“So, what you’re trying to tell me is that you’re not an elf?”
-“No, sir.”
“And this isn’t the North Pole?”
-“It could be!”
“So… Sargent, have you been trying to mess with my goddamn mind this whole time?”
*”I’m in the fog as much as you are, Major! This ain’t Earth, it’s aliens. Roswell and all! Aliens!”
“Get a grip of yourself. This, err, non-elf can help us. Now, isn’t that right?”
Author’s Note: Two instances of New Jersey in the multiverse. Why? Because it ain’t as bad as everyone likes to say! Also, it’s a little smaller this time. Look out for next time, it’s a big one!
A fascinating cluster of worlds unlike any other. There is one true world within steamspace, an incredible Gas Giant that bounced between several sun-like star shapes. Orbiting the giant are many moons which foster life, while acting as a means of sampling the greater world for the benefit of the denizens below. This charter details the various inhabitants upon each of the moons. The Known Moons of the Gaseous Body, a cosmic cradle that harbors a bubbling and steaming watery world below known as “Steam Titan”, are as follows: Bashar, Destiny Expanse, Victoriana, Noire, Metallum and maybe even more. Splinter from the Iron Coil Gnome crew became a vital part in the infrastructure and well being of the moons themselves. While the company presence in the Crystal Sphere fizzled as fleets of Minoi entered roughly ten years ago, they left behind means of survival on otherwise hostile worlds. Enter moons built on extremes and oddities. Behold a fantastic gas giant that tethers all of them together, the very source of wondrous power here. But for today, let us look at the first two moons.
Author’s Note: Remember my Weird Western? Al’Bashar? Bits on Space Victorian British? Blatant Stephen King rip-offs? Well, it’s all part of the same world cluster! Also, expect a handful of homages to bits of pulp, sci-fi and then some. In fairness, this is the kind of insane crack I’d come up with when I did more with 2E AD&D. In short, mixing Spelljammer with Masque of the Red Death Ravenloft and Gamma World 4th Edition mechanics together would make something like this.
“There’s living dead, even in the wilderness… Well, damn.”
“The job is clear. You shall escort my caravan through the brutal and harsh beast lands, then aid me in distributing these medicinal creations to the people of my tribe. The latter is easy, the former is likely to kill you if you lack the knowledge. As it is, some buffoon who followed me around nearly died, but I taught him some of my ways. But, he’s not important. Are you up for this task? If not, stand aside. And please, direct questions for my caravan’s scout. He is knowledgeable on almost all travel matters. Also, don’t mind the living dead.” – Moonlotus Fadingdusk, a human witch from the Seeking Mind tribe… Or so she says.
There’s a handful of beastly creatures out there in the weird western frontier. A few varmints aren’t overly harmful, while others are truly malicious. The vast wilderness requires one on their toes at all times, lest they get torn apart by the seems, some quick snack for a cunning predator. It’s this reason why rangers and trailblazers join caravans, to minimize casualties outside of civilization.
Author’s Note: More weird critters, yeah! I decided a few obligatory folk tales were a necessary add-on, because fur bearing trout and jackalope are truly fun stories. While it was supposed to be in another post on native inspired folk beasts, I added the accursed wendigo here. Warning, this one is quite strong!
I love gothic fiction, gaslamp fantasy and weird westerns, as has been known through various posts throughout the blog. Plus, pages like Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque remain both awesome to visit and truly inspiring!
So, for the next month or so at least, I’m going to try to keep a wide variety of gaslamp, pulpy and gothic flair. This can be anything from more expansion of Tomb of Annihilation or Curse of Strahd to more content inspired by Eberron to more Victorian and Wild West inspired fantasy and horror content. And while I’m at it? Good old Ravenloft, as in the Demiplane of Dread (instead of the module)! I’ve been pondering making a small adventure in one of the domains… possibly Dementlieu, Richemulot, Nosos or Lamordia. I might put it up on DM’s Guild while I’m at it! Of course, this is all pondering based on whether or not I’ll get around to it.
IMAGE SOURCE: Vampire Victorian Age: London by Night – White Wolf Games
Daemons & Deathrays 