Damn I Am Pretty Art Laboratories

Fate Core Magic Item: Srady's Penny Function Aspect(s): There Is Always Another Trick, Size of a Mouse, Size of a Bear Trouble Aspect: Never Changes Its Size Srady's Penny is an ancient coin, one face is a bear and the other is a mouse.  Ursyklon legend claims it had been the source of innumerable tricks employed by its creator, Srady Wiseowl.  It radiates a strong transmutation aura.  Until it was recovered by the Keepers, most never knew how it functioned. Skills: Transmutation Good (+3), Nature Fair (+2), Deceit Average (+1) Stunts:  "Size of a Bear!": When held with the Bear face up and the phrase "Size of a Bear" in spoken aloud in Ursyklon, Srady's Penny causes the subject to grow until they are at least ten feet tall.  The subject's race aspect changes, becoming "Size of a Bear!" until the effect disappears.  If the penny's other stunt is used to get rid of the effect, Size of a Mouse overrides the Size of the Bear,...

Aspect:   Create Wonder Never Harm Quote: "Androids were never meant to be tools.  My work has been perverted at its most basic level, and I refuse to contribute to the enslavement of a people." Nikola Ripley created the Android race less than twenty years ago.  She never foresaw them becoming property.  That was never her goal.  When her work was used by the Chancellor for military and other uses, she left the Esoterium Machina for Poorfellows.  Ever since, she strives to invent wonders and help androids find the rights others deny them. Common Knowledge The Tinkerer used to be a prominent member of the Esoterium Machina and a Professor at Crux University.  She engineered all sorts of arcane works, especially constructs.  Her golems and other artifice could be found throughout Crux and most of the Maru Sea. After creating Androids, she spoke out repeatedly for them.  When common folk lost jobs to androids and she led protests ag...

Major Landmarks and Local Geography around Crux The Cross River: The Cross flows northward into the Maru Sea from its source deep in the southern reaches of Ith.  The Cross is one of the major life veins of Ith, linking the interior to the trade hub of Crux.  It forms the Cross basin to the east of Mount Eidda, winding until it exits at Crux's eastern quarters.  The waters of the Cross are ever-murky, a constant source of disease as many towns (including Crux) run their sewage into it. The Lock River: The Lock is a much smaller river than the Cross, but its winding course around Mount Eidda has long been of benefit to irrigation south of Crux itself.  The Lock's source is Lock Springs, near the Barrow Hills.  The Lock also flows to a number of ancient sites, like the ruins of the town Eidass at Eidda's southern face. The Smoke River: The Smoke flows to Crux from its source, the noble and tall mountain known as the Solemn Crown.  Along its flow can...

This is late in coming.  Let's get to what was a fantastic session.   Srady's Penny was the second of a series of story arcs based on my characters.  During these story arcs, one character is put front and center.  Last time I had made a mistake, not doing anything to draw the other players in, so I crafted a bit of a b-plot to try and give them something to do. This session was centered around Ash Wiseowl, Kyra's character.  Ash is an Ursyklon[1] and an "archaeology major", or a thief in other words.  With a bit of a fiery temper and big ambitions, she often goes big instead of going small.  Sometimes that gets her in trouble.  In this story, she stole something valuable, but for a good reason. Scene Question: Do Aldo and Gav let the Ratkings take Faru? Before the session started I had asked my players for three truths.  The truths I got weaved a rather elegant tale: Ash stole a valuable painting, and by the start of the session, h...

"I-" Macha tried not to stammer.  For her, it had been months since she had needed to speak out loud.  "Please..." She tried not to cry.  But the kind woman wasn't listening to the small child.  Very small with dirty, brown hair, Macha had been arguing with the woman for awhile.  Macha couldn't explain all of it.  But the tiny child knew she couldn't be trapped there.  Bad things would happen. "Child, don't argue with me."  The stern yet kind woman in red knelt down.  "Everything will be alright.  You don't have to go anywhere." "You don't understand."  Macha stared at the door behind the woman.  "Please... you don't want to be here..." Macha figured the woman to be some kind of priest.  That's what she'd heard others call people in those kind of robes.  Her robes were scarlet.  Macha liked her kind voice.  It felt warm.  Macha could tell this was a woman who genuinely wanted to h...

Aspect(s): Wonders of An Earlier Age; Who Knows What Is In The Dark; Connected To: Palace Hill (Above), Wolf Quarter (A Tunnel in the Southwest Corner), The Blood Quarter (to the North), The Skull Catacombs (to the North) Most Significant Icon: The Archdruid Well Known For? Ancient Starship Graveyard Notable Sites and Locales: The Bonewall, The Old Temple, The Clan Citadels To enter Gruudl at all requires permission from the Archdruid; my request was met politely, and I found myself being escorted by a young priestess and her two awakened wolves.  The trio said little, but I sensed they found me boring.   The first thing about the Ursyklon ruins is the smell.  It does not stink like other ruins in the city, no smell of mildew at all.  Instead Gruudl smells of fresh earth.   It is a wondrous sight to behold, when you cross over the gate into the main chamber of Gruudl.  Stone starships stretch from clear waters into the ceiling above.  They l...

The Karasu Tengu The Unclean Tengu are perhaps the most important part of their society.  To most tengu, the Karasu are less than people.  They deal with the dead.  They have long been shunned by other Tengu.  Karasu execute people, butcher dead animals and embalm the dead.  To the Tengu, they are unclean.  Karasu. In Crux, the Karasu have become the easiest to adapt or assimilate into its culture.  Despite being shunned by other Tengu, they often convert to join the Church of the Twins.  Conversely, the most dangerous Ninja among the Tengu are Karasu. Karasu are treated as non-persons among the Tengu.  Other castes never speak to them, nor do they touch them.  They have their own section in the Aerie-Towns, the Karasu Ghetto.  If they leave their Ghetto, often it attracts only trouble from other Tengu. Complicating matters is that no gaijin knows about this.  Karasu Tengu are more likely to talk with gaijin.  Cl...

The Tomasi Legions relied on Summoners and conjuration Magic to march across the Maru Sea.  The first Summoner had been an Empress of the Tomasi Empire.  Their radical techniques in summoning and controlling eidolons made their legions unstoppable.  "A thousand runes, a thousand shields, a thousand servants," or so the old saying goes. The Tomasi Empire's best Summoner-Legionnaire bore the shields of the Empire.  With these shields, the Tomasi Legion's eidolons- summoned creatures for lack of a better word- acted with discipline and combined might.  The shield also kept the Eidolon under control, even when the Legionnaire had died or lost control for other reasons.  These shields were the foremost tool that made the Legions strong. But the greatest generals of the Legions, the Maximi, wielded artifacts of considerable power.  The Legion-Gems magnified their Eidolon's powers.  Using a mix of Magus and Witch techniques, each Gem changed the M...

Once, long ago, there was a world green with life.  The Ursyklon came to that world and learned its ways.  They learned its songs, the verses and ways its life and animals and beasts acted.  They became one with it. They took it from another race, killing each one to the last.  They were hulking creatures, whose plight had been the stubbornness to refuse to kneel to the tiny feral ursyklon.  Giants, covered in fur, their brows were horned, not unlike a goat's horns.  Theirs was a feral song as well, but they knew no classes, not even of Warriors or Adepts. They called themselves the Fomori. Their last kings and queens put up a desperate defense.  But ultimately their world was lost.  The Fomori took up one last act.  A rite through which they would deny the Ursyklon their world.  They would be free, and the their conquerors would pay.  The Fomori summoned others from the void, the shattered stars between the spheres. "Gi...

Part of an interview, via the Akashic, a online blog dedicated to the supernatural and informing the public of the dangers and threats of the supernatural as well.  However, not everyone regards them as anything more than fiction... DRAGON They call me the last dragon.  A poetic notion, an appellation about my age.  Many seek me out.  Sometimes it is with riddles.  Others ask me for forgotten stories.  And a few look at me, just to be able to make the claim. JOHANN, THE AKASHIC The Last Dragon.  Sounds... well, noble. DRAGON I hate that name.  Some idiot fool thought it was clever; I'd rather have the slayers get me. JOHANN, THE AKASHIC Oh.  Er- I am glad you were able to meet with me for this interview. DRAGON Of course.  I've never done one of these before.  Almost no one even asks.  Your kind always seem to never notice me these days. JOHANN, THE AKASHIC I've heard a lot about that.  The Veil the Magi ...

My fucking ankle was swollen.  Screw this shit. "Jane! C'mon- Don't be like that!"  Zak called.  He tried to run up to me. I tried to stop my mouth from opening.  I turned back, my jade and blue hair getting in my eyes.  I hated my hair's natural color.  Black.  So boring.  Blargh. "Fucking hair." I winced in pain as I glared back at Zak.  "No Zak.  I'm done.  My ankle is twisted- I'm going home." "Jane, c'mon- I didn't know-" I closed my eyes.  "Zak.  I will gut your ass, you know that?" That made him pause.  Nearly six foot six, I towered over the little guy, whose red-hair clashed with his brown skin.  I didn't even know how he managed to have his own skin clash, but Zak did.  I really wanted to slash him up a bit more too. "I didn't mean to embarrass you, Jane."  Zak held up his hands in apology.  "I didn't know-" I took off my left shoe and swung it at him....

After being sick last week, the blog suffered a bit.  The plan is for me to get back on schedule with things (back to five or six things a week if I can).  I have the two session reports for Crux to post as well.  So far, so good.  This one has been on the back burner for about half a month now.  The Archdruid's Icon article.  Enjoy! The Archdruid Aspect(s): Do You Hear the Howls? Quote: "The Abolethic threat never disappeared.  Their minions still are to be found  in the dark places: the fomori, the mutants and even the lying doppelgängers.  They  are imprisoned, but they still strive to destroy all we hold dear." The Archdruid only became part of the Crux political landscape in the last hundred years.   Prior to that, her position roved through the wild places of Ainesia, Ith and Othebea.  The Archdruid stands as the closest thing to a uniting political and religious figure for all Ursyklon. Common Knowledge The A...

Keeping to themselves in Crux, the Tengu often perform work that is too cheap for effective android workers.  They also provide more clandestine services, their ninja often working in the shadows for the interests of other Icons.  Overall, their presence is regarded with some discrimination and disdain, especially since most Tengu tend to never speak in Tomish or any other western tongue. Here are few things only the Tengu know and keep to themselves. Family: Although Tengu marry monogamously like humans or ursyklon do, they very rarely accept any specific children as their own.  When a Tengu claims to have a daughter or a son, either they've gone Crow and assimilated more with the gaijin, or they are referring to their clan's children. Tengu couples lay from one to three eggs once or twice in their lifetimes.  These eggs are gathered in a single collective nest, where members of the Clan devoted to caring for the eggs take care of them.  All children ...