The idea of creating 31 new characters over the course of a month might seem easy for some, but most people have resorted to careful planning and some early prep time to get things going smoothly from the get-go. Two years ago, I regrettably gave up after 13 days. Last year, I prepped early and got through it, so I’m doing the same this time around.
I've got a couple themes for this year, some Gamma World, some Star Wars d6, then a couple of rip-off GI Joe characters using of the zine RPGs I own: Pew-Pew. Let's see if I can get through all 31 days.
I will make one admission, and I'll try to document some as they come up over the month.
I will be using AI with different aspects of the some of the characters. None will be completed digitally, stop to finish, but I've used it for stats, random skill selection, a portion of background flesh-out, and even inquiring for one day what system to use for a particular character concept I had... and I ended up buying the PDF of the game recommended. SkyNet hasn't taken over quite yet.
(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
Pantheon: Orddu’r Craidd
Ruled By: The Assembly of Six Colossi, various regional chieftains
Capital: Q’ari P’illay ("City of Light")
Other Cities: Muru Lluk, T’raqwayn, Sari Runku. Aserthera, Sekhimnos
Language: Various Giant-Kin languages. Even the smaller races speak the language right-heighted.
Flag/Emblem: A silver spiral-mountain pierced by a thunderbolt, on a field of twilight blue is a decoration in a number of cultures
Coinage: Mostly barter, Ore-weighted stone marks (never used by lesser races; mostly ceremonial) Important Personas: Deep-Mother (Elder of Stone), Hail-wrath Tempest-Seer, Marn, General of the Canyon Hosts, Qwarfan the Molten Herald, Mayu Warmi Ayllin of Llinquwasi
Alliances: None, sometimes with each other
Hostilities: None
Open Warfare/Skirmishing: Seasonal border clashes between Stone-Ice tribes and the Emberblood Forges.
Intrigues: Titan politics run on prophecy, grudges, and geological omens.
Demi-Humans: • Coka Wyrd Ogres (6%) • Frost-Chisel Dwarves (5%) • Frog-folk (3%) Magickal Devices: The Thunder-Seared Tablets, Ember-Forge Braziers, Stone-Memory Looms, Canyon Javelins of Lightning, Reed-Bound Chalices of the River Sibills, The Obsidian Heart of Pelondar
Thumbnail Sketch The Titanland of Cos Mora dominates an entire southern continent below Vargaard. Far below Hy Braseal and Amazonia are vast plains, adamantine mountains, glacial fjords, and jungled river basins ruled not by men, but by at least sixfold civilizations of giants whose cultures vary as widely as their terrain.
Where lesser realms speak of kings or councils, the Cos Mora speak cyclical skyfire the elves haven't even notated, and the slow bargaining of beings who live long enough to watch mountains rise.
For thousands of years the giant tribes have shaped the continent’s geography through war, artistry, and divine pact-making. The storms of the mountains to the west and the ocean to the east are their loyal neighbors. The rivers of Urqa run according to ancient treaties between stone and water.
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.
Kuyu Qhapaq: The Vinfael Emberbloods
Dominant Giantkind: Fire Giants Landscape: Calderas, obsidian ridges, fumarole fields Government: The Furnace Senate Lesser Races: Fire-resistant dwarves, Notable Sites: • The Shatterforge Arches • The Ember Crucible beneath Aconcagua • The March of Broken Glass Notes: They are master smiths; their weapons are traded only under oath-binding rituals.
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 Aurochs-Spiral of the Pampa - A city-sized spiral of earthworks used to herd the titan-cattle referred to as Aurochs.
The Temples of Urqa - Temples anchored alongside the river. Priests offer water-prophecy.
The March of Broken Glass - A nearly impossible region to cross, volcanic activity, sulfur deposits, constantly changing landscape.
The Salt-Sky Cairns - Skyward stone stacks perched on canyon rims. Each Cairn marks a lightning prophecy
The Mirror-Delta - Water surfaces that reflect not the current moment but potential futures. An unnerving experience, but one of the top draws for philosophers and bards.
Aroglith the Walking Mountain - A slow-moving colossus rumored to be a forgotten titan.Watching it move is like seeing a mountain breathe.
Mentions of the Country in the Blog: None
GM Notes: The author of the Gazetteer wasn't being facetious, the "Appendix" entry on Hy Braseal and Amazonia netted the best debut for the Gazetteer, and thanks, and thanks to Episode #677 of Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff, and the Cos Mora was conceived. Just enough bad Hibernian and pseudo-Incan to be wrong but interesting...
I'll be honest, December has been a large pile of suck. A handful of job interviews, a larger pile of rejections for mostly "filler" positions, and a LOT of driving to see the kids up in Albany. There's a moment in those drives where the Spotify playlist just soothes my black heart and fractured soul.
Additional bummers?
No children around this year helping me make my Kjottbollar (Swedish Meathballs) and Limpa and other breads.
Nobody coming over Christmas Eve for dinner (Christmas Eve is always the superior holiday to Christmas Day), then me transporting them back to their Mother after pancakes Christmas.
Christmas Eve: With my sister visiting her in-laws in the Great White North this year, I packed up the food and drove down to Easton to visit my mother. I took care of stuff around the house, ran her errands, including a trip to Wal-Mart I never thought I'd return from, and we ate. Basic. Simple. She enjoyed the food but did NOT have a good day. Sixty years of smoking have caught up like gangbusters.
We didn't exchange gifts, but one arrived when I got home on the perfect day to count it as one.
Palladium had a Kickstarter for a new, expanded edition of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness. Two years later, eight months late, and a $25 flat shipping charge for the core book, my copy of the rules arrived two days earlier than projected. Trust me, I'm well aware of Palladium as a whole, and their Kickstarter history, so I'm not surprised, just miffed enough. But it's in my hands, and if that's not a Christmas miracle, nothing is.
Early Christmas morning, I recovered from a night of full-strength egg nog, and trekked the three and a half hour drive to see the kids, with a cooler full of bread and meatballs, two stockings, and a single wrapped gift.
I almost miss those early days of K-Mart/Wal-Mart Layaway, paying off the balance, and figuring out the logistics of it all. Most of it nowadays is Ulta, Sephora, and Barnes & Noble, so most of it fits in the stocking.
Paints. I had specifically requested Citadel Seraphim Sepia wash, since I recently had an accident with one of the older, big bottles, and could not find it in stock at the last four stores I frequented. They actually have a Warhammer store within twenty minutes, and every was on stock (and allegedly on sale... although thirty-five years of history might bias be on believing that claim from the girls.
Not one for just getting an $8 jar of paint, they also got me
Zandri Dust - A Desert-y Tomb Kings color. I'm half-tempted to use it on my American Teddy Bears.
Mournfang Brown (Air-brush sized pot) - Brown is my favorite painting color, in all its shades, so I'll try it out. A little miffed the GW guys didn't question them (a simple "Do you have an airbrush machine?") but perhaps that is gatekeeping... from the hobby or the profit margin.
Nihilakh Oxide - A Necron corrosion color. All of the paints I can certainly use. (Michael's has been rubbish this past year, and they are strongly anti-Hobby Lobby, so I can't expect other sources.)
Christmas Playing Cards - When we played our Christmas Game this year, I mentioned my displeasure with the Gilded/Pulp style playing cards we were using for Fistful of Lead. Millie took that to heart and got me "Home for the Holidays" Bicycle deck. Very clean, gently themed... and guaranteed to be used for the Christmas games in the future, and hopefully more.
Glitter Ducks - We certainly had a bit of a duck theme this year (with one more discovered and added t other painting queue, see one of next year's posts for that one. Apparently I missed the Glitter Quacks at Five Below, but Millie did not. They're cute, plentiful, and after discovering Fishing28, I'm certain we can make a Duckin' 28 game. Worst case I'll collaborate with the young lady running a larger scale duck game at HMGS/Historicon.
Oh, and despite me packing a tote-full of games, we kept ourselves busy (and bruised) playing Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizaa repeatedly.
Outside of grabbing another copy of A Place for All My Books for my sister and husband after their return to Canada, I'm satisfied with my haul....
Scratch that, despite the distance and irregularity of my visits, my Dad Christmas List has never changed.
Underwear
Gold Toe Socks
Undershirts
My undershirts have held up, I just got replacement socks last year (and not moment too soon, as the older pairs are disintegrating.
I did not get my underwear (and I wanted a smaller size to boot after all these years! Huzzah!). Time to venture forth into the retail wasteland after our ice storm is finally cleared up for a pack of two.
(They did through a gift card in my stocking for said underwear... I just felt like ranting).
Good Lord, there was a time that I'd almost weekly give an update on Rec ball/AAU/School ball for my girls. When you're travelling all over creation for different levels of ball for two girls, it's a bit of a lifestyle, good or bad.
My rants dried up after Maja broke her wrist in the first game of a school trip summer league back after her Freshman year. Mind you, she played 30+ minutes of the next five games as a tiny 5'9" center on a short-handed team, without a thank you, without a follow-up by staff. So when one of the other players wrecked her knee playing AAU, and the hordes came in to comfort her, she had enough. And when the varsity coach realized what went wrong and wanted her back, AND OFFERING CONCESSIONS for non-basketball activities... Maja said hell no.
And with Maja focusing on volleyball and theatre, Millie was now one of the chosen ones, her and a 6'3" center who would crack the varsity line-up while a dozen girls wallowed in JV time with a volunteer coach we wouldn't want in the community rec league for grade school kids.
Except our 6'3" player got a full ride to a private school out side of Philly and is playing in some tournament in Arizona.
And Millie (and Maja) moved with their mother to Upstate New York.
I always told all the girls to keep plugging along with the system, be it sports or activities, unless (a) you're not having fun or (b) the folks tell you to stop showing up. I realized early on that the school they've moved to is the paragon of "participation trophy" when the volleyball team had EIGHT SENIORS on Varsity, and half of those wouldn't make the JV team back at Maja's old school, which stuck new girl Maja as the team manager.
Basketball added another level that confused me. Varsity and Junior Varsity are two distinct teams. There's never any chance of promotion during the season, even if three or the entire Varsity team came down with the flu, it would be a cancellation/reschedule.
In the new school, two of Millie's freshmen classmates tried out, and made Varsity. They're playing as 5'8" centers... because they're the tallest girls on the team.
I didn't like that Maja didn't try out for basketball with a new team and new experience, but she would've been stuck in the same exact spot she was before.
So the good news?
It's all good news, even if they're not winning everything.
Millie's starting point guard, still has teammates that can't make lay-ups or move to get position on a pass (and to be honest Varsity can't either). She's got 11 other teammates, and the coach has tried to situational substitute them in the second half.
She should not be the second shortest on the team, and third in the team in rebounds. I'm still amazed that I've caught four out of her first five games (plus a host of others locally with her ex-teammates) and everyone loves to shoots threes, but it hits less than 20% and the defensive team snags the rebounds 3/4 of the time.
I did need to brave Wal-Mart this past week for large round bases, because Hobby Lobby and Michael's were barren... I grabbed the last one there to boot!
The one displayed on Brigade Games uses a 2 inch base and separate 25mm bases for the loader, spotter, and double pineapples. I did try to ram them into a near 3-inch base... and of course I stuck the plant there first and was too stubborn to move it.
My attempts at a vine slingshot were pretty abysmal, so the closest color I had to a traditional rubber band was Craftsmart Cafe au Lait.
In the Queue - Teddy Bears (and another "fun with paint colors", Death Planet Iota characters, and a possible new convention project.
Project: 350 - We finally officially end 2025 at 466 (282 /184) another decline from 469 (281/188 scheduled posts). I am behind on Gamma World actual plays and a few other things, but with the #CharacterCreationChallenge coming up, we'll see a good number peel off until the next Project 350 update should be 2/6/26.
