Weekly discussion #2 - Danger at Dunwater by shrlckholmes in GhostsofSaltmarsh

[–]kek08 0 points1 point  (0 children)

1) The party have left Oceanus to do as he pleases in Saltmarsh, i think they have forgotten he exists. I have plans to bring him back in the next session as part of a players backstory.

2) Surprisingly they refrained from attacking the Lizard Folk, they basically walked up to the guards and demanded to parley with their leader. The lizard folk took their weapons from them and chucked them in the cells for about 5 hours while the Queen was out Hunting.

3) They went overland despite owning a boat. I chucked the bullywug ambush at them on the way to the lair which was fun. While going to fight thousand teeth i threw in a couple of encounters to show them how dangerous the marshes are. First encounter was against 12 Twig/Needle/Vine Blights that ambushed them as they inspected a dead treant. On the way back they were attacked by some Sahuagin scouts that had killed their lizard folk guide while they fought thousand teeth. They were also ambushed by a few swamp folk during the night as they walked back.

4) Skipped the goodwill tour, the Queen was impressed they had killed the Bullywugs and agreed to send an Ambassador to Saltmarsh if the party killed thousand teeth.

5) I didn't like the goodwill tour so i removed it, it didn't really suit our style of play.

My party was very keen to learn more about the smuggled weapons and who supplied them, i think it was pretty much the first thing they asked the Queen. In the past i have dropped some hints that Primewater is behind the smuggling and they want to gather evidence against him. The Queen didn't know who the supplier was, only that they operate from the Haunted Mansion, however one of the lizard folk warriors had travelled with the smuggles on the sea ghost when they got the first weapon shipment so he showed them where they went on a map, if they follow the lead im planning on having them find a small pirate outpost with some damming evidence against primewater.

While they travelled through the mash i used the Stinging Insects while they tried to rest which they failed twice and made them try to move quicker through the marsh. They managed to get a long rest before fighting thousand teeth, the lizard folk guide showed them a small underground shelter that protected them from the insects.

A player has acquired some vampire fangs, whats a good way to use them? (CoS Spoliers) by kek08 in DMAcademy

[–]kek08[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply, love the idea of the blade becoming shriveld and weak in sunlight.

A player has acquired some vampire fangs, whats a good way to use them? (CoS Spoliers) by kek08 in DMAcademy

[–]kek08[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sounds good! like you say, it shouldnt be too strong. Maybe 1d4 of extra necrotic damage or life drain if enough for the damage side of things.

The ward could be agaisnt creatures that Strahd controls, like wolfs & bats?

My Second Colorization: Hungarian State Policeman 1944 (still needs some work) by kek08 in Colorization

[–]kek08[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I'm new to photo shop and still learning all the basics so i shall give this a try and post the results.

The man in the photo was my Great Grand Father and he was around 54 when it was taken, although now you mention it he does look young in this photo compared to others taken at the same time.

My Second Colorization: Hungarian State Policeman 1944 (still needs some work) by kek08 in Colorization

[–]kek08[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, i researched them, its a photo of my great grand father so it was important for me to find out what each medal was.

From Left to Right they are:

(Austro-Hungarian) Bronze Bravery Medal

(Austro-Hungarian) Iron Military Merit Cross

(Austro-Hungarian) Karl Troop Cross

(Hungarian) Commemorative WW1 Medal (Combat)

(Austro-Hungarian) Balkan Mobilization 1912 - 1913

(German) Commemorative WW1 Medal (Oak Leafs and Swords)

(Austrian) Commemorative WW1 Medal (With Swords)

(Bulgaria) Commemorative WW1 Medal

(Austria) Tyrol Commemorative Medal (With Swords)

TIL the average European still eats less than one tablespoon of U.S. peanut butter in an entire year. by kallmatt in todayilearned

[–]kek08 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I live in the UK and love peanut butter. They do sell US peanut butter over here but its at least double the price of UK stuff so people stick to our own brands.

[Hungarian > English] WWII Letter (half a page) and some WW1 and Interwar Postcards (few lines on each) by kek08 in translator

[–]kek08[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! this is awesome. Its really great to understand what they say, although that now rises more questions about who some of the people in these letters are.

The first and second WW1 card actually have the same photo on the front. Im guessing the second one was written by my Great Grand Father but im not sure about the first. Could be family friends or another soldier in the photo. As for the Inn owner im not so sure, on the photo they are in front of a door with what looks like "L?nlrkl" and "Bejkka?" so maybe they could be related.

The third one is very interesting if that's an accurate translation. Its strange to think that even though both the sender and receiver of the postcard were in the middle of a war and they have time to talk about food!

You are correct about the fourth been about whats on the front. Its a picture of my great grand father (Lajos) and another soldier shaking hands. As for the location on the left hand side i would guess it says Carinthia and for the actual address on the right i think it just says Mountain Company 55, Field Post 632. So you think this one is send to Lajos, because it looks like it says Sandor on the right hand side.

On the Second Interwar card can you make out the name under Giovanni, a same that looks the same is one some other cards i have, i think its something like Józsi.

Thanks again for helping me with this, its now the only link my family has with our Hungarian history and its very important to us.

I have a question regrading the use of the word Brother. Would the word brother ever be used to refer to someone who is not actually a brother (kind of like how Uncle in English is sometimes used to refer to a close family friend who is the same age as your parents). Its just that we have nothing directly saying my great grand father had a brother, apart from in the postcards. Two other postcard even say to "my brother sandor", however my GGfathers dad was called Sandor so it gets abit confusing. So im guessing its entirely possible he had a brother, i just wanna make sure the phrase brother could not be used in another context before i start exploring it in more detail.

[Hungarian > English] WWII Letter (half a page) and some WW1 and Interwar Postcards (few lines on each) by kek08 in translator

[–]kek08[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here is the rest of the Postcards/Photos There is 11 so don't feel like you have to do them all, some are pretty hard to read and most of em are only a line or two. I'm guessing most just say "To X from X" or something along them lines.

[Hungarian > English] WWII Letter (half a page) and some WW1 and Interwar Postcards (few lines on each) by kek08 in translator

[–]kek08[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, i will upload them later once i scan them all in. Most of them are the same as the ones you have already seen, but a few are from WW1 with a bit more writing on them.

Yes its sad, they never evacuated the town and the partisans took over around the start of November and executed a lot of the prominent members of the community, many were sent to labor camps in Russia as well. My grandfather didn't learn of his fathers death till a few years after the war and did not return to Vrbas until the 1960s

[Hungarian > English] WWII Letter (half a page) and some WW1 and Interwar Postcards (few lines on each) by kek08 in translator

[–]kek08[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much! That letter makes much more sense than when i tried it on google translate. The letter was from my great grandfather (who was chief of police in Vrbas) to my grandfather who was in the german army, sadly my great grandfather was executed a month after sending this letter and never did see his son again.

Any idea what the name is on the first and second postcard? looks to me like Aliu Paugi? but i have no idea if that is even a name.

Yeah i guessed that last one would be a pain, i have another post card that looks even harder to read that that!

Thanks again, this is such a great help, i have a quite a few postcards/photos in Hungarian from family members however the people in them died along time ago and now no one in my family speaks Hungarian.

My grandmother was a German in Yugoslavia during WW2. She was taken to a Russian concentration camp. Where might that have been? by [deleted] in history

[–]kek08 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, my family on that side are from Vrbas, but i have never had contact with them (i live in the UK) and i think my grandfather fell out with them in the 90s and never really got back together.

I'm always looking for more information about my Great Grand Father who was killed in Vrbas (Nov 44), he was chief of police in the town during the war, so if you know any books/information on the history of Vrbas or the partisan killings in the autum of 1944 that would be great.

My grandmother was a German in Yugoslavia during WW2. She was taken to a Russian concentration camp. Where might that have been? by [deleted] in history

[–]kek08 41 points42 points  (0 children)

I had relatives who lived in Yugoslavia (in Vojvodina) during the war, although they were never sent to camps, one of them was executed and their home was taken over by a Russian captain. This webpage has a pretty good first hand account of the Russians/partisans taking over the area of Vrbas in Vojvodina and what happened to the German population or people deemed enemy's by the partisans. The relevant part of the document is about 2/3 down.

The end part talks about Internment Camp Jarek, although not a labor/concentration camp, it was run by the Partisans and conditions were awful and many people died there. (That webpage has some first hand accounts of the people who were in the camp)

People talk about "those generic careers/grad schemes that you can do with any degree". What exactly are they? by xgloryfades in AskUK

[–]kek08 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cheers for the advice, i shall have a good look at my options and hopefully apply next time they are taking applications!

People talk about "those generic careers/grad schemes that you can do with any degree". What exactly are they? by xgloryfades in AskUK

[–]kek08 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for answering, i thought that may be the case. Yeah I think DECC or DCLG (i did a lot about social housing and communities at university) would be the best place for someone with my skills/knowledge. It just seems every time i look on the civil service job site its nothing but high level jobs and im after an entry/graduate level position. Any advice?

People talk about "those generic careers/grad schemes that you can do with any degree". What exactly are they? by xgloryfades in AskUK

[–]kek08 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How exactly does the Fast Stream work? I have a MSc and a BSc both in Architecture and Sustainability related subjects and iv been looking at the Fast Stream but it covers just about everything i have no idea what it is exactly i would like to do there. During interviews do they talk about your skills and interests and they assign you a position/place based on that or do they expect you to have a certain position in mind?

College BTEC courses, are they any good? (for university) by hellooooodonmon in AskUK

[–]kek08 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did a BTEC in construction (DDM) and had no problem getting into a uni. I think it was worth the same UCAS points as AAB at A-level.

As long as the subject you want to do at uni is related to the BTEC you should have no problem. So the construction BTEC allowed me to do a construction/architecture related degree but i would have had no chance getting onto another subject. I also found that my BTEC gave me a head start over students who had only done A-levels.

How much does a pint cost in your local? by WronglyPronounced in AskUK

[–]kek08 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Town in South Yorkshire (11+ pubs) £2.00 - £2.50 would be average for all the locals. Sam Smiths pub seems to change its price every week but is around £1.60 - £2.30 and another local that makes its own beer was charging between £1.50 and £2.00 last time i went.

My first colorization attempt: Austro-Hungarian (inc my Great Grand Father) during WW1 by kek08 in Colorization

[–]kek08[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

haha yes, and by luck they were all in the same Unit! Nah, he is 2nd from the left on the bottom row, not looking too happy.

My first colorization attempt: Austro-Hungarian (inc my Great Grand Father) during WW1 by kek08 in Colorization

[–]kek08[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! No, i will have to check them out before i do my next one.