MTG Salvation

Joshua Peterson: I need to not be so judgmental
Joshua Peterson: but still
Joshua Peterson: I just found this gem on Obsidian Portal
alacarleoricar: a gem you say?
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/deadgods
Joshua Peterson: just read the tag line
alacarleoricar: wow. That is a gem.
alacarleoricar: Makes me wanna play
Joshua Peterson: they LEARNED
Joshua Peterson: they applied themselves, buckled down, and made the ****ing grade
alacarleoricar: lol
Joshua Peterson: and now they are all successfully dead and apparently, we're hearing about magic
Joshua Peterson: it all makes sense. Cause and effect.
Joshua Peterson: one plus two
alacarleoricar: truly epic
Joshua Peterson: I just found another one about a world that looks down on nonhumans, powerful gods, and a "mysterious vampire with a past."
Joshua Peterson: um, no ****ing ****
Joshua Peterson: as opposed to what OTHER kind of vampire
Joshua Peterson: the open and honest vampire who is in the public eye and is fresh off the conveyor belt?
alacarleoricar: now THAT's a story
Joshua Peterson: then there is this one
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/163
Joshua Peterson: "My world is currently bracing for the return of The Dark One"
Joshua Peterson: no wonder he hasn't had time to update!
Joshua Peterson: there are also THREE campaigns called Savage Tide
Joshua Peterson: Savage Tide, Savage Tide, and Savage Tide in the South
Joshua Peterson: which is apparently just Savage Tide with a theme of racial segregation and mint juleps.
Joshua Peterson: on a related note, there are also three Shackled City campaigns- Shackled City, Shackled City, and Shackled City: Melton Pointe
Joshua Peterson: which, while I haven't read it, impresses me as being the WB teen drama version of Shackled City
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/sevensecrets
Joshua Peterson: I have a feeling this group disbanded once they found out that the third secret was "use chilled ingredients and plenty of butter for a flakier crust."
alacarleoricar: lol
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/159
Joshua Peterson: now, this may look like yet another untouched campaign site
Joshua Peterson: but keep in mind
Joshua Peterson: it's only a THEORETICAL campaign
Joshua Peterson: clearly, it would be silly to provide info when you have no proof!
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/digimon
Joshua Peterson: why am I not surprised this campaign had attention span issues?
alacarleoricar: lol
alacarleoricar: having fun?
Joshua Peterson: very much
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/teamsizemodifier
Joshua Peterson: "How much trouble can two halfings and a gnome get into? You have no idea."
Joshua Peterson: OF COURSE WE DON'T
Joshua Peterson: You haven't ****ing TOLD US!
alacarleoricar: wow.. looks like the title to a bad porno
alacarleoricar: something you'd see on the box cover
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/sakuru
Joshua Peterson: "Sakuru is a D20 fantasy setting based on D&D and anime fantasy. Themes include restoring ecologies, repairing broken circles, and defeating powerful villains."
Joshua Peterson: FIVE.
alacarleoricar: lol
Joshua Peterson: I'm so tempted to do it, too
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/kadur-haaretz
Joshua Peterson: "Fantasy the way you've always imagined it could be"
Joshua Peterson: Oh God.
alacarleoricar: lawl
alacarleoricar: how do I expect fantasy?
alacarleoricar: not in an adventure called 'Kadur Haaretz'
Joshua Peterson: apparently with as many a's as you can muster up.
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/92
Joshua Peterson: his deep what?
Joshua Peterson: P.S.
Joshua Peterson: what does he mean by "North"?
Joshua Peterson: does he expect us to be unfamiliar with the term, or is his map just sarcastic?
alacarleoricar: lol well.. there IS a region called 'The North' in FR, but still, that's a little vague
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/harid-zadar
Joshua Peterson: "Land of a Thousand Tales, what will yours be"
Joshua Peterson: Well...
Joshua Peterson: mine would be in English.
alacarleoricar: my tale will be one with question marks in their proper place
alacarleoricar: the quest for the missing punctuation
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/hoarding-knowledge
Joshua Peterson: "You can copyright spells?!?"
Joshua Peterson: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/oglfaq/20040123f
Joshua Peterson: apparently so.
alacarleoricar: lol
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/133
alacarleoricar: ooh, the fringes of the wyld
alacarleoricar: next to the edges of sievelization?
Joshua Peterson: are there any wyld wymyn in the wyld? or have they somehow been kylled off by wyld wytches wielding wycked whyps?
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/help
Joshua Peterson: finally
Joshua Peterson: someone who gets it.
Joshua Peterson: bonus points for using the url name "help"
Joshua Peterson: if you want fun, come and get it
Joshua Peterson: if you want help, type in the url and wind up confused and angry.
alacarleoricar: lol
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/88
Joshua Peterson: So they finally kicked Mercedes Lackey off of eHarmony.
alacarleoricar: lol
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/50
Joshua Peterson: ... and your playgroup is a local women's group or something?
Joshua Peterson: otherwise, I can't really make sense of that title.
alacarleoricar: don't look at me lol I'm just as stumped
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/cots
Joshua Peterson: "The Fate of Faerun Lies in Shadowy Darkness!"
Joshua Peterson: Fun for the whole family!
Joshua Peterson: Limited time only!
Joshua Peterson: also, the campaign url is cots
Joshua Peterson: because it's assumed that anyone wanting to go through City of the Spider Queen once more will probably want to bring a portable bed with them.
Joshua Peterson: "Lolth has fell silent, some brave warriors of Menzoberranzan, set out to find out what happen to the spider queen."
Joshua Peterson: they do so on behalf of the pharmaceutical company that spawned them.
alacarleoricar: lol
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/brave-new-world
Joshua Peterson: Psionics, Forgotten Realms, Maztica
Joshua Peterson: I don't get it
alacarleoricar: wow
Joshua Peterson: what do psionics, Faerun, and a Mexican corn dish have to do with one another?
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/brillfeld
Joshua Peterson: Sir, if you want to advertise your band, we really recommend Myspace over this.
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/37
Joshua Peterson: Ancient China on the Road
Joshua Peterson: God
Joshua Peterson: And I ***** when I get caught behind one of those doublewides on a truck.
Joshua Peterson: also
Joshua Peterson: Feng Shui System
alacarleoricar: ooh
alacarleoricar: perfectly balanced
alacarleoricar:
Joshua Peterson: An innovative combat system based around finding the perfect place for the swingback chair
Joshua Peterson: I can only guess
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/52
Joshua Peterson: A World of Darkness game delving into the First Nations, ancient folklore and horror in British Columbia
Joshua Peterson: Haha, silly billy. Something scary happening in Canada.
Joshua Peterson: Oh, Skade, you do go on.
alacarleoricar: lol
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/adamant-apex
Joshua Peterson: I'm not even sure if I can make a witty comment about this
Joshua Peterson: except for I'm tempted to create a campaign site for my 5th edition campaign
Joshua Peterson: and my 5th edition Samuel L. Jackson version campaign
Joshua Peterson: "Mind you, having a look at the True20 magic system, it’s a bit flavourless and dodgy. But I think I can fix that."
Joshua Peterson: THANK GOD.
alacarleoricar: lol
Joshua Peterson: Because, you know, EVERYONE ELSE ALREADY PLAYING T20 INCLUDING THE UMPTEEN MILLION T20 CAMPAIGN SETTINGS hasn't been able to get that down yet.
Joshua Peterson: http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/nwa-acorn
Joshua Peterson: Oh man, I totally remember Choose Your Own Adventure. But where is the option to ***** slap the bar wench and then rape her?
alacarleoricar: lol
alacarleoricar: oh Photon, you should put this on the now defunct Natural 20 already
Joshua Peterson: probably

alacarleoricar: MTGS has been fairly slow too
Joshua Peterson: well slow can be enjoyable
alacarleoricar: I've not been posting much
Joshua Peterson: I think the down time for several days sort of hurt it a bit
alacarleoricar: right
Joshua Peterson: also, I think a lot of people's spirits are wounded because of boggarts.
Joshua Peterson: I don't mean the cards, I mean actual boggarts
alacarleoricar: the cards don't help much either
Joshua Peterson: hahaha
alacarleoricar: honestly, I wish Wizards would stop with the goblins
Joshua Peterson: I sort of wish they would come to life and turn against their creators
Joshua Peterson: That oughta teach them, the sons of *****es
alacarleoricar: like a scene out of Gremlins, only with more cardboard
Joshua Peterson: and Mark Gottlieb holding the lines in a robot exoskeleton
Joshua Peterson: after that, every red creature card would be a functional reprint of Mountain Goat or Hurloon Minotaur until the final days of mankind.
alacarleoricar: Only makes Goatnapper that much more awesome
Joshua Peterson: I was just about to say that

alacarleoricar: we've been able to sneak a little in, but it's been relatively slow in general
Joshua Peterson: that happens sometimes
Joshua Peterson: it's because not enough people are talking about breasts
alacarleoricar: well we need some sort of smartass to crack wise and make fun of Sakura's chachas.
Joshua Peterson: have you tried craigslist? they have a lot of things there.
alacarleoricar: I really should, but one thing drives out another as they say
Joshua Peterson: it's also good for finding syphilitic hookups, if that is your thing
alacarleoricar: I have been yearning for that special itch in my life.
Joshua Peterson: plus, you get to buy all sorts of neat salves.
alacarleoricar: ooh, collectibles
Joshua Peterson: you Magic players love that ****
Joshua Peterson: just like D&D players love their disingenuous etymology and Naruto fans love androgynous rape fantasies.
alacarleoricar: Never really thought about it like that, but you are right about that one
Joshua Peterson: which one?
Joshua Peterson: because I really feel like the rape fantasy one is indisputable truth. Just ask 4chan!
alacarleoricar: right, right. No argument there
Joshua Peterson: the bad naming conventions thing one is fairly true, too
Joshua Peterson: I've seen far too many random apostrophes and y
Joshua Peterson: y's, and x's and other nonsense spelllings in D&D
alacarleoricar: yeah.. apostrophe is not a valid replacement for a vowel
Joshua Peterson: a lot of Kryck'karyth'yzyx's and Xoxkloy'clyx's
Joshua Peterson: not to mention all the random strings of vowels that are apparently meant to sound elven
alacarleoricar: Hey, don't hate on Kryck'karyth'yzyx
alacarleoricar: he is apparently the most pimped out dwarf I've encountered. According to a 12-year old with no life.
Joshua Peterson: no, what?
Joshua Peterson: I ****ing love google
Joshua Peterson: I googled Kryck'karyth'yzyx and get this
alacarleoricar: but the real question is, does google ****ing love you back?
Joshua Peterson: Did you mean: Krikee'karyth'zyzzyx


No standard web pages containing all your search terms were found.

Your search - Kryck'karyth'yzyx - did not match any documents.
alacarleoricar: lol
Joshua Peterson: so I google Krikee'karyth'zyzzyx
Joshua Peterson: and get
Joshua Peterson:
Your search - Krikee'karyth'zyzzyx - did not match any documents.

Suggestions:

* Make sure all words are spelled correctly.
Joshua Peterson: and I'm like "IT'S NOT I TRIED TO TELL YOU, OH MY GOD."
Joshua Peterson: stupid google
alacarleoricar: lol
alacarleoricar: I just googled Xoxkloy'clyx's
alacarleoricar: and it's like: Did you mean: Xoxkloy'clyde's
alacarleoricar: with the same result
Joshua Peterson: you know
Joshua Peterson: Josh and I have always said that if we adopt a girl, we would name her Rosalind
Joshua Peterson: but now that we talk about it
Joshua Peterson: it's Xoxkloy'clyx all the way
Joshua Peterson: It means "Human mare of an orcish war leader with hips so wide as to birth a thousand bastards."
alacarleoricar: LOL
Joshua Peterson: the best part is you can call her either Xox or y'cl for short
Joshua Peterson: or, you can just call her Female Half Orc Fighter 5/Rogue 1
Joshua Peterson: that way, when you call out to her on the playground, the only ones who will answer are her and the fat guy buying hot dogs from the vendor at the edge of the park
Joshua Peterson: and the latter only happens if he has a IP outage and can't make his clan's raid for the afternoon
alacarleoricar: you sir, earn a pair of roffles
Joshua Peterson: you see, I've thought a lot about this, which is why I think I should get custody of Britney Spears' kids. That and I know how to put both legs through a pair of Hanes.

If you can read this entry, please comment on it. I am testing my privacy settings and comment settings, so please give me a hand.

Update: Apparently, still invisible while on private despite having set privacy to allow my buddy list to access the blog.

Currently, I have it set so everyone can view. I'm going to switch it back later. If you COULD read this, and it disappears, let me know (if you are one of the people who would normally talk to me via IM).

"Let there be no master who answers not to the servant. Let there be no king who answers not to the peasant. Let there be no potter who answers not to his kiln. Indeed, let there be no power that does not receive first its call from those that it holds power over, and let there be peace in the kingdom, now and forever."- The First Prayer of the Rhadamanthus

"A regent that would rule with no king to relieve him is but a cruelty, and our understanding is but the mask of comedy that cloaks it. Seek not to revere, as reverence is the piper's tune by which one can bear this mask and not be seen as a fool- seek instead to silence the reverence and tear down the stage of man, so that we might see ourselves as fools and discard the mask that welcomes such suffering!"- The Rhadamanthus Creed

Royce Christi
Half-Selkie Charlatan Level 7
Age: 25
Hair: Blond
Eyes: Green
Skintone: Caucasian
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 140 lbs

Arcana: The Magus
Virtue: Cleverness
Vice: Selfishness
Value: Wealth
Temperament: Capricious

HP: 42
Def: 21
Init: +8
Spd: 30 ft

Ability Scores:
STR: +0
DEX: +4
CON: +1
INT: +2
WIS: +0
CHA: +4

Saving Throws:
Toughness: +7 flatfooted / +9 normal
Fortitude: +3
Reflex: +9
Will: +5
Courage: +9

Combat Skills:
Firearms +14
Ranged Weapons +14
Whips +14
Esoteric Attack +14
Dodge +14

Attacks:

Cressida (Masterwork flintlock pistol)
ATK: +15
DMG: 5 piercing
DC: 24
Range: 80 ft.

Fascinaturu (Masterwork bullwhip)
ATK: +15
DMG: 6 slashing
DC: 22
Range: 10 ft.

Defenses:

Leather Jerkin
DEF: +2 armor
TGH: +2 armor
MDB: +8
ACP: 0

Skills:
Bluff +14
Concentration +11
Diplomacy +14
Disable Device +12
Stealth +14
Disguise +14
Search +12
Sleight of Hand +14

Traits:
Meddler- Royce may spend Conviction to decrease the roll values of an enemy target.
Amazing Save (Fort)- Whenever Royce makes a Fortitude save, he may roll 2d20 and take the best roll result of the two.
Ultimate Action (Fascinate)- Royce may spend Conviction to treat his Performance check roll as a natural 20 when attempting to use his Fascinate ability.

Powers Favored: Light Shaping, Illusion, Sound Shaping, Glamour, Chance Shaping, Time Shaping, Heart Shaping, Mind Touch, Hex, Bless, Break Spell, Clear Sight

Powers:
Light Shaping +14
Sound Shaping +14
Illusion +14
Glamour +14

Feats:
Signature Power: Royce has an innate familiarity with the Light Shaping, Sound Shaping, Glamour, and Illusion powers.
Power Mastery: Royce has spent time honing his skill with Light Shaping and Sound Shaping.
Power Mastery: Royce has spent time honing his skill with Illusion and Glamour.
Fascinate: Royce may attempt to make a social interaction skill to Fascinate a humanoid subject with whom he shares a common language. The save DC against this effect is equal to his skill check result. This is considered a mind-affecting ability.
Suggestion: Royce may make a subliminal suggestion against any target he has fascinated, causing them to feel compelled to act on these impulses, as the suggestion use of the Mind Shaping power. The DC for this effect is 10 + half his Charlatan level plus his Charisma modifier.
Mass Suggestion: Royce may attempt to suggest multiple subjects he has fascinated with a single attempt.
Inspire Awe: Royce can use his social interaction skills to inspire feelings of wonder and reverence in those with whom he shares a common language and can see or hear him.
Improved Initiative: Royce is quick on his feet, and gains a bonus to his Initiative score.
Defensive Roll: Whenever Royce would receive his Dodge bonus to his Defense total, he gains an additional +1 bonus to his Toughness saving throw. This feat may be taken multiple times, but never more times than he has points of Dexterity.
Defensive Roll: See above.
Supernatural Skill: Royce has a certain savoir faire that allows him to make use of mystical teachings without any real training. He can use a variety of skills to emulate the effect of various powers.
Eclectic Knowledge: Royce may make an Intelligence check to use any Knowledge skill untrained.

Stunts:

Beacon Bullet: Royce fires a bullet that emits a potent photon burst. The result causes the enemy to be momentarily blinded, and they may not be able to defend themselves against attacks. This attack always hits, but the photon burst causes the impact to be compromised, causing the attack to deal less damage.
Base: Firearms skill, Light Shaping
ATK: NA
DMG: 0 + CHA
DC: 19
Notes: Requires focus to perform, requires ammunition to perform, does not affect targets without eyesight.

Phantom Bullet: Royce fires a bullet that contains a contact illusion. Once the attack hits, the target is overwhelmed with false sensory data, causing them to feel as if the wound is more severe than it actually is. If the target fails their Will save, they take an additional sum of illusory damage as well as the normal gunshot damage. If they pass their save, they take only gunshot damage.
Base: Firearms skill, Illusion
ATK: +14
DMG: Base + CHA illusory damage
DC: Will DC 19 to disbelieve, damage DC 24
Notes: Requires focus to perform, requires ammunition to perform

Traitor's Bullet: Royce uses his talents to fire a bullet that cannot be perceived, even by the victim. He makes a normal attack roll, but the target is given the chance to make a Will save. If they fail their save, they are unaware that they have taken any damage at all.
Base: Firearms skill, Illusion
ATK: +14
DMG: Base
DC: Will DC 19 to disbelieve, damage DC 24
Notes: Requires focus to perform, requires ammunition to perform

Radiant Bullet: Royce fires a bullet that is bathed in a corona of glorious light. He makes a normal attack roll, and if he is successful, he deals normal gunshot damage plus an additional sum of light damage to his target.
Base: Firearms skill, Light Shaping
ATK: +14
DMG: Base + CHA
DC: 24
Notes: Requires focus to perform, requires ammunition to perform

Deafening Bullet: Royce fires a bullet that has had its sound drastically amplified. Upon impact, the bullet releases a sonic boom, which causes the attack to deal normal gunshot damage plus an additional sum of sonic damage.
Base: Firearms skill, Sound Shaping
ATK: +14
DMG: Base + CHA
DC: 24
Notes: Requires focus to perform, requires ammunition to perform

Deafen the Sky: Royce bends air molecules surrounding a selected area in his line of sight, and then causes a loud sound. The resulting effect causes a burst of high decibel sound to rattle the very area in which it occurs, dealing sonic damage to all creatures and objects within a radius of up to twice his ranks in Sound Shaping. This is a wild power. Upon its use, Royce must make a Consequence check. If he fails, he may be deafened, stunned, or damaged by a backfire. If he succeeds, the stunt is executed without event.
Base: Sound Shaping
ATK: NA
DMG: Half ranks in Sound Shaping + CHA
DC: Fortitude DC 19 (half), damage DC 24
Notes: Wild power, requires focus to perform

Ricochet: Royce can make use of acrobatic gunplay to attack his targets. He can attempt to use Ricochet to attack a target, and cause the bullet to strike the opponent at such a trajectory as it causes the shot to bounce off his foe and strike another target within 10 feet. This attack deals normal gunshot damage to the initial target, but deals half damage to the secondary target. The damage DCs of both attacks are unchanged. When making this attack, Royce makes two separate attack rolls- one for the first target, and one for the second. If the first attempt fails, he cannot make an attack against the second target.
Base: Firearms skill
ATK: +14
DMG: Base/Half Base
DC: 24
Notes: Requires focus to perform, requires ammunition to perform

Strike the Hilt: Royce can attempt to disarm an opponent from a distance, using only his guns or another ranged weapon.
Base: Firearms or Ranged Attack skill
ATK: +14
DMG: NA
DC: NA
Notes: Requires ammunition or arrows to perform. Feats such as Improved Disarm also apply to this stunt.

Coward's Strike: Royce can make an attack, and then immediately attempt to make himself invisible as per the invisibility use of the Light Shaping power. He must declare that he is using Coward's Strike before making his attack roll. His invisibility must be maintained as per the normal invisibility use of the Light Shaping power.
Base: Light Shaping
ATK: NA
DMG: NA
DC: 19 (to dispel)
Notes: Fatiguing

Somnal Suggestion: Royce, while using his Suggestion ability, can attempt to put his opponent to sleep as per the Sleep power. However, if his target should pass their Will save against his suggestion, they gain a cumulative +1 bonus to their next Will save against further Somnal Suggestion attempts.
Base: Suggestion
DC: 19 (to dispel)

Mantle of the False Messiah: Royce can cause himself to appear as any variety of holy men or legendary saints, adopting a variety of discerning features- stigmata, a corona of light, wings, sacred scars, unnatural voice, eye color, hair color, etc. He may attempt a Bluff check against his viewers' Sense Motive checks. If they believe his Bluff, they fall to the conceit that he is, in fact, a holy hero. If their attitude is indifferent or higher, they are enraptured and are treated as if they are under the effects of Inspire Awe. If their attitude is lower than indifferent, they are filled with fright, and are treated as if they are under the effects of Inspire Fear. If any individual would know of Royce's true nature, or if they have previously been deceived by him and came to know of his ruse, this ability has no effect. Additionally, it has no effect on any individual that would be immune to the effects of any Inspire ability, fear ability, or any ability that would influence emotions. This is a mind affecting ability.
Base: Glamour, Illusion, Light Shaping (depending on form chosen), Bluff, Inspire Awe, Disguise
Notes: Fatiguing uses of this ability (such as any version utilizing a fatiguing power) are considered fatiguing- additionally, once in effect, he must maintain the ability as per the rules of the ability being used as the base.

Case the Joint: Royce can make a cursory summarization of a location and determine how worth his while it might be to investigate further. Upon entering a location, he can make a Search check. If he does, he can apply the result to the entire range of his vision, locating multiple objects. He does not uncover all discernible details in any given location- he only notices objects or details that could be found using a Search check with a result equal to the result he obtains when using this stunt.
Base: Search, Eclectic Knowledge

Background: Royce Christi is wandering vagrant who has made his living by traveling the countryside and deceiving the denizens of small towns and hamlets into believing he is the reincarnation or embodiment of some local saint or hero.

Born to a selkie mother and a sea pirate of a father, Royce was not raised in a household in which scrupulous behavior was given much value. At an early age, he became aware of the motivation that legend and religion held over others, and began to see that such feelings of hope, heroism, and devotion could be easily exploited to make his life more comfortable. Initially, he honed his skill with illusionary magic in order to create "wicked foes" that he would unleash upon the more gullible farmfolk and rural dwellers living across the continent. He would then appear in a town, decorated in illusionary vestments of legend, claiming to be some sacred hero he would have investigated earlier, and would then dismiss his own illusions, thus "vanquishing" the evil beasts, and receiving the gratitude, affection, and most importantly, compensation of the grateful people. He developed a particular affinity for holy artifacts, which he found could turn him a healthy profit on the black market.

For several years, he wandered and tricked town after town, until he came across the village of Coranzdora in the nation of Madripoor. He unleashed his phantom monsters upon the people, only to find that the already suspicious townsfolk were quick to blame their appearance not on legend, but on the activities of a local woman who was rumored to be a witch. This caused the town to storm the atelier of the woman and force her out of their town.

Royce considered this to be of little importance, until the woman tracked him down and attempted to harm him and expose his lies to everyone he met. The woman, who was in fact a powerful witch once aligned with the Court of Rhadamanthus, agreed to let Royce continue under one circumstance- he would be forced to use all his earnings to repay her for her atelier. Until she could build a new witch's workshop, he would be forced to give her all his earnings, but in exchange, she would keep his secret safe, and even assist him as needed.

Thus, Royce and the witch Gilda Arhamboras came to be partners by chance, and they began to travel Madripoor and continue the traveling circus of lies for some time. However, during a con in the city of Arguila, it happened that the city was, in fact, under the spells of a truly wicked presence. During their performance, a coven of vampires attacked the town, causing the people to turn to Royce to save them. Royce responded by shoving Gilda and two other strangers into the heat of an angry mob, robbed Gilda of her possessions, and took their shared carriage and ran to the only place he felt he could avoid the witch's wrath- the homeland of the nomadic Mawan people- a tribe of gypsies who had once sworn fealty to all fey. Royce had hoped his selkie heritage would inspire a sense of obligation in the Mawan, and would cause them to shield him from Gilda- if she could even manage to find their elusive home.

However, his hopes were in vain, and Gilda tracked him down. Satisfied to merely give him a sound beating, and extend his servitude to her even further, Royce found himself under Gilda's thumb once more- but his traveling mischief would soon see an end. During their stay with the Mawan, Royce was among the group of travelers that was attacked by the White Knight of the Rose, a high ranking fey noble who sought to exploit the wishes of the ex-Rhadamanthus witch Margarete, who had been traveling with Gilda. In order to keep himself safe from both the Fey Court and the wrath of the Rhadamanthus Athame that tracked after Gilda and Margarete, he ultimately was forced to continue traveling with Gilda and her other companions.

Most recently, he was among the individuals who witnessed the coming of the Hangman of Fey, and was embroiled in a battle with wild fey who came seeking the petrified remains of Artemis, the Green Knight of the Rose. At this time, he continues to travel with Gilda and the others out of a sense of self-preservation. He is afraid that if he were to try and flee on his own again, he might become a target of the Rhadamanthus, or worse still. Additionally, he feels that if he were to try and shirk his obligations to Gilda once more, the witch may not be so forgiving a second time.

Royce enjoys a rocky if not entertaining relationship with his traveling companions. He won't admit it, but he feels a certain concern for Gilda, although he commonly insults her by calling her a hag or a crone. This is fair blend of resentful complaint and affectionate teasing. He is not particularly fond of the peacekeeper Ambrose, and seems to have little to say about his unusual circumstances, but is quick to comment on his lack of sophistication. He and Margarete tend to bump heads as well, but unlike her fellow witch, Margarete is a good deal less vindicative, and tends to brush off the man's comments and hijinks with a tolerating annoyance, as opposed to knifeplay and ancient curses. He is indifferent to the changeling Mabry, but has displayed some discomfort around him after initially being attracted to him in his female form- but not until he discovered that Mabry's female form and his natural form were the same person. He tends to be the butt of many jokes at the hand of the bibacious Eastern druid Sheng, but tends to write it off (incorrectly) as drunken rambling.

Cleaning the glass walls,
Clearly in sight to long to
be another fish

lipps87 (12:17:16 AM): oooh and before i forget...nice voice
Male Matahari (12:17:20 AM): thanks
lipps87 (12:17:25 AM): yw
Male Matahari (12:17:41 AM): you should hear me use it to hypnotize a crowd of churchgoers
lipps87 (12:17:56 AM): that would be a blast
lipps87 (12:18:01 AM): the church of photon??
Male Matahari (12:18:13 AM): actually, the latter day saints
Male Matahari (12:18:26 AM): I wanted to see how far I could push it before it all just got crazy and no one would buy it anymore
lipps87 (12:18:30 AM): they're easy to convince
Male Matahari (12:18:35 AM): apparently, that limit is the church of the latter day saints
lipps87 (12:19:03 AM): ooooh now i know the rest of the story
lipps87 (12:19:24 AM): i can finally sleep peacefully
Male Matahari (12:19:37 AM): so can they, thanks to my teachings
Male Matahari (12:19:44 AM): and nembutal suppositories
lipps87 (12:19:58 AM): i didn't need to know that part
lipps87 (12:20:46 AM): have a good night, i need some sleep but no suppository...
Male Matahari (12:21:02 AM): well, YOU aren't a gay man, that's for sure

Pleroma- Pleroma is often referred to as the Great Paradox. It is a plane of existence that supposedly transcends the concept of existence as can be determined by sentient beings- it is a place where there are no boundaries between any ego, but where each ego is perfected and shines as an example of a potential fulfilled. Pleroma is said to be the home of God, but in other texts it is sited as being another name for God himself. It is unknown what its exact nature is, but one thing is certain- it is from Pleroma that all things are born, and it is to Pleroma that all things return at the end of days.

Pleroma continually ebbs and flows like a mighty river circumnavigating the universe, but it also exists within the heart of the universe like a wellspring. From within it, Willspheres are born. These spheres cycle along the course of the great higher plane over the course of many trueyears, until everything within their existence has been brought to an ultimate culmination, at which point they dissipate and merge with Pleroma once again.

Only beings with powerful paradoxical ability can exist within Pleroma without being washed away in the mass of egos. Additionally, any being who has not realized his full potential is immediately dispersed into desire, a type of psycho-spiritual cosmic debris that spawns life. A person dispersed into desire is reincorporated into the next forming Willsphere and is reborn into any number of souls that will once again attempt to reach their potential within the new world.

The Place in Between- A name for the pseudo-space that exists outside out a Willsphere and Pleroma. Some refer to this place as the Astral Plane. It is a place of great wonder, but also a place of great danger, and as such it is generally reserved only for beings of incredible power and authority. In recent trueyears, beings known as hungers have begun to spontaneously arise from scattered clouds of desire that have accumulated as individuals have risen to the height of hubris and attempted to enter Pleroma of their own volition.

These hungers scour the Place looking for stray spirit matter to devour. They are neither material nor spirit, neither alive nor dead, merely beings of ambient, automated longing drawn to other spirit matter by the laws of attraction. It is said that while they are lacking in intellect, they obey the whims of a central being who resides in the heart of a shattered Willsphere.

Willsphere- Although they exist separately from one another, there are many alternate worlds supported by their own Wills. These realities contain their own Heavens, their own Hells, and their own laws and circumstances, but they are all divinely mandated by a Will. These Wills can vary, but they all come from the same origin. It is said that all Willsphere connect to one, true existence called Pleroma, which is commonly referred to as the highest Heaven.

Trueyear- A trueyear is a measurement of spiritual time. While time may flow differently in various areas of its structure, all Willspheres have a universal age. As the cosmos flows and ebbs through existence, it all moves to the rhythm of a divine harmony. This rhythm, called the Heartbeat, is often said to be the pulse of God and all true and unified souls in Pleroma. Every cycle of this rhythm is called a "trueyear", and it is by this measurement that the progress and longevity of a Willsphere can be measured. Trueyears are impossible to measure by human perception, and difficult to estimate even by powerful spiritual beings such as angels while they exist within a Willsphere. Indeed, from within a Willsphere the passing of a trueyear may last only a second of human time, or it may last as long as a millenia. Because of this, beings are rarely permitted to travel from Willsphere to Willsphere, as such an event could lead to severe temporal consequences for the traveler, the world to which he travels, or both.

The Nine Heavens- No matter what the world, there will always be a place set aside for those that wish to be closer to God. The Heavens are sometimes referred to as the gravitational exit of a Willsphere, as they mount together to form something comparable to a stairwell that eventually connects the contents of a Willsphere to its origins in Pleroma. Because of this, those with the blessings of God operate within these expanses. The Nine Heavens are separated in a variety of ways depending on the circumstances of the sphere in which they are contained, but there are always nine, and this place is always fixed in a plane that exists on a higher consciousness than what humans can normally perceive. Unlike alternate planes within a sphere, the Heavens are never affected by the events of the World's Core unless those events would endanger the existence of a Willsphere in its entirety.

The Nine Circles of Hell- The Nine Hells are also referred to as the gravitational anchor of a Willsphere, as the existence of these places prevents the return of corrupt material from returning to Pleroma. The Hells exist as a failsafe plane that is isolated from the World's Core and Heavens. It is tiered in such a way that the Hells all centralize upon one specific Hell. All spiritual matter within the plane is slowly and inexorably drawn to this central Hell, and once entered, it can never be exited. In this way, it is ensured that those that would damn the purity of Pleroma are eternally trapped within the crumbling world of their own desires, forever unable to return to their origins. The Hells, while cruel, are an essential tool for the management of Dark Will, and are as much a vital part of the existence of a Willsphere as the Core or the Heavens.

World's Core- The World's Core is the heart of a Willsphere, the place in which the lives of mortal beings take place. It is divided into two main layers, a material layer that is perceived by living beings, and a spiritual layer that is perceived by spiritual beings. Both of these worlds exist in parallel and are tied inexplicably to one another, but they are unable to sense or affect each other directly.

Shore of Adam (Adam)- The world of mortal man, the material world constructed in the beginning of days. This world is called the Shore of Adam, because it is a limited world in which the children of Adam exist. The Shore is a massive expanse of space and time, completely contained by a system of physics cemented into place by the Will itself. Despite its relative largeness, the Shore is a highly limited world, defined very clearly by the boundaries of time, space, and human perception. Despite common beliefs, there is no way to depart from the shore to reach another world- no amount of travel can allow one to depart from its constraints, and as such the importance of the spirit is highlighted by this reality.

Beings of Adam cannot perceive the world of Kadmon without special assistance, or when outside an Edenic layer.

Sea of Kadmon (Kadmon)- The world of the spirit. In order to exist, all mortal things must have an eternal form that transcends the barriers of time. Without this form, the existence of a being is without merit, and as such it cannot exist in a reality that was formed out of divine purpose. It is because of this reason that the living world is surrounded by an invisible world that exists parallel to it. This world is called the Sea of Kadmon, a place of true and lasting creation that laps away at the Shore of Adam for all time, slowly drawing all valid and significant things into it. The Sea of Kadmon is the realm from which all spiritual beings hail, and it the destination of all human souls until the End of Days. Kadmon is like a reflection of the world of Adam, but more profound and true. It is invisible to the perception of all beings existing within Adam, but it's effects can be felt nonetheless. It is said that all things- humans, places, creations- have a kadmonic form that exists blindly until they cease to exist in Adam- at which point, they return to this form and revel in the beauty of Kadmon until the Willsphere is drawn back into Pleroma.

Beings existing within Kadmon cannot perceive the world of Adam, but many beings within it are aware of it. As all events in Adam shape and sculpt the landscape of Kadmon, there are those in Kadmon that may wish to influence the world of Adam in order to suit their own existence. These beings are rarely human, as humans rarely have the insight to come to an ambition of that magnitude. Every night, in the light of the moon, when Kadmon overlaps Adam, these beings visit the Shore and may cause trouble. This generates Dark Will and complicates the lives of the children of Adam, and as such it often draws the attention of vigilant adventurers, benevolent spirits, and the Church.

Edenic Layer- One of the places where Kadmon and Adam exist simultaneously. Edenic layers are places in which the true reality of all things cannot be subdued by the constructions of the world of Adam nor the machinations of the world of Kadmon. These are places of divine truth in which illusions do not function nor are ghosts separated from the world of their birth. All spiritual beings can interact with the environments of an Edenic layer with the same ease a mortal being could, and they can do so without fear of repercussion. No one knows why Edenic layers form, but they appear to do so spontaneously. It is said that they are formed in places where the reality of Kadmon has affected the fibers of Adam in a profound and unexplainable way. It is believed that in the beginning, there was a great layer that existed in the Garden of Eden, but it was removed when man fell. However, over time, similar but smaller areas of deep truth have been discovered, although rarely is mortal man aware of the magnificence of these places.

Will- The Will is a non-sentient spiritual entity that is put into place to manage and legislate all activity in the realms of creation. The Will is said to be something likable to a spiritual shadow of the Creator, a divine afterimage left behind to permanently and perfectly replicate the presence of God in a world without calling for the need of perpetual divine intervention. The Will is the utmost authority within a world, but due to the existence of free will, it is not ineffable. In fact, the Will can quite easily be disrupted and thrown out of balance by individuals who would interfere with its administration, be it purposefully or by accident. While most errors within the Will are self correcting, these errors are not without repercussions- and as such, much of the duty of angels in the realms of creation is to see that this delicate balance is not upset.

The existence of Will itself is a popular topic for theological and philosophical debate, particularly on matters of the infallible nature of God. If the Will is a manifestation of God's will, why can it not alter its Will to adapt as God can? Furthermore, why does it not take into account future inevitabilities that might upset its balance and thus avert its authority being compromised in the first place?

Dark Will- Dark Will is both a spiritual entity and a phenomenon that occurs within a Will that has been pushed out of balance. Dark Will is a corruption of the Will- to place the phenomenon within a modern analogy would be to compare it to a virus or patch of bad coding within a program, wherein the program represents the Will. Dark Will is one of the most dangerous forces within a universe because it has the potential to circumvent the divine plan and replace it with a corrupt plan with no discernible pattern or purpose. Dark Will is created when acts that occur outside of nature begin to interfere directly with the time-line Will has created for this universe. When this happens, the Will alters itself to suit the changes instead to support the divine plan, and a spiritual dilemma is created. When a Will begins to alter itself to suit the needs of beings other than itself, it begins to crawl toward the path of free will, where it may gain the ability to form its own identity- and thus, perform actions of its own volition. The Will is a shadow of the presence of God, and as such, it contains much of his authority in the world. Should it be able to operate following a protocol not matching that of it's own, it could become disastrous for the sphere to which it is confined.

Perhaps even more disturbing is the fact that Dark Will begets Dark Will- as the Will alters itself to adapt to major changes, it creates a ripple effect. Luckily, instances of Dark Will are often slow to grow and can be isolated through use of divine intervention, religious control, and powerful philodoxi. Dark Will does not only have an impact on the Will, however. Dark Will can also have an impact on sentient beings. As a sentient being becomes exposed to Dark Will, either through its creation or through its massive proliferation, that individuals own time-line within the Will can become altered. When this happens, the individual itself becomes corrupted by Dark Will, and slowly begins to transform in a way that removes it from the truth of it's kadmonic self. Individuals corrupted by Dark Will seek to create more, as they are compelled to alter their own fates to suit their own desires and longings, and the perpetuation of this can eventually lead to the destruction foretold by the prophets of old.

Luckily, human beings create very little Dark Will through their own actions- as it is within their nature to sin, it is within the nature of the Will to correct their mistakes and enact appropriate consequences. However, when an individual dies and returns to the world as a ghost, the responsibility of one's actions increases by a hundred-fold. Once dead, a being must carefully observe the arbitrations of Will or suffer the consequences of Will. It is because of this that death is often referred to as the "second bite", as returning to the world as a spirit often results in a sort of loss of innocence akin to that which occurred in the Gardens of Eden.

Perhaps the most affected by the Dark Will are the individuals in Hell. There, both fallen spirits and humans alike suffer the effects of the Dark Will they have generated, their desire for freedom and control of their own fate ever kindled by their misdeeds, but perpetually unable to fulfill that desire as they slowly fight against the inescapable vortex of Hell for all eternity. Because of this, there has become a popular mindset among the enlightened that deems the Will to be a thing of true evil, a presence that is arbitrarily punitive to those that were supposedly gifted with free will.

Philodox- A common truncation of the term "philosophical paradox". The universe is maintained by a variety of laws and balances which cannot be altered by any conventional means without completely devastating that world. However, often times, it becomes necessary for a higher being to override the authority of these laws in order to serve a higher purpose of the Will. This is done by use of a philosophical paradox, which is a divinely inspired contemplation which can be utilized like a tool or program to interface with reality directly. The philodoxi are utterly complex and endlessly intricate psycho-spiritual entities that cannot be understood by a mortal mind, but an immortal mind can make use of them to bypass the Will or even influence it directly. The most commonly acknowledged use of a philodox was during the early years of the first century, when the laws of death and life were momentarily and deliberately suspended as Jesus resurrected. It is not that a divine being cannot control reality without the aid of a philodox- quite the contrary, in fact. While human perception may interpret the knowledge of philadox use as something so limited, it is far more intuitive than a human wielding a tool to accomplish a task. It is more akin to a programmer utilizing his greater knowledge of a code to perform tasks within his creation that the average user would not be able to perform using the basic interface provided- and it is through this intimacy that miracles can occur without any substantial breakdown to the Will which supports the world they occur within.

Omniscience System- Perhaps the most prolific and powerful philadox in many Willspheres, the Omniscience System is a potent philadox that allows an appointed being such as a Regent to interface with the Will in an administrative way. Omnscience System does not provide any notable abilities to override the Willsphere it is utilized within, but it allows an uncontested ability to observe the workings within that Will down to the absolute smallest minutiae. Everything from the movement of the stars to the neural functioning of the smallest insect can and is carefully observed simultaneously and then documented into a archival sub-system called the Book of Life. Generally, the individual granted authority over this system is Butator, the Angel of Calculations, but there are doubtlessly existences in which this mantle has been bestowed to another.

Ghost- A ghost is a mortal being's spirit trapped within the Shore. They occur in a variety of ways, varying from sphere to sphere, and they may exist for any number of reasons. A ghost is invisible to most, and has a limited capacity to interact with the world around him. He may awaken to a variety of new insights and supernatural powers which aid him, however. A ghost is not a creature of Kadmon- he is merely the earthbound soul of a child of Adam that has no corporeal form. As such, he cannot perceive the activities of Kadmon without supernatural aid. However, a ghost is considered a spirit of Kadmon during the moonlight hours, and during this time he can move and act freely as any child of Kadmon may do.

The Lost- The process by which a ghost is created is a complex one, one that makes use of a powerful philodox that bypasses the standard laws of death. Occasionally, when an individual is brought to a mortal end and chosen by the Shepherdess to remain as a wandering spirit, their mind becomes exposed to the philodox. When this happens, there is a chance that the individual will be overwhelmed by the paradox and their mind will be shattered, be it only in partiality or completion. When this happens, the spirit becomes what is called "Lost." Lost spirits wander the earth as others do, but they may be unaware of many things- such as their death, the consequences of their actions, or other vital details. The Lost are often violent or malicious, and are responsible for events known as "hauntings" where the dead torment the living out of jealousy or fear. Despite their inability to understand their actions, the Lost generate a great deal of Dark Will.

Cacophony, such a title
for a helix of half-eaten words.
Cacophony, but a sound
of two rattling laconisms
generated in the calefactor
of the pages of a calendar

There used to be a sun,
set high like a carillon.
Now it has been displaced,
obstructed by buttresses
and arbitrary figures

How does one navigate
the garden of walls
and parisology?
The name of our captain,
the air-inspired panacea
of ubiquitous persuasions,
is charisma.

Old Paracelsus had a notion,
and perhaps it was true.
If the world was called forth,
then what are we but words?
Earth, an eternal lexicon,
each of us a constituent,
a particle, a primary element.

Ipsissimis verbis,
like a optical illusion,
a change in perception alters all.
Aelia Laelia Crispis,
The truth is there is no paradox
No mystery in a vacuum,
bereft of understanding.

Aelia Laelia Crispis,
Ipsissimis verbis,
by the twelve tribes, I am called Enoch.
Aelia Laelia Crispis,
Ipsissimiss verbis,
by the Father, I am called Enoch.
Aelia Laelia Crispis,
Ipsissimis verbis,
By the nameless nothing, I am called Enoch
Aelia Laelia Crispis
Ipsissimis verbis
By the words of Descartes, I am called Enoch!
Lucius! Agatho! Priscius!

Rise: Der Tod und das Mädchen is an alternate reality take on the Rise cosmology played out using a heavy adaptation of the rules of d20 D&D and the Rise system.

It allows for a high fantasy roleplaying game in a world of myth without the typical conventions of those worlds.

The world of R: DTudM takes place in an alternate reality Earth, centered in Europe in the 17th century. Much of the game is focused on the conflicts brought on by the Protestant Revolution, as they would play out in a world where the supernatural is ubiquitous and where the dead walk the Earth in secret. Some places look very much the same, but others are drastically different because of changes to history that have occurred due to the presence of supernatural creatures and key alterations to our timeline as we know it.

I'll be sharing some details here and there for those that are interested, but tonight I will be posting up information regarding how the role of the cleric plays out in a monotheistic world.

In a world in which much of the mythology is contigent upon the belief in a single God, it is difficult to achieve the same level of magical mayhem that we are accustomed to seeing out of the cleric class in traditional D&D- and also, considering the setting, the way a cleric operates needs to be revised slightly.

In order to do this, I've altered both the cleric class in flavor and function, AND altered the way deities are presented.

First of all, the cleric is gone. In it's place is the Herald.

The Herald is very similar to the cleric except for that it has different entry requirements in regards to alignment, and has a stricter code of conduct. Additionally, the Herald does not worship a deity, but instead adheres to a Judeo-Christian religion and receives it's power from a being called Regent. Otherwise, it is identical, barring a few changes that will be discussed in a later post.

Heralds are chosen by Regents in order to accomplish divine tasks on Earth. They must follow careful instructions to retain this right, but they are not restricted by alignment. Every day at sunrise, a Herald may make contact with his Regent through a specific ritual. The Regent may respond in person, but more often than not they send a spiritual servant or angel to the task. The Herald may then request their spells per day, which are granted to them if the request is reasonable. Additionally, some Regents may request their heralds prepare certain spells every day.

But, what exactly are Regents?

A Regent is a high level entity chosen by the Will of God (referred to more commonly as "the Will") to maintain all the duties on Earth that require divine intervention. They do so through way of the Church, but also through their heralds and subservients. A Regent is some sort of immortal being, most commonly an angel, although Regents of other types exist. Each Regent is aligned with one of the major Arcana of the Tarot, which is then associated with one of the major circles of the Sephirot. All of existence can be classified into one of these 22 Arcana, and as such it is imperative that a Regent be assigned to each one to see that balance is maintained.

Most Regents were angels, at least originally, but over the centuries, they have been replaced by all varieties of beings. Some are ascended spirits of humans who have earned great favor in life. Others are "Old Ones", or spirits born of the chaos of the formless world upon it's creation. These spirits, demons, and creatures are sometimes called the Children of Lilith, and many of them were worshipped as gods by the ignorant people of the ancient days. Now, most of the Old Ones have been chased into obscurity by the forces of Heaven, but a few have become allies of Heaven and ascended as Regents.

Players may select any of the following Regents to provide them with divine spells. They must adhere to all codes of conduct in order to retain their abilities. Some paladins, druids, and monks may also follow Regents. Common folk and members of other classes rarely, if ever, follow Regents, as they either have no strong need to serve the Church, or feel they can best do so without the aid of supernatural abilities.

A character's arcana does not need to match a Regent to serve them, but it is generally preferred. There are examples, however- Heralds of Horus cannot be aligned with the Moon Arcana. Heralds of Dis cannot be aligned with the Emperor Arcana, Heralds of Israfel cannot be aligned with the Tower Arcana, and Heralds of Harbonah cannot be aligned with the Temperance Arcana.


Each Regent has the following details summarizing them

Name and Title
Arcana: This is the Arcana to which the Regent is assigned.
Domains: These are the domains to which the Regent has access. His heralds may choose any two domains during character creation. Some domains and the spells within them operate differently in this setting. Such domains are marked with an asterisk.
Favored Weapon: Which weapon the Regent prefers to use, and what he prefers for his heralds to use.
Alignment: The first alignment is the Rise cosmological alignment. The second is the alignment that would be used if the Regent were used as a deity in a normal D&D campaign.

Regents:

Ariel, Along the Path of Eden
Arcana: Fool
Domains: Travel, Protection, Celerity, Water
Favored Weapon: Longbow
Alignment: Neutral, True Neutral
Ariel is the Regent who follows the journey of mankind through their trials and tribulations. He believes strongly in the value of adventure, experience, and earning one's own way. He is strongly opposed to any force that would prevent one from following his own path and is an enemy of stagnation. He is rarely seen, but is always present, observing all things. He never inspires paladins, but his heralds exist. They often exist in secret, traveling the world and spreading his power to those that would require assistance upon their path to destiny. One such notable herald is the Good Samaritan, a powerful and mysterious man from the nation of Samaria who was immortalized in a fable of Jesus.

Daedalus, The Hand of Craft
Arcana: Magus
Domains: Air, Knowledge, Magic, Mind
Favored Weapon: Flail
Alignment: Neutral, Lawful Neutral
Daedalus was once mortal, a famed inventor living in ancient Greece. Upon his death, he became a ghost who pursued his arts with such intensity that he was given notice by the Will. He was granted the title of Regent, replacing the fallen Zaphan, who sided with Hell. He honors those who strive to perfect their power and talent, and those who act upon their desires and goals. He is opposed to any force that would quell a creative spirit, and detests those that would stifle people into inaction. He rarely inspires heralds and paladins, but when he does, he does so during times of great enlightenment, such as the Renaissance.

Dis, the Mourning Woman
Arcana: Priestess
Domains: Healing, Magic, Plant, Weather
Favored Weapon: Dagger
Alignment: Neutral, True Neutral
Once one of the tribe of Vanir of the Old Ones, Dis found solace in the Will, unlike many of her brethren. Her contemplation upon the divine created such a movement within the Nordic men that she was awarded the rank of Regent and spared under the axe of Zehanpuryu'h. Dis is a solemn woman, but she is incredibly sensitive. She guards those that choose the life of nuns, medicine women, and is the Regent of single women. She vehemently opposes those who would suppress or harm young women. She rarely inspires paladins, but she is known to inspire heralds and even druids that see that the mystical properties of the divine female are not forgotten.

Maria, Mother of God
Arcana: Empress
Domains: Good*, Healing, Protection, Community
Favored Weapon: Club
Alignment: Godly, Lawful Good
A young Jewish woman who gave birth to the Son of God, the Messiah. She is now revered as a Regent. Maria is the patron Regent of the Vatican, along with Sadriel and Zehanpuryu'h. Maria is the patron of mothers, queens, and families, although she openly advocates for all Christians. She is opposed to very little, but she is greatly distressed by the workings of evil in mankind. She inspires heralds to share the love of God with all mankind, but rarely inspires paladins as she has a great distaste for martial things.

Solomon, The Great Magician
Arcana: Emperor
Domains: Law*, Magic, Domination, Inquisition
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff
Alignment: Godly, Lawful Neutral
Son of David, king of Israel, Solomon was a mighty king who was given the secrets of hidden magic by God himself. Now a Regent, Solomon holds power over the workings of the spiritual world. He is the advocate of deep magic, and the workings of supernatural beings. He is strongly opposed to the children of Lilith, and will inspire heralds and paladins to execute them on sight. He is a dour man, but is favorable to things of beauty.

Sadriel, Lord of Scrolls
Arcana: Hierophant
Domains: Stone, Law*, Wrath, Purification
Favored Weapon: Mace
Alignment: Godly, Lawful Neutral
An angel of the choir of cherubim, Sadriel arose to power during the early days of the Roman Empire. He replaces the fallen Ashteroth, who sided with Hell. Sadriel is an oddly literal angel, perpetually preoccupied with tradition and ceremony. His heralds and paladins are burdened with the most rigid of regiments. He protects the doctrines of the old ways, and is the patron of religions and social standing. He is one of the chief Regents who is honored by the Vatican. He views the Protestant Movement with great disdain. He is strongly opposed to those that would cast aside or destroy orthodox thought and tradition for the sake of personal preference.

Raphael, Vanquisher of Divergence
Arcana: Lovers
Domains: Protection, Water, Community, Pleasure
Favored Weapon: Rapier
Alignment: Worldly, Chaotic Good
One of the great angels of Heaven, who has served as a Regent since the time of Babel. Raphael is the proponent of unity in mankind, and he is in favor of love of all kinds. He fosters new communities, defends relationships from disparity, and encourages racial tolerance. He is strongly opposed to divorce, segregation, and antipathy. He is a noted romantic, and often materializes on Earth as a dashing swordsman. He is one of the few Regents who has been known to forgo inspiring heralds and paladins in favor of directly addressing his work.

Athena, The Steel of a Mind Tempered
Arcana: Chariot
Domains: War, Glory, Liberation, Creation
Favored Weapon: Lance
Alignment: Worldly, Lawful Good
Once of the Olympian tribe of Old Ones, Athena converted to Christianity as the religion moved into her former domain. She now serves as the chief Regent of the Papal Knights, and is the sovereign of victory. She is a proud warrior, and sees no difference between men and women, making her a popular Regent among female adventurers- particularly in nations in which there is a notable inequality among the sexes. She is in favor of honorable and just battle and the military, but is also a champion of the arts. She inspires many, many paladins and heralds. As an Old One, she realizes she will most likely never ascend higher than Regent, and as such she serves honorably under the authority of Sadriel, Zehanpuryu'h, and Maria- however, there are many in Heaven that would see her replace Zehanpuryu'h if the Will would allow it. She is opposed to all forces of oppression and slavery, as well as to those who would shirk their duties.

Butator, the Eye All-Seeing
Arcana: Justice
Domains: Knowledge, Law*, Oracle, Cold
Favored Weapon: Spiked Shield
Alignment: Godly, True Neutral
The angel of calculations, Butator is one of the few Regents capable of interfacing with the Omniscience System. Because of this, he was a natural choice for Regent during the days of Babel. Butator is perhaps the most objective being in Creation, just after the Will and God himself. His duties are clear- to monitor the condition of Will constantly and relay that information to any who should require it. Because of this, he is an esteemed ally of Zehanpuryu'h, Baphomet, and Parasiel, who continually seek his aid in regard to accomplishing their own duties. Butator is brutally pragmatic, and as such he rarely inspires heralds for very long. When he does inspire them, he makes it quite clearly known that they are a mere means to an end, and that their status as his voice on Earth is short-lived and conditional. As an objective being, he has very few strong feelings for or against anything in particular, but he reacts with detached severity to those that would alter the balance of the universe.

Ahriman, the Voiceless Command
Arcana: Hermit
Domains: Animal, Plant, Mind, Mysticism
Favored Weapon: Halberd
Alignment: Godly, Lawful Neutral
Ahriman was once an evil spirit living in the deserts of Persia, but he found solace in the presence of Will, and became devoted to it as an ascetic. Ahriman became a Regent to replace the fallen Asmodeus. He spends much of his time in contemplation of the natural order, and because of this is he strongly favored by druids. He is the guardian of ascetics, and the lord over the realms of wisdom and introspection. He is also a figure in the world of the wild, and tends to all beings that survive on little more than their bond to God's creation- monks, druids, animals, and plants. He inspires many heralds, but more so attracts the attention of monks and contemplatives. His teachings have become popular in Asia. He is strongly opposed to artificial existences, and is distrustful of magic. He finds the construction of golem to be particularly offensive.

Parasiel, The Capricious Deed
Arcana: Fortune
Domains: Luck, Chaos*, Trickery, Celerity
Favored Weapon: Kukri
Alignment: Worldly, Chaotic Neutral
Parasiel was once an angel of prosperity, but he found favor on Earth among fortune tellers and gypsies in invocational magic. He would spend much time on Earth, and his repeated missions caused him to become so intimate with the workings of Will on Earth that he was awarded Regency. He is the much feared and much appealed to Regent of fate and fortune, and he has undertaken the arduous task of weaving together the tangled threads of Will that scatter in all directions from all living souls. He is easily amused, and is favorable towards those that actively become involved in their own fates. He is strongly opposed to those that would waste their potential or resign themselves to fatalism. Parasiel inspires no paladins, and relatively few heralds, preferring his powers remain "mysterious" and generally out of the hands of men who are often tempted to misuse such privileges.

Zeruch, The Firm Hand That Holds Open the Mouth of the Beast
Arcana: Strength
Domains: Strength, War, Competition, Endurance
Favored Weapon: Greataxe
Alignment: Worldly, Neutral Good
Zeruch is an angelic warrior of great accomplishment. He is the Regent who presides over strength, warfare, and athleticism. He enjoys feats of great strength, but is also mindful that the people of Earth know to use their strength responsibly. He has a great animosity he harbors specifically for those that would use their strength recklessly. He is commonly heard saying that strength and gentility are two sides of the same sword, and as such it is impossible to wield one without the other. He inspires a great many paladins, but surprisingly few heralds. He tends to favor men over women, but not exclusively.

Odin, The Profound
Arcana: Hanged Man
Domains: Magic, Trickery, Oracle, Death
Favored Weapon: Longspear
Alignment: Neutral, Lawful Neutral
Odin was once the lord of the tribe of Aesir, who sacrificed himself unto himself in order to gain wisdom. In doing so, the grand truth of reality was revealed to him, and he fell into a powerless state as he saw his own people's undoing. Odin was given the choice to resist this coming end and be cast into obscurity, or to embrace it and abandon the ways of his people to be drawn into a place of true wisdom. Odin chose the latter, but to this day he feels regret so unyielding he is prone to bouts of rage. He is the Regent of paradox, the master of sacrifice, and the arbiter of the difficult choices we all face. He inspires few, preferring that those who would wish to see Will served do so of their own volition. He is strongly opposed to those who pursue futile endeavors.

Arawn, The Exacter
Arcana: Death
Domains: Death, Law*, Ghost, Repose
Favored Weapon: Scythe
Alignment: Neutral, Lawful Evil
Arawn was one of the Old Ones who held power of the islands of Brittany before the days of the Wyrm, and he was among the first of the Old Ones to fall into service of the Regents during the Grand Descent. Once a humble psychopomp, he has once again climbed to his previous throne, as a lord over the end of all things. Arawn is intimately aware of the mortality all earthly things share, and he administrates these events with much zeal. Disturbingly enough, he is also aware of his own mortality as a being born of chaos- he knows fully well that he must eventually be cast into Shadow at the end of time, where he will cease to exist. Additionally, he is aware that in siding with the Will, he has avoided this fate, which goes against his nature not only as a god of death but as a Regent, and it is from this very personal paradox that he claims to derive his mighty power. Arawn is greatly feared by men, and even amongst the Regents he is given some distance. He is not a being of evil and malice, however, but his preoccupation with the perpetual cycle of beginnings and endings makes him unpleasant company. He inspires several heralds, many of which attend to the needs of lost souls. They also are among the most zealous opponents of the undead and the children of Lilith, and as such he has an uneasy alliance with Solomon.

Israfel, The Lord's Minstrel
Arcana: Temperance
Domains: Good*, Creation, Herald, Pleasure
Favored Weapon: Shortsword
Alignment: Worldly, Chaotic Good
Israfel, the angel of music and art, is among the first Regents. He is the master of all earthly creations, and he has domain over art, music, and craft. He is also a skilled alchemist and a powerful magician, and as such he is a favored Regent among the enlightened rabbis of Eastern Europe. It is said that Israfel guided Rabbi Loew in the creation of the great Golem of Prague. Israfel is a pleasant tempered and easy going individual, and despite the dominance of the Vatican in recent years, he has expressed many times that he prefers to give his aid to the tribes of Israel. He is a powerful enemy, though, to those that would stand in the way of artistic expression or to those that would act as enemies of the Jewish race. He inspires heralds somewhat sporadically, and usually only when one of his beloved artists or subjects should fall into immediate danger. He is a popular Regent in the kingdom of Bohemia, where the royal family often attempts to contact him directly through use of diviners and magicians.

Baphomet, The Devil of the Cloth
Arcana: Devil
Domains: Evil*, Inquisition, Pact, Summoner
Favored Weapon: Spiked Chain
Alignment: Selfish, Lawful Evil
Baphomet was a demon of hermetic magic who was bound into obligation by a faithful slave during the rule of Ramses II. During this time, he was wielded against the enemies of God's children like a weapon, and over time he began to not only become intimate with the ways of the wicked, but he learned to despise them. Upon his release, he went into servitude under Solomon, and eventually was given Regency to replace the fallen Gaap. Baphomet serves a strangely specific but significant purpose- he and his heralds exist to tempt the wicked in order to expose them to the forces of Heaven so that they might be purged. He works closely with many other Regents- most prominantly Zehanpuryu'h, Athena, Solomon, and on occasion Arawn and Sadriel. Baphomet, despite his rank, is still treated much like a slave by his fellows, because his work causes him to continue generating Dark Will. It is an unusual circumstance- he must not only commit evil acts, but see that more are committed so that those who may yet be saved can bear witness to the darkness they must avoid. He is not strongly opposed to anything in particular. He inspires a great many heralds. but these individuals are kept under close scrutiny. Unlike most heralds, who merely lose their powers if they abuse them, Baphomet typically punishes his heralds that stray with severity- many are subjected to terrible curses or personal loss, and more than a few have been put to death to preserve their souls and prevent them from slipping farther into darkness.

Harbonah, Who Made Babel Tremble
Arcana: Tower
Domains: Destruction, Purification, Earth, Wrath
Favored Weapon: Warhammer
Alignment: Godly, Chaotic Neutral
Harbonah is best known as the angel that spear-headed the attack on the Tower of Babel. It is said he singlehandedly destroyed the Tower with a mighty blow. Because of his reputation, it is not a surprise that he was awarded Regency over the matters of destruction and disaster. He orchestrates many events- earthquakes, floods, plagues, meteor showers- in order to destroy that which cannot remain on Earth and to punish the land for its sins in Eden. He does not do this with a happy heart, but does this with full knowledge that in order for their to be rebirth, the corrupt and false must first be brought to the anvil and shattered. He is the patron of executioners, undead hunters, and those that can draw new life from ruin, such as blacksmiths. He inspires many paladins, and the occasional herald, but does so with much caution. He is opposed to decay and rot, and also is offended by the preservation of false ideals and societies. He resents his reputation as a monger of chaos and devastation.

Harkness, the Sigil in the Sky
Arcana: Star
Domains: Air, Good*, Healing, Joy
Favored Weapon: Longsword
Alignment: Worldly, Neutral Good
Harkness is an angel of the celestial bodies. She is among the oldest of Regents, beginning her duties along with the original angels who served after the fall of Babel. She is among the choir of Seraphim, and she has the duty of spreading hope and drawing the ambitions of men towards Heaven. She believes that there is always a ray of hope in even the darkest of hours, and makes it her purpose in life to make that light shine for all who need it. She inspires innumerable heralds, to the point of drawing criticism by her peers. She usually laughs off such comments, however, as she feels that hope can only become greater when it is carried by more hearts. She is against things that would cast gloom on the human heart, and fights ferociously against things that would obscure the message of hope to mankind. She is also a strong proponent of salvation even for those that have fallen into Hell.

Baalpeor, The True Face of the Three of Lies
Arcana: Moon
Domains: Water, Trickery, Dream, Mind
Favored Weapon: Glaive
Alignment: Selfish, Chaotic Neutral
Unlike Harkness, there are those in Heaven who believe that not all is meant for the eyes of man. Baalpeor is such a being. Baalpeor is the Regent of the Moon, who also holds power over illusions, magic, lies, and secrecy. Even Baalpeor's identity is intentionally vague- she claims to be an angel of the Lord, but anyone with an ounce of insight can clearly tell you that she is also among the nobility of Hell. She is one of the three faces of Baal, the arcane entity who once ruled the Land of Milk and Honey. Baalpeor is the face of Baal that exists when the others have been cast into Hell- in other words, she is a shadow of Baal that continues to live on in service to God while her truth self is in perdition- or is it perhaps that her true self is truly allied with God while her false selves suffer in Hell to deter her fellow angels from following Lucifer? It is hard to say what Baalpeor's true agenda is, and as such she is a being who is never trusted. She inspires only one herald, and upon that herald's death, she waits 10 years before inspiring another. She is strongly opposed to those that would reveal secret details to others, such as the fate of the dead and the activities of the Regents. Although is she very much disliked among the other Regents, she is a vital and irreplaceable defense for them against those that would see them fail.

Horus, Of Radiance
Arcana: Sun
Domains: Sun, Fire, Good, Mysticism
Favored Weapon: Trident
Alignment: Godly, Neutral Good
An enlightened spirit of old Egypt, Horas travels the circle of the Sun and became aware of the truth of the Will. In serving his people in Egypt, he also served the Will, and as such he was quick to submit to the forces of Heaven and do their bidding. He was given Regency very quickly, which caused something of a controversy among both his followers on Earth and the angels of Heaven. He is the sovereign of the sun, and has domain over all light, both literal and figurative. He inspires heralds and paladins that fight the forces of darkness, and cannot exist in a place where there is wickedness or shadow. He and Baalpeor can never appear in the same place at once, and furthermore, the powers of his heralds cease to function under the effects of her magic. He is an enemy of the undead, of demons, and of wicked people. When he was chosen, he replaced Amon, who sided with Hell.

Zehanpuryu'h, This One Sets Free
Arcana: Judgment
Domains: Fire, Good, Glory, Wrath
Favored Weapon: Bastard Sword
Alignment: Godly, Lawful Good
The chief angel of Heaven's army, Zehanpuryu'h is the Regent of Judgment. He and his followers see to the execution of the Will, and they do all they can to punish those that would create Dark Will. He is an ally of the Catholic Church, but is also aligned with Christianity in general. He is also popular among those of the Islamic faith. He is said to hold power over fire, as well. Zehanpuryu'h is a rigid and unforgiving individual, offering all beings the exact earnings of their deeds with no compromise. He is stern, but not altogether uncaring. It is said that he may, in fact, be another face of Metatron, but this fact is yet unverified. He inspires many paladins, and many heralds, but those he inspires are expected to perform with the utmost of diligence.

The Shepherdess
Arcana: The World
Domains: Unknown
Favored Weapon: None
Alignment: Neutral, True Neutral
The Shepherdess is perhaps the most powerful and mysterious of all Regents. It is unknown exactly what her duties are, but it has been said she is the one who sorts the souls of the dead, deciding who shall pass on and return to God, and who remains as a ghost. Among the other Regents, little is known about her. She was appointed as Regent long before even the fall of Babel- she was the first to bear the title, and it is said she can never be stripped of it. Her true identity is a mystery, and it is unknown is she is ascended mortal, angel, or Old One. She inspires no heralds and no paladins, and has little need for servants, as she sees to her duties directly. She appears and disappears with cat-like fickleness, and takes on a variety of forms. Sometimes she is seen as a middle-aged woman in a pauper's clothing, other times she is seen as a plump, blond woman of Mediterranean descent, and sometimes she appears as a heavily armed woman with white hair and a flowing blue cloak.

Note: The Shepherdess' lack of information is completely intentional. Unlike the other Regents, who can reasonably be taken on as appropriate enemies in a high level campaign, the Shepherdess is a Regent who is never intended to be fully understood, and as such, she cannot be mechanically represented. Much like the Lady of Pain from the Planescape Campaign Setting, The Shepherdess is designed so that she is not intended to become a mechanical entity within the world, not even as the provider of divine spells for a herald. She is less of an NPC and more of a piece of setting, a bit of material to add flavor and provide the DM with an engaging and provocative face for his fiats. The Shepherdess should never be replaced in her role as the Regent of World, nor should she be allowed as a suitable Regent for a divine character.

Tomorrow we are having a picnic dinner with a friend. Here is the menu-

• Grilled chicken and avocado sandwiches
• Soy chorizo and green onion wontons with dipping sauce
• Roasted chickpeas
• Garden salad
• Hazelnut mocha brownies
• Midori fauxito cocktails

Meanwhile, I suggest all you FF fans out there to let go of the teat and go pick up Persona 3.

Chelsea Handler is my new hero. I freaking lover her comedic style, and how brutally to the point she is about things. I also appreciate someone who can not only embrace their faults, but parody them so effortlessly. It cracks me up.

FreakOut559 (1:42:57 PM): Photon?
Male Matahari (1:43:01 PM): YES
FreakOut559 (1:43:21 PM): Can I use the Pen and Paper Inn to run a game of F.A.T.A.L.?
Male Matahari (1:43:25 PM): haha
Male Matahari (1:43:27 PM): you know
Male Matahari (1:43:31 PM): Mamelon asked me the same thing
Male Matahari (1:43:38 PM): and Josh suggested I ask you if you wanted to do it
FreakOut559 (1:43:47 PM): We could Co-DM.
Male Matahari (1:43:54 PM): what should we call the campaign?
Male Matahari (1:44:02 PM): Rape Blood **** Wars sounds poetic
FreakOut559 (1:45:02 PM): "Enter the Fist".
Male Matahari (1:45:05 PM): you win
FreakOut559 (1:46:40 PM): I kinda don't want to own a copy of the rules, though.
Male Matahari (1:46:50 PM): yeah, I can understand that
Male Matahari (1:47:06 PM): to me it seems like you could probably run it just fine without rules
FreakOut559 (1:47:38 PM): How? Assume the worst? There are 900 pages of rules, man. We can't just ignore them.
Male Matahari (1:48:06 PM): yeah, but the rules are nonsense and we might as well just hand out random numbers and say "now kill **** and roll for clitorectomy"

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Hey coffeenouns today I am going to work plus guess what sometimes Academy! Oh, and now here are some posts that happen once a week.

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Today I am at school and I know I am telling you about it. By the way, guys, I am having trouble with the games you beat 10 years ago in middle school, can anyone help me?

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Omna15 I will help you, I know everything about games and will bring this up at the drop of a hat

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Omna15 I will help you, too, since I am also a geek

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I will help you too since you have boobies and you are a girl and gaming geeks and god I am so hot right now

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Mmmmmm, did someone say something lewd? I thought I heard something lewd.

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Rude comments

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:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: Haha, guys, all that is funny now how about some smilies and snark. I am very sarcastic as I am still going through puberty :):)

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Hi guys, I thought you might all want to be updated on the status of my waking condition. Right now it's "awake" Okay, back in 4 minutes, see you then.

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Casual observation.

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So anyway, about gender...

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My life is a Lisa Loeb album, let me summarize that in 1200 words or less

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Alright, it's still "awake" for those following along, also Mamelon I am your biggest fan, or at least I feel obligated to say so.

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Swear words

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I hate this place, I'm quitting.

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Dorky statements

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Hello all, I am making a post about how I feel today, now please enjoy feeling disarmed as I produce a really awesome deck that betrays a skill with Magic not suggested by my perky nature!

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A single sentence about something.

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Okay, I'm quitting here

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OMG I LOVE THIS PLACE CAN I JOIN WHY AM I NOT A REGULAR OMNA HATES ME

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Kawaii sugoi da ne random Japanese now I am watching Hikaru no Tenshi no Socrates-chan! But then I need to finish Do*****e I My Magical Bunnygirls and Fashionable Coke-***** Ai Abenobashi!

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The same post, only about games no one has played instead of shows no one has heard of.

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Hi I am back and I love you all and here's another deck that will frighten you because it is hard to imagine me owning people in Magic in such a friendly manner!

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WHOA this place moves fast its like I haven't been here from the beginning and by all rights should expect this sort of thing by now

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Argumentative screaming

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Red text

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Hi guys, just thought I would stop by and say hi, now excuse me while I deal with this gypsy curse that apparently plagues my life with bad luck.

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We are about to go into SLEEP status, everyone. That's SLEEP status, as in NOT AWAKE. Look alive, also I will give hugs to Snoop

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Something dirty

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Random Catholic indignation and a massive abuse of the multi-quote option

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Snarky comment that only thinly veils my rivalry with Arguas

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Freaking out in red text

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Physical violence

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OH my GOD ban Photon he makes me cry

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Dissertation on the nature of man, plus many warm hellos

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OH MY GOD MAMELON YOUR PRESENCE KNOCKED ME BACK TO AWAKE STATUS

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D&D Reference

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D&D Reference

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D&D Reference

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Wha... I don't get it

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Okay, I un-quit. Wait, never mind, better quit again.

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This reminds me of an episode of Azumanga Daioh...

And that's it.

So, everyone sort of assumes Mamelon is always some sort of polite, insightful geisha of a person. However, if people heard some of the things she says in casual conversation from day to day, it would be less of a shock that we're related.

Here are a few quotes from tonight that made me crack up-

"Oh, so you believe in Jesus? Hmm, yeah, that's interesting. Yeah! I'm drinking mah water here. Uh-huh. That's important, too. Gonna post that up on the Coffeehouse, yeah. Mm-hmmm. Yeah!"

"You know, I am so sick of having to make this comparison. They don't even belong together. I don't even wanna see this nonsense on the same plate anymore. It's not even like wanting to keep your corn from touching your peas. It's not even corn and peas! It's like, dog **** and peas! ... Dog **** doesn't even belong in the kitchen!"

"God, I wish I understood this, but for some reason there is something about taquitos that confuses the **** out of people, and that makes me so freaking angry."

Now that we are several months into our d20 Future/Past campaign, Accretion Gospel, I thought I might share some of the strange lifeforms we've come across in our adventures.


Nashan Acetonemone
Native Planet: Votum II
Type: Elemental
Information: A large, amorphous creature composed of gas filled bladders and osmotic membranes, it once resided in the upper atmosphere of the second planet of the Votum system. However, since the transmigration, it has been forced to dive down to the surface in search of prey. Resembling a large sea medusa, it catches the light as it drifts through the air with it's helium filled sacules, glittering like a gem as the sun's rays pass through it's transparent body. Before the transmigration, its diet was composed primarily of airborne creatures and minerals extracted from clouds of hot gas expelled by volcanic rifts. Now, due to the destruction of Votum's environment, it drifts along the ground, absorbing anything that should happen to cross its path.

It's membranes absorb carbon dioxide and convert it into an acidic excretion, which is then applied through contact in order to digest it's prey. The acetonemone lacks a proper digestive tract, so it must break down its prey as much as possible before extracting the nutrients from it through its large pseudopods.

While exploring the ruins of the Central Bay in the city of Marras on Votum II, Janet, Tesla, and Tuona were ambushed by an acetonemone, which had broken into the center through a damaged hull in the aerial gardens. Hungry and drawn to the women by their movements, it proved to be a troublesome menace for those who were without a means to defend against it's acidic touch.


Vanished Beast
Native Planet: Arkova IV
Type: Magical Beast
Information: A ferocious predator that makes use of natural alchemical frequencies to pierce dimensional layers in order to stalk its prey. It lurks within the forests of the Harfax continent, where it subsists on a diet of woodland creatures and the occasional chirotrani. They have also been known to show a proclivity for the phosphorescent mushrooms of the deep forest caverns, although there is no known reason why these carnivorous creatures would eat such an unusual thing.

Due to it's vicious nature, the chirotrani believe the creatures to be the spirits of those who died while corrupted by use of advanced technology. It is because of their ability to cloak themselves in a dimensional camouflage that the chirotrani refer to them as the "vanished beasts." Although they are rarely seen, they have a distinctive feline appearance, and an emerald green pelt that refracts light. Although it is considered to be a luxury outside the valleys of Harfax, the chirotrani believe that any items made from the beasts' pelt will be cursed, and as such they shun the use of it.

Genetic mapping shows that the vanished beasts of the chirotrani bear a strong relation to the displacer beasts of Maya III. Because of this, scientists believe that interdimensional mobility may be an evolutionary trait that occurs on planets with a high level of natural alchemical activity.

While searching for a variety of ingredients needed to prepare a balm for the sickness of the newcomers, Tuona, Roth, and Mauta accidentally wandered into a den of irritable beasts in search of phosphorescent mushrooms. Due to a lack of suitable equipment, however, no additional information could be procured.


Lurelicker
Native Planet: Unknown
Type: Aberration
Information: A type of transdimensional scavenger that has acquired a taste for the mineral orexisite (more commonly referred to as "lure"). The lurelicker is known to move blindly through subspaces until it reaches a place concentrated with lure, at which point it materializes and begins to extract energy from the mineral by salivating upon it.

The lurelicker's saliva contains chemical compounds that contain trace amounts of pure gold, which causes a chemical reaction within the orexisite and begins the process of synthesis. It is yet unknown if the licker can somehow command the process in order to flood its bloodstream with the necessary nutrients for survival, or if it somehow derives sustenance from a byproduct of the process itself. It is a daunting task to investigate this curious happening, because the lickers prove to be nearly impossible to contain in a sterile environment.

Lickers are incredibly dangerous for a variety of reasons- aside from their feral and vicious natures, they also can cause damages to a contained station or spacefaring vessel that can rival that of the most finely tuned AA-disruptor cannon. Although rarely documented in largely populated areas, it is not at all out of the ordinary for a distant satellite colony or orbital station to be completely left powerless after being sniffed out by a hungry licker.

Furthermore, scientists are looking into claims that the presence of lickers has a severe psychological effect on members of the Lacryman race, who for all their strengths and immunities are oddly susceptible to dimensional disruptions.

While exploring the ruins of the Central Bay on Votum II, Tuona, Tesla, and Janet encountered dozens of lickers swarming around the former power centers of the city. Too dangerous to take on single-handedly, Tesla discovered that the Votumites had discovered an orexisite alloy that could be used to disrupt the center of a licker's brain that commands their ability to maintain materialization, allowing the beasts to be driven away, if not exterminated entirely. Use of this alloy was documented by Tesla, but the information was taken into custody by the Coalition military upon her arrest.


NAA (Naturally Alchemical Arkovan)
Native Planet: Arkova IV (disputed)
Type: Humanoid (Human)
Information: Bearing an almost identical genome to the humans of Sol III, the NAAs are set apart by a single genetic trait- the ability to harmonize with naturally occurring alchemical frequencies in order to perform self contained alchemical conversions. This genetic trait is attributed to a supernatural phenomenon by the Arkovan people, whose society is primarily ruled by a hierarchy of powerful NAAs archaically referred to as "sorcerers".

NAAs are not dependent on orexisite to perform their conversions, and seem to be able to execute such miraculous techniques with very little aid. It has been documented that they require proper rest and nutrition to perform such feats, but for the most part they are capable of utilizing this power with no other material. However, this does not mean that orexisite is useless to them- quite the opposite. The potency of their conversions is amplified exponentially based on the amount of accessible lure, making the rare mineral just as precious to the Arkovans as it is to the technology dependent people of the Coalition.

Due to the events at spatial coordinates 1296-1444A3, it is widely believed that the only surviving NAAs are Tuona Foundling and Mauta. Since their stay in captivity, it has become widely apparent that the genetic trait of the NAAs is a mutation triggered by environment, and that within this trait there are several variations.

The female, Tuona, seems to perform conversions in a passive format, creating alchemical algorithms that in turn trigger environmental responses. The male, Mauta, on the other hand, seems to be able to convert matter more directly, wielding his surroundings more aggressively.


Chirotrani
Native Planet: Arkova IV
Type: Monstrous Humanoid
Information: A race of batlike, winged beings living in the uncivilized areas of Arkova IV. Although they exhibit exceptions to some sociological evolutionary conventions, they appear to be on a level of technological advancement equal to that of the Stone Age of Sol III.

Despite their primitive social structures, the Chirotrani are far from unintelligent. They form elaborate utopian societies and complex religions in which prolific environmental phenomenon are reasonably explained through folklore and parable, and they display a knack for animal husbandry and primitive medicine. However, perhaps due to past exposures, they seem to bear an intense distrust of advanced technology, placing them at odds with the NAAs that have come to live on Arkova IV.

The Arkovans do not exhibit binocular vision, but instead detect their surroundings with a combination of heightened hearing and simple eyes. Chirotrani eyes typically appear in sets of eight, and it is between these eyes that they gain the ability to fully observe their surroundings. However, it has been noted that some chirotrani have as few as six eyes, for reasons not yet explained. They also sport a pair of durable but leathery wings, and a skeletal structure composed of a lighter material than the calcium typically found in humanoid skeletons. This allows them to maintain rudimentary flight, although such flight is typically limited to night-time hours, as the chirotrani have been noted to display an intense dislike of bright sunlight.

The chirotrani Roth accompanies the NAAs Mauta and Tuona, and based on conversations with the subjects he appears to be fairly atypical of his society. Unfortunately, he is the last surviving member of his race due to the failures of Lt. Arro Ceid and the rest of his investigating party.