EXODUS I

EDIT: I have no idea why this post ended up being moved from it's original date to today's date. I was admining the tags, and this happened. Some days Blogger acts strange. Oh well, there are worse things it could have done to me. *knocks wood

CHANCELLOR'S ORDER 10.221 

It is now clear that the inhuman forces of the Commonwealth of Man, guided by their hellish engines of reason, intend to destroy our entire civilization. Our outlying colonies have been blockaded and submitted to ruthless bombardment. No surrender has been asked for, nor accepted when offered. Tens of thousands have been killed: men, women, and children. Our homeworld is now facing a direct attack, and despite the heroic efforts of our armed forces, we have to prepare for the worst thinkable outcome. 

Thulist Architecture

This is a reference post for the Ordo Ultima Thule's various installations on Argos. While Deep Command has suffered a terrible blow, and the lunar base has been hit hard, the Thulists have gained a far to firm grasp on Argos to disappear overnight. They may no longer be able to operate at will, but they are too well dug in -- often quite literally -- to abandon the areas they have occupied.

In this post I will look at some of the structures the Outsiders have erected, and are in the process of building, since they arrived.

On Rotes in Mage: The Awakening

The other day Shieldhaven from Harbinger of Doom  asked a question about rotes and combined spells in Mage: The Awakening. I told him I'd post my take on this. Here it is.

Chapter: Touring the Frontlines

Cast: Aegir of the Enæidùn, Gryff Galan, and Velimir Tito. Also, numerous NPC's.

The following takes place between 3 and 6 Undecium, YE 1022.

With the Pius at anchor in Göteshaven, the heroes seek out their allies in the fight against the Deep, they visit kings and great magicians and learn many things about the state of affairs; they also make sure the moon is not forgotten, then they do battle on the Western Isles.

Do you feel motivated?

I came across this site while working on the chapter-post. I just had to share.

A Gentlemen's Duel

Enjoy your day.

Pax Corax

The Duchy of Diemed used to be a prosperous area, rich on overland trade between Western Eria and the Skythian Empire. The many villages and farms that lay liberally strewn throughout the fertile, shallow river-valleys were by many seen as the rural ideal, and the cities and towns were wealthy and peaceful. The mines in the southern mountains, though not rich enough to attract the envy of the greater princes, still provided a healthy financial bedrock for the House of Diem. The silversmiths of Zalburg and Woll-am-Möwe were also widely renowned for the quality, if not beauty, of their work. Likewise, the University of Zalburg was acknowledged for it's achievements in the fields of natural philosophy and the liberal arts, and it had a Chair in the Cabal of Pure Thought for more than three hundred years.

Then, during the summer of YE 1022, the Red Death swept away all semblance of civilization, and tore asunder the Hegemony of Man over these lands. Mekelrad, the Lord of the Red Death, the terrible demon that brought the plague to Eria, was lured to Zalburg by the Thulist plague-herders. Here the Outsiders trapped the demon inside a blasphemous machine, using it's struggles to fuel a heinous experiment designed to burn a hole in Creation. While the demon was slain, and the Thulists driven out, the damage wrought on reality was so great that now a different law rules the region.

The deluge-like onslaught of the zombie plague was halted when Mekelrad was destroyed, but within what has become known as the Redlands, the restless dead still prowl hungrily. The Northern Alliance have built fortifications around the borders, and cavalry and cabals of magicians patrol them. Some of villages and towns that were deserted have been reclaimed, but in these walled communities, the living live in fear of the dead. Marauding packs of zombies roam across the once peaceful countryside, and many who have tried to return to their homes have vanished.

There are also other tales beginning to be told about the Redlands. Trolls, hobgoblins and other creatures from the dark depths of myth are said to have returned to the mortal world. The ravens are everywhere, and rumour has it that a great and ancient raven-king holds court somewhere in the deserted region. Where mortal nobles and rational thought once ruled, wizards, dark beasts, ghosts, zombies, and entities from the other side now do as they please. The Hegemony of Man does not extend to these lands.


Rumours:

1. The Raven King has a mighty magician as his servant.
2. Gypsies are seen travelling into the Redlands.
3. There are vast treasures hidden in the ruins inside the Redlands.
4. The zombies are controlled by a nigromancer.
5. If a corpse is lain outside for a hour after dawn, it's eyes will be eaten by ravens, and it's soul will not haunt the living.
6. A great troll has been seen in the hills.
7. A child born with a red birth-mark has been tainted by evil.
8. A terrible darkness lies buried in the ruins of Zalburg.

Superhero Centennial

In 1911 the first story about a fictional hero with super-powers was published in France. Le Nyctalope, or Léo Saint-Claire as his Christian name was, could see in the dark, and he had an artificial heart. In his first adventure, Le Nyctalope has to stop the evil Oxus from taking over Mars and creating an army of super-soldiers. While his powers seem a little meek by modern standards, they represented a break with the earlier heroes of popular culture. Sherlock Holmes and Rocambole, while being quite extraordinary, were normal humans. The Nyctalope (as he's called in the English translations) represented the dawn of a new age: The Age of the Superheroes.

Paradigm and Paradox

House-rules

In my ongoing efforts to bend the rules of magic to my will, I have yet another house-rule to present. Again it addresses Paradigm and Paradox, the two elements I find most lacking in nMage. As is often the case, my homebrew lands somewhere in between Ascension and Awakening – this time I've also drawn inspiration from the nWoD supplement Second Sight (a most useful book covering Low Magic and other occult gifts accessible to mortals). At some point I will have to assess the earlier house-rules as well, and compile/rework them all into a single, hopefully stream-lined and comprehensive, document. For now, that's on my to-do list.

This is the latest instalment.

Word: Nemesis

It's been a good long while since I did one of these, and this time I'll go for a slightly different approach -- I'll let Brick Top do the talking. First, a word of warning: If you are scared of profanities, you should find something else to do.