There's not much that's been tickling my fancy on Kickstarter recently. This doesn't hit many of my buttons either, but Idols of the Neon Dark: A D&D 5e K-Pop Adventure and Setting does that the tropes of something recently popular and puts them in an easily digestible form of Dungeons and Dragons.
...and let's be honest, the music you can play in the background is pretty addictive.
I know I saved this two months ago, but I finally got the chance to watch Dungeons and Defense posted on the Kansas City Chiefs Youtube page.
Nerds... jocks... nerd/jocks, it doesn't matter, it's all too familiar. Fabulously familiar.
(Author's Notes: I began writing my gazetteer service to help dispel rumors and legends of the nations on the continent of Talaishia. My greatest correspondence hasn't been in regard to any nation on (or below) the continent. The greatest intrigue are the kingdoms and lands far from our shores.
My appendix entry of Hy Braseal has been my favorite entry of all folks, and more requests within that part of the world have been requested.
So, despite my better judgement, I've accumulated fact and myth for the lands far south of Hy Braseal, below the impenetrable jungle, the high plains and hills perfect for high races: The Giants of Cos Mora.
One final and important disclaimer: Almost all of the information accumulated has ben derived from the same limited Hibernian explorers who visited Hy Braseal and Amazonia. The Hibernians are famous for their drinking, their short stature (that could easily influence any claims), and the fact that their "explorers" were foolhardy raiders, rather than scholarly explorers. The most outrageous and fantastical claims are listed as such.
Cos Mora
Explorers from distant Senzar, Chi’in, and the Fortunate Isles agree on only a few facts:
• The land is impossibly fertile, shaped by ancient magic.
• The giants maintain loose boundaries; trespassers rarely return unobserved.
• Their temples predate known history.
• Each region houses a different giant-kind, each evolved to mastery of their domain.
• Lesser races survive only through shrewd alliances, mobility, or by living where giants find little interest.
• The Orddu’r Craidd pantheon blends sky-mothers, mountain-spirits, and storm-sisters—no two tribes interpret the myths the same way.
The giants of Cos Mora rarely attack outsiders unless provoked.
But when they do, they move with the inevitability of avalanches and rockslides.
Pampa Qhuri
Dominant Giantkind: Prairie Titans
Landscape: Endless rolling plains, windscoured steppes, monumental herds
Government: A triad of Shepherd-Matriarchs
Lesser Races: Halfling wind-riders, gnome grass-witches
Notable Sites:
• The Whispering Prairie-Stones
• The Aurochs-Spiral, a giant livestock city
• The Wind-Root Sanctuaries
Notes:
The Pampagor control weather patterns with slow ritual dances. Their strict fire-laws are enforced brutally.
Cos Mora South - Stone Giants
Dominant Giantkind: Stone-Ice Giants
Landscape: Glacial shores, basalt cliffs, cobalt fjords
Government: The Neverending Council
Lesser Races: Sealfolk, frost dwarves, wandering elven whalers
Notable Sites:
• The Frozen Reliquary
• Mount Ceirios, the Singing Glacier
• The Tidelocked Monoliths
Notes: Believed to be the oldest giant race; their burial grounds double as geomantic fortresses.
Qulla Suyu): The Airaith Tempestborn
Dominant Giantkind: Mountain, Frost, and Storm Giants
Landscape: Thunder-split canyons, high desert mesas, salt flats
Government: The Lightning Oracle of Three Voices
Lesser Races: Aarakocra cliff-monks
Notable Sites:
• The Valle del Ryswrath (Valley of Red Thunder)
• Sky-Cairns of the Wayfarers
• The Salt Crystal Mirror
Notes:
They interpret lightning the way other cultures interpret scripture.
Urqa: The Mire-Shapers
Dominant Giantkind: River Giants
Landscape: Wetlands, river forests, rune-woven waterways
Government: The Confluence Throne
Lesser Races: Amphibian folk
Notable Sites:
• The Temple of the Triple Current
• The Reed-Lantern Delta
• The Tide-Changer Beacons
Notes:
The most peaceful giants, but their flooding magic can swallow entire villages.
Chaku Mayu: The Thornshroud Wardens
Dominant Giantkind: Hill Giants
Landscape: Dense forests, thorn labyrinths, humid twilight canopies
Government: The Verdant Matrons
Lesser Races: Jaguar-folk, sentient insects, vine "kobolds"
Notable Sites:
• The Green Labyrinth of Arahura
• The Root-Nexus where vines whisper
• The Canopy Thrones
Notes:
They wage a secret war against a hive of aberrant mind-eating plants.
GEOGRAPHY OF NOTE
The Rift of the Stone Mothers - A canyon said to be the wound left when the first giants crawled from the earth. Ongoing earthquakes are considered “the Mothers turning in their sleep.”
The Temples of Urqa - Temples anchored alongside the river. Priests offer water-prophecy.
Mentions of the Country in the Blog: None
The once glorious forests now form a twisted canopy, darkening the land below. Strange mists and unnatural silence cloak the depths of the woods. The Drow/Shadow Elves rule unchallenged, but corruption is not absolute.
In 1133, the Drow Army of the NetherDeep invaded and corrupted Agenmoor, overthrowing the once-great Elven Kingdom and driving thousands of elves into exile. The once-majestic emerald canopy was reshaped into a twisted labyrinth of blackened vines, gnarled roots, and shadow-choked undergrowth. The Drow have since turned the land into an extension of their subterranean empire, poisoning the heart of the forest with dark magic.
The Great High Tree of Riafellton, once the towering heart of elven magic and governance, now stands half-dead, its bark blackened, oozing with dark ichor. Legends whisper that the last surviving essence of the old forest still lingers deep within, waiting for the right soul to rekindle it.
The Drow, however, have not achieved complete victory. By 1136, their expansion faltered, and the edges of the corrupted forest began to recede as much as a mile back. Though the Drow maintain control, their influence is no longer absolute, as the land itself seems to be resisting their dominion.
The Elven Kingdom of Agenmoor in Exile
Ruled by: The Twilight Cabal
Capital: Most of the Cabal bases operations in Draloite in Crosedes
Language: High Elvish
Flag/Emblem: A leafless tree of silver, on a field of blue.
Coinage: Ancient Agemoor currency, no longer overvalued outside of the forest.
Important Personas: Ashe and Binklen Winnebago
Allied with: Mercadia
Hostilities: uneasiness w/ Skyforge
Intrigues: The Winnebagos trying to ally with the Grunge Elves
Magic Items Recovered: Everflame of Aelindor, Skybough Shard, Moonveil Tapestry, Blades of Dawn and Dusk
Thumbnail Sketch:
The Twilight Cabal are a secret society of exiled elven scholars and priests working in the shadows, trying to restore the land’s balance. They are scattered and disorganized, but they know that if the High Tree’s last essence can be reignited, Agenmoor can be reclaimed.
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| The Twilight Cabal |
But beyond that, the cabal's efforts often come in conflict with the Grunge elves, gleefully fighting a guerrilla war against the Drow.
Even beyond that is the growing resistance organized by brothers, Ashe and Binklen Winnebago. Famed adventurers, with ties to the discovery and ascension of Emperor Rurik of Feraso, the siblings are organization a multi-prong attack on the Drow, to challenge not only the Sorceress Bhionn, but the Cabal as well.
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| Binklen Winnebago |
But time is running out. If the balance is not restored, Agenmoor may soon be lost forever to the NetherDeep.
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| Ashe Winnebago |
Mentions in the Blog
I will say this, I'd rather pay a dollar every other week for another small installment from Betta Games than some full sized product.
Betta Games is at it again with another Kickstarter, this time for Gone Scarin' for 5e
From the Kickstarter:
Our cozy one-shots are designed to help adventurers find low/no-combat ways to enjoy Dungeons and Dragons with an emphasis on interesting mechanics and immersive roleplay!In some reflective time this week, I crunched some numbers, and about 9% are Actual Plays of TTRPGs. Most are fantasy, but I'd like to think, between my players journals, and session recordings, most of the episodes are accurate and enjoyable.
With last weekend's rain deluge, I was stuck inside the apartment, and while I got a number of things done, I did want to start tackling the backlog of posts I have to finish. One of those items was the Georic Gazetteer entry for the Kingdom of Ras-Prythax, and I accomplished the exact opposite of what I set out to do.
Even before I transplanted my campaign into an Earth-centric model, nearly 20 years ago, Ras-Prythax was my Holy Roman Empire with more clout: The large remnant of an ancient empire, power collapsing as its domains get a foothold towards independence. It is a massive and vast land (furthest points is about 1,000 miles... not in a straight line). and despite it being the country I started building in the 8th grade, when I finally was cobbling together a map and the gazetteer entry, I realized how many empty spaces were still there.
The air is getting colder, the leaves are falling, and most of the Halloween candy is starting to go on discount finally.
I certainly wouldn't disparage anyone announcing Christmas products this time of year, but I surprise myself promoting an item that has the words Hallmark and Gilmore Girls in it.
The Hallmark 2025 Keepsake Ornament for the Gilmore Girls is a... gazebo?
I have a lot of gripes about Kickstarters recently, but I will never say no to a $1 pdf that piques my interest. It's cheaper than a candy bar and with a good group, it might be more memorable than some campaigns.
Betta Games has a whole series of inexpensive adventures in their "Gone..." series (Gone Fishing, Gone Campin', Gone Bee Keepin', etc..)
Gone Foragin' is a simple adventure, combined with foraging rules, toxic results, and pilfering pests!
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| Twig Blights (WOTC 40049) |
In the Queue: Gotta be honest, some "necessary" Star Wars figures have pushed themselves to the front. Goblins and Hawaiian Gnomes are probably part of the my gaming new year glut for October (yes, October).
Project 350: A nice steady decline to 455 (281/174) from 458 (282 drafts/176 scheduled). My gaming year ends September 30th, so I have a bunch of smaller clean-up to do, but I do anticipate some New Years' "bulk up" to my back catalogue.
Just a happy note, that I found an link on a Patreon covering Clerics of Baervan Wildewander for Greyhawk. It appears to be publicly accessible information. I personally love the artwork.
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| Norm, circa 1064 |
OUR HEROES HAVE GIVEN UP HOPE!
The group's disintegration within the Mines of Illefarn have forced the survivors to return to Illefarn in defeat.
Hugo Swam'Pas - The popular local hedge mage (and frightenly, voice of reason with in the party), is dead at the hands of gargoyles, and a nasty fall. His body is being brought back to Mere for burial.
Beulah Cragmuffin - Normally the adversary of Hugo's actions, Beulah was the first to suggest returning home.
Galastia Axenmeld: Disgruntled acolyte of The Church and alleged conspirator with necormancers agreed with Beulah's assessment. She's taking Gwendalyn back to The Church for both of them to face judgement, punishment, despite Galastria's affirmation that she had done nothing wrong.
Gwendalyn the Bright - Another disgruntled acolyte of the Church, now tied up and gagged for the majority of the hike back to Mere.
Dim Cragmuffin - Beulah's dim-witted relative is pulling the makeshift sled with Hugo's body, and Gwendalyn's armor.
Jonerir Drake - Younger brother of Belaquan Drake, who disappeared about a year ago. Upon discovering Hugo's family was estranged, at best, he is hoping his new mentor, Clifford Loprete will allow him to use Hugo's spellbook.
Carya Illinoisis - The former merchant / current Baronial Guard, this mountain of a woman disappeared within Illefarn.
31 Mai 535 - The Return to Mere
Bringing back a corpse over a four day trek wasn't too wise. Hugo was buried on Clifford Loprete's property. Clifford took possession of his spellbook and his Skullcap of Comprehension. Clifford bequeathed Hugo's family ring, a Ring of Fire Resistance to Jonerir. His funeral was lightly attended. Jonerir stays in town to be Clifford's student.
Galastia brought a combative Gwendalyn in front of Sister Bronte, the head of The Church in Mere. Bronte found no fault with either, but forbid all forms of contact with either of them. Upon the arrival of the next Baronial Guard patrol, Galastria was escorted to Gulluvia City, the capital, to work with the High Priest, while Gwendalyn was reassigned to the village of Dead Mule. Acolyte Han Gabelung was recalled to assist Village Priestess Bronte and her assistant, 15-year old Susie.
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| Priestess Bronte |
28 June 535 - The Village of Mere
With Norms' appearance and Carya's reveal, Mere becomes part of Mercadia. a country no one knew existed.
Norm hadn't joined the group yet, but he probably read the journals of either Talis Makolin, Echellon, or maybe Rolf Wolfsblood.
I don't believe I placed Gulluvia within the proper Ferasean calendar, but my notes and timeline state that Gulluvia officially become part of Mercadia in the proper years 1143. This runs concurrent with the early episodes of the Buring Trogs Redux.
Our heroes are now deep within the ancient mines known to the dwarves as Illefarn solving an issue with poisoned water, two clerics of the same church, Galastria and Gwendalyn are fighting in the midst of the complex over theological issues. The baronial guardsman, Carya, has slipped away, Beulah in tow.
Galastia Axenmeld: Disgruntled acolyte of The Church, target of Gwendalyn's uber-piety.
Gwendalyn the Bright - Another disgruntled acolyte of the Church, sent to solve issues within this podunk village, but overlooked for the parish priest role.
Carya Illinoisis - The former merchant has joined the Baronial Guard, with a focus around Mere. She's still a mountain of a woman that's even stronger than she lets on.
Dim Cragmuffin - It's unsure what relation he was to Beulah, but the halfling was ugly as a dog bashed in the face with a mace, but also old enough to have been bequeathed an old set of armor from the Cragmuffin family ancestors. The rest aren't sure if he's volunteered for hero duty, or he's following a firefly in the same general direction as the
Jonerir Drake - Younger brother of Belaquan Drake, who disappeared about a year ago. Fallen in with the likes of Clifford Loprete
Hugo Swam'Pas - The popular local hedge mage from Mere known for more successes than failures in helping the village out.
Beulah Cragmuffin - A halfling that hates adventuring, but hates seeing Hugo get any credit, whether he deserves it or not.
21 Mai 535 - Somewhere Under Illefarn
The grudge match between Gwendalyn, magically engulfed in flames, and Galastria. Both were better armored than their martial ability. Galastria finally landed a non-leathal blow, knocking her fellow cleric back, but she remained relentless.
Meanwhile, Beulah, peeked around the corner of of the lair of King Devin's Dwarves. Carya was speaking with a Dwarf guard, and suddenly, he had further down the hallway.
Moments later, King Devin and a contingent of his troops, arrived in front of Carya. She presented the King with some of device. She turned away from the ramp... and her compatriots, and King Devin and the Dwarves advanced towards the ramp. Beulah ran back to the fight... still ongoing, "We're in trouble!!!"
Despite Beulah's warning, everyone was shocked to see the Dwarf king... again.
"All of you, just get out! You are not welcome here anymore." Beulah, pushed an agitated Dim towards the door, the others following. Even Galastria began to follow suit, especially with the four aggressive dwarves surrounding them, axes in hand.
Everyone may have started moving towards the doors, but Gwendalyn continued to try to pummel her heretical cleric. The others made some attempts to separate them... or in Beulah's case, attempted to waylay the over-fervent cleric. aiming for her knees.
It was finally enough to distract Gwendalyn, allowing Galastria to hit her upside the head with her mace, dropping her to the ground.
No one questioned Galastria as she tied up the unconscious acolyte. She tied a cloth around Gwendalyn's neck, just in case they needed to gag her when she regained consciousness.
Back into the large chamber with the pillars, Hugo decided to to investigate the balcony one last time before delving further in the mine complex. With Galastria behind him on the Broom of the Mountain Lord, Hugo flew up into the balcony area, confirming the limestone railing, the two statues, and a door located in the far back of the balcony.
Once they landed near that door, the two large grotesque statues along the railing came to life!
Neither Hugo nor Galastria had dismounted, so the magic-user quickly turned around and tried to fly out of the area. Both of the statues struck Hugo, and he and Galastria tumbled down into the shallow water at the base of the pillars.
Galastria landed hard, her armor felt bent. She looked over towards Hugo. He wasn't worried about his injuries.
Because he was dead.
Dim splashed in the water to recover the Broom of the Mountain Lord before it slowly floated away.
The death of Hugo affected the group as a whole. He may have been her fiercest adversary, but Beulah knew the slim chance of the mission's success had vanished with his demise. Couple that with Gwendalyn's ranting and ravings, Carya's disappearance, and the general incompetence of Dim and Jonerir, it was time to admit defeat and return to Mere...
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| RIP Hugo Swam'Pas |
Back in June, I lamented the lack of proper same-day participating of #FreeRPGDay in my general area, due to conflicting events at stores. I eventually found a cool store that was participating and added it to my future travels.
As a follow-up, my one local store, Sword in the Stone Games had rescheduled their #FreeRPGDay events for a week late, only to have the entire shopping mall they're located in shut down for more than a week due to electrical infrastructure issues.
Yesterday, the store finally had their day, and I must laugh, I swung in to check out the swag, and was grateful I store two sets of dice in the console of the car.
First, a huge shout-out to the store for ordering two kits of materials. I did not get to see the variety of items at the store I visited in June, because it was already mid-day by the time I found them. I showed up three hours into the event, and there was an immense and diverse selection of everything, with no limits.
In something that I appreciated even more, their large open gaming space was dominated by multiple 2-hour free RPG sessions for a variety of systems... beyond the two long-term games hidden in designated RPG space.
Friend of the blog, friend of Mepacon, and employee of Sword in the Stone, James Burns was running events, so I fell into his table, and after 16 years, finally played a game of Pathfinder.
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| My winged kobold rogue... who had more bite than the image's inspiration lent to the pre-gen. |
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| The thing under the dragon's jaw is me! |
Our heroes are now deep within the ancient mines known to the dwarves as Illefarn. They're lead cleric, Galastria, has just been reunited with the group, after disappearing under mysterious circumstances.
Galastia Axenmeld: Disgruntled acolyte of The Church
Gwendalyn the Bright - Another disgruntled acolyte of the Church, sent to solve issues within this podunk village, but overlooked for the parish priest role.
Carya Illinoisis - The former merchant has joined the Baronial Guard, with a focus around Mere. She's still a mountain of a woman that's even stronger than she lets on.
Dim Cragmuffin - It's unsure what relation he was to Beulah, but the halfling was ugly as a dog bashed in the face with a mace, but also old enough to have been bequeathed an old set of armor from the Cragmuffin family ancestors. The rest aren't sure if he's volunteered for hero duty, or he's following a firefly in the same general direction as the
Jonerir Drake - Younger brother of Belaquan Drake, who disappeared about a year ago. Fallen in with the likes of Clifford Loprete
Hugo Swam'Pas - The popular local hedge mage from Mere known for more successes than failures in helping the village out.
Beulah Cragmuffin - A halfling that hates adventuring, but hates seeing Hugo get any credit, whether he deserves it or not.
21 Mai 535 - Somewhere Under Illefarn
The group was relieved to find Galastria behind, even if they had just spent hours looking for her.
Jonerir: Where the blazes did you come from??
Gwendalyn: How do we know if she's her! She could be some strange being disguised as her!
Dwarf #1 - Could you guys please take the torture of your friend to determine if they're not some weird doppelganger out of our room please. Important shaft watching!
Galastria: No need, because (pointing at Gwen), you're a moron, but we share the same religion, you crazy bitch, so I'll allow it right now.
Gwendalyn picks up her mace: No, you're the crazy bitch.
Dwarf #1 - I said everybody out of the room! There's no fighting here!!!
Galastria: See, this is what I'm talking about, you're completing unhinged! I'm not a mimic!
Gwendalyn: You're a dumb fool that's not worthy of our faith....
Galastria: That's fair, so let's fix the issue we came to solve and go back to Mother Bronte to hash things out.
Gwendalyn: Our faith is everywhere... and you're not worthy everywhere!
The four dwarves guarding the goblin shaft, push the group out the door, into an empty chamber, with the sounds of marching coming up a ramp.
It's King Devin, with four dwarf guards and he is not amused.
"What the blazes is wrong with you people?" Looking at Galastria "I don't know why you came back, your friends are going to get yourselves killed."
Galastria: They're not my friends.
King Devin: That's a smart idea, the rest of you should get out, maybe make friends with the bandits.
Galastria: Bandits! Down here? Where are they?
King Devin and his contingent travel back downstairs.
Tempers calmed, Galastria recapped where she had been for the last few hours, the kidnapping by necromantic bandits, with skeleton servants. "I told them our mission, they hadn't experienced any water problems, and I've brokered a hold to hostilities, we might be able to traverse their territory on the far side of the mines if we present peacefully.
Gwendalyn: I don't get this... we fight those guys, they kidnap you, and yet you give them all that information. Practitioners of the dead, and then they release you free.... and you claim you maintain the vows of the Church? What else did you tell them?
Galastria: I told them where to find your mother, for a good time.
Gwendalyn: When we get back to town, you'll have to account for your actions.
Galastria: I got kidnapped and got out alive, I'll take my punishment.
Gwendalyn: Yeah, but you're not part of the order anymore.
Galastria: That's not your decision to make.
Gwendalyn: It's obvious you went against all our oaths of our church.
Galastria: This is why you got passed over for promotion.
Gwendalyn: So you say, at least I have my honor... You are a demon spawn posing as piety.
Galastria: Honey, if was a demon spawn, I would have eaten you and spat your out already, because you're a bitter, delusional trollop!
Gwendalyn raised her mace higher, ready to attack.
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| Gwendalyn the Bright, before she lost her damn mind.... |
Our heroes are now deep within the ancient dwarven mines known only as Heek-Hallak, and they've encountered undead and rogue elements, and now going deeper into an abandoned dwarven mine, but now their cleric, Galastia, is missing, probably kidnapped! (Active characters with *.)
*Galastia Axenmeld: Disgruntled acolyte of The Church
Gwendalyn the Bright - Another disgruntled acolyte of the Church, sent to solve issues within this podunk village, but overlooked for the parish priest role.
Carya Illinoisis - The former merchant has joined the Baronial Guard, with a focus around Mere. She's still a mountain of a woman that's even stronger than she lets on.
Dim Cragmuffin - It's unsure what relation he was to Beulah, but the halfling was ugly as a dog bashed in the face with a mace, but also old enough to have been bequeathed an old set of armor from the Cragmuffin family ancestors. The rest aren't sure if he's volunteered for hero duty, or he's following a firefly in the same general direction as the
Jonerir Drake - Younger brother of Belaquan Drake, who disappeared about a year ago. Fallen in with the likes of Clifford Loprete
Hugo Swam'Pas - The popular local hedge mage from Mere known for more successes than failures in helping the village out.
Beulah Cragmuffin - A halfling that hates adventuring, but hates seeing Hugo get any credit, whether he deserves it or not.
21 Mai 535 - Somewhere within Heek-Hallak
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| Galastria |
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| Jorkul the Cleric |
