The Herzgraf was given the best accommodations that Vorkelburg had to offer, and after he and his retinue got settled in, the paladin summoned General Grimstag to see him in the communication hall, which was mostly deserted except for Dellila and Oskar, who were playing cards just outside of it. Oskar was in uniform, so … Continue reading An Applewood Gallows; Chapter 18
It doesn’t have to be an act of overt evil… Sometimes stupid does the job just fine
Any Game Master will have at least one player that they can refer to as being so incredibly clueless that the game they were in seemed to hinge on what goofy thing that one player did during any given session. For years that player for me was my buddy Dave. Dave got himself and everyone … Continue reading It doesn’t have to be an act of overt evil… Sometimes stupid does the job just fine
An Applewood Gallows; Chapter 17
It took some time, even using the communication crystal in Vorkelburg, to convey to the Inspector General Grundoon’s petition for his case to be judged by Empress Reichsha, and for the answer to be sent back from the capital. It took a week for everything to work out, but at last Rackerby had an answer … Continue reading An Applewood Gallows; Chapter 17
Infamous Villains: The Fallen Knights of Lotharingia
The land of Lotharingia was once one of the more stalwart and dependable of the Wenigzustand, but long gone are those days. When the Third Imperium was falling apart it did so primarily on the doorstep of Lotharingia. The heroic lords of this place faced the full fury of a waning empire and won. While … Continue reading Infamous Villains: The Fallen Knights of Lotharingia
An Applewood Gallows; Chapter 16
Another couple of days went by, but how many exactly was difficult to nail down for most of the people in Vorkelvale. Time had begun to slip sideways away from the denizens of the vale, and bitter winter weather had settled in. The first snowfall of the season was beginning one evening, when down the … Continue reading An Applewood Gallows; Chapter 16
An Applewood Gallows; Chapter 15
Aggrylia had time to calm down over the next few days, and while nobody could have expected her to bounce back to her jovial self that everyone knew prior to Hilde and Oskar’s arrival at the manor, she was at least able to rally herself to be actively engaged in what needed to be done. … Continue reading An Applewood Gallows; Chapter 15
And you thought “Demi-” meant “Lesser”… Ha!
Perhaps the most ill-named monster in all of the D&D lexicon is the demilich. Even a cursory glance at the Monstrous Compendium entry for this fiend is flaccid. It basically says a ton about liches themselves and then concludes with "Oh, by the way, there is this thing called a demilich that is way worse. … Continue reading And you thought “Demi-” meant “Lesser”… Ha!
The Decline and Fall of the Third Imperium; Part 3
The longest surviving aspect of the vast cultural, economic, and spiritual powerhouse that had been the Third Imperium was the military and political influence it gave to the myriad small nations that rose out of its ashes. Gone was the concept of elected officials who oversaw the Imperium on both large and small scales, but … Continue reading The Decline and Fall of the Third Imperium; Part 3
An Applewood Gallows; Chapter 14
Hilde had been correct. The Judicial Corps detachment of the 6th Army wasn’t about to hurt Grundoon in any way if it could be at all avoided. Now that he was in their custody, they did what they could to make him comfortable. His new accommodations were rather more austere than the aged former general … Continue reading An Applewood Gallows; Chapter 14
The Decline and Fall of the Third Imperium; Part 2
One of the causes of the collapse of the Third Imperium is surprisingly also one of the reasons it lingered on longer than it should have. The Holy Imperium Church was under the governance of the supreme patriarch Callidus Magna. It was he that gave the tacit approval to the nobility for the assassination of … Continue reading The Decline and Fall of the Third Imperium; Part 2
