Whispers within the Mists

Dark times drag the people ever closer towards prophecy.  A new Dukkar arises, perhaps more than one!  Likewise, prophecies begin to fall into place once more.  Tensions boil as countless burn.  The Broken Cog slowly grinds to a halt, before revving feverishly into destruction.  The artists of a distant ally to Ghastria see their works turn on them.  More Shadows gather to make the impossible.  Is there a certainty in these end times?  Madame Eva have given her peace on the words of the Dukkar, but surely this can be stopped.

Author’s Note: Another post?  What’s the occasion? I’m not sure exactly. Am I motivated? Can’t say. I’ve mostly moved on from my gaming funk. Have I lost interest in D&D? Absolutely, Hasbro/WotC are evil… Straight up. But, I still love Planescape and Ravenloft, and not the pathetic remakes of either.  Anyway, I mean it that I’m gonna wrap things up and move on from things.  The fandom needs to leave their awful relationship too.  Also, Phayrezshia has always been a “Fuck You” to WotC/Hasbro.  I changed the name because it sounded too much like Phyrexia before.  Likewise, the Demiurgos Society, the brothel pocket domain, Neur-Maise and other things lampoon the absolute state of the game.  It’s best to find something else.  Castles & Crusades is a good D&D replacement, as is much of the OSR.  Likewise, Savage Worlds Fantasy Companion alongside the “SWADE” edition is a good pick.  But, I’m off-topic.  So, uhh, last bits of Ravenloft stuff!

Grievances and Fears in the Cage

Life in the Cage is a complicated matter.  Even the status quo is barely fathomable to outsiders.  And for those who live within it?  Somehow, it all makes sense.  But, what does it mean in the end?  What of the factions, the arising guilds, equally escalating tensions, the general struggle?  Only time will tell.  Should the visions of the Cage’s seers be true, many of those elements in the dark won’t matter anyway.  Their influence won’t last, but their damage will be done.

Author’s Note: These are drafts that have languished for a while.  Needless to say, maybe I’ll continue to make these.  Dunno.  I’m back here because some old fans reached out.  In the meantime, enjoy a heated rivalry, unusual crimes, a rally from Hell, cults and an homage to In The Mouth of Madness.  As always, all of this is through the notes, letters and thoughts of The Cage.

Musings in the Cage – Yet More Letters and Words from Sigil

The every day shuffling of feet against strange streets, the low murmurs of passersby, the ambience of a city infused with all means of reality and planes, the true center of the multiverse.  This is Sigil, a place of many stories… even stories as small as snippets from conversations and written word alike.  There is no seeming end to what one can learn from a little perception and a day’s worth of wandering.

Author’s note: What, a post by me? And it’s not just announcement? Could it be? Yes and no. I’m still somewhat retired from gaming creations for now. I’m less burned out on the idea of writing updates and ideas for this page. It was fun and worth picking up again.

The Mists gather

Am I fully back to things? No. I’m still somewhat on hiatus. However, I am putting in something for Threshold Magazine Issue #30. This continued Mystara – Ravenloft crossover contains two more ancient domains. The first looks at the later years of Blackmoor, as a crusade against the Beastmen truly kicks off. And for a post-Great Rain of Fire realm, there is one taking from Taymora.

The former examines a torn apart colony besieged by endless war and enemies on all sides. A glorious admiral is not the man he once was, lacking the confidence and passion to truly bring a new age for Blackmoorians under his protection. And worse, he can’t even bare to fill his ego by looking at himself, as he only sees the beast that he acted like. However, in rare moments, he can muster enough of himself to gather volunteers to always fight back and uphold their sense of ancestral pride.

The latter explores a post-apocalyptic wreck, degraded from their days of glory, but still advancing and moving forward. This corruption of Taymora is a warped look at an old culture. And despite their attempts at pushing towards a better vision of the ways, they are viewed as backwards by the seas at large. As for their leader, once a great daughter of one of the many Vampire High Priestesses, she is cut down in both beauty and sanity. Still very powerful, she alienates and horrifies the public, as her gifts will never work as she desires them to again.

Likewise, I elaborate on some of the tortures facing the Black Rajah of Jaibul. Lifted right from the words of the Voyage of the Princess Ark, the Rajah faces new troubles in the Demiplane of Dread. Likewise, his call for allies falls on mostly no ears.

Stay tuned.

Threshold Magazine # 29 Now Available

As I’ve posted before, I have an article in the current issue of Mystara’s greatest fan magazine, Threshold. The article, “Beyond Nebligtod: Mystara in the Mists” explores three new Domains of Dread that have a distinctly Mystaran influence/perspective. Likewise, check out the other amazing contributions as well. Also, shout-out to the editors and layout designers for their amazing work.

You can find Issue # 29 here.

I LIVE… AGAIN!

“Open for Business!”

So, what gives? I vanish from you fine people for a long time with barely a word.  Well, I owe at least some explanation.  In short, things have not been exactly exemplary, tearing me away from creative stuff.  Lots of personal problems I may divulge in another post.  On top of that, being hardcore burned out on D&D has made things a bit rougher in general.  Either way, I’m back with a bit of an announcement.  Without telling you too much about my life, things have been a bit hectic during my semi-hiatus from the page here.  But, I’ve still kept busy with at least something.  

So with that, I’d like to inform that my contribution for Threshold Magazine is nearing completion.  The theme?  More victims of the Dark Powers hailing from the world of Mystara.  Read the frantic notes of the Black Rajah of Jaibul as he tries to make sense of his own situation.  Dare to seek more on other prisoners of the mists, even a word on Meredoth of Nebligtod!  While two of these domains are based on previous creations seen on my blog, this article expands a little on Vasfar and Ylar.  Joining them is a domain that connects to the mysterious pocket domain of Acotlaza.  This is the Scarred Crags, a mockery of Tiger Clan attempts to conquer their siblings of the Atruaghin Clans.  While the themes of fighting lycanthropy, colonization and oppression are no strangers to the Demiplane of Dread, hopefully this new Darklord’s pain pleases the Dark Powers.  And likewise, I hope that those reading this are just as eager as I am to make some more mad creations for the Demiplane of Dread.  Should things prove popular enough, this might continue.  Beyond Threshold, I might make a follow-up for Fraternity of Shadow’s Quoth the Raven or perhaps Threshold once more.  Likewise, musings on converting Ravenloft content to BECMI.  The Darklords and related creatures get only minimal mechanical considerations in the current article though.  In the meantime, the mists are parting once more and something dark lingers nearby.

Traversing the mists with Mistfactor Press

I’ve been in chats with the fine creators at Mistfactor Press, a group effort to properly update the Ravenloft Campaign Setting for the D&D 5th Edition DM’s Guild. Despite my misgivings towards the current edition, they’ve done a fantastic job and are more than deserving of a look over. They’ve even made 400 page volumes examining said domains in great detail. By all means, consider at least the digital copies. You can find more on their user page, looking under Van Richten’s Encyclopedia of Darklords and Domains.

And with the project leader’s permission, I’m also helping to launch an effort to convert mechanics to 2nd and 3rd Editions. This will only cover things not found in each respective edition, not the entirety of the books (as much of Volume 1 alone can be found in each respective edition). Furthermore, this project will not include any lore that isn’t tied into the mechanics somehow (such as the Darklord’s curses). And as a slight disclaimer, this project is not meant to take away energy or success from Mistfactor, but only help to spread interest and attention by opening the gates to classic fans who might not otherwise be interested in 5th Edition. Stay tuned as always, including for Threshold Mystara Magazine #29. This too will involve Ravenloft.

Sylvan Strangeness – Weird Courtly Business

This is all I have to offer for now.  I assure you that much more lurks beyond.  There is much yet that they fair folk would prefer to presently keep hidden.  Is there something worse than a nightmare conspiracy, cross planar war or the elimination of countless lives?  Hard to say.  The fey will remain an eternal enigma to even most planars.

Author’s Note: Special thanks to King Corn and ripvanwormer of thepiazzaforums for some incredible ideas!  Anyway, that’s it for me in terms of fey politics, intrigue and factions.  Additional thanks to everyone who participated in the January 2022 RPG Blog Carnival!  More after the jump.

More Politicking and Intrigue of the Fey – Part 3

Outlaws, Oddballs and Cultist Fanatics

Seelie, Unseelie, Four Seasons and a few minor houses.  There is more from there.  And by all means, all of them scheme and dream.  All of them seek to triumph over the rest.  And worst of all, to see one of them fully succeed would spell the end of the fey.  Even those devout to Rhiannon would bring about their queen’s deepest fear.  In the end, the politics and ways of these creatures are too alien to fully understand.  How would they avoid absolute destruction?  How would they rebuild?  It would take a lot of speculation to imagine how pieces would be picked up by such truly unique creatures.  But, a mix of Real Speak and Chant alike has been formulated into some well crafted notes.  So, by all means read ahead and dare to discover how much of it is actual truth.  Normally, I strive for truly gripping information that holds the tests of scrutiny.  But, for cabals and corridors this deep, such endeavors are impossible.  Perhaps I have been mislead by rivals?  It is the fey way, after all.

Author’s Note: The last of them, at least for now.  These remaining sects, like the three before, hold less overall political power and tend to be less centralized.  However, most of them are some level of crazy, even by fey standards.  Also, huge shout-out to The Piazza forums.  Their ideas helped really bring this to life.

Dread possibilities and other heresies – A Last Look into The Mists

One last trek through the mists, friends.  One last trek is all it takes.  Will it spell the end?  A new land?  Unsure.  May something out there pity us.

Author’s Note: The year is ending and it’s almost Christmas…  Will I do more Ravenloftian goodness?  Well, someone has to in the face of Poseurloft!  But really, we’ll see.  I’m tired of D&D, as has been noted by the lack of crunch for a long time.  The good thing about a lot of my creations is that I can rebrand them as something else, if it came down to it.  Anyway, hope your days were jolly and nice.  Or at least, more so than in the Lands of the Mists.  Perhaps this is goodbye to the Demiplane of Dread, at least for now.  Likewise, a few more metaplots are looked at here for now.