Question of Faith - Prologue

PROLOGUE

They stood in the center of the room waiting. He was one of the old guard, mid-thirties and worn by fighting. His armor marked by repaired damage and stained with the blood of the dark ones. She was much younger, untested and nervous. Even her armor betrayed her lack of experience, new and unmarked. Both stood beside each other looking about the room. Two empty cells made of barred walls, a table in the middle of the room covered with papers, books and some writing instruments, wooden stools and a single oil burning lamp hanging from the ceiling.

Within a few minutes a third man enters the room through the door. Wearing the leather armor of a town guardsman with one arm colored black to denote his rank as a sergeant. Carrying a bowl of soup in one hand he stops just two steps in as he raises his eyes to meet those of this visitors.

“Chevaliers... I was unaware of your presence or I would not have kept you waiting. It is an honor to be graced by your company. Please have a seat.” he motions to the chairs as he sets his soup onto the table, “I was attending to tonight’s orders and grabbing a late dinner. There is still more left if you are hungry. I can have a man bring you...”

“That isn't necessary Sergeant we are not in need of food at this time. I am Brother Joseph and this is Sister Mary, we are here to look into some matters involving some of your men.” He motioned for the guard to sit down, “Do sit down and enjoy your meal, we have a few questions to ask you while you eat and then we'll be on our way.”

With a little nod he takes his seat. A bit of sweat already appearing on his brow. He pulls a spoon from his his belt and stirs the soup a bit. “Anything you say Brother Joseph, I am always ready to aid the servants of our Lord.”

“Then before your first bite... put this in your mouth for a moment.” He drops a silver coin onto the table where it rolls a bit before stopping. The guard stares at it for a moment, sweat building more on his face, before looking up.

“Why do I need to do that? I mean what is it for Brother?”

“Just put it in your mouth please, on top of your tongue.” Her voice was a bit soft compared to the two men. But very clearly spoken and slow as if every word was premeditated long before they were spoken. Staring at her for a moment he then reached over and retrieved the coin from the table top and rubbed it slightly with his fingertips. Glancing back over at Brother Joseph while laying the coin onto his tongue.

“Good, now please swear your loyalty to our Lord who...” His words are cut short as the coin is spit back on the table, smoking with a good deal of burnt flesh and blood clinging to it. The guards mouth hanging open and a charred twitching chunk of burnt meat laying out of it. The body shook, eyes rolling back into the head, “A prayer of cleansing now Sister Mary!”

The thing that was the guard stands up quickly, inhumanly fast, bringing the table up with it. Running it forward slamming against his enemy as he tried to draw a blade. Running him back into the bars with a metal clang as they met with his armor. Sister Mary pulling her Lords Badge from beneath her robes immediately begins reciting a prayer in a clear determined voice.

With its face growing red with blackened veins it looks over to her and lets out a shrill scream. The skin of it starting to smoke faintly. Joseph regaining a bit of footing shoves the table back pushing the creature back across the floor and against the wall, shattering the table between them. In the close quarters neither are able to pull their swords reducing the fight to short strikes, kicks and shoving each other into the walls. As the prayer continues the smoke gets thicker and an acidic smell fills the room. Finally as the two tumble through the middle of the room one manages a grip on one of the chairs, bringing it across the others head knocking them down in a heap.

“Stop... that... you... wench...” Gurgling out the words as it turns towards her. The eyes bulging out now, face an almost purple red and the neck swollen to twice the width of the head. With a forward lurch and a cracking noise as a jaw dislocates itself a spew of intestines is vomited forth onto the last the Sister. Moving around her body and slithering upwards towards her arms. Pausing for a moment to keep from throwing up herself she keeps on with the prayer as the guts wrapping around her smoldered as well. They continue to pull around her, gripping her arms tightly as they constrict, trying to pull down her arm that holds the badge forward. Her throat burning with each breath from the smoke and eyes running with tears from it as well. Each word a struggle as they fight to see who can outlast the other.

Suddenly there is a flash of steel from behind the thing and the tendrils of guts go limp around her. Brother Joseph had regained his feet and finally managed to pull his sword. Headless and spurting blood the creature falls to the floor. The Sister backs away shaking the gore off of her and stumbles back against a wall gasping for breath and covering her mouth.

“Sister Mary are you injured.” She shakes her head in response as she swallows hard still keeping herself from throwing up. “You did good, your faith did not falter. Well done, especially against a Baalarashi. They are quite a nasty bit of business.”

Speaking from behind, her hand still at her mouth, “I fear my stomach may not be as strong as my faith...”

“Nonsense,” with a grin and a laugh. “the first time I came face to face with one I threw up all over it and myself.”

Lowering her hand and finally smiling a bit she nods. Reaching down and retrieving the fallen coin he tosses it to her. With clasped hands around it she utters a silent prayer and the flesh and blood of the creature turn to dust. As she hands it back over to him she looks out the small window into the night. “ Baalarashi almost never travel alone do they?”

“No... they do not. I fear we have our work cut out for us in this town Sister.”

They both turn as the door suddenly flies open, one with sword at the ready the other holding forth their Lord's Badge. A guard stands stunned by the sight at the doorway, short sword in a trembling hand. “Sergeant! What is going on here? What has happened?”

“Your Sergeant is no more, he had succumbed to the dark ones. Look for yourself at his remains he was one of the unholy soul and body.” The guard glanced down towards his fallen commanding officer and winces holding back emotions. His eyes narrowed and watery now. Finally he looks back up, holding his sword towards the floor and straightens his stance.

“I understand Chevaliers, you do what must be done.” Pausing to swallow hard and keeping his eyes averted from the mess at their feet. “What are your orders for me now?”

“What is your name watchman?” Mary asked.

“I am Morgan Wright sister, named after our patron savior Morgan the Black.”

“Well Morgan,” Joseph fumbles his free hand into his pouch, “you can start by putting this coin in your mouth and swearing loyalty to our Lord who stands behind us at all time.”

Knights of the Dinner Table Live Action Series Episode 1

Little Fears - Hand me downs

This is a collection of hand me downs I made for Little Fears some years ago.  This is before Nightmare Edition.... long before actually.  So the writing may be a bit rough around the edges as I'm just copy pasting from an old file.  Hope somebody gets a bit of use out of these.

The Old Remote

This is an old remote for a no longer used television or other electrical appliance. With the power of a child’s belief behind it this old button box becomes a very useful tool. When used it can operate nearly any electrical device that is within site. Garage doors, televisions, alarms, cars, etc. So when you absolutely need to wake up everyone in the neighborhood you simply aim it out the window at the nearest car and set off the alarm. Maybe open the garage door a bit so you can slide under it in order to get away from a nasty beastie that is right on your tail. Even set off the television to act as a distraction or to hide the noise of your own movement. The possibilities are endless.

Toy Phones

Nice plastic phones with a bit of rope that connects to the base. Four little wheels on the bottom so it can be drug around and a rotary dial that doesn’t do a return spin. These things can be a godsend when it comes to calling in some help or warning others.

First you need to identify you phone by giving it a number. This is done by taking a crayon of your favorite color and writing it on the bottom. Now when anybody else with a Toy Phone that also has a number dials up yours they connect to each other. It’s time to give Jerry across the street a ring and let him know that there is something on his roof looking in his window.

Grandpa’s Coffee Cup

Grandpa was the greatest person you have ever known. He was always there for you when you needed him. He always had a few quarters in his pocket ‘tucked away for a special day’ when the ice cream truck came along. Every morning he would get up and drink a few cups of coffee and then you and he would be off. That morning cup would always get him going. Now that he’s gone that cup is still setting there on the shelf waiting to be used.

If it got grandpa going then it should get you going also, or at least reinvigorate you when things have gotten a little rough. Drinking out of the cup restores a level of health and can be used once in the morning, afternoon and evening. Also if drank from when you are first waking up it clears your head and gives you a boost of energy (+1 to all your die rolls).

Dad’s Pocket Knife

You remember back before your Dad went away. He used to spend every moment he could with you. He always carried one thing with him everywhere he went. His pocketknife. It always seemed to come in handy every time you turned around. Cutting fishing line, carving your name in a tree and other such things. When he was no longer there you found his knife tucked in a drawer in your Mom’s room, it never leaves you wherever you go anymore.

This allows you to cut through anything you need to. It’ll slice a door open, tear the skin of that thing that sticks it’s arms out from under your bed and even cut that metal barb wire that raises up out of the backyard from time to time.

Witch's Mirror

An old metal handled mirror. The handle and back is of ornate design containing all sorts of symbols such as pentagrams, stars, moons and such. Well over a foot long and never seems to get dirty. The mirror surface is circle shaped.

Anything a child sees in the mirror is shown in its true form. Thus illusions and other deceptions are useless. Any human possessed by a King shows up with that Kings features mixed with their own.

Rumors abound among those who have seen this item, or ones similar, that it is also linked to the mirrors possessed by the King of Pride but the truth is unknown.

Tabletop RPG Kickstarters - Things to do part three.

Okay todays bit of Kickstarter advice may seem like a bit of common sense to most.  But for some reason there are several cases of people running projects who cannot seem to fathom this simple idea.  It doesn't require a lot of effort even.

Give updates about your project ON KICKSTARTER! 

I don't know why some people think we want to keep track of what they are doing on the project by going to their Facebook page.  Or having to subscribe to a Twitter feed.  Or join a community.  Or whatever social network/forum/outdated social network they want to suddenly use.  Kickstarter has a place for you to give all your backers updates BUILT INTO THE DAMN PAGE. Every one of your backers have a login for Kickstarter or otherwise they couldn't have backed you in the first place.  Not everyone has an account at whatever social network you seem to think is so important.

Give us the updates where you pitched your product, right there on the project page. 

Now of course this is all based on the idea that you give us updates in the first place.  We all know there are some project managers who can't even grasp that.  So, I guess, first you should give us updates and then second put those updates on the 'updates' section of the project page.  That is why it's there you know.

Okay this one was a bit more of a rant than I'm used to.  Must have had a flashback to giving bad gamers advice on how to play in a group properly or something.

The passing of a gamer.

A local gamer has passed away.  From diagnosis of throat cancer to the time of his passing was three weeks. While I only met him a few times he always seemed like a nice guy.  Quiet and reserved most of the time he was brilliant at the gaming table according to those who played with him on a regular basis.  He will be missed greatly by those who knew him and those who didn't will have missed out.

This has also sent his family into some financial distress as one can imagine.  They have set up a fund to help pay for funeral costs if anyone would like to help. 

Chris Jennings may you rest in peace and may your family and friends find the strength to carry on.

The Go Fund Me page to help pay for funeral costs.

The Empty Chair - Eulogy for a gamer.

Liber Elixirium now available via POD

Liber Elixirium: The Essential Guide to Potions and Oils is not available for POD over at Drivethru and RPGNow.  So if the leather, gold gilded version with the silk bookmark isn't in your budget you have an alternative for a cheaper one. 

Find it at RPGNow here.
Find it at Drivethrurpg here.

Below are some shots of the POD version of the book that Vince uploaded in an update on the Kickstarter page earlier  Looks pretty good, not as good as the leather version I'm holding, but still pretty nice.

 

Also don't forget they are running a Kickstarter right now for the City of the Lich module. 

You can find that Kickstarter here.

That's all the blogging for this week.  See you next Monday.

Kult Retroclone

Retrocloning when the setting nor the system are open for use.  I've seen several fans of Kult ask about somebody writing up a retroclone of the game over the years.  Well ever since people started the DnD clones oh so many years ago.  My answer as to why not is because with most of those are based of a system that can be pulled from the OGL for D20.  Nearly the entire 'guts' of the old system are there you just have to strip away everything added and work your way around what is missing.  Then most of them are just variations of that system and NOT of the old settings that DnD was known for.  It's all generic fantasy settings for the most part.

The system in Kult isn't under the OGL in any way shape or form.  Besides the system is not what made the game popular and loved among its fans.  It was always the setting, that particular bend of dark horror, with a twisted take on cosmology and how it alters the very reality around us.  That is what people were after, the rules were just a means to an ends.

Now Kult, lock stock and barrel, is owned by a company called Paradox.  This company produces nothing, it exists and earns income by licensing out intellectual properties that it owns.  Maybe you've heard of a few things that belong to them like: Mutant Chronicles, Mutant Year Zero, Chronopia and oh yes lets not forget they own a good chunk of Conan (enough to lawyer up against anybody who uses the name without permission).  They are dedicated to keeping these properties their own and don't like it when people infringe upon them.  Short story, they will take you to court over it really quick.  So a 'fan edition' of the game would probably end up with somebody getting sued.

The only way around this would be coming up with a new setting from the ground up.  One that has a same cosmological control over the world and the same end result on the reality around those hapless characters who live in it.  That would be the key challenge, capturing that same lightening in a bottle from a different storm.  After this is done a system could be bolted into it, preferably one with a decent way of handling sanity/mental balance as that was the only memorable part of the original.  Arguments could be made all day long for systems but that's neither here nor there.  That setting would have to be the core nugget of interest.

So this is why there is no Kult retroclone.  So please stop asking.