Damn I Am Pretty Art Laboratories

A bonus blog post.  Normally I just update things on Monday-Wednesday-Friday, but I found a piece of art that inspired me to write this up.  Enjoy the bonus post!

Alright then.  Part 4 of this short story in #Crux, City of Curses.  Three friends run into trouble, especially when it involves an angry giant and more.  However, things are not what they seem... If you are enjoying this story, let me know!  Always glad to hear any feedback! :D Part 1 (Lily)  | Part 2 (Odward)  | Part 3 (Nalli)  | Part 5 (Qorg) Zhames "Pet.  She'll pay for all of that.  They all kept calling me... Ugh."  I tried not to trip over a chimney.  The weight of the q'ak didn't slow me down like she'd intended. Pet.  Even her servants called me that.  It was infuriating.  Worse, having to thank those from outside the family.  Embarassing.  Having to thank some of those Scarless, who didn't understand. I needed to go back to find her.  Qorg wouldn't finish me off.  I would find the Spice Khan and make her pay for how horribly she embarrassed me.  A chain.  A CHAIN. ...

Part 3 of Iron Justice, a short story in #Crux, City of Curses .  Nalli's point of view on the conflict she and her friends have entered into.  They had planned on enjoying a play, but the City of Curses has trouble planned for these three friends. Part 1 (Lily)  | Part 2 (Odward)  | Part 4 (Zhames)  | Part 5 (Qorg) Nalli I tried not to show my panting.  In the sky above, I could hear Chilo's cry.  The black vulture probably wanted to perch and get closer. My friends didn't notice the gesture I gave Chilo.  He would stay above us, aloft until I beckoned him.  He would want me to let him eat the apa's liver anyway.  Lily wouldn't like that.  Odward?  I didn't know.  Maybe. They weren't Ursyklon.  They couldn't feel or hear beasts like I could.  I remember how my mother used to describe it, the Greenblindness the other races seem to share.  Few could learn to over come it, but most seemed trapped. ...

Alright, more #Crux setting thoughts down on paper.  I keep mentioning the Janissaries of the Spice Khan in stories, so here I try to give them a thousand words or so of my attention. The Janissaries Part of Maliph's strength is in how each khanate draws its own individual strengths and military methods, unique to it.  The Janissaries are such, something that the Spice Khan's alone has used throughout her family's history.  Each Khan has their own unique Janissaries, loyal to them above others.  They form the basis of a Maliphi Khanates nobility, only rivaled by old aristocracies within clans.  Unlike other Khans, the Spice Khan does not dwell within the Khanates, instead spending most of her time in Crux's docks on her pleasure barge. It should be no surprise that her servants share the Maliphi traits of accepting diverse peoples and strong endurance.  The Spice Khan's janissaries exemplify both, while upholding her reputation for wealth. Janiss...

Here is part two of the short story set in #Crux , Iron Justice.  Now another character's POV on the situation.  Lily, Odward and Nalli run into problems leaving a play- now they've crossed paths with a violent giant janissary of the Spice Khan, protecting someone trying to get away. Part 1  | Part 3  | Part 4 Odward Lily's voice got the grey giant's attention.  I took her cue.  I sidestepped, ducking into shadows as the Tiefling Diva's taunting soprano music rang out: "Stupid slothen hungry beasts Those Giants taking children in their sleep Hungry idiot monsters- they never saw her knife Always cowards afraid of any true fight But then came the Giantslayer's wife She danced between, twisting her knife Setting giants to bleed, Setting giants to bleed Such cowardly fools too dumb to see her knife." I recognized the words.  I had been enjoying a bit of a smoke of Nightweed.  One of my hands easily snuffed out my pipe from my pos...

Ok.  Time for something different. This is meant for players of RPGs out there.  Yes, you, the ones who don't usually Game Master games much.  You know who you are. You need to Game Master a game. Yes.  I know.  You don't think you need to.  You already know how to do the RP thing.  Why bother doing what Bill or Emily does (or whoever it is that Game Masters your games).  I'm not saying you should take over Game Mastering.  Just ask for the reins for one session. There is an under realized skill in tabletop RPGs.  This isn't Game Mastering, but it is the skillset of those players who know how to game master, who play RPGs.  Its part of a healthy skillset.  It shows you what Game Masters you love go through to prep a game, and run a game.  It exercises your creative side far more than perhaps if you only been a player- although, a good GM should be using your creative side as much as they can. In my game...

Ok.  Starting a new short story in Crux today.  Trying to use some of my worldbuilding and a prior character to write something, well, me-ish.  Enjoy! Iron Justice Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4  | Part 5 Lily "Oy!"  Nalli grumbled.  The Ursyklon kept up with us, despite being only half of our size.  "Why do these things always have to be so dark?" "Theatres always are dim, Nalli.  Part of the atmosphere."  Odward's wry tone summoned a glare from the Ursyklon.  His fanged smirk always had a brilliant glow to it.  I always wondered how a Dhampir with such a charming sense of humor could've chosen to be one of the grim vigilantes of the Justicars.  Their Iron Cage always rubbed me the wrong way- and I was born in the Wish Quarter, the part of Crux they called home. "Nalli, The Storm Throne is one of classics.  Its themes are dark, but also warn about the nature of power and self-fulfilling prophecy."  I ste...

Justicars of the Iron Cage Justicars of the Iron Cage are the Paladins of the Caged Princess.  The Justicars are a fickle bunch, caging those they believe have evaded justice.  They police the Wish Quarter- and despise it when outsiders try to enforce their own laws on them.  Justicars will hunt down anyone, and go any while in pursuit of a guilty target.  Shraxes gives others their just due, just as she is punished wrongly by being caged by the Prince and his actions. Some in the church see them as heretics of after a fashion.  Others call them vigilantes who judge and imprison others illegally.  But in the Wish Quarter, where the Crux City Watch is in the pocket of the hated Prince, they are justice. A Heresy The Justicars are a heretical branch of the Church of Shraxes .  They do not believe Shraxes should be freed; instead they insist that the Demon must be the Cage.  Shraxes, to them, is a force that imprisons itself for the sake of ...

Here is another long piece on Crux.  The Grand Bazaar, where everything has a price.  I plan to finish a map piece for it too.  But here are the words, at least. The Grand Bazaar  Aspect: Everything Has a Price Connected To: Old Crux (to the North) , Port of Crux (to the West), Rose Quarter (to the East), Palace Hill (to the South) Most Significant Icon: The Publisher Well Known For?  Markets, Trade, Goods and Services Notable Sites and Locales: The Arcade Maze, Artifice Alley, Tyranus Avenue, Zyan's Tower, Davizi Square, Catburg, Avard's Spring Exiting Harun's Gate leads out of Old Crux and the Wolf Quarter.  Here there is a valley.  Once a ravine that cut across, the Tomasi Roads have long since become the arteries of the city.  This is the open, vibrant mixing pot of the city. And it is crowded here.  I try to avoid the traffic.  Hundreds of carriages, horses, and other beasts of burden rush through.  This is the G...

Here is some Flash Fic set in #Crux, City of Curses.  Its a city built around a massive skull- at the center of the world, a port of call for trade, intrigue, wonders and horrors.  A dark fantasy setting set in a early industrial "Jacksonian" era. Finn is a Ursyklon boy who is trying to get away from bullies, but has wandered into the Grove of Mage-Trees- can he keep away from the human children who like to tease him, or will Finn find other, wilder things? The Apa I shivered from where I hid.  They couldn't find me here.  Arza and Gill never followed me this far into the Wolf Quarter before. Why? "Fin!"  Their voices echoed among the trees around me.  This part of the city was thick with trees. "Half-Fiiin!"  Unlike Gill or Arza, I could hide here.  They were human.  Even though they were younger than me, both of them still towered over me.  I am Ursyklon, and that meant I was half their size.  I was always half their siz...

This is an attempt at writing out a more complete build of how Fate Core is used in Crux, City of Curses .  Recently my Crux game has reached a sort of mid-point where I feel like tinkering around with the rules and implementation of fate core a bit. Others had asked me for a more in-depth look at how I'd used Fate Core for Crux, so this sort of helps kill two birds with one stone I hope. Aspects There are five aspects in Crux.  These replace the normal five aspects found in Fate Core.  Unlike Phase Trio, each of these aspects are created after phases have been done by players, and they do not have to be tied to any specific phase. Class Aspect: This is like High Concept, except that is must be tied to a specific Class.  Classes are metaphysical in Crux- they exist, and everyone is aware of them. Typically these take the form of [Adjective] [Class Name] , but not always.  They can be phrases or objects too, so long as they reflect a Class of som...

Ok.  Here is a bit of a rambling piece on a part of #Crux I refer to, but never really put much thought into.  Soram started as a "Africa analogue" and at some point, I diverged from that and just went my own way with it.  Research sort of can do that.  I still know nothing about the Soramese or their ways as a people.   I also created a new race on the fly, the Qidaat.  I don't know what they are.  The word sounds weird, so it works.  What do you think?  Does this sound like a interesting place? Soram The great southern continent.  The Soramese tribe (although they refer to themselves as multiple tribes, from many different worlds originally), claim they came to this world with the Kirgan. The Kirgan are a isolated nation of Ursyklons, long exiled to Soram as punishment for their crimes.  The Kirgan clans chose to put aside Ursyklon taboos in their war against the Aboleth.  The Kirgan always treat their Soramese c...

Some fiction.  Kabyr'abd, a Ramelin Wondersmith , but she has a run in with the Spice Khan- the Maliphi Giant wants Kabyr'abd's latest wonder, but Kabyr'abd worries more about whether she can survive the Spice Khan with her life intact. Flash Fiction: Kabyr'abd I hate running. It's not that I'm bad at it.  I am Kabyr'abd, afterall.  My father once ran from Northcrown to the Wish Quarter and back in less than five hours.  My mother once swam to Blackcliff and back.  Effort doesn't frighten me.  I trained as a Ranger.  I am Ramelin, I know what pain means. But iaraam . I hate running, especially when being chased by iaraam  thugs.  My legs both burned like molten irons.  I preferred the hot burn of the workshop to this.  Being chased down like a dog. " Iaraam !"  I tried to turn a corner toward the Old Wall in the neighborhood they call Old Crux.  If I could only get back to Poorfellows.  Back near the Wor...