D and December 2017: Week 2 - Day 7

Main Post: https://elfson.blogspot.com/2017/12/d-2017.html

7- Oddities: temple guard gumi bears with ooze/cube stats who hug to death


“Huggi Gummi Shrine Guardians”:

Large sized

Humanoid magical constructs

Ooze/cube traits

Attack is always Grapple, “hug” for crushing damage. If “hugged” for 3 rounds, is absorbed into gummi, treat as effects of cube.


“The cutest, tastiest constructs you’ll ever meet! Comes in a variety of colors/flavours! Order now!” - Wilhelm Wonkia, Wizard of Whimsy, Confectionary Conjuror.

D and December 2017: Week 2 - Day 6

Main Post: https://elfson.blogspot.com/2017/12/d-2017.html

6- Spooky/undead: aesthemus the undead sorc whom we dragged through the city by his eye sockets

“Great. We’ve escaped the dungeon, but how are we supposed to get out the gate past all those guards with that illusion cancelling spell. This is a castle full of humans, you’re a dwarf, she’s a gnome, and he’s a corpse!?” The bard cried.

“Guys, guys! I got this!” the undead sorcerer crowed.

And that was the day three guards, one average, the other with a hat pulled low over her ears, and a third, very tall but stout at the bottom & skinny up top in a long tabard, dragged a skeleton out the gate by its eye sockets to “take out the trash”.

D and December 2017: Week 2 - Day 5

Main Post: https://elfson.blogspot.com/2017/12/d-2017.html

5- Humanoid: “DMNPC”/second PC, Gripli named “Brain”

Brahn’s head hurt. The soft, not-green people he travelled with were talking a lot more than usual. The bird one did not agree with the pale one, and the small shiney one looked sad. Brain, the smallest one, who lived in his hat, but was green and very smart, so that made him a good brain, was also talking.

They all stopped talking. Brahn thought they might finally be done. He did not know what was so much to talk for. There was a bad man far away, who would bring war. That was good. Brahn could fight the bad man, and the better fighter would win. There was something about people who could not fight being hurt. A lot of them.

“Brain?”

“Yea, Brahn?”

“If you kill those who can’t fight, that has no honor. Does the bad man kill those who can’t fight?”

“Yes, Brahn.”

“We should go find the bad man before he comes here. Kill him & forget him, because he has no honor.”

“Yes, Brahn. I agree.” Brain looked up from beneath Brahn’s hat at the others. “ I think we can all agree on that.”

The soft, not-green people nodded.

The bird one said “ Good thinking Brahn. “

The pale one chuckled that cold sound she would make that before driving in a knife and patted Brahn’s arm.

The small shiney one stopped wringing her claws and tightened the strap on her music maker. A sign she was ready for battle.

“We walk into a tree again” Brahn asked the bird one.

“Yes, Brahn.”

“Okay. Brain, I close my eyes. Knock when we get there.” Brahn shut his eyes tight, and tried not to think until he felt Brain tap in his hat . . .

-------------.

“You got it.” The Gripli replied to the Orc, but the Orc, Brahn, had already shut his eyes. “Silvertip” he said to the tengu bard, gesturing they should get going.

“Crafty devil”, the elf rogue smirked at Brain as she rested her other hand on Silvertip, who was casting the often-used plant-walk spell.

“Honestly, Mes, I wonder which one of us is the smarter one sometimes” he replied to the elf. “You comin Diz?” He said to the Kobold bard, who quickly clambered onto Brahn’s shoulders.

Silvertip then lead them through the tree and out of a hedge in a royal garden on an entirely different continent.

D and December 2017: Week 2 - Day 4

Main Post: https://elfson.blogspot.com/2017/12/d-2017.html

4- Celestial/Demonic: there’s been teiflings who are descendant of BBEG demons in the game . . . but . .  Chris hoity toity paladin came to mind

 

“Of angels & demons, I’ve known plenty. Far be it from me to judge a wing by it’s covering.

Come to think of it though . . .

Long ago, we traveled with a noble beacon of good, justice & righteousness.

He was an Anointed Knight and bathed himself & his gear in divine oils at the beginning of the day.

So long as he had a full night sleep, his breakfast gruel, and a good rub down, he was a pillar of compassion and right.

But heavens forbid his precious rest be interrupted, he was no longer a hoity-toity paladin.

He was then naught but a great, grumpy, glowing man.

Those smites do smart.” - Ran Dansin, traveling troubadour.

D and December 2017: Week 2 - Day 3

Main Post: https://elfson.blogspot.com/2017/12/d-2017.html

 

3- Abyssal/fey: brownies/that tree smiled at me, Unicorns?

“Unicorns are assholes” supplied Dermit, as he flopped onto barren hillock, dropping his greatsword next to him, scowling at the forest the group had just departed.

“ Something like that, yeah”, Rovita replied. “ You’d think something that old & wise would learn to listen to common sense. Eh, Grundev?”

The dwarf looked up at the half-orc female at the use of his name. Squinting as the sun was barely blocked by the crossed axe & lute on her back. He looked away, pulling his holy symbol from beneath is beard.”Age & wisdom don’ mean empathy. You’d think some racism would’ve worn off in’at time.” He considered the figure on the symbol. ”Ye saw the way she kep’ lookin’ round before she asked if we had an elf with us.”

Dermit spat.

“Agreed”, Grundev absentmindedly muttered.

“So, we give up and let him deal with the Wilting when it finally reaches the forest” Rovita said, staring into the wood, almost as if she could ask the Unicorn over the distance.

Grundev nodded at his divine talisman, as if it had also been offering suggestions the entire time. “Nah, united front, two brains are better ‘an one, blah, blah. Le’s go track down that elf that we saw back in town. Maybe ‘e would’ nah mind a stroll through the wood.”

“Never fought a Unicorn, could make a fortune off that horn alone”, Dermit offered, still, waiting for an answer that he would need to get up & collect his blade.

“Ha. Ha. Ha.” Rovita said, flatly, no mirth in her expression as she turned towards town and began walking.

Grundev followed quietly, his shadow crossing over Dermit, still prone.

“Fine! Fine.

Probably all lies about the healing properties & spell uses anyway.

Never actually MET a robe-wearer that had those mats, or anyone else who’d ever even tried to collect them anyway.

Right? Right!?”

Dermit had to jog to catch up.

 

D and December 2017: Week 2 - Day 2

Main Post: https://elfson.blogspot.com/2017/12/d-2017.html

2- Draconic: fantasy latin - the language of magic.

Draconic the language, one of the oldest, a mainstay of magic.

A harsh tongue, yet musical, full of weight & meaning.

Effectively “Fantasy Latin” for several editions, only spoken by draconic beasts or casters who studied the arcane arts.

Sometimes used as a “secret language” among young wizards in passing when traveling through rustic areas. Rough graffiti on the wall of a tavern might actually be written in that dialect, as a message to others interested in eldritch secrets.

Tattooing certain characters or phrases onto one’s flesh and imbuing it with mystic energies might lend potency to the ward, as blood is a very significant reagent.

Ultimately, being able to talk to a Dragon in it’s own prose, with all the property courtesies & manners may mean the difference between being friend or dinner.

D and December 2017: Week 2 - Day 1

Main Post: https://elfson.blogspot.com/2017/12/d-2017.html

1- Favourite Creature: bulette?/grung?/kobold

Kobolds.

PC/followers include:
- Shigviz Ik’Skreezle, or “shiggles” for short. Cleric follower, coming through with the “clutch” heals & divine support. Became party Mascot

- The Bronze Bard with the Silver Tongue & Golden voice. An adorable buff machine that can ride on your shoulders

- And the TRIBE of displaced silvers adopted by one of the party members who helped kill the original masters.

As many Kobolds maintain they are descendants of certain full dragons, there is often a naming convention based of the supposed progenitor. For example, Shiggles(as mentioned above) was a cleric of the god “Skree” so instead of adopting the name of the tribe’s speculated ancestor, incorporated the diety’s name into his own, to show his devotion & faith.
For example, if a Kobold were given the name “Vithok” and the tribe actually had a patron dragon, if that dragon’s common/short name were Tradkoov, the kobold’s full name might be “Vithok Ix’Tradkoovel”

D and December 2017: Week 1 - Day 7

Main Post: https://elfson.blogspot.com/2017/12/d-2017.html

7- Your Player Character/Free Space: Trust & Friendship


Ran Dansin the bard & his sorcerer pal Aesthemus were about to graduate from an academy.

Both were roped into peddling drugs around the city one day, by the powers-that-be that ran the academy.

When asked who had put him up to the illicit activities, Ran named the head of the drug ring, and also informed that Aesthemus was a part of distribution, all to get off with only a warning.

Aesthemus was expelled from the academy, and when complaining of some snitch rating him out, Ran exclaimed “Kick his ass!”

D and December 2017: Week 1 - Day 6

Main Post: https://elfson.blogspot.com/2017/12/d-2017.html

6- A Moment of Despair: Difficult choices


“Run Kat!” Eugene shouted at Katarina as the “guards” came plowing through the lower market of the city. These guards were nothing more than deputized drunkards who could be trusted to show up at some point during the day to be paid for a shift of work, chasing down pick-pockets & bread-thieves who weren’t good enough to not be caught.

He bolted down a side alley while she moved past & down to another, opposite. A common tactic to split the chasers, or make them choose one or the other if only one on their trail. And of course, should it get to the point of blows, less at a time to handle.

After scrambling up a wall and down a sewage culvert, he was confident he’d lost his pursuer, and doubled back to the rendezvous point he & Katarina had agreed upon.

She wasn’t there.

But that was fine, both of them had encountered more tenacious members of the city’s police force, requiring prolonged routes, meandering through the lower city streets.

Hours passed, and she still did not show.

It began to get dark, and, as they agreed, should that happen, they would then meet at the Church of Fate, to wait out the night in it’s relative sanctuary.

She did not show, all night.

The next day, he went about his usual routine, simply for a sense of normalcy, as they’d never agreed on such an eventuality.

When he finally took a break for the day and made his way back to the attic above the cobbler’s home where he & Katarina slept. Despondent, as he dropped from the eaves onto the ledge in front of the roof access door that led into the dark refuge, he did not even notice the light pouring from the hatch that led into the building proper.

He didn’t even yelp as the truncheon came down on his head & blackness swam over him.


When he awoke, it was in a dark, dank place. That day, he learned the two kids who ran the city streets did not exist anymore. He would answer to Dany & she was than known as Loti, and they served The Master of the House with unquestioning obedience, or the other would be punished.

It wasn’t all forced servitude & dehumanization, they were educated by experts in the fields in all manner of arts, entertainment, and letters, as the furniture should be able to entertain any guest in any number of ways, at any time.

Eventually came a day, during an extremely late night party, The Master was in a cruel mood, and too much debauchery led to him gambling away Loti to another like himself.

Dany cried, openly at this, and could not restrain the tears.

This was explicitly forbidden. The furniture did not have feelings, especially in front of guests.

Loti was whipped as punishment for Dany’s outburst, as the two Master’s agreed on many things, such as how to handle insolence.

Dany’s Master, in some fit of whimsy, held a blade against Dany’s throat, laughing, asked, “would you rather die? You are old and have served your purpose. I can replace you easily, if you wish to expire rather than see her leave your side.”

“Now now, ol’ chap. No need to be so dramatic. I’ll take the boy too. I’ll even pay full price. I can always use more playthings” the other Master slurred, already taking full advantage of his new property.

Dany knew the other Master was much more cruel & aggressive with his toys. So was his despair that much more amplified.

“ Would you like that Dany?” the first Master chuckled, light spittle flecking on Dany’s cheek, mixing with the drying tears.

Dany suffered, dragging his eyes to Loti’s, past the form of the other Master, trying not to see that which was visible to all in the room.

Loti blinked thrice in rapid succession. Their shorthand for “no”.

Dany continued his eye movement to the wall, to hide the communication, in a show of heavy contemplation.

He could not stand to leave Loti. He would die a second time. But nor could he go against her wishes. And so Dany would cease to be as well, in short order, after this night.

“I serve you, Master”, he choked out, feeling the love he held deep in his heart compact further, turning to a burning ember in his gut.


It was weeks later when the opportunity arose. The Master was slain in bed, by one of the pieces of furniture.

Several days later, a dashing young man, one Giacomo D’Alegrerre, came to visit a certain, respectable gentleman. They laughed & dined, and passed the night away. But the gentleman had lived a long and boisterous life, so it was not surprise when he passed on at some point in the early hours, Giacomo, summoning the staff to assist & try to save the man. It was for naught.

Later that same day, Giacomo asked to question the staff, to see if any knew of the gentleman’s next of kin, or friends.

The visitor seemed quite upset after the interviews, and implored if there were any other staff, or had any left the house in the last months.

They spoke of one young girl, who came recently, but, supposedly killed herself only days later by jumping from the top of the estate. Though it was obvious many of the waitstaff did not entirely believe this.

After exhausting what he must have felt was his responsibilities as a guest in the house, the man called D’Alegrerre left, chuckling, walking quietly along the path. Those who noted the chuckle would also mention, it was not a friendly sound and sent chills down their spine.

D and December 2017: Week 1 - Day 5

Main Post: https://elfson.blogspot.com/2017/12/d-2017.html

5- A Moment of Triumph: Quoting Princess Bride ICly
 

Often in the employ of shadowy figures, one’s office being wardrobes & rooftops, one must engage in martial contests for their very life. Giacomo was no exception.

One such night, having seduced & murdered a Countess of unscrupulous values, one of her OTHER bedfellows, whom was supposed to ALSO meet her that night, stumbled upon Giacomo.

A duel ensued across a starlit parapet. The incensed lover was no slouch with a blade, and just as he thought we has wearing down the the Jester, he noticed that stupid grin still rested betwixt that gaudy mustache and the ridiculous patch of hair.

“I must admit you’re better than I am” Giacomo offered, smirk still plastered to his visage.

“ Then why are you smiling” growled the casanova.

“Because I know something you don’t know” the embattled bard rejoined.

“And what is that” was the exasperated riposte.

“I am not left handed.” A wild moulinette flashed the reflection of the stars as the troubadour popped one half of his rapier into his right hand, revealing it was a trick-brace of blades, but more importantly, his ambidexterity.

The would be champion balked at the assassin’s duplicity, but not long enough to allow it to be capitalized upon.

However, the next morning, two bodies were discovered, and the esteemed Giacomo was asked to depart with a bonus, as his services were no longer required, what with the funeral to be planned, etc.

D and December 2017: Week 1 - Day 4

Main Post: https://elfson.blogspot.com/2017/12/d-2017.html

4- Favourite Villain: Same


Years down the road, many stages walked, numerous courts impressed, countless jibes thrown, as well as a plethora of rumours sold, an embarrassment of false information given, a sea of goblets poisoned, a gallows worth of throats slit, and once more, “the voice” was paid to perform what he thought might be his last role.

Alongside a team of equally ill-repute and infamy, they stormed the east wing of the castle, up from the sewers, slain guard after guard, and finally, upon entering what they thought would be the king’s private quarters, each was transported to a pocket dimension, where a band of equally well equipped and adept squads awaited.

It was there he made his last quips and where the last breath escaped his lips.

D and December 2017: Week 1 - Day 3

Main Post: https://elfson.blogspot.com/2017/12/d-2017.html

3- Favourite NPC: The Incomparable Giacomo
 

The Incomparable Giacomo, King of Jesters, Jester of Kings.
Born an orphan in a capital city, dubbed Eugene by the matron who tended the overcrowded children’s home, he was a clever boy, always getting into trouble. Bosom mates with another clever child, Katarina, named for the princess, the two were inseparable for nearly a decade, which is forever when you’ve barely lived that long.
Eugene loved to watch the buskers in the market square, especially the puppet theatre, and made extra coppers helping the various performers, learning all he could from them, dreaming modestly to be “as great as them, or even better.”

Luck, fair & foul would befall young Eugene. To hide himself from the burdens of both, he would adopt the nom-de-plume Giacomo D’Alegrerre, traveling across the world, never settling down, always running from the past. A smile greeting his audience, whether they knew he was performing or no, he played the part, and they all believed. Occasionally, so would he, but that never lasted long.

D and December 2017: Week 1 - Day 2

Main Post: https://elfson.blogspot.com/2017/12/d-2017.html
 2- Favourite Class: Bard


He had an innate proficiency in steering a situation through word & gesture. His nondescript appearance could be leveraged to great effect when he so desired. This unassuming man with the slightly silly facial hair, could be your best friend in two sentences, or the most dangerous thing in the city in one. You’d forget him as quick as he wanted, or remember him years later, having only met once. So was his skill & powers.
“King of Jesters & Jester of Kings” was a persona the world new. He sang, he danced, he played several instruments, occasionally at the same time, told jokes, recited tragic poetry that could reduce the most stalwart knight to tears, & much more.
It was the “much more” that truly kept him in fine silks and the nicest taverns. Although being the preferred Jester for numerous royal families did pay a shiny gold piece, it was his lesser known occupation as spy & assassin that ensured his comfortable lifestyle, as well as preference in the various courts of the land.
In the well lit places he was jester, bard, troubadour, skald and even fool. But clandestinely, there were no job titles.
A customer would contact “the voice” for an act of deceit or skullduggery, terms were discussed, and nothing further contact would be made after.
Should a noble die mysteriously, or a warlord know of his enemies plans months in advance, such was the wheel of fate. Who but the person & “the voice” would know such things were planned far in advance, for which of the two would ever confess to such things? Exactly.

D and December 2017: Week 1 - Day 1

Main Post: https://elfson.blogspot.com/2017/12/d-2017.html

1- Favourite Race: Human

His features were sharp & striking. Eyes that could peirce as readily as wit or rapier. All three wielded with deadly precision.
Dark hair, straight & mid-length. A short, well kept mustache and small triangle of hair below the lip added to the rakish air. A slim build & a medium height allowed him to be non-threatening for his primary profession.
Though accepted by members of their own race as an elf, half elf, half orc, and that one time as a “very tall dwarf “, he was in fact merely a man, and painfully aware of his mortality.
Though, through whatever gift granted by the Gods, this same curse had benefits. Such as the uncanny ability to morph, meld & adapt to any situation. As one of the “Common Speakers” he could drift from society to society, land to land; gathering riches of the mind, the pocket & adoration. Though not as resilient as a dwarf, astute as an elf, content as a halfling nor curious as a gnome, one could get awful close.

D and December 2017: Main post

Thanks to Holly Conrad's retweet of Scarlet Moth, here:

https://twitter.com/ThatScarletMoth/status/932980194289184768

This space has been dusted off(well, more like, garbage laid upon the dust, as is the way of my people) and will see ACTIVITY for the first time in SEVERAL YEARS, for this month at least.

 

As of this post, I've finished week two, and will auto-post every day into next month until it finishes!

Thanks for visiting!

-H47