Deception's Finest - Part 1

Revan heard the door open behind him; a little bell jingled, hanging from the inside of the door's glass window.  It was almost closing time and it had been a grueling day at the bakery.  The people of Sage Marsh sure did love his bread.

Revan was sweeping up the last remnants of the day; the flour and yeast, a contrast to the dark slate colored floor, found in front of the large coal oven, laid in a pile at his feet.  He was tired and wanted nothing more than to get into his bed, which was purposely propped up against the wall that separated his room from the oven, which conveniently gave it a nice toasty feel in these cold winter nights.

He turned around to greet the customer, as there were a couple pies and loaves of bread leftover for sale, but was met with the front door, slowly swinging itself closed.  Revan thought nothing of it, thinking to himself that they must have changed their minds, as he swept up the pile of flour and yeast from the floor, dumping it into the garbage.  He walked over to the front door and locked it, yawning deeply and smiling, thinking only of his warm bed to come. 

Revan headed over to the oven, to blow out the couple of remaining lit candles, when suddenly, a dark form seemed to materialize out of the shadows!  The dark form came closer, coming out from behind the side of the now open oven, to stand in front of Revan.  Revan's mouth dropped open when he saw who this dark form was.....it was...well..HIM!  The dark form's face was the spitting image of Revan!  Fear crept through his body, but he wouldn't let it paralyze him.  He darted for his storage closet, hoping to escape through the secret door within and when he reached it, he slammed the door shut behind him.  He immediately leaped up onto the large shelves, which contained all the supplies a baker could ever need.  His hand fumbled around, trying to find the lever that was designed to look like a wooden spoon handle, but instead knocked over a bag of flour, which covered the lip of the shelf and the front of his apron.  He tried to pull himself up again, but his fingers kept sliding on the soft flour.  He looked back to see his twin standing behind him, with a wicked looking scythe in his hand...Revan hadn't even heard the door open.  Like lightning, Revan's life poured from him, as the scythe gutted him like a pig.  His entrails spilled out, like some sick sausage stew, coating the floor in a pool of blood and guts.

The doppelganger picked up Revan's limp corpse, walked back into kitchen and threw the body into the large oven, which immediately started to melt the skin on its face, arms and hands...sizzling like bacon.

The doppelganger closed the oven door and began cleaning up the bloody mess.  His mind reeled at what was to come; Now was time for his revenge...revenge on those that thought it wise to torture, murder and defile his race for their own personal gain.  He was the new Revan now and it was time to play a game.

To be continued...

CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT: Falcon Argentus Firebrand

So I've been thinking that a nice addition to this blog would be a recurring Character Spotlight to not only provide other great writers with recognition, but to delve deeper into the world I have created and those that inhabit it.  I'm setting a goal to add a new character spotlight every other week, so let's hope I can stick to it.

This week, we are presenting the character known as "Falcon Argentus Firebrand", a Tiefling Wizard with an affinity for wielding fire.  This character has been integral to the group, by always asking all the right questions at the right time.  He's massacred skeletons in bulk, seen covert experiments commissioned by the Enclave, dealt with dopplegangers, helped to defeat two dragons, resisted the temptations of an ancient necromantic artifact and helped to save a town from utter undead destruction.  He is a force to be reckoned with, that is for sure.

This background was written by a good friend of mine, Mike Zavarello, and truly exemplifies how powerful words can be... 

You can see more of his work at, http://blog.bright-matrix.net/.

Falcon Argentus Firebrand, Tiefling Wizard

Many a tiefling has a harrowing tale of struggle, strife, or surfeit to mark their formative years. Perhaps they lived their childhoods in darkened warrens, dangerous alleyways, or beneath the feet of races more blessed by the light of the gods. Perhaps they are cursed, chased, or chastened by their experiences. Perhaps they are hated, harrowed, or haunted by those around them. By some twist in the chains of Fate, Falcon Argentus Firebrand avoided much of these woes and weariness.

His sires unknown to him, Falcon spent his early life amidst his greatest love: books. His ward was a wizened tiefling warlock who went by the name of Sparrow (it amused her to carry such an innocent moniker upon her devilish features). Her home was a dusty, cramped, but cozy library of the arcane arts. Wedged between two taller brownstones in the city of Tul Argent, it was easily missed amidst the bustle of the marketplace nearby. Falcon fell into the deft hands of Sparrow after a series of riots in the seedier boroughs of Tul Argent shattered the local tiefling community and left him an orphan at the age of three. Seeing the sharp eyes and keen insight in her young charge, the elder tiefling bestowed him the avian name of “Falcon” and began to imbue in him the mysteries of magick. His talents were revealed to be unique; the young wizard seemed to have a knack for flame magick, perhaps a vestige of his demonic heritage. Sparrow indulged Falcon’s steady thirst for knowledge and guided his journey into the arcane. Her teachings were firm but fair. She demanded much discipline and control, but repaid his loyalty and dutifulness with praise and purpose. Falcon’s adolescent years passed with warmth, security, and general satisfaction, aspects many tieflings see scant little of in their lifetimes. He was still reviled by others in Tul Argent who remembered the riots of years past, but as time progressed, their baleful gazes and whispered curses became something beneath him; worthy of ignoring the ignorance behind them.

The sixteen years spent under Sparrow’s tutelage taught Falcon much about the cerebral disciplines of arcana, religion, history, and diplomacy, while the silent parade of the library’s patrons ignited in him a desire to learn ever more about the realms beyond the city walls. Upon the age when most apprenticeships ended, Sparrow granted Falcon the leave to pursue his own path. It was a turning point for him; he battled for days between the thrill of moving along with his life and leaving the comforting warmth of his longtime tutor before finally departing Tul Argent to strike out alone. It wouldn’t be long before the Wizard’s Enclave would approach him, offering him another chance to indulge his desire to delve further into thaumaturgy. Two years after his initiation, he learned of Sparrow’s death. Saddened and enraged by the loss of his guardian, he saturated himself in the teachings of religion to dull pains he rarely encountered in his life. He became enamored of the Raven Queen and discovered in her mantle another true purpose to his existence. He swore an oath to her to that very night, and devoted his life to living in her service alongside his studies in magick.

Falcon is tall but not slight; broad, but not thick of limb. With dark crimson skin, gray eyes, and deep violet waves of hair parted by curving, twining horns of dull bronze, he cuts a quiet but imposing figure. He stands slightly above average height, is strong of build, and lean of frame.

True to his nature as a student of the arcane arts, Falcon is calm, composed, and a man of few words. He gives great consideration to each thought and decision before acting. Falcon’s studious upbringing and resulting induction into the Wizard’s Enclave has given him an arrogant cast, but his demeanor softens when in the company of friends. His steady awareness of the world around him often makes others a trifle disconcerted, as though he knows more than one should. Falcon’s devotion to the Raven Queen is unswerving; he believes strongly that fate and death are unyielding forces that cannot and should not be swayed. He shows no pity for those who attempt to break free from the chains of destiny, which makes him appear cold and uncaring at times. Though he would admit this to no one, Falcon is quietly convinced that his fortunate upbringing is a gift from the Goddess of Winter herself. He considers himself truly blessed to have been brought before her, even though it was Sparrow’s death that led him to this path.

Campaign Ideas, Thoughts, Aspirations....

Campaign Ideas, Thoughts, Aspirations....

So, I’ve been thinking really hard about what I want to do with my campaign, what changes I should make.  It came down to getting away from railroading and allowing more room for exploration.

I would like to see my next game allow my players to have the freedom (for the most part) to do as they please in terms of where they want to go and what they want to do.  In the past, I’ve felt that I’ve had to railroad the story, because it seemed that the players were heading in a complete different direction that what I had planned.  Now to put together an entire world worth of information is way too daunting, so I came up with this idea, which I would like any and all feedback on.

What I want to do is take all the main “hotspots” of where the adventure is currently leading and where it could possibly go, and building outward 50 miles in all directions.  So for example, Sage Marsh is surrounded by swamp (and possibly a bad example), but if the PC’s didn’t want to move forward with the campaign and take a break from it and for instance, wanted to travel within the swamp, looking for adventure, I would be prepared.  I would have separate encounters created for the surrounding region so that no matter where the PC’s venture off to, adventure will find them.  It still seems daunting, but I think it would give the game a feel of freedom and most importantly, one of my favorite parts of playing D&D...exploration.  There’s nothing like coming across a new place to explore, finding what lies within the dark corridors of the ancient temple or the catacombs of a long forgotten king.  This would even be more amplified if it was the PC’s decision to go to that area, feeling as if they TRULY found it, by making their choice to go in that direction and what not.  Still seems kind of daunting, but I think it could really add to the realism of the game and to reward players for making those choices.

So here is what campaign entails....I’m inviting all those who are part of my D&D group to “request” what they would like to see...to provide ideas for my setting so I can enhance it.  This could be in the form of adventure plots/encounters, specific character development quests, other quests, etc.  For those that don’t play in the game I run, I’m asking for any ideas or advice that could enhance my campaign.

Currently, without giving too much away, I’m running a campaign where Vecna is trying to restore his fallen temples, bringing the rise of darkness to bear once more.  Utilizing large amassed armies of undead, a resource he never really runs out of, along with mercenaries he has either hired or controls out of fear (who are helping him to achieve his goals in other ways), he plans to destroy each and every living thing in the world. 

I’m looking for ideas to expand upon this in any way I can, so your thoughts are GREATLY appreciated.

Current Races/Classes in campaign:

Tiefling Wizard
Human Predator Druid
Human Paladin
Human Warlord
Elven Bow Ranger
Razorclaw Shifter Rogue
Half-Orc Barbarian

Thanks!

Video Game Reviews - Fable III

Fable III Game Review (XBOX 360):

Alright, so if you liked Fable II, you will like Fable III, without a doubt. 

Some of the biggest changes in the game are that there is no “inventory” screen, which as an RPG gamer since birth, seemed highly odd to me.  I immediately thought it would be highly annoying, I mean, what gamer doesn’t want to know about all the loot he’s collected along the way?  I soon found out, that for this type of game, it worked out just ok.  You can access a pawn shop, which will then show you all the items you’ve acquired and what is available to sell.  How I’m walking around with a couple furniture bedroom sets is beyond me, but then again, I AM a hero.  Now granted, if I had to choose whether there was a diverse and intricate menu system or not, I would always choose the menu system.  I found that trying to access my quests, weapons and clothing, is time consuming.  I would much rather be out completing those quests and killing things than having to navigate through the “Sanctuary” to see my stuff.  Maybe I’m just an old fashioned role player, but I love me my menus!

Another big change is that you get to become King.  The rumor mill had me worried about this as it seemed like you wouldn’t be able to adventure and go about your business as much when you become King.  Luckily this isn’t the case; you can perform your kingly duties, making decisions on matters of state at your leisure (for the most part), without much of a headache.  I also enjoy the playful banter between the representative for and against the decision, making their case before you as King.  Attending the matters of state is actually quite refreshing, especially when you make a decision that literally changes the landscape of the world around you.  (Building a sewage plant, etc...)  It makes it feel like you are actually making a difference, reshaping the world around you.  This is something that I would like to see more in regular RPG games.  If you have loads of cash to spend, why not give you the ability to buy a castle of your own, or make improvements for the impoverished, seeing the change happen.  (e.g. a destitute town suddenly flourishes, etc...).

One of my favorite parts of the game is the ability to buy real estate as a means of collecting rent and profits, if from a business.  I think that in Fable III, they make it too easy, but it fits the needs of the game, especially at the point when you are King....you definitely need a lot of gold!  In a game like Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, it’s much harder to come by gold, and this would be a nice alternative to making gold, which I would thoroughly enjoy.  One of the biggest problems in Fable III with this though, is the repairing of the houses, to keep them in good shape and to keep the tenants paying rent.  You have to INDIVIDUALLY go to each house, select it, choose repair and then cancel out a couple times to move on.  I currently own about 80 properties that I need to maintain...there should be some global command, if even by town, that allows you to repair everything at once.  It should just tell you how much it would cost and show you how much you have, so you can decide it you want to do it all at once.  This is probably the most annoying part about the game.  Another option would be to have a setting that says when the house gets to 50%, automatically fix it as soon as I have the gold.  That would be a huge fix to this game.

The fighting in this game is ok, though for the most part, I found it to be very easy.  I end up using my spells that take care of all my enemies at once, without ever really running into trouble.  I haven’t died/been knocked out once throughout the whole game. (so far)

Let’s see, what else.  The relationship portion of the game is decent.  It allows you to have “relations”, which generally result in children (which are actually necessary later in the game) and allows you to have a wife and all that jazz.  It’s a big part of the game, as you can also become friends with the townsfolk, going on “relationship quests” for them, but the problem I found with this, is that they are for the most part all the same.  You are either “fetching” something for them (usually by digging it up) or delivering something for them .  It gets old pretty quickly and is very time consuming.  Not sure what I would recommend to fix this.  By the sheer number of villagers, to have separate quests for each of them would be cumbersome for the developers, so I can see why they kept it simple, but if you’re not going to put your full effort into it, why do it?

Overall, I’m enjoying the game for what it is, especially the buying of real estate to fund my kingdom.  The game is really just a filler for me until my next big RPG, which looks to be the Elder Scrolls series, #5:  SKYRIM.

Brekke Mountain

This short story was inspired by some artwork (and a friend's PC) on http://www.worldsofink.com/ and was featured as part of it's revisited Manic Monday section on March 17th!  Let me know what you think...

Brekke lived in a fairly remote area, on a small mountaintop in the middle of the Eastern Vale Woods, whose Valley floor was covered in a thick variegated forest.  It was autumn and the view from his year round mini-fortress was spectacular.  He had originally chosen this spot, not only because it already had a structure in place, but it would allow his inventions to not be hampered by the regulations (and tariffs) he would encounter within the city.  He was also worried for the safety of others; after all, being an inventor was dangerous work. 

Brekke had made many “alterations” to the structure, adding designs of his own that were not only to keep his inventive mind constantly working, but also to protect himself from would be marauders.  The place was covered in cranes and pulleys, gears and gadgets, and every type of tool you could imagine.  See, Brekke wasn’t your typical gnome.  Yes, he was an inventor and YES, most gnomes WERE inventors, but he had one thing going for him that other gnomes rarely possessed.....Good Luck.  For some reason, all his inventions ALWAYS worked.  There was never a second design....never a revision, a fix or a flop.  It was strange and Brekke often wondered when he would have to “pay the piper” for all his luck, (as his human friends used to say) but he took it as a blessing...just like when he met an elf named Nar. 

Nar was a wood elf who came to him almost exactly 7 months ago.  He was intelligent, kind and whimsical, which could be best verified by the bright blue, pointy hat he wore over his bright red hair.  Brekke had gone out scouting for supplies one day, a little farther out than usual, when he had come across the lone elf fighting off a small patrol of goblins.  Brekke always carried one of his invention weapons with him and couldn’t let the elf fight the goblins alone, so he jumped into the fray!  He pulled out a hand crossbow and loaded it with an especially large bolt of his design.  He fired the bolt and in mid air, the bolt split into 8 individual bolts, peppering and downing the entire group of goblins in one shot!  The look of astonishment on Nar’s face could only be matched by the big smile Brekke wore.  After the skirmish, the two became good friends and Nar visited him on a fairly regular basis.

After seeing the dazzling display of weaponry that he had created, Nar had persuaded him to make more, telling Brekke that he could sell them in one of the nearby towns and use the money to fund all his other inventions.  Brekke thought this seemed like a good idea, so he started constructing more of the hand crossbows with the special splitting bolts.  It would probably take him a couple weeks to construct enough of the bolts to make it worthwhile for the trip, so he decided to get started right away.

So, a couple weeks went by and most of the bolts were finished; Brekke figured he would complete the last of them by the following morning.  He had been working hard, with Nar pushing him to work longer and harder, using the promise of a hefty profit as encouragement.  Brekke and Nar were down in the lower sections of the fortress, in one of his workshops, Nar keeping him company or helping as necessary.  It was getting late though and even Nar was getting tired.  He told Brekke that he was going to retire for the evening (or early morning actually) and headed to his room.

Nar made his slow and tired journey upstairs to the lone tower which held the guest room. The gnome sized stairs were especially short and narrow, even for an elf, and made him feel claustrophobic...he wasn’t used to such tight quarters.  When he opened the door to his room, which it was for all intended purposes since he had been staying here more frequently of late, he immediately went over to the small vanity in the corner of the room, but not before closing and locking the door.  He was tired of this charade and slumped down into the small chair in front of the mirror.  He pulled off his bright blue hat and placed it on the vanity.  He looked in the mirror and smiled at his flowing white hair, deep purple eyes and ebony skin.  He was disgusted that he had to pretend to be a wood elf, frolicking about like the fairies they were... but nobody would trust a Drow...not even him.

It was unfortunate for the gnome that he was going to be dragged into the Underdark to become a slave, working for the rest of his life for Nar’s matron mother and the House of Azzerinth.  The gnome was intelligent; he would give him that, though obviously not intelligent enough to see Nar for what he was.  Nar would be rewarded well too, (only as well as a male Drow could be), but nonetheless, he would probably be made Patrol leader, which had its benefits.

 Tonight, he was going to open the portal that would allow his drow raiding party to pillage all of the gnome’s inventions, including all the weapons the gnome had constructed and his other “gadgets”.  It was going to be a long and prosperous night....

Brekke watched through the two way vanity mirror as the drow, across the room now, was finishing his spell, opening the portal that lead from the Underdark.  The drow raiding party was apparently waiting patiently, as they deftly scurried through the portal and into the room within seconds of the portal opening.  Once they were all in, seven drow in all, including Nar, Brekke smiled as he pulled down the large lever next to his vanity mirror. 

The drow only had a second or two to realize that their lives were over, as the walls quickly arched outward, while the ceiling and floor slammed together with a sickening splat.  After a couple seconds, the Venus Fly Room Trap began to reset itself, the well oiled gears quietly revolving the floor, ceiling and walls back to their original positions.  Brekke made his way up to the trap room, bending over to pick up the enchanted hat of disguise Nar had worn, which Brekke had created some time ago.  He popped out the top of the flat, bright blue, pointy hat and headed back down to his room, where he placed it on a hooked rack, with some of his other gear he created.  Brekke was happy knowing that the hat he had lost in the woods some time ago, was finally back home where it belonged.  He lay down in his bed; completely exhausted, he didn’t bother to remove his own hat, which allowed him to read others thoughts...

The Summoning

A little short story / vignette written for http://www.worldsofink.com/, creature feature #2 on Friday, March 11th! 

Something about the incantation felt wrong to Marzul.  The words were cumbersome, stumbling out of his mouth like those inebriated louts at pub closing time.  He questioned his competence of course, if only for a brief moment, but quickly disregarded the notion.  He was a capable sorcerer and knew the importance of caution when summoning....besides, he had questions that needed answers.

With all his preparations complete, including the most important piece, the summoning circle, which emanated a soft glow confirming it's functionality to confine the demon within, Marzul could now begin to recite the incantation.  He ignored the screaming feeling to "STOP"; it wasn't the first time he didn't trust his gut and he hoped it wouldn't be the last....

His longtime friend Aliwyn, the wizard who gave him the ancient scroll from the vault of the wizard’s enclave, assured him of its validity, as did the hefty sum he paid in gold to acquire it.  Shaking off the rest of his doubts, he continued to weave the words of magic, delicately and deftly carving the air with glowing symbols that radiated an earthly hue as he chanted.  Sweat was beginning to form on his brow...a couple drops breaking free, flowing down the side of his face and immersing themselves into his salt and pepper colored beard.  His concentration was fierce; his dark brown eyes matching the intensity of the earthly light he wove. 

The spell weaving continued well into the night, yet Marzul's vigor did not wane...

When the spell was finally complete and the last words of magic spoken, the large summoning circle began to hum.  The humming quickly grew louder and louder, climbing steadily to a most uncomfortable throbbing.

Suddenly, the ground beneath the circle burst upward, in an upheaval of rock and earth!  A terrifying creature slowly pulled itself up from under the ground, locking its bright yellow eyes on Marzul.  The creature was an abomination; its thick burly arms held enormous claws, which could easily pulverize rock and stone, let alone human flesh.  Its eyes, hypnotically filled you with trepidation, while the large spikes and horns protruding from its back and head, completed its fiendish appearance. 

Marzul hadn’t noticed the most important thing about the creature though; it had found a way to break the summoning circle!

The demon, seeing the realization on Marzul’s face, smiled as only a demon could, and said, “You had questions sorcerer, but I have the only answer you’ll ever need.....YOU HAVE BEEN BETRAYED!”

Because of You

This is another of my favorite poems, one that I feel helped me to achieve another level to my writing.  Believe it or not, this poem flowed from my fingertips to a piece of looseleaf paper, from beginning to end, without me even thinking about it.  The words truly wrote themselves...

Because of You

I can hear your gentle voice,

as I play it over and over again

silent whispers in the night.

blades of grass

dance about my fingertips…

learning back with a smile,

I think of you.

I can still taste your lips

ever fresh in my mind

your kiss…

softly spoken passion.

the clear night offers its world to me

arms outstretched

I take it…

and place it in your delicate hands.

knowing that in time

I can give it all to you…

piece by piece.

wanting to make all your dreams come true

lost in a world of serenity

I smile…

because of you.