7 Dice sets to impress your DnD mates

Following on the last post, let's t alk about dice designs. There are tonnes of different designs out there, other than the regular types that everyone has. I've looked for some interesting styles that one might find, available out there; tell me what you think in the comments below.

Steampunk Gear by Avandius

Available here

Steampunk by Mechanical Oddities

Available here

Thorn Dice by Ceramic Wombat

Available here

Companion Cube by Nique Geek

Unfortunately no longer available
Their shop can be found here

Deadlands set by Baron

This was a concept for a dice set for Deadlands game
Info can be found here

Dwarven dice by Q-Workshop

Available here

Critical Hit LED dice by Think Geek

A d20 which lights up when u get 20.
Available here

Tell me what you think about these dice and other stylish sets in the comments below; would you buy them or do you prefer the traditional ones better?

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Should you use dice other than the d20?

Note: This is not a list of the official rules of any version of Dungeons and Dragons, it's just some ideas which can be used for any version of the game or any simplified version anyone might use.

The most common die used in table top games is the six sided die, known as d6. However, this is not the only type, as most Dungeons and Dragons players know well enough. In a dice set, one can generally find seven dice, as shown below.

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Since the twenty sided die, known as the d20, is the one that is used most in Dungeons and Dragons, and people who play a simplified version of the game which only uses the d20, many players simply buy a d20 and that's it. So much so, that it's called the d20 system. Even so,  the other dice can easily be introduced and used throughout the game. For instance, the d12, d10, d8 and d6 can be used to determine the amount of damage done depending on which weapon the player is using. For example, a two handed weapon can use a d12, a one handed axe or sword can use a d10, while daggers can use a d8. Recently, while we were playing a DnD campaign, the Dungeon Master decided to use the d6 for a new mechanic; when more enemies where on their way, he asked the players who can see farthest, for example elves, or illusion mages who might be able to see through an invisibility spell, to throw a d6, the resultant number being the number of enemies the player can see. Although some might not like this sort of mechanic, it's an idea one can use. After all, the point of a table top game is to be able to imagine and improvise. The d90 can be used in conjunction with the d10 to achieve any number between 1 and 100. This can be used for instances where the player is required to roll above a certain percentage; for example, to check whether a player can see through an illusion spell or not.

Also, the d20 can be used for things like initiative to see who gets to attack first, if such a mechanic is to be used, whether the player hits an enemy or not as well as to see if the player lands a critical hit or a critical miss. A critical hit (usually a two 20s in a row) deals extra damage while a critical miss (two 1s in a row) usually means you either drop your weapon or hit allies who happen to be nearby if you use a melee weapon, or allies in front of you if you're using ranged attacks (arrows, throwing knives, spells, etc.)

A note I would like to make before I close off is this; if you do not wish to purchase a whole dice set, perhaps when starting off the hobby in the first place, you can try out an app on your smartphone or tablet that simulates the use of dice, any number of sides, as shown below.

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Vician Tenebor, the Illusionist Assassin - Part II

This post is the second of a two post story, the first can be found here.

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Having left the college of Arcane Knowledge, Vician relied on his skills in Illusion magic to trick people into helping him, providing him with supplies and a place to stay; mostly for free. He spent his days observing what people do during the day, where they go and what they wear; you can learn a lot simply by looking at people. After a couple of months, he knew who the richest people were, and which of them would be easy to relieve of said riches. So he started tailing these people, taking in as much as he could about their daily lives, their families, where they go during the day and where they live. He started off with a tax collector and a blacksmith, both these men spent most of their time around the city, having their houses practically unprotected. Vician planned his moves ahead of time, knowing when his targets where surely to be outside, and entered their homes while they were busy. He cleaned their homes of their valuables, leaving barely anything that may make others believe these men were rich, from jewellery to golden statuettes. These riches he hid, under a lose floor board in his room at the tavern. Eventually he started breaking into homes under the cover of night, entering through windows which were left open for the evening breeze, clearing bedrooms from any valuables while his Silence spell cancels any sounds he may make, thus not waking any residents of the target house.

However, although his skill was great, others of the same skill and lifestyle noticed his doing. One night, returning to his room, he could sense that he was not alone, even though it was dark. Casting a great light in the room revealed a man hidden in the corner of the room, Vician quickly drew a dagger a held it against the intruder's throat. Not having enough time to react, the intruder said he was part of a group of thieves which would welcome Vician's skills to the group. Vician did not feel like this was the best way they could have invited him to join, nor did they show they were the best there is, considering the intruder was easily detected and beaten; but he did agree to meet with the leader of the group, information would be useful. Thus, Vician met Deon Shea, the leader of the group, who provided him with a lot of information about the city, ways to get around and which houses have the best loot or are easiest to break into.

At this point, Vician decided not to join the group, but he did sign a contract where Deon would assign him a job, retrieving known items of extreme value, and was paid for handsomely. Vician kept this up for over a year, until one night, the owner of the house Vician had broken into woke up in the middle of the night and noticed someone was in the house. Instinctively, Vician cast a spell which made him invisible, hiding him from the resident's sight, who called for the intruder to show himself. At one point, when the house owner had come close enough to Vician, he outstretched his hand and grabbed the thief by the collar, claiming that Vician wasn't the only Illusionist in the house. Panicked, Vician reached for his dagger and stabbed the man, who released his grip. Seeing his moment, Vician left the man to die and returned to Deon, not knowing how the leader of the group would take the news. To Vician's surprise, Deon was not upset, he did not seem to really care how Vician acquired the requested goods, so long as they arrived at the group's hideout in one piece.

So Vician kept up his contract with Deon, until one night, arriving back at the hideout, he was greeted by the rest of the group, with the dead body of Deon himself in the middle of the room. They told Vician that he was found a few buildings away from the hideout, with multiple stab wounds in the back. They also found a not in one of his pockets saying that should anything befall him, Vician should take over his place as leader of the group. Although hesitant, Vician eventually accepted this request, taking over leadership of the group and organising them as they never were before. Firstly, the group was finally given a name, the Sons of Shadow. The group pooled there efforts and established themselves in an abandoned manor on the outskirts of the city. They renovated it, making it fit for kings on the inside, but still looking decrepit on the outside. Any contacts that Deon had before his death were forwarded to Vician, who took over all control of the contracts the group had. Vician also set up a set of rules which were to be followed by all members of the guild. For instance, should a member betray the rest, they were to be hunted down and executed. The same was to be done to clients who betrayed the trust of the guild. Thus, the Sons of Shadow grew in repute with people of similar interests, as well as their victims.

Assassination and theft, these were the expertise of these men and women, clothes in dark garments, with hidden faces; wits as sharp as their blades. Since Vician took over leadership of the Sons of Shadow, never has a contract been dishonoured.

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Vician Tenebor, the Illusionist Assassin - Part I

This is the first of a two post story, the second part can be found here.

Join me as I recount how Vician Tenebor, the son of a respected Scholar from the College of Arcane Knowledge, became a Master Assassin of the Sons of Shadow, the most feared criminal organisation in the realm.

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Ralor Tenebor was a man who devoted his life to the studies of anything related to magic, learning as much as he can and teaching young apprentices of the College of Arcane Knowledge. Knowing his son, Vician, had great potential from a young age, he took him in as one of his apprentices. However, he never favoured him above the others, he treated him as one of the other apprentices. However, Vician felt this disconnection with his father was unnecessary; especially since he never knew his mother. He felt abandoned, like one of the orphan apprentices at the College, although his father was in the same room as him most of the time, every day.

During their time off, the apprentices could do anything they liked, Vician would wander around the city, observing the day to day life of nobles and commoners alike. One day, he noticed a lady passing through, clad in exotic clothing and countless jewels. On her way to the city market, she dropped her coin purse, something Vician quickly noted. He went over and picked it up to return it to her, but seeing her pushing aside commoners with no respect, a smug look on her face as if nobody around her was worth anything, made him keep the purse. He lingered about, to see what would happen next, until he noticed the lady walking around, trying to find her purse on the ground and then shouting that someone had stolen her money. Not wanting to have anything to do with it, he left and he never saw the lady again.

As time passed, Vician grew in power, learning all he could about Illusion magic, casting high level spells at a young age. At the age of 28, he left the College, and never returned, stealing some books on Illusion from the College, disguising them as his own scrolls and parchments. When he left, he no longer had the support of the College; no place to live and no supply of food. Thus, he booked a room at the tavern and started looking for a job, but given the political conflict between the mages at the College and nobles of the five Great Families, which had great influence on the commoners' opinions.

Vician had to rely on his skills in Illusion magic to trick people into helping him, eventually turning to theft to earn his only earnings. This however, did not go unnoticed. Although he always did a great job in tricking his target, others who spent their lives preying on the rich knew there was a new thief in town.

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Dice through the ages

Recently, I read an article on CNET about an ancient d20 die which was found in Egypt and is now kept in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The die is slightly larger than the regular dice we use for board games and table top RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons. It is made of serpentine, a green mineral and is believed to have originated between 200 BC and 400 AD in Greece due to the Greek symbols shown on its faces.

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Driven by curiosity, I researched when dice started being used and why. Apparently, ancient cultures used dice to determine one's fate, who was right or wrong, or even who was favoured by the gods or not. Games of chance were then designed and evidence of these games have been found dating back 2100 BC.

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I looked for some other ancient dice to see the different styles of dice our ancestors used for games, political and religious debates alike. Here are just a few dice which caught my eye.


Roman Dice

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Egyptian Die
Names of Gods instead of numbers

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Unknown Origin 
(Greek and Roman Antiquities Department at the British Museum)

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Sword Coast Legends: my thoughts

Ever wanted to experience a Dungeons and Dragons adventure in the form of a video game? Of course you have, and you've tried countless RPGs. Here comes another, but this one is different. First off, it is set in the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms universe based on the fifth edition ruleset; even populated with Dungeons & Dragons lore and legend.

The single player campaign was created by developers who worked on Dragon Age: Origins, in my opinion, a guarantee of high quality content right there. Watching the teaser they posted by the development team, I can clearly see the Dragon Age influence on the game, having the ability to pause the game and plan you next move; wise move. Another feature we will quickly recognise is the top down isometric view, a welcome feature in my books. Players will be able to join campaigns playing as one of five races and six classes; a good selection.

However, playing it in single player mode is just like any other RPG; bring in multiplayer mode. You can play the game with up to three other players, a group of four, not a new idea by far, in my opinion; but here's where this game stands out. A fifth player can join into the fray; as the Dungeon Master!! The DM will be able to create his/her own epic adventure and let the players to navigate through it, if they can. Dragon Age: Origins director Dan Tulge said that "DMs are able to adjust encounters, place, promote, manage and even control monsters, set traps, reward and punish party members." Awesome.

Oh wait, did I forget to mention that the DM will be able to do all this in real-time?

As Digital Trends argue here, "the role of the DM is not strictly adversarial. They can help or hinder the players as t hey see fit, able to increase the challenge and punish players that are doing too well or help out the heroes when they are stuggling and move the story forward." That's exactly what the DM in Sword Coast Legends will be able to do.

For those who are concerned about the requirements for this game, not a problem. You should all check out the official site and then their social media profiles for more information about this new gem. I will surely blog more about this upcoming game as more news is posted, as well as when I get my hands on it and actually play it.

Get ready to fight epic battles, walk through dark dungeons and chill out in a noisy tavern some time in 2015.

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Teraqa Akil, the Egyptian Earth Mage

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   Teraqa Akil

   Elementalist: Earth, Water

   Occupation: Sem Priestess
   Age: 43 years old

   Origin: Valley of Kings 

Teraqa Akil, born to Lepore and Ursa, ia a 43 year old Sem Priest from the Valley of Kings in Upper Egypt. Lepore, Teraqa’s father was a respected Charm Maker in the Valley, making charms for adventurers and official guards of the Pharaoh. Her mother, on the other hand, was a talented Shape Shifter, her favourite form being that of the bear. This is what earned her the name Ursa when she was still young. She left her shape shifting ways back at home when she met Lepore and married him, and never told him of her little secret. However, one faithful day, she was confronted by a group of bandits who tried to rob her and her family of all their riches; this was when she lost control of her powers. She turned into a fierce bear, killing all of the bandits and saving her family. However, Lepore was not impressed; he left her and took Teraqa with him and away from her, in fear for her health.  

Growing up, Teraqa learned how to build magical charms, learning this skill from her father. However, she later found out she had other powers. Enjoyed long walks in the woods, going further from home every time, she felt in tune with nature. One time, she encountered a pack of wolves, her only defence being her wooden walking stick. Wishing she had something harder to deal more damage, her staff turned to stone, heavier but a much stronger weapon. After beating some of the wolves and escaping, Teraqa investigated the new skills she found out, learning more and more about Earth magic. Having this new found power, she started worshipping Geb, the god of Earth, learning much when researching about him through hieroglyphic runes and old scriptures. Through these readings, she also learned about Water magic, learning some of the spells she read about and practicing them along with Earth magic when she was in the woods. Through the long times she spent out in the wilderness, she also became capable of tracking animals and knowing if she was a prey of any dangerous beast she had to be aware of, also identifying abnormalities such as traps in the wilderness from a safe distance.

When asking around for more resources about magic, she was told that the priests of the temples had the largest libraries with vast collection of books, scrolls and more. So, when she was 30 years old, she joined the priests at the temples at the Valley of Kings as an Initiate, earning a promotion to a scribe, earning another promotion to a Sem Priestess at the age of 40. As a priestess of Geb, she learned more and more, taking advantage of the priests’ knowledge on Earth magic, gleaning as much information from their libraries as she could. Earning the respect of fellow priests and commoners alike as a Sem Priestess, she took up the responsibility of performing rituals alongside other priests as they embalmed and mummified the dead, not dealing with the dead herself, but blessing them for the afterlife.  

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The Strike of Saarii - Final Chapter

Coming out of Enligt Castle, the group discussed what the odds were that they would survive through the storms close to Saarii one more time. Deciding that adventure and living through peril was their life style, they sought the general to acquire resources for the journey to Saarii. Before they left, the general gave them one last piece of advice, "go back to Kalastaia, leave on a small boat from there. The enemy has his eyes on Enligt, Kalastaia holds no threat to Saarii, you should get fairly close to Saarii before he sees you, if he does at all."

Having received all the resources needed for their journey, they left for Kalastaia, luckily, not being disturbed on their way. Arriving there, they did not dally, for they knew that the residents here could remember who these warriors were, although time had gone by. So they talked to a young fisherman and bought his boat from him, offering him an unreasonably high amount of money for it. He did not hesitate to give them the only boat he had.

So they left for Saarii once again, this time, moving to the east instead of Southwards towards the island. Going a long way to the east, and then heading towards the island on its East side. On their way there, they noticed that there was no soldiers standing on the bastions guarding the island; their focus was all put to use at the Western part of the island. So the Druid was right. They eventually managed to find a small beach they could land on; they managed to arrive at Saarii safely, avoiding all of the bad weather they had faced before.

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Once on the island, the group scouted the area to check if there were any hostile forces, none could be found. Having landed on the beach late in the evening, they camped in the shadow of some large rock formations, to avoid being seen by a random guard who decided to actually look their way, instead of the way their leaders ordered. Waking up in the morning, they had something to eat and prepared to look for the cave they were to find.

This did not take too long, apparently, the sorcerer they were to kill liked to live close to the waters. Creeping towards the entrance, they looked inside to see if they could locate their target without him knowing they were there. Nobody could be seen inside, only the dim light coming from a couple torches hanging on the walls. Walking inside, the group started exploring the inside of the cave, finding nothing of use on their way, only torches and a few lanterns. After what seemed like an hour, they started noticing that the wall was no longer rough stone eroded by the sea, but finely cut to form a corridor. At a certain point, they even found a couple of rooms, in which they found animated corpses brandishing swords. They had to be killed; once more, not lasting long enough to strike once. the group moved on, deeper and deeper into the tunnels beneath Saarii, until they arrived at an opening leading to a huge hall. Inside, the dark figure they saw in the Druid's orb.

"If the dwarf did not drag his feet so much, I would not have heard you coming." The voice boomed throughout the hall, the dark figure not moving yet. "This does not mean I have not seen you coming, a small boat to be unseen; a wise move." At this the figure turned to face them, the cloak dropping to the ground; their enemy was nothing they had expected. An elf, taller than any of them, with heavy armour; not the type usually used by mages and sorcerers. Giving them a few seconds to know what they were facing, he said "Let's play." He stretched out his arms and in a second, all the lights in the hall were extinguished, a strong gust of wind blowing dust out towards the warriors at the entrance, covering their eyes to avoid visibility problems later on. Opening them again, the only thing they saw were two small glows of red light. Amal immediately cast a spell to illuminate the hall; he was right, their enemy's eyes were now bright red, his stance, that of a warrior ready to strike.

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They all drew their weapons, but before any one of them could do anything, bolts of red lightning were shot at them, they had to make a lot of effort to avoid them, this guy was leagues above the one they met up in the mountain. Any time Dan or Duryraen got close enough for the sorcerer to think they had any chance of hitting him, he turned his focus onto them and shot blasts of wind at them to throw them back against the wall, making them easier targets for his precise attacks while dazed from the blast, but the other was also getting closer, while he also had to take care of Dean's arrows and Uuragan's icicles.

When one of Dean's arrows hit the sorcerer in the shoulder, he decided to take it up a notch. He stamped his foot, blasting Dan and Duryraen away from him while he cast a wall of ice to block off Dean's arrows, and a wall of fire in front of it to block off Uuragan's ice. He then conjured two magical swords which he used to fight off Dan and Duryraen. This surprised the two, for they did not imaging a sorcerer to be this skilled with arms.

Amal immediately knew that magic would not pierce through the fire, the same death magic that gave energy to the corpses they dealt with before was fuelling these flames. He focused all his energy to dispel the magic holding them at bay; while Uuragan and Dean waited, furious that they were cut off so easily. Dan and Duryraen on the other side of the walls were having a hard time keeping up with what seemed like a veteran swordsman. After hundreds of strikes from each one, all three of them had visible cuts, blood oozing freely down their armour. At this point, life started flowing back intro the cave, Amal managed to stop the fire and then Uuragan melted the ice. Arrows shot through, one after the other, but the sorcerer was quick to avoid them. This time, it was Uuragan who attacked, having had time to position himself while Dean distrated their enemy, Uuragan now cast a wave of frost at the sorcerer, slowing his movement and decreasing his visibility. This time, arrows did hit their mark, the second one hitting him in the back; as soon as he turned to face Dean, another pierced his stomach.

Falling to his knees, the sorcerer dropped his swords, which faded away quickly, Duryraen who had recovered a little moved in quickly and stabbed him in the back, lodging his dagger deep into his foe, the blade protruding from the sorcerer's chest. Using his second dagger, he slit his throat, letting him drop to the ground. At the back of the cave, Amal was working hard to heal Dan's wounds, as he was in a much worse shape than Duryraen.

The terrible storms outside suddenly subsided, beautiful weather followed, the opportunity the army of Enligt was waiting for. Aboard longships was the entire army, already on the way towards the island of Saarii.

Uuragan Oakwale, Dean Dalgaard, Dan Scott, Duryraen dar'Vuzmur and Amal Cal.These are the men who beat helped make Saarii the strategic military base of the Enligt empire. These are the men mentioned in song and legend. These are the men who vanquished the power of Saarii. These are the men from the Strike of Saarii.

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The Strike of Saarii - Chapter VII

On they journeyed, up the mountain side, until they arrived at an opening, a plateau, tents were visible as well as elves in golden armour, crossing their halberds as soon as the party approached the encampment. The group were asked why they were in such a remote location, to which they answered that they needed to speak to the Master Druid. At this reply, one of the guards left and entered a cave, into the side of the mountain, at the far end of the plateau. Upon returning to the group, he told the others that the Master Druid wanted to see them, but before escorting them to the cave, they asked the group to leave all weapons outside.

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"I know," the Druid replied, "I have seen your coming, and I know what you seek. You seek answers; why have Runo's men never made it to Saarii? My dear Runo, you should have realised by now." The Druid finally turned to face them, smiling when he saw the composition of the group. "Not too many, but enough to cause damage. Good. You will do." He started walking towards a small orb which was sat upon a round table a few paces away. He placed his hand over it, started whispering, and almost immediately images started forming within the orb. "Look, my friends, this is the reason your leader never managed to take Saarii." The orb showed a dark figure hunched over a small table, much like the Druid himself when the group entered the cave. "Magic. Great magic. Enough to affect the weather. But too much going on to notice a small vessel. Go, tell your Lord that a small strike team is all he needs. His target is in a small cave beneath the island of Saarii, to the East." With one last glance at the party, he clapped his hands twice, and turned back to his business. Hearing his summons, two guards entered the cave and issued the group outside, giving them their weapons back.

Before the group started their journey back, they were granted a tent in which to rest for the night, very much appreciated by the Runo's agents. They rested, and prepared to start their journey back to Enligt early in the morning. However, before they left, they heard someone calling Uuragan, a female voice. Turning around, Uuragan's face shone, his long lost best friend was alive, the one person he used to trust before he joined Enligt's army. A dark elf, just like him, a mage just like him, and the one who saved him from near death when nobody else cared. He turned to his friends and told them to start on their way down the mountain, promising he would catch up with them when he was ready.

Entering the cave, they did not find any grand hall for a mighty leader, nor did they see any fine banners or a golden throne. All they saw were a couple of tables and chairs and magical artifacts glowing in bright violet and blue light at the back of the cave. A dark figure, his back facing the entrance, was the Master Druid, busy with one of the artifacts. He raised his hand and motioned the group forward, his guards leaving the cave when he did so. The party moved in closer, stopping some feet away when the Druid held up his hand again. Amal took it upon himself to break the silence, "We bring you gifts from Runo, Lord of Enligt."

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A day later, the group saw him enter the cave where they were camping for the night, the same cave they fought the mages on their way up to meet the Master Druid; a new weapon sheathed at his side, his brother's ice sword, which he had lost prior to joining the army. Two days later, they arrived back at Enligt and requested audience with Lord Runo, which he granted immediately. "Rise." he said, as the men knelt in front of him, "and tell me all the Master Druid said." Telling him all that the Druid had told them, and what they saw in the orb, the Lord's face darkened, "Grave news again, never a good sign when one's enemy holds such power. No matter, if the Druid thinks we can deal with this foe with a small team, we will try. Go, ask the general to provide anything you need for battle, and go forth to Saarii. Use a small boat to get there and try to attract as little attention as possible. The fleet of Enligt will be ready to sail to Saarii as soon as the storms subside."

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The Strike of Saarii - Chapter V

After a whole day of riding, luckily without any more intruders, the warriors arrive at the capital city of Midgard, Enligt. Here they were stopped at the gates by the guards and asked why they needed to enter the city. Upon saying that they needed to talk to Lord Runo, they were allowed to pass through, but they knew that they would be followed for the security of their ruler. Having arrived in the evening, they decided to meet Lord Runo the following morning, and headed towards the inn, The Pint and Nap. Here they had a decent meal, paid for a room each and passed the night.

In the morning, they regrouped outside the inn, after having breakfast, Dan took much longer than the rest, eating twice as much. Walking as a group towards the keep, they noticed that they were being followed by two guards, keeping their distance. Once at the door of the keep, they were asked to wait until the Lord gave them permission to enter. After a while the group was granted access and were escorted to the throne room, where they all knelt down in front of their leader, an act performed by every man who wanted to keep his head attached to his neck.

"Rise," he said, "and tell me what happened." Dean introduced the group and explained what had happened out at sea. Trouble was clearly visible on Lord Runo's face, a whole naval force lost before engaging with the enemy is not what a king wants to hear about a month after they were dispatched. "Come back tomorrow morning and we will talk again of the matter," he told the group and left the throne room through a side door. The group was escorted out of the keep and spent the day touring the markets, taking a relaxing day at last.

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The following morning, they were all ready and waiting for the Lord to arrive at the throne room, kneeling again as he entered. "You bring grave news," the Lord stated, "but all is not lost. I task you now to climb up the White Mountains, using the passage directly to the North of this castle, and meet the Master Druid at the Druid's Plateau. Tell him, that I sent you and ask him if there is anything that is stopping the navy from arriving at Saarii. The guards will give you gifts which you will give to the druid and some money to for you to acquire anything to help you on your trip." Saying this, he dismissed the group, who used their newly acquired money to purchase better weapons and trinkets to improve their chances in future battles.

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The Saarii Strike - Chapter IV

Out of the trees to the West emerged a whole cavalry, in full armour, spears in the hands of the riders in steel plate mail, golden lining shining on the armour of the leading warrior as well as his horse's. A dark green cape with a golden dragon emblazoned on it flowing behind this leader showed the men in the clearing that this army belonged to the military base of Joki, allies, some good tidings at last.

Hagan Garth, the general of the Army of Joki, dismounted his horse and approached the fighters, who were still panting and trying to recuperate from the battle. After introducing himself and the army, "I see we arrived a bit too late," he said, "it seems who were capable of dealing with the beast on your own. Who are you to have managed to defeat it?" Duryraen still not in the right state of mind, said nothing, and Dean still being healed by Amal, Dan explained how they got there, how they were the only survivors from the naval force and how Amal was helping them get to Enligt. "Not good tidings at all, but you are welcome to join us back to Joki, you can rest there, and we can provide you with some decent armour and weapons, I believe you are lucky to have survived at all in those rags."

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The group got back onto their ox cart and followed the army back to Joki, where they rested for two days, food being provided by the military. Here, Amal deposited the swords at the armoury, the swords which he had lent to the four survivors. On the third day, they were summoned to the general's quarters where he asked them for details of what happened out at sea, as he wanted to report it to Lord Runo. Once there, the group explained again that they were the only survivors from the storm that wrecked the entire naval force sent out to Saarii, how they were run out of Kalastaja, fought wolves and the troll. Being impressed by their resilience and capability to fight off multiple enemies, even a cave troll which could have easily smashed five warriors had they not been as strong, he tasked the group to travel to Enligt and inform Lord Runo themselves. This time however, they were provided with a horse each, a great help if they were to get to Enligt quickly. Amal asked if the army could take care of his ox and cart, which Hagan happily agreed to.

Hagan also signed a form for them to acquire some armour and weapons for free from the armoury in Joki. Dan got some good plate mail, a shield and a two handed war hammer, Dean and Duryraen got leather armour which allowed quicker movement but provided some defence, Dean also got a better bow and some arrows to provide better damage. Amal and Uuragan on the other hand, could not find items that would help them, as Joki was a military base focused on traditional military, not of the magical kind.  However, they were informed of a good alchemist and jeweller in Enligt that could help them once they arrived there.

Once they were satisfied with the gear provided, the men mounted their horses and were on their way to the capital of Midgard and seat of the throne, Enligt.

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The Saarii Strike - Chapter I

Refer to the previous two posts for background about the main characters of this tale, starting here.

Having conquered the entire region, Lord Runo of Enligt set his eyes across the sea, towards the island of Saarii; the last piece to the puzzle. Sending scouting parties simply did not work, the ships never returned. Deciding it was time to take the island by force without trying to find out what form of defenses he might find waiting, he ordered a fleet of ten longships, twenty-five men each, two hundred and fifty men of different disciplines; "surely, enough to invade a small island", he thought.

Half way through the voyage, however, a huge storm wrecked the entire fleet, leaving only a few survivors who managed to salvage enough materials to create a small raft, rowing back to the main land of Midgard. Landing at the small fishermen's village called Kalastaja, the survivors knew that they had to travel to Enligt to inform the Lord about what happened.

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Uuragan Oakwale, Dean Dalgaard, Dan Scott and Duryraen dar'Vuzmur; four members of the Army of Joki, four people who could not have been more different. A human, two dark elves and a dwarf, these are the only survivors of the storm which wrecked five longships and destroyed an entire army.

Upon landing in Kalastaja, the odd group, with tattered clothes and no real boat, drew quite some attention, it was not everyday that an unknown person landed at Kalastaja, let alone five on a raft that could barely fit two. Drenched and exhausted, this kind of attention was not what they needed, they needed food and help, not suspicious looks. One woman did approach them and offered them food and a free night at her inn, the Sleeping Dragon, greatly appreciated by the survivors. Rudely awoken early in the morning, the four were dragged out of bed and out onto the gravel, vaguely realising that they were being accused of something they did not yet understand. Dan Scott felt extremely uneasy as most of the people in the open space in front of the inn were looking directly at him, anger in their eyes, if not hate. Amid the angered shouts were the screams of a woman, crying that "the dwarf, he's the assailant"; breaking down to sobs, her voice dissappearing in the fresh roars of anger from the rest of the villagers. The situation still not clear to the group in the middle, the poor dwarf feeling useless without his usual warhammer in hand, looked to his fellow warriors for support; none coming as they were just as confused. "Let them leave," a voice reached from the back of the crowd, "let them leave and never come back." A middle-aged man came forward, looking at the powerless group as if he knew exactly what had happened during the night. Draped in a fine robe, lined with gold, and a staff in hand; clearly not a warrior in the eyes of the accused. The crowd did not calm down, however, they ordered the the cleric to leave along with the scum that landed the previous day. Amal Cal was the one man who tried to help, the one who joined the team on their journey to Enligt.

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Fighters of Midgard - Part 1

These are characters my friends created for a session I Mastered. After the session, I took it upon myself to give them a bit of context and bring them to life through a bit of history. Their background is useful to understand the following post - The Strike of Saarii. 
This post is continued in the next post, which can be accessed here.

Dan Scott, son of Dun, from the dwarven family Scott. Dun was one of the famed Fighters of the North, from a dwarf from Joki. From a young age, Dan learned what he could on the art of war, hunting for orcs who dare camp close enough to the military base with his father's guild. Learning how to ride a horse without falling off, he joined the Joki Cavalry when he was 68 years old, he joined in the hunt for frost trolls closer to the mountain range North of Joki. At the age of 76, he was cut off from the rest of the fighters on a hunt when his horse died, facing then a group of five trolls, each about twice as tall as he was, each of them ended up beneath his feet after a massive strike of his trusty two handed war hammer. At the age of 130, he joined the Army of Joki, being enlisted to any war Lord Runo declares and to protect the lands of Midgard from invaders.

The dark elf, Duryraen dar'Vuzmur, son of Filaren and Ahlysaaria, should have been dead a long time ago, which was the plan of the bandits who attacked his family when they were travelling from Portti to Enligt when he was still very young. Unreal as he thought it was, a group of large spiders emerged from the woods , killing most of the bandits and scaring off the rest, saving the young dark elf. Unfortunately, he was the only survivor of the the family, The spiders took Duryraen and raised him as best they could, but he left them at the age of 19 for civilisation. Capable to defend himself, he continued the journey towards Enligt, the journey that led to the death of his parents and little sister. Having nobody to help him on his arrival, he turned to the Thieves Guild of Enligt for help; he helped them acquire whatever they wanted, giving him a cut of the profits, which was more than enough for Duryraen. Although it was not what he intended to turn to, at times, he did resort to killing people who stood in his way, driving his daggers into a man's chest or slitting his throat if it was necessary. Learning of the prize set by the Lord of Enligt to every able bodied man or woman to join the army for an attack off the shores of the mainland, Duryraen quickly left the Thieves Guild and joined the army, where he could make a fortune while earning a living as one of the noble warriors of Enligt instead of being the face on a wanted poster.

Of human descent, Amal Cal grew up with the priests of Eir, the Goddess of healers, in one of the temples in Enligt. Many warriors came back from battles with grievous wounds and hunters with bites and scratches were healed at the temple, impressing the young Amal, he started learning alchemy to help them in making revitising potions and other cures to help the recovering patients. However, when he was of age, it was revealed to him that he possessed magical power, and given aid by the priests, Amal gained the much revered skill of healing magic. Never knowing who his parents were, he never had any ambition to find them, the priests of Eir were his family and he became a healer just like the men who raised him, using the spells he learned to cure illnesses and wounds alike. At the age of 48, he joined a group of soldiers from the Army of Enligt who landed in Kalastaja to help get back to Enligt to report back to Lord Runo.

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The History of Midgard

Disclaimer: this is my own version of Midgard, not the actual Midgard found in Norse Mythology.

The main land of Midgard, the land of man, created from the body of the giant Ymir when killed by Odin, the All-father. A map of the land can be found below.

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Enligt, home to the richest people of the continent, is the seat of power in Midgard. Lord Runo rules over the main land with brute force, taking over one city at a time. The capital city started off as a small town; its leader convinced his townsfolk to take up arms and attack its neighbouring villages, taking them over easily as they did not put up much of a fight. Resources, monetary and otherwise, forced from the smaller villages enabled the town to grow into a huge city, housing open markets, shops, blacksmiths, inns, a brothel, a temple, barracks and the famed Lord’s castle. Dark-Elves and Dwarves are commonplace in Enligt, working at local businesses as equals alongside men. Often covered in snowstorms descending from the White Mountains, the citizens of Enligt have grown a natural resistance to the bitter winters of the North.

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Portti, the harbour city of Midgard, home to all of the continent’s naval force and birth of all naval missions; the starting point of the Saarii Strike. The citizens of Midgard conduct all their commerce with other continents through Portti, ships leaving and anchoring in the harbor every week. The people of Portti are natural merchants and hagglers.

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The fishermen’s village of Kalastaja is one of the main sources of food for the main land, fish being sold all across Midgard. A small village by the sea housing only a few villagers and a pair of shops. The villagers make do by helping each other out like one big family. They travel to Joki for supplies and sell off some of their fish there, the majority of it being sold in Eligt. Their daily trips out to sea has given the citizens of Kalastaja a heightened sense of navigation and they are also renowned carpenters, maintaining their own boats even after the worst of storms.

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Joki, a ring fortress built by the army of Enligt after raiding the river town present before Lord Runo decided to take over, is found between Kalastaja and Enligt. The city now hosts the largest military base of Midgard. Children of Joki are all trained in the arts of combat from an early age, making the people of Joki the best warriors in the continent. Being at a central location, the army can be quickly mobilised to reach any part of the kingdom of Lord Runo to defend its reach.

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The White Mountains, home of the fiercest snow storms and the fabled frost trolls, are the the mystery of Midgard. Nobody knows much about the snowy heights; many adventurers who try to climb the mountains never come back. Rumors are spread that they are eaten by frost trolls. Other sensible stories involve them freezing to death, starving, or falling of the side of the mountain due to poor visibility during frequent snowstorms. A nomadic group of dark-elves are known to have lived on the lowest plateaus of the mountains, relying on hunting for food. These people never seem to stay in a city or town for too long and keep to themselves.

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The island of Saarii, a small island to the South East of the main land, the target of Lord Runo for years, sits south of Kalastaja. The last expedition sent to besiege the island resulted in a disaster, ten longships being destroyed in a massive storm, only a few survivors making it back to shore. Both Dwarves and Dark-Elves are known to have joined the Human rebels stationed on the island who do not approve of Lord Runo’s leadership style.

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Aíma, the Blood Mage

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        Name: Aíma
        Race: Drow
        Class: Blood Mage
        Age: 120

        Father: Istorvír
        Mother: Elviira

Istorvír, a powerful warrior born in Orithea, had been tasked to help defend Trekhom Tower, where he met Elviira, an ice mage who had been posted there some time before. Together they worked hard to quell any attack posed by orcs, goblins and other creatures that thought of trying to make it to Orithea. They both excelled in their duties, enough to be promoted to leaders of a squad, specializing in hunting for orcs and goblins in the mountains. They were taken back to the city when Elviira started feeling sick, leading to their discovery of her being pregnant. Once settled, living in a small home in Orithea, the couple got married, both working in the city, a quiet life at last.

Tuinír, son of Istorvír and Elviira, inherited his mother's prowess in the magical arts, managing to bend water to his will at a very early age. However, the happy family was torn apart, when Elviira was found dead in her bedroom, the room an entire mess, blood everywhere and things broken and toppled over; and a note in scribbled writing 'paying you in kind, meet you back in the mountains'. After the terrible loss and at the message from the goblins, Istorvír broke down and headed back to the mountains to hunt for his wife's killers, leaving his son to live with his brother, Tuinír's uncle.

Growing up without his parents, Tuinír grew a habit of going back to his parents' home and hanging out at the abandoned house. Until the fateful day when he heard scrambling noises and sounds of objects being broken downstairs. Terrified of what he and his father had found back when his mother died, Tuinír froze on the spot, unable to move a muscle until the door burst open and a goblin jumped in to find the young drow staring at him. After a few seconds, Tuinír's instincts followed those of his father, going into an aggressive stance as soon as he saw the goblin's teeth with saliva and dark eyes shining in the low light of the room. The only power Tuinír knew, water magic , was useless in the situation as there was no water in the room, or so he thought. The first spell that came to mind was to freeze water, he instinctively cast it and to his amazement, his opponent froze on the spot. The look of horror in the goblin's eyes told Tuinír exactly what had happened and that he had enough time to flee through the window before the rest joined them. Looking back before he jumped off the window ledge, Tuinír noticed that the goblin had started to twitch, learning that his power was not permanent.

Curious about this new-found power, Tuinír tried performing the same spell on small animals, being successful in freezing them temporarily and stopping the effect voluntarily, as well as controlling said animals. As time passed by, Tuinír discovered and developed more and more spells and powers related to blood, calling it blood magic. At this point in life, he decided to start over anew; he changed his name to Aíma, a name derived from the word 'blood', and ventured to the mountains to hunt for orcs and goblins, making them suffer along the way.

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Yor'Aves, wielder of the ethereal flame

This time round, the DM decided to create a a Gaslight Fantasy world for us to venture through; Fernia, the capital, was described as 'similar to Victorian London'.

Fernia, the capital city of Fern, ruled by the Governor Lord Graham Pierce,  a city of emergin capitalism, economy and industry. Many farmers and villagers left their lands long ago to start a new life in Fernia. The capital is busy, noisy, dirty; however, this is the best place to be for any person who wants to make a fortune. 

Yor'aves lived in the capital of Fernia with his family when he was young. Not the loud kind of person, at the age of twenty five, he took up and undertaker post at the edge of the city for some peace and quiet. After a couple of years at the post, he found an amulet, with what seemed to be an ethereal flame inside it. He tried and tried to destroy the relic, for he sensed great power within it, power which could lead to disastrous events should it fall in the wrong hands; but to no success. 

He decided to carry it around his neck at all times to secure the relic; but its power reached out to him, leading him to kill an entire family, the family which had had an ancient feud against his ancestors. The amulet granted him the ability to draw flames out of it, striking down his opponents and burning them to death. He tried to hide these events, but his brother was in the area, and saw the entire event from a distance. Upon confrontation from his family, Yor'aves lost control of his new-found power, killing all of his family members. 

Shocked by this power and the lack of control he had over it, he fled the city. He moved to Artemis, a city rumoured to house magic wielders and historians; he would not give up this powerful amulet but he vowed to find out what it is and to master is powers. Over the thirteen years living in Artemis, Yor'aves heard rumours of a "dark figure who suddenly draws flames from his chest and burns people alive"; but given the scepticism of the citizens about magic, he still yet has to be threatened by the authorities. 

Living in Artemis has over the years proved to be quite a good hideout. During the time spent in this city and researching the power of the amulet Yor'Aves met a scholar by the name of Sir Sorsken. Without fiving this stranger too much detail about his goals, he found much help and guidance from Sir Sorsken's knowledge, learning how to master and control much of the amulet's power over the time he spent in the scholar's company. Then all of a sudden, Sir Sorsken had to leave off for one of his urgent expeditions across the continent, and little more did Yor'Aves hear of him.

At the age of forty five, the mail man knocked Yor'Aves' door and said he had a letter for him. A surprising event, to say the least, as he barely had any acquaintances, let alone friends. The following was written in the letter:

Mr Yor’aves,

Whilst hoping you are well and still in control of yourself, I can finally and happily tell you that I have an opportunity you’ve long been seeking.

The matter is of slight urgency, and of the kind of nature which I’m sure you will accept with open arms…. unless you’ve changed so much.

To discuss this special meeting we have a reserved table at the Silver Bull & Momma’s in Fernia in 1 week hence, at 6 in the evening.

I will see you then,
Your friend,Sir I Sorksen.

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Drolme, Limb Cleaver and Skull Splitter

Born and raised in the city of Neuval, the City of Stone, home to the Dwarven kingdom, Drolme don of Tolgan, grew up to follow the same profession as that of his father and their ancestors. His father, a proud mason who maintained the city walls, was famed to be one of the best there was in the city. Building houses and barracks, Drolme gained the skills he needed to earn the respect of other masons and be considered as one of them. He then started working on sculptures, ending up working on a pair of 40 foot statues of Dwarven warriors guarding the city gate, along with a team of highly experienced sculptors. 

However, he always dreamed of being one of the famed warriors in fine armour and striking down their enemies with their axes, dripping with their enemies' blood. He eventually started to venture out as a guard with trade route caravans, being paid much more than he would as a mason or sculptor; carrying shield and axe and some basic armour for protection. Bandits were a common problem, thus the high wage of a trade route guard, but they fell down, often cleaved in two, to Drolme's axe, earning him the title of Limb Cleaver. After each journey, he would always go back to Neuval to continue his work, but the thrill of battle always pulled him back out on the road. He never joined the army or left for the mainland for he was the one to take care of his father in his old age, but it was always a dream to visit the capital of Vallingard. 

When Drolme was about 90 years old, his father died in his sleep, leaving him with no real ties to Neuval except for his profession; but a mason could find employment wherever he went. But Drolme wanted something more, something that could get his blood pumping; he dreamed of joining a mercenary group or even the army of Vallingard. At the age of 102, he boarded a trade ship to the mainland, landing at the capital of Vallingard, a city of men, his first challenge being that of finding a mercenary that would accept a Dwarf. Days passed, and finally such a group was found, venturing out to hunt for bandits and claiming bounties became Drolme's profession. Money was never a problem, as bandits were even more common this side of the canal. Some years later, he even joined the army of Vallingard in its continuous war against the dark elves in the North, earning the title of Skull Splitter, although such titles were pointless in Drolme's opinion, he did like the fact that he felled hundreds of enemies and never was he injured enough to be taken out of battle. At the age of 185, he left the army, retiring to his home in Vallingard, to a peaceful life as a revered veteran. 

However, he was again drawn to a new expedition; a small group composed of men, elves and even a halfling were looking for a warrior for added protection, Drolme was the man for the job.

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Málion, Ice Arrow Master

This was the first character I ever created for D&D, the first time I joined my friends and played the game.

Málion, born to a couple of ice mages forming part of a tribe of nomadic elves, grew up to appreciate nature and to care for it, but also capable of surviving it even if alone. The tribe's history fraught with magical battles and gruesome deaths, led his family to move away from the rest of the elven mages to seek shelter in the forests. Finding himself face to face with innumerable dangers within the forests, Málion learned to hunt wild animals for food, leather and fur, tracking them for hours, laying traps and shooting arrows at his prey. His preferred method for hunting is archery, securing a kill from miles away. He also developed heightened mobility skills in rough terrain, together with a keen eye, prone to rapidly spot prey and hunter alike.

Although his parents tried to shelter their son from magic, as it was the source of all the mishaps they endured while living with the tribe, Málion discovered that the little he had already learned could be highly useful for his everyday hunting duties. He used the power to manipulate ice to create arrows out of thin air, creating an endless supply. These arrows also freeze the area they hit, be it land or animal, making it easier to track larger animals such as bears.

As he grew up, he decided to leave his family to go and live in a city, however, he soon found out why the tribe his parents used to live with was primarily made up of mages. Magic was frowned upon in every city in the area; and once people noticed that Málion used magic, he was immediately cast out. Returning to the forests, he could not find his parents again, assuming that they had moved to somewhere new to find better conditions, or worse, he decided to adopt the nomadic lifestyle and move around the forests according to the climate and hunting possibilities.

As he reached adulthood, he had mastered most of the ice techniques known to elves, turning to other elements to challenge himself. He learned how to create arrows out of rock, losing the properties of the ice element, but gaining a sharper tip, penetrating even the thickest of skins.

I could not find an image of a male archer using ice arrows, so this was the image I gave the rest of the group for the to get an idea of 'who I am'.

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