Adventures Upon the Tiefsich

Last night was game night . . .  so a little catching up . . . Leaving the ruins of the ancient dwarven castle the party struck out north, riding up a long unnamed valley they broke from the Blaudun Timberland and into the open plains. For three hard days they rode until arriving at the Teifsich, abroad, slow moving water way that cuts the Maenluth Plains on its way to the Drab Sinks. Their destination, Unklar's Iron, lay far to the north, across the many rivers and wide plains of the Gottland. Ten days of melt left the Teifsich swollen when they arrived.

They noted, on the far side of the river a hobgoblin driving a wagon pell mell in a northerly direction. He was armored but his wagon was ragged looking, with its cover gone and a blanket hanging on to the end and flapping in the breeze.

Soon thereafter they found Ferry run by a half dozen, rough looking halflings, armed and armored as they are want to be; they offered to take them over the river and set them on their way for only a few coins. Excepting the invitation, though with some reservations, the party mounted the boat.

About mid-river one of the younger halflings approached the cleric with his thumbs in his belt and asked "So what abouts are you fucks doing going north?" The cleric responded quizzically to which the halfling pulled two punch daggers and jammed one in his cheek and the other missed his throat by a hair. Suddenly the four halflings lept upon the party with all manner of weapons, including a trident and net. At first the party laughed them off pulling blades but quickly they realized the halflings were far tougher than they though and the melee turned bloody fast. Covered in tattoos and wielding a variety of magic the halflings cut into the party.

The fray turned deadly as Ki, the knight, took repeated blows to the chest and arm and the paladin became hard pressed. But in the end sorcery turned the tide as the cleric called down the Lambs of Sacrifice upon one and the mage shock-bolted another. Two of the halflings went down fighting, but when the third fell, one Geh, his brother Gel, threw aside his weapons and leapt upon the paladin; grabbing purchase he began to rain hammer like blows on the dwarf's face, breaking his nose with one lucky shot. An agonizingly long beating followed before the halfling was subdued and slain.

Too late they realized their comrades on the shore, cut the boats ropes and the barge went floating down river.

Stripping the halflings of arms and equipment they discovered that they wore all manner of tattoos they gave them both strength and agility.

Letting the barge drift down river, after several days they came to Lake Teifsich where the locals befriended them. Purchasing passage on a river boat they sailed down the river, through the sinks, to the Inner Sea. North then up the coast to the delta of the Sorgon where they road upriver for several days. At last they disembarked at the confluence of the Black and Sorgon to begin their overland journey to Unklar's Iron.

Amun-Ra Rising upon Mandjet!

This video was posted over on Space.com . It shows a giant Plasma flare and the resulting Coronal Rain, where sheets of flame fall from sun's heavens to pummel the gas giant. 

Either that, or Ra has risen upon Mandjet, the Sun Boat, to battle the raging chaos of Apophis and the serpents of night.

Word of the Day -- Oriflamme

Oriflamme is a banner, symbol, or ideal inspiring devotion or courage.  The original "oriflamme" was the banner of Saint Denis, a patron saint of France who is said to have been the first bishop of Paris. Middle English speakers referred to this red or reddish orange banner using the Middle French term "oriflamble," from Old French "ori flambe," meaning "small flag." From the 12th to the 15th centuries, French kings carried the banner into battle as a way of inspiring their troops. This tactic met with such success that, by 1600, English speakers were using "oriflamme" to refer to any group's rallying symbol.

Daily Cosplay

Survey and Special Reminder

Just wanted to remind everyone that we have a survey going this week.  It's designed to help us better understand what you are looking for from us and to help us serve you.  So if you have a minute, please take the survey.  If you do so, you can be entered automatically to win a free book in print from our catalog of books; your choice on the book!  Just fill it out and make sure to enter your email address in the last question.  It's confidential and your email will never be sold or given out to any 3rd party.  Thanks!  Click here for the survey.

We are also featuring our Castles & Crusades Complete set this week.  This collection features the core books you need to begin playing C&C, including the CK Guide, the Players Handbook, Monsters & Treasure and more.  AND this week only, you get a free set of TLG dice with your purchase of the Complete set!  Click here to find out more and make your purchase. 

Howard on Conan

This was a great movie . . . and I love his take on Howard, very passionate, something we gather Howard was by all accounts.  The Whole Wide World.

The Habitable Zone

They discovered a tiny planet, three in fact, circling a yellow star some 210 light years away in the constellation Lyra. The planet is very close to its sun, hurling around the planet in a mad cap dash. Its sister's do the same.

The planet is nowhere near the habitable zone one scientist is quoted as saying, which leaves one to wonder about this habitable zone. Very generally it that zone where we think life can exist; its roughly the distance earth is from our own sun taking into account the planet's position to the parent star and the size, age and heat of that star. The temperature allows the planet to have water, atmosphere, etc. And therefore it can or may have life much akin to our own planet.

This concept seems very, very shortsighted; it assumes we have already discovered all there is about life and how it thrives; but also that planet ecology/climatology is not adaptable. Its the same short sighted approach that, looking backwards, makes us think that the Romans lived a primitive life. Just looking at the ocean deeps, life takes on many different forms.

By calling this the "habitable" zone we set ourselves up for a very limited view of what to look for; and we should be looking for everything.

Image by Nat Hallinan, see his site here.

Armor Up

Romeo Models

Word of the Day -- Spiel

Spiel:  a voluble line of often extravagant talk : a speech delivered especially to sell or promote something.

Today's word has a special place in my heart.  When I was in Germany as a youth, I played tennis with a friend of mine's uncle.  He was a good player and he took me to his club, with lots of clay courts.  We started playing and after the first game, he bellowed: "Spiel".  Not knowing exactly what he meant, I looked oddly at him.  So he said in broken english, "That means game.  I won the first game." And so I became used to the other meaning of the word.  But it turns out that this definition of the word isn't expressly pointed out in merriam's; however it does give the gist and an interesting explanation of the word.

There's more than one "spiel." Today's use of the word is well-known, and many people may also be aware that "spiel" can be used as a verb for the act of talking extravagantly. But did you know that the verb can also mean "to play music"? That, in fact, was the word's original meaning — one it shares with its German root, "spielen." ("Spiel" is also found in "glockenspiel," a musical instrument similar to the xylophone.) In Scottish English, "spiel" is also sometimes used as a shortened form of "bonspiel," a name for a match or tournament of the icy game of curling.

In the Eye of the Dragon

Deep in the mountain's bowels the beast awoke, roused by a hunger unfed for a hundred years  . . .

Mount Etna erupted yesterday sending a geyser of molten lava into the early morning's sky. As the earth broke away the lava tumbled down the mountain's slopes like a river of fire.

How to Draw Really Good