Lost Chapters of the Mists – More Domains of Dread Part 5

Dead Men Tell No Tales

“Ah, setting sails on the high seas?  Well, let me tell you of grim tall tales.  I speak of ghostly vessels rising from watery graves.  I have witnessed water beasts infused with the deadliest poisons known to man.  I have seen angered spirits more than capable of sinking your ship, even from a distance.  And this is to say nothing of the strange island you will find along the way.  The ones I fear the most are controlled by wicked sorcerers who reject the divine in favor of their own prospects.  And that’s to say nothing of the pirates.  Even in distant lands, the brigands will emerge.  One such heinous gathering caused me crew to run aground.  And that was to say nothing of the horrors to come.  I speak of flying creatures that resemble women, but only their top half!  The accursed harpies had slain too many good men.  I speak to you today, only thanks to some priests who witnessed the carnage.  The life of a sailor is no kind one.  Pray that it’s only nature you have to worry about!”

The old man, beleaguered by his past, sits back down.  However, for the rest of the evening, he maintains a glassy stare that is equal parts ominous and worried.  His staring is only interrupted by the loud slurping of grog from his mug, most of which staining his mostly white beard.  Even as you ready to depart, the solemn and sorrowful figure remains haunted and scarred through the terrors of his own past.  Pray that you do not suffer much like him.

Author’s Note: I’m back once more, since my previous post split off into another part all its own.  I wanted to tackle a look at Sri Raji, as well as stealing from the new book to make their new domain feel more Ravenloft (though that’s a common complaint I have with the book).  As a whole, I give my own remake to The Steaming Lands, now the Steaming Wrath, with the addition of two wholly new domains (one based off of a Bruce Heard article for Dragon of course).  Likewise, I have returned with more Ravenscape crossover, detailing the fate of Antorek and how it relates to the Wildlands.  Also, PIRATES!  I love me some stuff with pirates.

Doomsdays & Dystopias Wrap-Up

While I got a fair bit more last year, I still enjoyed this theme quite a bit!  The GRIMDARK theme might not have been everyone’s cup of tea, perhaps less than science-fantasy.  But, oh well, this was a theme I wanted to do for a long time.  None the less, this has been a learning experience.  All the same, some of the bloggers who participated last year weren’t able to join in for this year.  But, to those who were able to join in?  You have my thanks!  Thanks for making this celebration of the dark and dreadful a truly fun one!   That said, onward to other things.  But in the meantime, here are this month’s contributors for my theme!  Please, check out what they have to offer!  And as always, give the RPG Carnival a try yourself!  It’s tons of fun and well worth the effort!

Anyway, enough babbling out of me!  Here are the contributors for “Doomsdays & Dystopias”:

• Daemons and Deathrays
  • Doomsdays & Dystopias RPG Blog Carnival – The post to kick things off, in which I discuss why GRIMDARK stuff is cool!
  • Conflict in Dark Worlds and Genres – I take a look at the role of conflict in dark settings and themes, plus supply some anecdotes on games I’ve been in.
  • Post-Apocalyptic Rules Revised – I update some rules for corroded equipment, radiation, decrepit buildings and anomalies.
  • Mutant Monsters – Here’s an assortment of all sorts of hellish and horrifying things spawned by toxic chemical, radiation, strange powers and more!
  • Murder Machines and Killer Cars! – A Brutal Game Show from the GRIMDARK Future!
• Pitfalls and Pixies – The Iaraan Faur – Faith of Pitfalls creates a sylvan race blighted and mutated by pollutants and radiation, turning them into grim and hateful creatures.
• Bound-Incubus – All the spooky worlds – Tony talks about what the World of Darkness universe means to him in terms of gaming, sub-culture and more.
• Sea of Stars – Doomsdays and Dystopias of Sea of Stars – Sean of Sea of Stars tells us about the darker side of his setting, examining catastrophes and harsh societies within his world.
• The Wandering Alchemist – Angels and Demons – John of Wandering Alchemist discusses how a proxy war between fiends and celestials have left his world battered and scarred, especially against the forces fo chaos!
• Tales of a GM – Grimdark Interludes – Phil from Tales of a GM takes a look at games with elements of “GRIMDARK” and his own experiences with it.
• Teylen’s RPG Corner – [Actual Play] The Last Night – 1st V5 Pre-Alpha Playtest – Teylen gives a run down of a Vampire the Masquerade V5 playtest, set in the ever stark World of Darkness universe.
• Stories and Other Such Distractions – How I create characters for Cyberpunk 2020 – Phillip of Stories and Other Distractions gives the run down on character building for one of the most famous cyberpunk games out there, 2020!

Stay tuned for Kobold Press and their theme of “Magic” for August 2017!  You can find out more here!  Again, a big thanks for everyone who was interested in the darker side of gaming fiction!  Till next time, gamers!

IMAGE CREDIT: Wasteland 2 Promotional Image – Obsidian Entertainment