

Music: 'Mystic Mind' by Those Darlins

Quote: "You can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can't save the people if you don't serve the people." - Cornel West

How The Hell Do I Recap All Of This?

Okay... So... Been a while since I posted last. Don't look at me that way, it's a pain in the ass to walk across town. Plus my Zune headphones broke and I hate walking without some music to distract me.

Anyway.. well, I guess I'll start with the most recent game:

The Shackled City (Pathfinder)

I've been in a Pathfinder game for over a month now, playing a Gnome Gunslinger named Fandango Galbraith Firebrand. Fandango, his brother Alastair (played by Ryan, a guy I game with frequently), and a wizened old halfling named Nathaniel Pennywhistle joined up with the current party whose names I can't for the life of me remember for which I apologize. Anyway, the party had been investigating goblin graffiti in a cave. Not exactly the most pressing adventure to be had, but it pays the bills.

Shortly after joining up, the group ran into a large number of goblins and had to fight. Sadly both Fandango and Alastair did a less than stellar job, partially due to guns jamming and due to low damage. Apparently small guns hurt less than normal sized guns. I always figured you've got about an equal chance being killed by a Derringer as you do by a Desert Eagle, but meh. We defeated the goblins, made use of their corpses as a wall, and hid behind it to get some rest.

However, that rest was interrupted when a Necromancer and his Tiefling friend showed up. Thanks to some rather mind numbing magic by Nathaniel, we were able to defeat the Necromancer and cause the Tiefling to run off. With a captured wizard, there was a great deal of discussion about what should be done with him. Some wanted to just kill him, others wanted to get the information he had and then cut his thumbs off, and a few (including Fandango) just wanted to find out what he knew and then send him on his way. We made short work of him, after all. It wasn't as though he was going to try and jump us later on just so he could get curb stomped a second time.

Venturing further into the caves, we found some rooms that had been built, most likely for the goblins and whoever they were serving. In our search, we inadvertently stumbled across the Tiefling woman again. She attacked, we beat her, and rather than go through another hour long party harangue about the ethics of torture, I shot her. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the good of the party.

But things did not go so well soonafter. While the party began searching the barracks, looking for anything of value, Alastair wandered away from the group to go scout out the caves. However, his search led him right into a group of angry orcs. When the party discovered he was missing, they found him dead, cleaved in twain by the murderous monsters. Fandango and the party slaughtered the orcs and their friends when they showed up, avenging Alastair's death. Fandango has been shaken by the experience, but attempts to keep it hidden, the full effect of what his brother's death had on him still unknown, even to himself.

After Fandango mourned the loss of his brother, and the party sort of mourned the loss of an acquaintance, they moved on, determined to be done with this god awful cave. They did find the other end of the cave, and with it, another Tiefling. However, this one proved to be less murderous than the last one. In fact, this Tiefling was a Paladin of Tyr! Yes, a very unexpected character. However, after the party fighter was convinced not to go on a killing spree, we continued onward in our exploration of the cave.

It didn't take long before our next fight. Spotting a goblin spying on us, Fandango rushed ahead of the group and shot the foul creature. It ran, naturally, and he gave chase, only to find that it had retreated back to the room of it's master a Bugbear. Fighting a Bugbear is scary enough because, as we all know, Bugbears are dangerous serial killers.



That was bad enough, but imagine our surprise when he turned out to be a vampire Bugbear!



With a throne that was actually some sort of undead Transformer (obviously a Decepticon) and aided by a group of goblin shamans who could heal them, it certainly looked to be a tough fight. However, with a paladin and two clerics, the odds were slightly in our favor. Fandango didn't get to do a whole lot of fighting, peeking around the door and taking pot shots at goblins, but the real hero of the fight was the wrinkled, old, Nathaniel Pennywhistle, who actually chased the vampire down as it went vaporous and attempted to escape.

With the vampire dead, its chair Carnage Destructicus slagged, and the goblins crushed, we looted the hell out of the place and left. Surprisingly, our eyes did not melt after having become adapted to living underground for so long. And once we hit town we sold the loot, bought some equipment (got myself a fancy new pistol and a shotgun!), and took a long deserved rest.

And that catches us back up. Stay tuned, as tomorrow I recap Earth 52, our DC Adventures game where I play Necromancer, a spellcaster that everyone thinks is a creepy, emo, serial killer.



Mood: Contented

Music: 'Teenage Kicks' Cover by the Bad Shepherds

Quote: "Truth goes out the door when rumor comes innuendo." - Groucho Marx

Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh.. girl..?

A lot of stuff has gone on recently but I simply haven't had a chance to hit the library and post any of it here, and for that I apologize. I will attempt to be more active with this blog for those who actually read it.. of which there are.. three? Huh.

Anyway, tonight is the Champions Chicago game, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to play again. This time I will be playing my new non-superpowered crimefighter, the Blackbird:



Yes, that's right, I'm playing a chick.

I have, in the recent past, dabbled in playing female characters. A few years ago I would have never made the attempt, but that was when I still held bizarre delusions that women were a strange and mysterious race that I could never hope to understand in all my years. But eventually, I think a person realizes that, for the most part, people are pretty much the same.

So, in summary, Champions tonight, pretending to be a woman for a few hours (hiyo!), will post recap tommorrow or the day after, whenever is better for my procrastinating nature.