Campaign Chronicles

07 Deepkolt 349 AC EN ROUTE TO TARITHNESTI “Damn it! Dusk is injured! I must find her!” Kysek replies. “Dusk! Come on girl! The party here is over! We’ve got to get moving and get you help! Dusk! C’mon girl!”, he calls out with hope she can hear him and will come. Raven lands beside his companion. He drops to one knee, fingers tracing along the ground, searching for signs of the griffon's passage - disturbed leaves, scuffed rocks, churned soil, a print in the snow. The two elves spread out. Kysek calls again. "Dusk! I'm here!" A faint sound carries through the early spring air. Kysek and Raven both turn toward it. The trail leads them through the trees to a small clearing. Dusk lies beneath the branches, battered and exhausted. Blood stains her side. Her head lifts when she hears Kysek's voice. The griffon gives a weak call. Kysek immediately drops beside her. "There you are." Raven is by his friends' side a moment later. He opens his left h...

Those of you who have been reading along, should be aware that the Dark Queen's armies have launched a major offense on the Silvanesti nation centered around the town of Tarithnesti. This offensive included several hundred Goblins, multiple companies of Draconians, a handful of giants, and several dragons. I was working on Chapter 9 of the ongoing battle and a stray thought crossed my mind. "What would a Dragonslayer Medal look like? What kind of Citation would it include? How would it compare to other medals? This led me down an eight-hour rabbit hole with my copy of "Heroes of Battle" on one side of me and Wikipedia and my phone on the other. There was some follow up the next day as I began piecing together which character would have earned what medals so far, points for advancing in rank, and coming up with future scenarios that would make player characters eligible for the honors that ended up being my favorite. All was well and good. I looked upon what I had c...

Again, not technically Shadowrun, just Earth-218 revisited in with cyberpunk elements incorporated... The summons arrived without ceremony. A child no older than twelve found Raven delivering groceries to a tenement in the Redmond Barrens. "Are you Raven?" He nodded. She handed him a black envelope. No stamp. No address, just a seal pressed into dark green wax—a dragon coiled around the Seattle skyline. "I was told to give it only to you." "What did they pay you?" The girl blinked. "They paid my mother's hospital bill." The envelope contained a single sheet of thick paper. Mr. Raven, You have demonstrated an unusual habit. You complete dangerous work. You accept payment. You give nearly all of it away. While irrational... ...it is statistically interesting. Present yourself tomorrow at 1900. Come armed. Come alone. Do not decline. -- X The handwriting was precise, a flowing cursive committed to paper by a long-practiced h...

EPISODE ONE: EAST OF OMAHA (NEW COUNCIL BLUFFS) Dragula reached up and wrapped his fingers around an ornate silver chain hanging from the roof of the cab and gave it a sharp pull. The monster's chrome maw that served as the truck's grille split open just enough for the horn mounted inside to come alive. A shrieking, metallic howl tore across the prairie. Mac had built it from a stack of battered metal discs salvaged from some forgotten pre-war technology. Nobody knew exactly what the discs had once done. Nobody cared. They made wonderfully terrible noises. Over the years, Dragula had experimented with dozens of combinations, recording different tones and arranging them into a language only he and Mac understood. Three short blasts, one long wail, a descending screech. Mac grinned behind his hockey mask and shifted the Fluffy Bunny into gear. Miles slipped beneath their wheels. The rain gradually gave way to low gray clouds. The broken remains of what had once been part of ...

07 Deepkolt 349 AC EN ROUTE TO TARITHNESTI Kysek continues his assault on the verdant dragon. He squeezes the hand controlling the conjured fist with all his might and twists in a clockwise motion. The dragon manages to grab one of the hand's fingers and pries them backwards, breaking the hand's grip. In response, Kysek flicks his wrist and sends the conjured blade into a graceful sweep around the dragon. The magical blade slips beneath the dragon's chest, tracing a crimson line across the scales covering its belly. Raven dives back in to the fray. Nightwatcher dances across the dragon's back. The Netherese sword splits scales in a shower of emerald fragments. A second slash crosses the first. The third cut swing bites into the base of the dragon's wing where it joins the shoulder. The blade cleaves through the massive joint, severing muscle, tendon, and bone in one terrible stroke. The wyrm tumbles through the canopy, smashing through ancient branches that shat...

EPISODE ONE: EAST OF OMAHA (WHAT'S IN THE BOX) The Last Cathedral's organ finally fell silent. Only the steady rumble of diesel engines and the hiss of tires on wet pavement remained. Behind the convoy, the singing of the Billboard People faded into the distance until it was swallowed by the rain. Mac keyed his microphone. "Fluffy Bunny to crew. Any repairs, I got parts back at the shop. Demon, you good? Leaking anything? I'll do a check on everybody when we stop." Sam glanced at his gauges. "Screaming Demon to Fluffy Bunny. Couple new scratches. Nothing major." Dragula answered next. "Drags to Bunny. Good call. Let's do a quick once-over." The convoy resumed its original lineup with the Screamin' Demon taking point, followed by the Last Cathedral, Electric, and Fluffy Bunny slotting in behind him. The convoy spread out slightly as Sam scanned the roadside for an abandoned rest area or truck pull-off. Inside the Last Cathedral, Xa...

So... when we went to create the Dragula/Electric Warlock character, he was originally going to be called Dr. Zekenstein's Monster. That ended up changing but it made me wonder who Dr. Zekenstein might have been. Dr. Z was a geneticist and surgeon who became an early pioneer of the technology that led to the creation of Zippers. And he would have made a lot of money along the way. While no one can confirm Dr. Zekenstein's fate following the war, he had inspired a lot of competition. Canonically, BeautyMax already existed, offering to preserve youth and vitality through Project Mummy ™ but I felt like there needed to be more corporate players on the field as it were. Most of them would have been subsumed by HumanCorp by now or destroyed during the Human-Monster War but, as an option, I would like to present the following for consideration. 1.  Zekenstein Biotechnics      • THE pioneer is the recombination and reanimation of the dead. They developed the technol...

09 Newkolt 349 AC Arthur, Agnes, Granite, Phineas, Altan, and Davaa gather at the entry tunnel to the Deep Shale Hold. Dozens of dwarves had gathered to make their farewells and offer good luck when Talan came sauntering up the tunnel with Fargain, a pack slung over one shoulder. Granite looks at the Kagonesti. "What are you about, Talan?" He asks, confused by the elf's appearance. "While you guide Arthur and his lady to the Cape of Nordmaar, I will be plotting a course to the Lastgaard Moutains," came the smooth reply. The dwarf jabbed a finger at him. "You are not walking to Southern Ergoth by yourself." Talan seemed confused, "Why not? I walked all of the way here by myself." The elf continued as though explaining something obvious. "You said you would not commit to moving the clan on my word alone. So I shall gather more evidence." Granite looked upward as if asking the gods for patience. Then he lowered his gaze to the el...