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as a former bank employee, I can tell you someone got written up over this unless their name or account number is very close to yours.So more fun with the banks.
Last night I received an email from the investment bank I used to have accounts with, long long ago, informing me that the funds from my deposit were now available. The only problem was, I hadn't *made* a deposit.
It took some digging on their website to get to the place where you can see a scanned image of checks and discover that they had transposed the number of some other woman's account and deposited five grand that belonged to her in my account instead.
This morning when I phoned the company, it took three different people twenty minutes to locate the account the funds were supposed to go into, even after I gave them her name and spelled it for them. I heard "Thank you for bringing this to our attention" more than once.
This makes me really nervous.
Is there a chance that it was actually the fault of the other person who misfiled her account number? Apparently one of my acquaintances did this, which not helped to diminish already abound number of references to her fitting the blonde stereotype running around friends.
Cannot do much of anything on the site. Cannot read old posts. Cannot favorite things. Cannot post... except maybe this time? Aaaggghh!
/riot?
Narfell would be the wisest choice.
No wait, Golarion would be the wisest choice.
Freehold does seem to know Forgotten Realms quite well...
when your favorite authors write for the setting until they get their own world, you learn a lot. Also FR is f~**ing omnipresent.
Which author?
Richard Lee Byers and Paul Kemp.
Need to see what they're up to these days.
Do you know?
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Paul Kemp is writing a book series called Egil and Nix, and he released a Star Wars book in 2015.
Richard Lee Byers, at least according to Wikipedia, last had a book published in 2013.
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Gods. As I think I mentioned, our bathtub drain has been clogged since Saturday. After multiple futile attempts to clear it, I went under the house and discovered a cluster-**** of rusted-together pipes, meaning I couldn't do anything there, either.
Since my usual plumbing company didn't even bother to return my calls or e-mails (I guess they didn't want my business any more), I held my nose and called Roto Rooter. I've never used them before, but I have a strong dislike of all chains, since they tend to give you the worst-possible service for the highest-possible price.
So, $272/hour with a 1-hour minimum, just to clear my bathtub drain. I checked Amazon, and a professional-quality motorized snake is $600. I have to use my judgement and say, "We don't have space to store a motorized snake, and we wouldn't use it more than once a decade anyway, so no."
But wow. The local place is a $171 minimum. Having Roto Rooter be over $100 more expensive just for coming out is... painful. On the other hand, from asking for an appointment to getting a callback was under 5 minutes, and the guy's supposed to be here in under 2 hours. So in terms of promptness of service and convenience, they rival Amazon in terms of, "Get me this here right now!"
On the bright side, social media means that if the guy intentionally dawdles to run the time over an hour, or does a bunch of stupid stuff that doesn't clear the drain, I'll let the world know loudly and clearly.
Crossing my fingers that someone competent shows up this afternoon.
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A word of warning - if the pipes below are terribly rusty, the work might be more complicated than one hour. Or get more complicated if the motor snake bursts the eroded pipe.
I had plumbing replaced in late '15, after sixty or seventy years. Once the pieces of wall were removed and the pipes exposed, they were crumbling when strongly pressed.
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Should I get pre-order of Kingmaker or not?
...
...
Decisions, decisions...
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A word of warning - if the pipes below are terribly rusty, the work might be more complicated than one hour. Or get more complicated if the motor snake bursts the eroded pipe.
I had plumbing replaced in late '15, after sixty or seventy years. Once the pieces of wall were removed and the pipes exposed, they were crumbling when strongly pressed.
We've got $20,000 set aside to rebuild the entire bathroom later this year, so if he blows up the pipes it'll just accelerate our rebuilding efforts...
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Well, if it is on the list anyway, carry on!
Though you may or may not want to let him know that :D
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Should I get pre-order of Kingmaker or not?
...
...
Decisions, decisions...
I would, except for the medical bills that are coming in from Aiymi's hospital stay.
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Roto Rooter Review:
So... I have to say, *if* you can afford Roto Rooter, I'm darned impressed.
But that's one of the most expensive plumbing jobs I've ever paid for. And I manage TWO houses!
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Wrath of The Righteous in Forgotten Realms? Where have you placed the Worldwound and how does it work there (if differently than the original Golarion Worldwound)?
My first thought was somewhere near old Narfell, because of the old demon-binder wars against there.
Freehold does seem to know Forgotten Realms quite well...Narfell would be the wisest choice.
No wait, Golarion would be the wisest choice.
Heh: I put it in the Anauroch. I suggested the Spellplague when combined with the eradication of the Sharnwall and phaeramm life drain magics was the cause of a horrendous power surge and break reality and WHAT THE HECK AUTOCORRECT LET ME TYPE; anyway, I applied the World Wound effect to the Anauroch. The Shadovar survived and maintained a small empire; they were, in fact, instrumental in sealing the desert with wyrdstones - shadowy black obylisks and dolmens that cause bad things to happen to fiends that get near them or pass through the (rather hazy) border they represent. That, elven high magic, and a major sacrifice by good folk sealed the desert. A crusade has been going on for 200 years ever since.
The Zhents have kept a viable trade road through the place (not with the fiends, of course, but just collecting stuff going through), and have this become kind of critical allies. The desert opens up to hell, the abyss, and any fiendish realm in between. Hi goblins thrive and we’ve devios, while others serve demons. Etc.
To be "fair" to Narfell, I did actually use their artifacts (along side the shadovar archmagic and elven high magic), several celestials and a selection of Rashemi, Imaskari artificers, and Red Wizard binder-style specialists via connections with the Moonsea (specifically, Thayan connections to Mulmaster and Hillsfar allowed for recruitment of the binding specialists who helped hunt down Narfellian artifiacts, while lore made from our various table top games meant that the Border Forest had a few quasi-divine figures with strong ties to Rashemen). While the ex-Thayans the Hathran definitely hated each other, they really didn't want to get eaten by demons or devils (or yugoloths or oberyths or qlippoths or...).
Actually, the Zhent-associated orcs of the Ride and Tortured Lands (secretly supported by the fey, half-giants, and svirfneblin of the Border Forest) to the north of the Moonsea were really instrumental in fighting off the invading hobgoblins from the north, holding out long enough that the Vaasaan/Damaran crusaders (the army was from Damara, but many Vaasans were swept up along with them) were able to bring the Nar artifacts (the crusaders brought the artifacts, then shipped them through the Zhents while they joined the orcs in the "Crusade of the Broken Shield" - the shield being the orcs and damarans). Most surviving orc heroes had subsequently moved to Many-Arrows (when that nation made a universal call for "orc heroes"), but the region is now inhabited mostly by descendants from Zhent orcs, and Damaran/Vaasan crusaders (who never really went home, as they suddenly had a metric ton of orc "noncombatants" to care for). It unfortunately never developed into a full-fledged "civilization" due to more or less spurning from the Zhentarim and - by association, but mostly incidentally, rather than intentionally - the rest of the Moonsea (especially when the Zhents had a falling out with the churches of both Cyric and Bane, meaning they couldn't keep up their "north orc" project anymore), but the "orcin" (mostly half-human/half-orc) tribes have created a large patchwork of internal rules, and have created a functioning (if broadly seen as "primitive") society that's actually quite stable, and provides badly needed cover to the north of the Anauroch. They are also mostly are ignored/forgotten by the other crusaders, because they are so remote.
The border forest has literal (if extremely minor) gods guarding it, so, there's that.
The Zhents are mostly just in it for that sweet, sweet cash, and they process goods that most others can't, and manage to trade across via the "black road" - basically a series of "acquired" (stolen) wardstones they've arranged across the desert in the semi-viable trade routes: it's still stupidly dangerous, but the wealth inherent in processing the stuff the crusaders either acquire or leave behind for enterprising Zhents to scoop up is good enough that the Zhentarim just don't care. Also, it helps fund the crusades, since Zhents buy stuff that they can't and won't ever use. Also, also, it allows the Zhents to skirt by the empire of Shade, and thus gain another exotic trading partner.
The crusader states, are, unfortunately suuuuuuuuuuuuuper disorganized. They have a nominal (and quite popular) queen (Galfrey, a shade broadly considered a traitor by the Shadovari, and a paladin of the Triad), and they have a nominal collective government, but even over the last 200 years, they're mostly a patchwork of chaotic politicking city-states-and-cross-city-organizations who pay lip service to a monarch most don't ever see. (She is still incredibly important as a lionizing and inspiring figure - it's just that her actual personal power doesn't really leave the capital city of Ascore; everything else is a series of polite requests to various city rulers and crusader organizations that aren't hers that get ignored if they are inconvenient, or someone doesn't like them, or it's Tuesday).
Ascore is the capital, mostly because Ascore is the closest town to Citadel Adbar, and Adbar was the source of the dwarven crusaders who really were the first organized resistance to the fiends that began appearing. With the sacrifice of the dwarves, it enabled enough folks to get organized (originally some itinerant paladins of Sapphire, a minor southern deity of silver trade, followed closely by the formation of crusaders devoted to the Triad and unaffiliated crusaders of Amaunator at roughly the same time, each organizing independently) striking deep into the collapsing Netherese empire, against the fiends starting to take root.
The Adbar dwarves acknowledged (and worked with) the crusaders of the Triune (and whatever remaining devotees of Sapphire); a queen was eventually crowned of the crusade (made it easier to work with the dwarves and other nations to have a figurehead to negotiate), and the devotees of Amaunator associated themselves with and worked with the newly-established Ascore Crusaders; and that's more or less the birth of the Shining Crusade.
It was sometime thereafter, the more organized elements - gods of the Border Forest, the archmages of Netheril/Shade, and a number of elven high mages - got together and hatched a plan, reaching out to their contacts as outlined above. A few sacrificed artifacts (and folk) later, the crusade made a few stupendously expensive purchases from extremely... shady ... organizations, but it more or less worked out to seal the fiends into the Anauroch (and also cause the mass extinction - or nearly so - of the phaerimm, whose souls are a large part of what now powers the wall, because the Netherese demanded it and literally no one found any reason to say "no" other than expense, but expense meant nothing if it otherwise wouldn't happen at all).
This all sounds very "clean" and, from an academic perspective it sure is, but, practically speaking, it didn't work out either as smoothly or perfectly as it seems. Still, it's been the most successful thing to happen in the crusades, to date.
... I really don't know how I got started on all this, but oh well. I'll just blame Drejk, somehow. :D
EDIT: Or maybe I'll blame NH! He threatened me with ritual shunning! Ritual shunning, I say!
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I would, except for the medical bills that are coming in from Aiymi's hospital stay.Should I get pre-order of Kingmaker or not?
...
...
Decisions, decisions...
Good luck!
I've just been having a really good couple of days. We had an unpaid $1992 anaesthetic bill for NobodysWife I was stressing about, and it finally came in yesterday and insurance covered all but $66 of it (whew!), and the plumber was expensive, but having a REAL bathtub again will be VERY nice!
(As I told LM when she was over last time, we have a $100,000 HELOC for home improvement, including a new roof, solar, and a bathroom remodel, but one of the tax changes with the last tax "reform" bill that passed was that you can't "percentize" interest any more: Either you do everything legal and above-board and deduct 100% of the interest, or you pay people under the table and you deduct 0%. So in spite of sitting on a mountain of liquid assets, we can't use it except for licensed, permitted home repair. So we still wince at out-of-pocket expenses because August and January are our massive "low periods" where we're living paycheck-to-paycheck.)
A word of warning - if the pipes below are terribly rusty, the work might be more complicated than one hour. Or get more complicated if the motor snake bursts the eroded pipe.
I had plumbing replaced in late '15, after sixty or seventy years. Once the pieces of wall were removed and the pipes exposed, they were crumbling when strongly pressed.
But how much of that is because your plumber was a drunk guy who showed up to paste mud on the pipes whenever something went wrong?
(I have several very strong memories of my time over there, and that, at least, was one. I don't know if it was different in Poland, but our plumbers were always smashed, and their first go-to solution was always to put mud on it. Probably specialized mud, but still! XD)
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Aaaaand... we can tell TL is back because we're all getting at least one favorite on all our posts! Yay! Self-justification!
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I would, except for the medical bills that are coming in from Aiymi's hospital stay.Should I get pre-order of Kingmaker or not?
...
...
Decisions, decisions...
It would be a step (well, one of many-many) delaying me getting any new computer anytime soon.
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A word of warning - if the pipes below are terribly rusty, the work might be more complicated than one hour. Or get more complicated if the motor snake bursts the eroded pipe.
I had plumbing replaced in late '15, after sixty or seventy years. Once the pieces of wall were removed and the pipes exposed, they were crumbling when strongly pressed.
But how much of that is because your plumber was a drunk guy who showed up to paste mud on the pipes whenever something went wrong?
(I have several very strong memories of my time over there, and that, at least, was one. I don't know if it was different in Poland, but our plumbers were always smashed, and their first go-to solution was always to put mud on it. Probably specialized mud, but still! XD)
That was plumbing that survived 65 years. No mud-splashing as a top-gap measure because it was inside the walls, requiring some jackhammer work to expose them.
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Tactics, some damn good stuff. And this is coming from someone who hates Forgotten Realms.
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OK, so, Impus Major is 17, so when he asked to buy Grand Theft Auto V, we told him we wouldn't stop him, but why would he support such an infamous game? He answered that a few of his best friends are on it, and he wanted to socialize with them. Whatever.
However, listening to him play the game is side-splitting. Because all he does is try to live a "normal" life in GTA V.
"I'm going to the corner store to buy a pack of gum. Wait! Why is this woman screaming? Who's shooting at me? Aaah! All I want is some gum! And now the police are here! What's wrong with this city?"
Apparently trying to be a normal person in GTA V is an immensely entertaining pastime...
EDIT: He's also determined to be as hideous as possible. His name is Darl, he's got a pastel pink shirt, pastel green pants, and a pink baseball cap that says, "Stank".
So yeah, hideous and trying to be normal. He's just like his dad!
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OK, so, Impus Major is 17, so when he asked to buy Grand Theft Auto V, we told him we wouldn't stop him, but why would he support such an infamous game? He answered that a few of his best friends are on it, and he wanted to socialize with them. Whatever.
However, listening to him play the game is side-splitting. Because all he does is try to live a "normal" life in GTA V.
"I'm going to the corner store to buy a pack of gum. Wait! Why is this woman screaming? Who's shooting at me? Aaah! All I want is some gum! And now the police are here! What's wrong with this city?"
Apparently trying to be a normal person in GTA V is an immensely entertaining pastime...
EDIT: He's also determined to be as hideous as possible. His name is Darl, he's got a pastel pink shirt, pastel green pants, and a pink baseball cap that says, "Stank".
So yeah, hideous and trying to be normal. He's just like his dad!
I do the exact same thing.
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Uh, it seems that the website formatting went bonkers.
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I only slightly maimed myself today.
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Of course, it was only a slight maiming, nothing some triple antibiotic ointment and a large bandaid won't take care of.
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Aaaaand... we can tell TL is back because we're all getting at least one favorite on all our posts! Yay! Self-justification!
Yay!
Tactics, some damn good stuff. And this is coming from someone who hates Forgotten Realms.
I'm glad you like it!
Because of the justification and affirming nature of favorites, I suppose I'll post what I've got on organizations by way of a "player's guide" (to choosing organizations):
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ORGANIZATIONS
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Once, the region now claimed by the 'Crusade was populated with petty and fully independent villages, townships, and the like. (Secretly, the only real difference now, is that all of these people are much better armed and more violent, also built up more.) In any event, the region that would eventually declare (dubious) loyalty to the Shining Crusade had many various forms of rulers. For better or worse, as part of the joining of the 'Crusade, most of those rulers' family names became associated with a central financial backing - a kind of consortium, as it were.
Technically independent from the 'Crusade itself, this "Alliance of Kings" (even though most who joined could hardly be called "mayors") eventually evolved into a regional powerhouse, using their combined financial and political might to create one of the more politically coherent (if regionally distributed) groups across the "Crusade Lands." The Aok (as it is often called by those who are prone to "acronaming") tends to be a "civilization first, and end-goal later" organization, struggling to keep the various crusading regions more or less following the company line of being a semi-unified people. They often trend toward policy enforcement of local laws, but also work to steer various localities toward a singular system. A big supporter, in theory, of the Queen Galfrey (and financially indispensable to her) in practice, they mostly end up a meddlesome group with prestigious members and a history that demands acknowledgement, and financial backing that keeps the over-all crusade afloat.
Important to various mercantile concerns, they keep civilization running, and the roads well patrolled and maintained.
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Never have there been a less likely group of crusaders (except, perhaps, the Daughters of the Dragon; see below). The Sons are hardly all male (merely called that due to who is their patron), but are, instead, merely a collection of individuals who would likely join the Cult of the Dragon if the 'Crusade wasn't such a thing.
Due to the influence of the 'Crusade, however, these would-be wearers of purple have, over the last two centuries, more or less become honestly associated with the worship of Marduk, that is Bahamut, the platinum dragon, despite themselves. Most anyone with hints of draconic ancestry (true or not), and a surprising number of kobolds, that don't flock to the Daughters end up joining the Sons. Though often egoists and casually arrogant, they have genuinely taken on the dragon god as their patron (though, it must be noted, there are few divine casters among them) and at least try to conform to his worship, as far as they understand it.
As a result, they voluntarily strongly associated with any other groups that are noted for being servitors of the Triad, in an honest (if often irritating) attempt at following their gods dictates... and getting the wealth and respect and power they deserve from their draconic heritage along the way.
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And so, the Black Legion was formed from an honorable act of rebellion: those hobgoblins who heard the threnody of Sapphire in their hearts and turned to her, rounded against their former comrades, and offered a chance: surrender or combat. In the ensuing chaos, it is said that Sapphire herself walked among the blessed chosen and saved many. Whatever the truth, in the end, less than three hundred hobgoblins stood, all in service to the Weeping Princess. These hobgoblins reforged the silver armor of the Night Singer's former templars with their own, and began conducting stealth raids, stealing infants and (supposed) innocents from the clutches of the fiends they once served (or opposed), and raising them to serve Sapphire, the Sacred Threnody.
The current black legion is made of a collection of folks descended from those first hobgoblins, as well as anyone who has been part of the 'Crusades who has felt the need for a second chance due to misdeeds (either of themselves or their family or allies). Though many are of goblin-descent, the majority of current members are tieflings and half-elves, though any race is welcome. Surprisingly refined and courtly, due to the worship of Sapphire, the Black Legion has grown into a powerful force of crusaders who strike hard and fast, and retreat past the border. It is thanks to their efforts that many children who would be indoctrinated in the ways of evil are, instead, brought up in caring and loving homes, adopted by honest folk throughout Faerun.
Because they are inheritors of hobgoblins, they are very nontraditional crusaders – strike-and-fade, stealth, guile, intimidation/terror tactics, and kidnapping (stealing children from demons) are part of their repertoire as part of following paladin oaths and a code of honor and good. Additionally, as they are broadly seen as a method of “redemption” by those who believe they have "failed" (whether they have or not) the members are broadly considered (no matter how serious or minor the breach, and no matter if there even ever was one) unreliable or at least disturbing or somehow slightly corrupted. As such, the Legionnaires have gained an extremely dark reputation – something they do nothing to stymie, as it helps intimidate the enemy spies as much as allies. Besides, “once for a fiend, always for a fiend” as the saying goes… admittedly, it’s a rare saying that no one ever uses unless it’s convenient for a very specific purpose, like making yourself look better than an otherwise more prestigious organization that happens to have dangerous-looking iconography and nontraditional tactics.
======================
Actually a relatively old organization, originally, this knighthood was two different groups with a similar name... both of which, confusingly, still exist in their separate forms elsewhere. This fused group formed when each of the two original groups - one devoted to the threefold gods of magic, and one devoted to the heavenly Triad - ended up often being legally and socially confused and often set to work together by others initially ignorant of their fundamental difference. Through association, it became clear that the arcane mastery of the one strongly complimented the martial and divine methodology of the second, very quickly generating a defacto singular force that was actually unified - intentionally.
Even once the superiors recognized the mistake, the bonds forged were strong, and the group worked well together. Though they were badly harmed by the Spellplague years, the much-reduced forced managed to continue to make gains for the Crusade that far exceed their size. Despite their successes, their daring history has always left the rather organization - never that large to begin with, and much smaller due to the Spellplague - on a knife's edge of extinction, with only a few members willing to devote themselves both to the absolute order of heavenly triad and the principles of disciplined arcane combat. Though well respected, the group is neither politically powerful, nor particularly wealthy, and often its members need provide their own belongings and goods. Still, its long history of victories despite its size has awarded it great prestige in the history of the Crusades.
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A sect of radicals who seek to weed out heresy and demonic or diabolic corruption from the Crusades, they have been nicknamed, "the burners" due to their (perhaps too great) zeal to root out corruption from among the various crusaders. Though clearly earnest, many consider them dangerous, and find their extremism and activities weakening the morale and moral character of the crusaders rather than strengthening it.
Due to their various political connections, the prestige of many of their members, and the fact that no actual intent of wrongdoing can be proven... and that many fear to draw their ire... they have been left to their own devices, so long as they do more good than harm... a balance that may be shifting, as, indeed, the Queen Galfrey has begun to regret allowing them to exist for so long.
Nonetheless, many purifiers have done incredibly important work, successfully locating and preventing genuine demonic corruption even within the ranks of the Crusaders, even rooting out entire organizations dedicated to corrupting the fellow warriors of light.
It is because of this that the organization not only survives, but thrives, for all recognize and fear the corruptive power of fiends, and the entirety of the crusader lands face such corruption as a daily part of life.
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A radical sect of half-elven paladins of Amaunator living in the hinterlands on the edge of the Farsea Marsh, and Anauroch, guarding a critical border none others are willing to; the Holy Light are often considered radical (and honorable, if exceedingly strange) even by the standards of their fellows.
Originally a sect of human priests of the sun god and elven druids of nature gods who worked closely enough together to produce a large amount of offspring (at least somewhat intentionally), the Holy Light has found that their particular location – a horrible stench-swamp on the border of a fiend-infested wasteland – does not attract many recruits for some reason. Because of this problem, they have enacted rather radical actions to keep the order alive, including mandated reproduction (complete with tattoos and markers indicating parentage to prevent accidental inbreeding), and mandated vacation... vacation in which the paladins are required to "enjoy" themselves and any willing companions as much as physically, mentally, and socially possible among the various communities they are sent to visit, in hopes of generating new future paladins, recruiting new folk interested in their unusual way of life, or both.
The radical methodology, while raising a huge number of eyebrows, seems to have worked, to some extent, and the order (despite the broadly-disliked nature of their citadel and grueling nature of their duty) has actually managed to bounce back from the edge of extinction.
Despite their... quirks... the order is actually extremely respected for their many and devoted accomplishments, and distinguished; though mostly comprised of half-elves, it holds members of nearly every race in the realms.
The Holy Light works strongly with and supports the Order of the Ruby Rose – Heartwarders devoted to Sune or Hanali Celanil – and the association and support is reciprocal. Though few Heartwarders actually serve in the crusades, the Order of the Ruby Rose considers it their duty to bring beauty and art and pleasure to what is widely considered the most terrible position in the crusader lands.
A few Celebrants of Sharess also share the region of the Holy Light, but they are extremely rare, and often wander in or out the crusades as their passions (and the whims of their goddess) take them.
========================
Speaking of those unlikely to become crusaders, the Wealthy Bastards would likely top the list, if it weren't a known fact that treasure lies buried in the vile and twisted regions of the Anauroch, and treasure, you know, makes you really, really rich. With the dubious battle cries ("gods be willing, tomorrow we'll all be filthy rich!") and dubious morals (if there is infighting among the elite, it's likely the Wubbies at work), they are tolerated because they are… effective.
The secret is that the Wealthy Bastards do not care about you, your goals, or your dreams: they only care if you can make them (and yourself) rich by killing monsters. Such zeal has made them a successful, and wealthy, if not-well-liked organization... but their higher members are treated with the same respect afforded nobility, because, as it turns out, now they are nobles, having been able to afford purchasing such titles (or having their families do so) due to the Crusades and the Wubbys' successes.
========================
Exactly what they sound like, the demon hunters are an order of rangers, assassins, and spellcasters who specialize in the targeting, slaying, and seizure of demons and their goods and servants, vastly moreso than the devils or other evils. Despite their single-minded zeal, this seems to work towards keeping the over-all balance of power among the evil forces of the 'wastes, as demons appear to outnumber devils by a large margin.
Formed by a group of Netherese and Shadovari trapped within the borders of the desert when it suffered the calamity, who were taken in by rangers who bravely struck into the depths and back out, the Demon Hunters lost everything to demons, and publicly lay the blame for all the world's ills (or at least the Fiendwastes's ills) at the feet of the chaotic outsiders. They are willing to ally with anyone at all to get at a notable demonic target, though they still have a code of morality. In the ensuing years, they have gained a solid respect for the other crusaders, and in turn have earned their place as crusaders, despite their strict focus on only demonic targets.
====================
A shadowy group of merchants and wizards based in the city of Zhentil Keep, these dark traders have a history of associating with vile forces... but even they have their limits. Their forces and mercantile expanses have been hampered by fiendish activities, but it is the Zhents alone who have managed to keep trade flowing through even the infested desert by way of the incredibly harsh Black Road – a road created by various stolen artifacts keeping it moderately more passable than most places – passing through the center of the Anauroch, allowing trade with even the city of Shade.
The Zhents are broadly considered a despicable people, but a despicable people who have managed to make themselves indispensable because of their obsessive desire to mercantile domination leading to an important trading successes, and financial expansion, even in the midst of the fiendish collapse of all of society. It is the Zhents that permit crusader economies to function, as they not only bring extraordinarily exotic goods from the Shadovari, but also process and purchase fiendish goods from the crusaders – goods the crusaders would never countenance using, but the Zhentarim utilize (or at least process) with no real qualms.
====================
Denizens of the Border Forest in the west, the Spiderminds are a collection of folk who are psionic, fey-blooded, entothropic, gigantean-blooded, or some combination of the four. Taught by their hero-gods, the astari half-giant werespider Stonecutter, the psionic svirfneblin-genie Chinac, the copper dragon Glory Tongue, and their various allies, the Spiderminds have managed to organize themselves around the disparate concepts to create a terrifying force of folk brimming with the power of mind and body, staving off invasions by the Zhentarim, the Shadovari, and the fiendish alike from the Border Forest and surrounding foothills.
They have come to an understanding with the Zhentarim and Shadovari, for now, at least, as neither of those groups can afford to invade the forest with fiends so nearby who are eager to devour them all.
=====================
====================
They do take the crusader’s oath, though otherwise they speak little, and most of the rest is in their own language; even spies who seek to pry secrets from their mind or wring them from divination have little success (and often end up badly poisoned and frozen people-cicles through some mysterious method used by the Cold Hearts).
=======================
The Ninth Battalion prides themselves as being the “last of the first crusaders” – a name the picked up both because the kingdom of Odurkol (that was obliterated) was the first known notable country or kingdom within to be destroyed and the host of Citadel Abdar (decimated) were the first external country to organize an invasion force – either way, the dwarves look at themselves as the first actual crusaders, and the Ninth Battalion (named as it was the ninth formed out of originally ten battalions from Abdar) is the blended remnants of the forces of citadel Abdar and Odurkol.
The Ninth Battalion is honored by Citadel Abdar, but the ‘Battalion is no longer part of Citadel Abdar, and they wander from citadel to citadel, always taking over, refurbishing, and trapping citadels against fiendish inhabitants (or their servants) when they leave. It remains one of the only crusader forces to consistently spend more time within the fiend side of the border than without.
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Ostensibly the leaders of all Crusader organizations, the Ascore Crusaders are the effective rulers and military of the city of Ascore, the nominal capital of all the crusader lands, and the home of the Crusader Queen, Queen Galfrey, to whom all crusaders (hypothetically) owe their allegiance – in fact, the “Crusader’s Oath” that all crusaders take includes swearing allegiance to the crown of the current monarch (in this case Galfrey).
Functionally little more than one more organization among many, the Ascore Crusaders do hold a tremendously important social, political, religious, and military position, being the personal order of the Queen, and the supposed lead organization across all states; because of its utility as a uniting organization and figurehead, none are interested in deposing it, even if others would have the power to do so (nevermind that most crusader organizations would oppose such an unjust action against such noble and honorable warriors, regardless). The Ascore Crusaders function not only as the government, but also the law enforcement, emergency responders (especially their Hospitalars), and priests of the city.
Devoted to the Heavenly Triad, especially Torm, the Ascore Crusaders actually derived from a group that originally worshiped a now-dead demigoddess (killed by the machinations of the dark goddess Shar), Tessa of the Silver Coin, and to a minor extent her inheritor, Sapphire (the daughter of the minor goddess Crystal, a co-conspirator with Tessa). The organization, having moved its way north from the southern region of the Vilhoun Reach settled in Ascore, eventually adopted Torm and the Triad more or less through cultural absorption, and was instrumental in saving the border town when the original fiendish incursions began taking place. It is through their connections across Faerun (due to once having been a wondering company from the far south) that they were able to contact so many so quickly, and organize (for a very loose use of the term) the Shining Crusade at all.
While not as personally politically influential outside of Ascore, their symbolism and what they represent is absolutely central to all the actual Crusader states.
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... and that's more or less it.
There are canonically lots of other organizations that haven't been defined; and the Zhents, and Shadovari are not "crusaders" (nor are the Daughters of the Dragon); technically neither are the Ninth Battalion, in the sense that they're not part of the broader crusader states, even if they're crusaders in the more generic sense; and I'd mentioned that "standard" organizations are available as well (Harpers or others), but these are the ones that I felt needed to be written up to give the players a potential sampling of options and styles.
All crusaders are technically associated with the Ascore Crusaders (due to that group being the technical head of all crusaders), but I encouraged the PCs to a different organization to be a part of. At first I wanted them to be the same, but then I thought about it and changed my mind, recommending they pick pretty much anything they wish - being part of the same organization means they have history, being part of different organizations means they have a broader array of personal contacts and styles.
One player (a red dragonborn barbarian) took Sons of the Dragon; another took the black legion (a human eldritch knight); the last (a half-elf redeemer paladin) chose the Order of the Ruby Rose (and actually, she did so after research, so I added that part in after-the-fact).
I also gave each of the PCs a singular "gift" of unknown origin or province (they each chose a gift from a list, and they could choose the same one, but they didn't know what the other had, in-character - two of them just found out that they both have the same thing).
Finally, because there were only three players, I retooled the campaign traits for 5e, and gave each of them two.
Though I offered it as a choice, in retrospect, I'm actually glad none of my players chose Shadovari, as I can now use it in later parts of the campaign and still be exotic and fresh.
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I only slightly maimed myself today.
I'm glad you're okay!
Should I get pre-order of Kingmaker or not?
...
...
Decisions, decisions...
My wife and I were early backers and are so daggum hype - we worked especially hard to actually, you know, finish Kingmaker before getting the PcRPG! SO HYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYPE
Facebook: I ignore it, but I also ignore email, so. Also, my wife luuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrves it.Yeah, you don't even have "add friend" button...
Don't quite know what this means...
XD
And my PBP is exploding with posts! I'm so happy! *Squees*
Huzzah!
That was plumbing that survived 65 years. No mud-splashing as a top-gap measure because it was inside the walls, requiring some jackhammer work to expose them.A word of warning - if the pipes below are terribly rusty, the work might be more complicated than one hour. Or get more complicated if the motor snake bursts the eroded pipe.
I had plumbing replaced in late '15, after sixty or seventy years. Once the pieces of wall were removed and the pipes exposed, they were crumbling when strongly pressed.
But how much of that is because your plumber was a drunk guy who showed up to paste mud on the pipes whenever something went wrong?
(I have several very strong memories of my time over there, and that, at least, was one. I don't know if it was different in Poland, but our plumbers were always smashed, and their first go-to solution was always to put mud on it. Probably specialized mud, but still! XD)
Gotcha. Fair enough!
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TL’s posts are even yuger on mobile now.
Clearly all part of my plan!
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I'm way more excited for Starfinder Armory then the playtest.
Also I just scrapped some skin off my leg, I'll be fine, it was just a surprise was all.
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They keep hinting at work I'll be in charge of my crew next season (coworker keeps saying "next year, when you're in charge of your own crew...").
Yeah, I've done the whole responsibility at work thing before, not a fan.
I'll do my job and I'll do it well, but I don't delegate.
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Paul Kemp is writing a book series called Egil and Nix, and he released a Star Wars book in 2015.
Richard Lee Byers, at least according to Wikipedia, last had a book published in 2013.
I am slowly collecting egil and nix.
I need more Richard lee Byers in my life.
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Roto Rooter Review:
They were early. Nice!
The guy showed up, listened to my description, said, "Yeah, I think I can get that cleared in under an hour," and got to work. No dilly-dallying at all.
Before he started, he asked, "And you know the prices, right?", so he knows they're uber-expensive.
Either they payed him to bang around like a lunatic, or he's doing it on his own, but he's making TONS of noise and running the water a lot, so I'm kind of making the rash assumption he's doing his job...
And he's done. Total time: 30 minutes. Total time from my web form submission to my drain being clear: 90 minutes.
Total price: $272.75, exactly as they told me on the phone.
So... I have to say, *if* you can afford Roto Rooter, I'm darned impressed.But that's one of the most expensive plumbing jobs I've ever paid for. And I manage TWO houses!
wow.
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OK, so, Impus Major is 17, so when he asked to buy Grand Theft Auto V, we told him we wouldn't stop him, but why would he support such an infamous game? He answered that a few of his best friends are on it, and he wanted to socialize with them. Whatever.
However, listening to him play the game is side-splitting. Because all he does is try to live a "normal" life in GTA V.
"I'm going to the corner store to buy a pack of gum. Wait! Why is this woman screaming? Who's shooting at me? Aaah! All I want is some gum! And now the police are here! What's wrong with this city?"
Apparently trying to be a normal person in GTA V is an immensely entertaining pastime...
EDIT: He's also determined to be as hideous as possible. His name is Darl, he's got a pastel pink shirt, pastel green pants, and a pink baseball cap that says, "Stank".
So yeah, hideous and trying to be normal. He's just like his dad!
love gta.
Look forward to the next one.
It is only as horrid as you wish it to be. The last two in particular made being a bastard EXTREMELY optional, although the most recent was indeed a story of what criminals did in their private lives and their down time. They really did show what a "normal" life for someone who does not fit into society might be like.
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I only slightly maimed myself today.
its not a day until you lose some hit points.
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Aaaaand... we can tell TL is back because we're all getting at least one favorite on all our posts! Yay! Self-justification!Yay!
Tactics, some damn good stuff. And this is coming from someone who hates Forgotten Realms.I'm glad you like it!
Because of the justification and affirming nature of favorites, I suppose I'll post what I've got on organizations by way of a "player's guide" (to choosing organizations):
=====================
ORGANIZATIONS
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** spoiler omitted **...
Gooooooooood stuff. If a bit goofy.
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Of course, it was only a slight maiming, nothing some triple antibiotic ointment and a large bandaid won't take care of.
Cooooooooool
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TL’s posts are even yuger on mobile now.
I wonder how big his hands are.
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I've done that, too, when I was younger. Definitely painful.I'm way more excited for Starfinder Armory then the playtest.
Also I just scrapped some skin off my leg, I'll be fine, it was just a surprise was all.
I ripped off alllll the skin on my kneecap once as a lad on my bike. First major bike accident. It was awesome!
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I love this formatting.
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They keep hinting at work I'll be in charge of my crew next season (coworker keeps saying "next year, when you're in charge of your own crew...").
Yeah, I've done the whole responsibility at work thing before, not a fan.
I'll do my job and I'll do it well, but I don't delegate.
LOL. My manager and I have been working together for 14 years now. She knows that I'm the best technical lead she'll ever have, but I'm a crap team lead.
Why?
Because I tell my team my expectations of them, put up all my standards, say, "Follow these," and then let them work.
And as you know from my complaints, relying on other people to do their jobs well without checking in on them every couple of days is a recipe for disaster at Global Megacorp.
So my manager asks, "Why don't you lead this next project?"
And I respond, "Because I'd have to add 4 meetings a week just to check in on all my reports' progress."
"Is that so bad?"
"Wouldn't you rather have me configure the new integration and document it?"
"..."
Welp. The wife and I finished The Hollow. I... don't know quite what to think. The twist ending was... huh. Interesting? I'll give it that. I really enjoyed the show, and the journey was entirely excellent - but the actual revelation of the mystery was... hm. Not as much? Also there's a tease-twist at the end that's... that's something, anyway. I don't know how I feel about it, especially as it's ambiguous. Avoiding spoilers for obvious reasons. The mystery is good. The show is good. The ending... eh.
As my wife put it, we both thought the concept was really cool, and the majority of the execution was really solid, right up until the end. The execution of the end was... not.
The thing is, at the end of the last episode, it's shown that there's live-action actors sitting in seats. The good guys win, stuff is explained (and mostly makes sense), but it feels a bit weird after everything that we went through to get here.
Not only that, but there's a weird thing with team 2's "evil girl" actress where her eye kind of glitches out, a bit like the game, while she smirks... what? It feels... weird.
Then there's a rewind to five hours prior, the basics of the game is introduced, and we're told what happened, and it goes to credits.
It... sits oddly. The actors are actually more cartoonish than the cartoon - not because the actors are bad, but because the things you can get away with in a cartoon, are not the things you can get away with in live action.
In the end, I'm not sure I regret watching the show, but I'm not sure I'm satisfied with the experience, either. And it's not even the reveal of the twist (most of which we knew about), or the nature of the twist, or any such thing - it's something in the over-all tone of the ending that just wasn't quite... right.
Eh.
Rest of the show was great, and I still want that soundtrack.