Recent Posts
Thought I'd ask you guys this. I've had a query approved for an 1800 word article in Kobold Quarterly and was wondering if any of you might be interested in giving it a read and critiquing it? Here in the Junction don't realy have too many gamers to fly it by. I believe I have most of your emails so if you're interested let me know and I'll send it on to you. I should submit the article in a week. Thanks in advance.
Have you made any changes to it since the draft I saw? Oh, and send to Twiceborn, I'm sure he'd like to see it, whether he has time to comment or not...
that reminds me, i gotta get off my lazy ass and send in some artwork to KQ. i needs money lol
Those kobolds like all gaming magazines have big fat bags of money. Yep. They do. I'm sure of it. I realized that I don't have your email address. If you can post that I'll send the draft on to you. Thanks!
Have you made any changes to it since the draft I saw? Oh, and send to Twiceborn, I'm sure he'd like to see it, whether he has time to comment or not...Thought I'd ask you guys this. I've had a query approved for an 1800 word article in Kobold Quarterly and was wondering if any of you might be interested in giving it a read and critiquing it? Here in the Junction don't realy have too many gamers to fly it by. I believe I have most of your emails so if you're interested let me know and I'll send it on to you. I should submit the article in a week. Thanks in advance.
I haven't made any significant changes to the draft aside from those grammatical mistakes you spotted. As for rules re strange minerals like necrophax (which is entirely made up) though I think its a good idea and would have mentioned them in the query if they had existed in my original draft when I submitted the query. I'm wary of adding them in there now as it is outside of the parameters of the query I sent to KQ. I'm sure that my callback submission for the Gamemastery Open Call last year suffered as I deviated from my original proposal. That and KQ does not seem to be averse to articles entirely free of mechanical elements (thus skirting that whole edition war issue). Not sure if its the right decision...
stoopidstick@yahoo.comthat reminds me, i gotta get off my lazy ass and send in some artwork to KQ. i needs money lolThose kobolds like all gaming magazines have big fat bags of money. Yep. They do. I'm sure of it. I realized that I don't have your email address. If you can post that I'll send the draft on to you. Thanks!
not really sure how to go about sending in work, do i just send in a bunch of previous unpublished peices i have? i dont know the first thing about computer aided artwork, all my stuff is old school pen and ink, and maybe a little watercolor.
stoopidstick@yahoo.comthat reminds me, i gotta get off my lazy ass and send in some artwork to KQ. i needs money lolThose kobolds like all gaming magazines have big fat bags of money. Yep. They do. I'm sure of it. I realized that I don't have your email address. If you can post that I'll send the draft on to you. Thanks!
not really sure how to go about sending in work, do i just send in a bunch of previous unpublished peices i have? i dont know the first thing about computer aided artwork, all my stuff is old school pen and ink, and maybe a little watercolor.
If you haven't already see Submission Guidelines. Artist details are at the bottom of the page. Sounds like you should just send in a query.
Hey Brendan, read the article... very nice. I did notice the small mention of the necromantic stuff, but I think it works well within the context. Overall, I liked the article (I personally would have liked some mechanics, maybe even just for the necro-stone?) and it makes for some interesting adventure hooks.
...if Vlad's the face, the rest of us don't need to have manners...True, and I think Ragnarr is taking that statement and running for a few miles with it. In his own, rather charming, way. Sort of like a dog that pees on your best carpet.
:-)
Sorry, haven't checked the discussion thread in a while... but that's hilarious!
-- X
Have you made any changes to it since the draft I saw? Oh, and send to Twiceborn, I'm sure he'd like to see it, whether he has time to comment or not...Thought I'd ask you guys this. I've had a query approved for an 1800 word article in Kobold Quarterly and was wondering if any of you might be interested in giving it a read and critiquing it? Here in the Junction don't realy have too many gamers to fly it by. I believe I have most of your emails so if you're interested let me know and I'll send it on to you. I should submit the article in a week. Thanks in advance.
Yes, please do send it to me... xcattarinich (at) hotmail (dot) com. Anything in there I can use against Eric in our Midnight campaign? ;-)
I want to let everyone know that I will be out of town for a few days vacationing. I will not have access to these boards while away, but will return Tuesday May 26. Until then, I place Kveldulf's fate in the hands of our capable GM.
Many Thanks. Hope everyone has a fun and happy American holiday weekend. You guys should go have fun despite the fact that most of you are Canadian. :P
I want to let everyone know that I will be out of town for a few days vacationing. I will not have access to these boards while away, but will return Tuesday May 26. Until then, I place Kveldulf's fate in the hands of our capable GM.
Many Thanks. Hope everyone has a fun and happy American holiday weekend. You guys should go have fun despite the fact that most of you are Canadian. :P
Sounds good. Have fun. Well us Canucks just had our long weekend venerating the monarchy (Victoria Day). That said I will hopefully be enjoying the american holiday weekend as well down in Haines Alaska for their Beerfest. <cue jokes re american beer>
Alas, I was not able to go down to Haines this weekend. So I'll have to raise a flagon of canadian beer instead.
Also like to thank those that provided me with feedback on the article. I sent it in today so we'll see. I thought much about adding mechanic stuff for the mystical minerals and did write up three examples but just couldn't shoehorn it in and wasn't sure if it was the best idea given the query outline. Well if not I've got another query in the works if I have time.
Question about the consensus on XP. Do people want me to dole it out the old-fashioned way with a few ad-hoc rewards here and there or are people all right with the little more fluid 'you all level up now' approach. Also as things progress I'm not averse to awarding bonus stuff like skill ranks or who knows if you all become lords gain a level of aristo or something to that effect. Anyways, thought I'd garner your thoughts/preferences.
I'm a little more inclined to the story-based way we've been doing it, but I figured you were just keeping track of our experience points until they meant something. Either way, I think it's been going reasonably fluidly, happening 'off-camera' so to speak after we bunk down for the night or finish a quest... so it's not feeling forced or artificial.
I'm a little more inclined to the story-based way we've been doing it, but I figured you were just keeping track of our experience points until they meant something. Either way, I think it's been going reasonably fluidly, happening 'off-camera' so to speak after we bunk down for the night or finish a quest... so it's not feeling forced or artificial.
Sounds good and yes that was basically what I had been doing loosely tracking xp up until the encounters at Thorolf's. Only a hazy idea of how much xp they are. Well from the others sounds good I'll just keep doing that.
Hey Wyrd,
Sorry I wasn't able to provide feedback on your query -- good luck with it! I love the idea!
That having been said, I probably won't be able to post until Wednesday or Thursday night, at the earliest. I'll also be away from May 29 - June 1. NPC me as necessary!
Sorry for the inconvenience!
Went rafting on the Kicking Horse River.Gentlemen, I will have limited opportunity/ability to post over the weekend. Going out of province for a wedding... and white water rafting.Have fun. Wasn't able to post until today so no matter there. Whereabouts you rafting?
Oooo, my brothers went there shortly after I got married. Sounds like it's fun. P.S. remind me to show you my wedding album next time I see you... Pirates!
Pirates??? You were dressed as pirates for your wedding? Were there any dinosaur-riding vampire ninja pirates? ;-)
Oooo, my brothers went there shortly after I got married. Sounds like it's fun. P.S. remind me to show you my wedding album next time I see you... Pirates!
Naw, it was Banff, just busses of Asian tourists. Also, when we were on a rented bus headed for the gardens, we nearly caused a cyclist to run into a sign... good times...
Naw, it was Banff, just busses of Asian tourists. Also, when we were on a rented bus headed for the gardens, we nearly caused a cyclist to run into a sign... good times...Pirates??? You were dressed as pirates for your wedding? Were there any dinosaur-riding vampire ninja pirates? ;-)
Oooo, my brothers went there shortly after I got married. Sounds like it's fun. P.S. remind me to show you my wedding album next time I see you... Pirates!
And we did stir fear in the heart of golf-fans leaving the tournament. If I recall rightly they did call the RCMP. Good times.
As promised quite awhile ago some write-up on Brattahlid, Halfdeane etc. For your perusal:
BRATTAHLID
At the mouth of the wide Anjor fjord, the cold waters of the Scouring Sea crash against the jagged black rocks of the Mosfell coast. Dark figures of weathered sea stacks jut out amidst the shallows like a line of mournful towers. Here and there, dull gray growlers, calved from the nearby Hofsjokull glacier float out from the fjord to be tossed to and fro by the swelling waves. In the shallow bays and inlets of the coast, stand the frames of worn fishing weirs and the shores are dotted by fishermen’s huts. Walrus-skinned currachs lie moored to crude wharves that rest nearby.
Behind the rocky kelp-strewn shoreline, the bare, brown hills of the southern coast rise steeply climbing up into the foggy alpine heights of the Krebnekaise Mountain. Amidst this titanic landscape of mountain and sea, perched atop a heath, lays the town of Brattahlid. The town’s wooden halls, stave temple and sodden-roofed houses crouch behind a high palisade wall. Plumes of wood smoke float up from the houses’ stone chimneys warming the occupants against the chill, damp sea-air. It is a harsh and wind-swept place but nonetheless it is home to the hardy settlers and followers of Lord Halfdeane.
Overlooking this stark landscape, Halfdeane’s stronghold, the Järnmur or Ironwall, stands nestled on a high alpine crest of the Krebnekaise, in the shadow of that mountain’s snow-capped summit. A road from Brattahlid ascends the slopes in a series of switchbacks, and after spanning a yawning crevice over a narrow bridge, reaches the imposing gates of the mountain fortress. The fortification extends in a half-circle from the side of the mountain enclosing an impressive hall built of heavy solid timbers on a stone foundation. Gouged out of the mountainside lies a vast quarry dotted by the mouths of tunnels bored into the rock. The shafts plummet downward into sunless depths where Halfdeane’s miners toil to tear the earth’s wealth from the bowels of the mountain.
HISTORY
Brattahlid was originally a monastic settlement founded by an order of aesthetes known as the Navigators who emigrated from the kingdom of Aran to the far south. The monks believed themselves to be pilgrims on a journey to the lands beyond the ends of the earth. Here at Brattahlid, they waited for generations, maintaining vigil for propitious signs and portents that would herald the path of their final exodus. The arrival of walrus-hunters and other far-farers from the old lands indicated to the monks that it was time to make their departure. Most of the brethren headed out to the violent seas around the mysterious land of Thule never to be seen or heard from again. A few unready for this final pilgrimage stayed on the island but retreated deep into the interior of the island seeking solitude in the wilderness. A few scattered rumours and tales tell of strange monks or shape-changing druids that live in the forests and swamps. As colonists settled the new island all that was found of the anchorites were but a few derelict stone ruins and abandoned hermitages.
The skald tells that two centuries ago, Ingolfr Wind-hammer, a brave warrior led a cadre of mercenaries in the service of the Tsar of Rus. They fought many bloody battles on the steppes and rivers of that distant land, until Ingolfr offended the powerful Dozbeh family, who were a potent faction in the Tsar’s court. Disgraced and forced to flee, Ingolfr’s band sailed to Norvanbard and decided to explore the unsettled areas of the island. A great storm blew his ships upon the rocks of the Mosfell coast. Ingolfr and his men stumbled ashore where they discovered the abandoned stone huts of the anchorites. Cold, wet and weary, they made camp for the night waiting for the storm to abate. During the night, the band was haunted by specters of the monks that had died waiting in vain for their strange god’s sign. Brave Ingolfr confronted these ghosts and made a solemn vow that their monastery would not be disturbed as long as his heirs ruled Brattahlid. The spirits were appeased and in their thanks told him of the secret wealth buried in the mountain. Ever since, the ruins outside of town have been held taboo. Many believe if Ingolfr’s pledge is ever broken a terrible fate would fall upon the town. To this day, on certain nights of the year, eerie witchlights can be seen and mournful cries rise up from the blasted ruins.
Discovering the land and waters to be promising for settlement and tantalized by the ghost’s words of great wealth Ingolfr ordered his high-seat pillars to be carried to the mountain’s crest where they were raised directly below the peaks. In only a few years Brattahlid flourished, as others came from the old lands to establish farms or work in the Mountain Lord’s new mines where great veins of iron and gold were discovered. Ingolfr was greatly pleased by this prosperity. However, the vindictive Dozbeh sent mercenaries to destroy Ingolfr and his fledgling colony. A terrible battle followed. The defenders triumphed but only after the loss of many lives including Ingolfr’s wife, Edla who bravely defended the village and rallied the colonists when all seemed lost. A statue of Edla stands before a small shrine that overlooks the beach. Offerings are made to her spirit every year on the anniversary of the battle.
After the battle, Wind-Hammer ordered his fortress of stone to be built around his hall. Hundreds of locals and masons from the south were hired at great expense to fashion this impregnable mountain stronghold. Since, the line of Järnmur has continued down to its last surviving member, Lord Halfdeane.
BRATTAHLID KEY LOCATIONS
1.Skeppsvarv: Situated on an inlet sheltered by the lichen-stained cliffs of the cape lies a small warren, home to fishermen, sea-moss gatherers, sailors and Brattahlid’s modest shipyards. The district offers berth for various merchant vessels and warships. The piers and shipyards are patrolled vigilantly and a high tower upon the cape keeps a lookout for enemy raids. Outside of these areas, the Skeppsvarv at night has a reputation for danger and violence as many scoundrels and thieves can be found in the warren’s seedy mead-halls and brothels or lying in wait to waylay unwary passersby on the dark narrow streets.
1A.The Skibsnisse: The most notorious mead-hall in the Skeppsvarv is a ramshackle collection of buildings roofed by the frames of old currachs. The hall is named after the mercurial fey spirit said to sometimes live onboard ships. Gruff sailors come here to cast bones, hear stories or amuse themselves by baiting Old Growl, an aged but vicious polar-bear kept in captivity. The Skibsnisse’s proprietor is a comely Permian woman known only as Vellamo nicknamed after the cold-hearted sea-goddess of her distant homeland. Her history is shrouded in mystery. Most believe she was a former slave captured in a raid decades ago that somehow gained her freedom. Many of the old mariners hint darkly that she savagely murdered the family that owned her by burning down their homestead. She is well known for her iciness and many sailors swear she has arcane powers capable of hypnotizing or even paralyzing men when she speaks in her strange native tongue.
1B Shipyard: Here timbers gathered from the Darkmoon Vale outside of Raudurfoss are brought to the shipwrights for the construction of splendid longships and knorrs. Timber for homes and other construction are often unloaded here too for trading. A squad of trusted men is always posted to keep close watch on the shipyard and docks. Ketil Nailtooth, Lord Halfdeane’s new head shipwright is a dedicated if curmudgeonly carpenter. Ketil was once the head shipwright in Stromsund until he fell afoul of Sihtric’s men and was sold into slavery. The carpenter managed to escape and now serves Halfdeane eager for his ships to extract his revenge.
1C. The Hovels: On the westbank of the creek is a rundown area of cramped boggy streets and ramshackle huts, some assembled only of driftwood, that hold the residences of poor fishermen, sea-moss gatherers and luckless mariners too old or wounded to sail. It is a rough neighborhood troubled by disease, thieves and outlaws waiting to stow aboard departing ships. A few beggars and fishermen whisper of strange rats that roam the streets and alleys of the Hovels. The rats seem to possess a preternatural intelligence. Dogs have been disappearing from the Hovels and some even claim that the legless sailor, Big Grettir who died last month was devoured by these rats as he slept.
2.CRAFTSMAN’S WARD: Behind the palisade walls a small quarter is home to the various craftsmen and their shops and stalls. Brattahlid boasts a diverse amount of tradesmen including carpenters, masons, sailmakers and others. The homes are simple but comfortable affairs.
2A. The Skua: For those seeking a hearty meal in good company, the Skua is a well-reputed eatery and small inn run by the Vokler family who has lived in Brattahlid for generations. The Skua is famed for its fresh fish such as herring, char, and haddock. For those wishing to prove their hardiness and strength, the Voklers serve a plate of hákarl (rotten shark meat) which is chased down with a flagon of brennivín (‘burning wine’). This is a common rite of initiation for young sailors bound on their first trip or for unfortunates who lost friendly wagers. Other commonly enjoyed repasts include hangikjöt (smoked lamb), seal or whale cutlets, puffin, skua eggs, dried seaweed and various wild berries. The Skua is also well known for its soft skyr (a type of cheese) and fresh but rich dark rye bread nicknamed brumar (‘thunderbread’) for its tendency to give bad gas for those that consume it in excess. The bread is baked in wooden casks buried at a nearby hot-spring each morning. The lodgings at the Skua are fair but certainly not fancy.
2B. The Viygun: On the far side of town lies the largest and oldest forge of Brattahlid. The foundry is almost a quarter in its own right as the ore is brought down from the mountains to be traded or crafted. A small band of metalsmiths, armourers and laborers work and live in the forges and the blow of hammers on anvils and the hiss of fire and steam ring from dawn till dusk. These smiths are also trained fighters. The Viygun was named after Ingolfr’s friend and master swordmaker and it has long held a legendary reputation for the quality of its arms and armour. Apprenticeships to the Viygun are highly sought after by young, enterprising smiths. The Master Smith is the stern Lovisa Tyrggvasdottir, a farmer’s daughter who became determined to be a smith. She rose from a humble apprentice to her current rank and is considered by many to be the finest swordmaker in Norvanbard. Her husband died in the battle at Krakenvik and she has sworn that it will be a sword of her making that will end Sihtric’s reign.
In addition to the Viygun, a few other independent forges are located nearby. Most of these feed demand for mundane items such as tools, chain and the like. Also a few farriers and stables can be found in this quarter.
4. Farmland: Most of Brattahlid’s populace lives outside the town proper. The lands that line the shores of the Anjor fjord possess fertile soil and grazing land is widely available. The farmers grow hardy vegetables such as cabbage and turnip. A few fields support barley and oats. The alpine and woods are rich with crowberry and huckleberry. Wild mushrooms, rhubarb and some types of lichen also supplement the farmer’s crops. Sheep are the most numerous livestock though a few well-to do farmers boast cattle. Horses bred in Mosfell are renowned for their strength and stamina. Numerous farmsteads can be seen from the waters to the end of the fjord where the Hofsjokull Glacier tumbles down the mountainside into the sea.
3.Edla’s Shrine: A small shrine overlooks the bleak coast where a weathered wooden statue of a comely warrior-maiden bearing shield and spear stares out vigilantly upon the water. Numerous offerings are laid at her feet.
4.The Kloster: A crumbling heap of mortar and stone topped with a dilapidated tower. The Monastery of the Navigators is shunned by the locals fearful of calling down the ghost’s curse.
5.Rykkatjärn: Half a mile from Brattahlid up the slopes of the mountain amidst a rocky stretch of immense glacial boulders and curious looking hoodoos clouds of damp steam rise up in the air from a large pool of bubbling hot sulphurous water. The Rykkatjärn is a favored local waterhole for bathers particularly in the cold winter months.
The Järnmur
Crouched atop the Krebnekaise like a massive and immovable rock, is the famed fortress of the Mountain-Lords of Brattahlid. Here behind the strong stone walls, Halfdeane houses his warriors and followers. In the courtyard and the halls, youth are trained in the arts of war by veteran Vikings. The fighters of Jarnmur are respected warriors across Norvanbard and to the south. In the good times under King Thorvann, the Jarnmur was a festive place of tournaments, feasts and rough revelry. Since the death of the King and the disastrous battle at Krakenvik, the Jarnmur is a dour place of frayed tempers and wary vigilance. Soldiers are drilled and machines of war readied. Halfdeane’s forces though battered by their loss remain defiant to the last.
KEY LOCATIONS
1.The Brygga: Stout and heavy timbers form a one-lane bridge that spans a seemingly bottomless crevice that splits deep into the Krebnekaise. During the day, carts loaded with ore and driven by domesticated musk-oxen roll over the bridge down to the Foundry. A guardhouse controls traffic over the bridge.
2.Battlements: The famous walls of the Jarnmur, hewn of great stone blocks stand seemingly immovable as if they were part of the mountain itself. The walls range nearly twenty feet in height. Scaffold platforms of wood sit behind the crenellated battlements where ballistae and mangonels rest waiting to be called into action. The gate is made of heavy Waleska timber banded with iron making it virtually impervious to battering rams. Any army foolish enough to assault these walls head-on would meet only with bitter and bloody ruin.
3.Yard: Behind the gates a wide open stretch of ground lays. This yard has been used for festivities, tournaments and is often a drilling ground for the Järnmur’s soldiers.
4.Great Hall: Ingolfr erected a palatial hall raised upon stone foundations of the same great cyclopean blocks as his walls. A wide ramped causeway lead up to the palatial hall crowned by three staved towers. A central feasting hall serves as Halfdeane’s court. The east and west ends provide quarters for the Lord’s family and esteemed followers and guests.
5.Barracks: Around the perimeter of the yard stand sturdy wooden-framed cottages with sodden-roofs that serve as the simple barracks for Halfdeane’s men. The houses have little luxury but the cots are clean and the barracks remain warm in the winter months.
6.Stables: At the rear of the stronghold are several thatch-roofed stables where Halfdeane’s fine horses are lodged.
7.The Cairns: Upon the death of Ingolfr Wind-hammer his body was brought up to the summit of the mountain where it was raised on an immense funeral pyre. Since then, it has been tradition that the Mountain-Lords are burned on this peak. Several large cairns serve as shrines dedicated to the memory of each Lord that has ruled the Järnmur. On a clear day these markers are visible from the sea.
8.The Quarry: A great pit has been gouged out from the rock of the mountain here. Several tunnels lead down from the quarry into the mines. Piles of ore stand ready to be brought down the mountain. Halfdeane’s mines are run under the careful eye of Brack nicknamed by the miners, as “Lord of Under-Mountain”. Brack is a stern taskmaster but treats his men, even the thralls well. He has risked his own life numerous times in rescuing injured miners. Brack’s family has held this post since the days of Ingolfr. Recently, Brack has been worried as several miners have mysteriously disappeared in a new section of the mine.
NOTABLE PERSONS
Lord Halfdeane, Last of the Mountain-Lords
A short but muscular man with thick corded arms and a stout barrel-chest, Halfdeane is typically clad in a suit of ring mail draped over by the shaggy pelt of a musk-ox. His weather-worn face is framed by a mane of gray hair and a flowing beard. Halfdeane’s skin has a leathery look from years of sun on the mountains and the open sea. Below his furrowed brow, a pair of piercing brown eyes gazes outwards. His appearance, manner and quick strength earned him the nickname the Mountain Goat in his youth and it has stuck ever since.
Lord Halfdeane disdains the regal trappings of a noble Lord wearing only a plain headband of iron that marks him as the monarch of the Järnmur. Halfdeane was an indomitable warrior, the veteran of countless campaigns but age has taken its toll. He is no longer the champion he once was but his force of will burns as bright as ever. On the throne, he bears a regal manner but in the company of warriors on a ship or in camp, the Mountain Goat reverts to his old rough ways with an easy manner.
Brego the Ranger
Brego is Halfdeane’s oldest friend and adviser. Where Halfdeane is brash and blunt, Brego is subtle, diplomatic and calculated. Brego sticks out in the Mountain-Lord’s court as he is an unusually tall man with a clean-shaven face and short receding brown hair. Brego bears a dour countenance most days lately as he continues to gather reports from his scouts and spies regarding Sihtric’s activities in Vesturmark.
Fridr, Priestess of Frigga and Hildr, Priestess of Odin
The two sister priestesses of Brattahlid are both striking women who appear to be in their mid twenties. The sisters are a study in contrasts. Fridr is a striking figure with long golden hair, a comely face set by a pair of luminous almond-shaped eyes, fine cheekbones and red lips. Her velvety voice has an almost musical quality to it as she speaks and her singing and harp-playing is reckoned to the finest in Brattahlid though it is often strained with a deep melancholy of ages past and lands lost. Fridr maintans an elegant stave-temple dedicated to Frigga and Odin that rises up above the low sodden roofed buildings of Brattahlid. The temple provides religious services and is also an infirmary. Fridr is a well-reputed mid-wife and healer.
Where Fridr is known for her serene disposition, Hildr is a fiery and strident woman-warrior with little of the grace and sophistication of her sister. Hildr, is a priestess to Odin and a swordswoman of no small talent. Her hair has some of the golden of Fridr but tends to a strawberry hue which she keeps shorn and short. Her face is lightly freckled, with a hawk-like nose. She bears the same luminous eyes of her sister but they smolder with a determined intensity and positively shine with blood-lust in battle. In the summer and fall months, Hildr holds ceremonies and services to honour Odin on a hilltop outside of Brattahlid amidst a ring of cairns. In the winter, the two sisters share the stave-temple in town.
Several rumours are shared of the sisters in the taverns and halls of the Järnmur. Many point out the sister’s uncanny youthful appearance despite their age. Not a few have whispered of strange blood in their family. The sisters came to Brattahlid in the early days of Halfdeane’s reign from the forests deep in the island where they pledged their services to the Mountain-Lord. Halfdeane has great respect for the counsel of both of the sisters and their presence greatly improves the morale of his men.
Bragi Boddason, Skald
After escaping captivity in Sihtric’s dungeons in Stromsund, The blind skald, Bragi Boddason has made his home in Brattahlid. A white haired man with wrinkled and worn face Bragi is a famed skald who has travelled far and wide through Norvanbard and even to the lands of Thule. Through his journeys he has acquired much lore of the gods, fey spirits and the giants of the Blackstone Mountains. His skill in composing drapa and his love for riddles is well known. Bragi lived in Thorvann Haraldson's court until the war and after publicly denouncing Sihtric and his sorcerer Carloman Bragi was arrested and awaited execution. The wily skald escaped his captors and stowed away with a band of fishermen who arranged for his passage to Brattahlid. Since his arrival the skald has conferred with Halfdeane in private but otherwise remains in private seclusion.
Brand, the Mad Outlaw
A sizeable bounty has been offered for the head of Brand, the Mad Outlaw. Brand was a veteran Viking raider who had tried his hand at settling down, holding a farm, and building a family. However, his boorish manner and quick temper soon brought him into conflict with his neighbours who disliked the braggart from the beginning. After a drunken argument over a broken fence and missing sheep, Brand clubbed his neighbour to death and burned his house to the ground. Halfdeane sent some of his men into the mountains to pursue the murderer but they were found dead hurled from a cliff a few days later. Since, Brand has made occasional raids on farms and property. He is believed to be hiding in the alpine on the east side of the Anjor fjord. Halfdeane has offered a bounty of 1000gp to the men who bring him in dead or alive.
OK, after some research, I was thinking... "Hraustiglr", meaning 'Dauntless' in Old Norse, apparently. I like to personalize it, and I like the idea of a blade that's not afraid to hit hard things.
That said.. what's it count as- adamantium? (Hmm... Improved Sunder)
The black mithral gives the blade the same properties as adamantium and cold iron.
Hey there all hope everyone's enjoying their summer. Its almost a little too summer-ish up here. Friggin hot for the Yukon. I wanted to let you guys know I'll be out camping from Fri to Tues (a long, long weekend). Also thought I'd check in and see if the pace is all right with people. It seems a little slowish on this encounter. Are people OK or should I try to speed things up? (ie. if action isn't posted w/in a day I'll post an action for that character. I've been a little reluctant to do this sometimes so)
I have both a Paizo brand Critical Hit and Critical Fumble deck for the game's use if you'd like. I could draw a card and report the results for each such instance.
Yeah, I have them too, and the suggestion came up a while ago... but I think it was concluded that drawing cards would just slow things down too much in a PbP (unless Wyrd had the decks, which I don't believe he does). In a PbP, I'm honestly neutral on whether we use critical fumbles or not.
I do actually have both the Critical hit and fumble decks. I have mixed feelings on them. Most of the time as a player or even as a DM running monsters I would rather just take the double damage for crit than most of the results in the deck. As for the fumbles again a bit mixed on them. However, if the consensus is let's use the deck than I'll crack them out and leave em by my computer desk.
What's your take?
On another matter just thought I'd query it. Is there any interest in converting to PF or should we just stick to what we got? I have been steadily reading over the pdf. Just wanted to gauge interest. I'm fine with 3.5, though admittedly somewhat curious to try out PF.
Also, well I'm posting here just a heads up. I will be moving to Vancouver at the end of the month flying out of here on the 30th. After three years of working as an Education Asst up here decided to get my B.Ed. Hopefully coming back here or somewhere in the north as a full teacher after the 12 month program. I'm not sure how long it will be until I get my new place hooked up for internet so there might be a hiatus for the 1st week of September.
I'll probably be unable to post from Sept. 4 - 19 or so -- will first be backpacking here in the Rockies, and then along west coast of Vancouver Island. I might have a very brief window where I can post between Sept. 7-8, but we'll see...
Eric/Dorvarr correctly observed during our tabletop games that PCs whose weapons have weapons (e.g., halberd) that do triple or higher damage on a crit tend to get shafted by the cards, which seldom do more than double damage + effect, and frequently normal damage + effect (and drawing additional cards does little to remedy this). We have house-ruled that weapons with higher crit multipliers add one to what is indicated on the card.
We've been using the critical fumble cards as written -- they can be pretty deadly though.
I'm happy either way, with cards or without... though if we use cards, I would love to draw my own (don't worry, I won't cheat).
As for PFRPG vs. 3.5... I'm happy either way, there as well. If we do play PFRPG, I am fine with Davi's suggestion that we wait until the release of the cavalier (and think a conversion should occur when we level).
Cheers!
Hey all. I wanted to add that the crit hit and miss decks are fun, I use them in my table top games but could leave them or take them here. It doesn't really matter.
As for conversion to the PFRPG, I'm all for it. I've been an avid beta tester for the past year and am a proud owner of the rules these days. I'm fine with continuing to use 3.5 for our games, but converting to PFRPG would definitely be a cherry on top.