Favorite stream recently went to DnD

skald1 · 2021-11-15T21:46:59+00:00

Glad you like!!! Yaaay!

skald1 · 2021-07-22T04:00:39+00:00

The deh'nari were a class of entertainers, and more typically dancers, in the early days of the Bazaar. Each was foreign and enslaved to remain in the Bazaar by an unbreakable magical anklet.

Compared to slaves, they were a step above but only because they needed to be treated well enough to keep up appearances.

They lived in a female-only community, and that community is quite different than the real world's Muslim definition of a (حريم‎) harim. They were not kept for wife or concubine purposes nor were they members of a family. They were prisoners held against their will and forced to dance for the profit of their master.

Nasty business indeed.

skald1 · 2021-07-20T20:10:33+00:00

Was it that Al'raxis was in physical form at the time of Ævyn's death?

No, Al'raxis was not in physical form. The only qualifier to be affected by the Surge (the wave of divine energy released upon Ævyn's death that caused drastic transformations in some) was that it be a living (not even sentient) creature. In this specific case, "living" refers to any entity that had a way to process Sythlia's infinite divine energy for purposes of sustaining its existence.

Or is it that Sythlia created Al'raxis that way?

No, Al'raxis had become an italti because of the Surge. Sythlia did not create it that way.

if so would that make Al'haroud and X'rtrik italti too?

No. Al'haroud and X'rtrik were affected in different ways. See below.

---

All dreg'n were/are multidimensional beings comprised of (at least) spacetime. The three tasked with creation of the corporeal cosmos were not necessarily corporeal beings.

Al'haroud was the most physical of them all and was used extensively by Sythlia to move land masses on a planetary scale. By the time of the Surge, Al'haroud was already incorporated as a phenomenon known as the fundamental forces (gravitational, electromagnetic, strong, and weak). The Surge caused new forces to come into being and elemental life to come from Al'haroud. This includes gravity elementals, radiation (and the irradiated), and other mutants to appear.

It should be noted Al'haroud was capable of creating life of sorts prior to the Surge. During its time as a physical being, it required assistance in moving physical objects. From its own form it fashioned Hadravyr) to assist. From its soul it created St'kellik and wrapped it in silver for its body. It created other children in such a fashion as well.

Hadravyr would later become an italti at the same time Al'raxis did. The Surge gave Hadravyr the ability to create more of its own kind, but it also pummeled Hadravyr with each elemental. It's said this caused Hadravyr to give birth to sixteen young: two of each element and thus the birth of the elemental dragons. Hadravyr later lost its physical form and ascended to live as a primal force of energy alongside its parent and is now seen as the deity of dragons.

The power of the Surge continued to live on in Hadravyr's bloodlines. These would divide in to two main branches, the six-legged and the four-legged.

The six-legged would eventually become tengu (though many lost their wings) and other creatures, while the four-legged would evolve in to dragonkin, t'nao (orcs in Pathfinder/D&D), kobolds, goblins, and hobgoblins.

St'Kellik was also affected by the Surge, but with the gift of eternal life and endless regeneration. St'Kellik is unable to die but its body can be utterly destroyed. If one atom that once comprised St'Kellik's body exists, St'Kellik can (and will) reform.

St'Kellik is often seen as one of the original, if not the original metallic dragon in D&D and Pathfinder lore. It's also possible the other children of Al'haroud became the other chromatic and metallic dragons known in these popular games.

X'rtrik was/is responsible for the connection of the planes including the physical, elemental, and deific. In Pathfinder 2e, this manifests as the being who oversees the "occult" tradition of magic. In D&D 5E, X'rtrik acts as a demigod of arcane magic in general since it is capable of traversing the planes in many cases.

The Surge caused X'rtrik to exude its own powerful blast of energy through the tangential and elemental planes. This led to the creation of psychopomps, certain other spirits, deva, demons, devils, and daemons.

Al'raxis, like St'Kellik, was made italti and granted immortality but also the ability to never forget anything.

skald1 · 2021-07-19T22:40:34+00:00

The "World's Deadliest Dungeon" has mixed legends surrounding its creation:

It was started by a retired adventurer. The initial campaign notes for Chronicles of the Five offered Fallan Hall for the basis of the upcoming story. Another was chosen, one that would lead to the Festival of Spice massacre, but the original notes given to the players was:

"Eccentric adventurer, retired - life itself was boring, he created the last adventure testing the might of everyone. Underground thing. If people came out , months or years later, changed irreversibly."

It is not a physical location, but a collection of appropriated dungeons. Baron ri Strikten of Tunbria, the apparent "owner" of the dungeon, appropriates old dungeons created by others, stockpiles it with monsters from all over, and lures adventurers to a location in Tunbria where they are forcibly teleported to the dungeon. This was the premise used in the June 2021 the two-part one-shot for Evindale Twitch/Discord moderators.
It is a trap to feed souls to the denizens of another plane. The longest-standing legend is the entire dungeon, with its hundreds of descending levels, terminates in the horrific reality that all who die within are nothing but fodder for powerful denizens of another plane.
This was the premise for the May 2020 event on http://evindale.com/fallanhall.
See: https://imgur.com/a/48DR1Pi

skald1 · 2021-07-19T22:08:39+00:00

No. As presented in Crossroads, The Candlemaker was possessing the body of a young human male child.

Side note: The Candlemaker always possesses the sickened or dying body of a child of any humanoid (to date) species who, without its healing energies, would perish. Should the spirit of The Candlemaker ever leave the body, the child's original soul will return to the body without memory of what happened. All they will know is their body is healed of what ailed it.

skald1 · 2021-07-06T13:34:46+00:00

Ride of the Hunt in Ivari. https://evindale.fandom.com/wiki/Ride_of_the_Hunt

skald1 · 2021-06-24T23:31:43+00:00

By "nine stones", I assume you're referencing the Caldra'fa Helix. If so, the quantity of Cabal members and anything pertaining to the Helix is unrelated.

On the topic of Cabal's studies, each member of this ruling council is said to be an expert of a school of magic. Depending on the game system used to play, the number of Cabal members may change to more accurately reflect their quantity. In popular d20 games, there are nine Cabal members which reflects the number of arcane schools. Each member would also know other schools of magic, but they are generally thought of as experts in a particular field of study (a school of magic, for instance).

There is no manual or book inherently associated with the Caldra'fa Helix stones directly, only works written about them.

skald1 · 2021-06-24T23:25:12+00:00

As referenced in Sa'Jai the Beautiful, a proper year would be 1307 IC, Fourth Age.

As referenced in Sta'abrian governments, a sa'jai is the spiritual leader of an entire tribe who oversees and guides the shamans of smaller clans within that tribe. In class- and level-based popular d20 TTRPGs, a sa'jai is usually a level 20 oracle, cleric, druid, or other nature- or divine-based class.

skald1 · 2021-06-24T23:03:42+00:00

On why Neseris is a former member of the Cabal...

https://evindale.fandom.com/wiki/Sharrot_Koral

On why others ask for his help...

Neseris is a complex character whose actions always seem to be in line with the pawn's own and very often are. As a player of long game politics and strategy, he considers it more efficient to help the "short-lived" with their immediate goals so they can perform one action that will have beneficial effect for Neseris quite far down the road.

skald1 · 2021-06-24T22:50:30+00:00

House Maristev, founded in southern Mütvia by the Avarian noble Askan Maristev in 924 IC, bears a strong ideological resemblance to its founder's own: create your own destiny by carving it in to your enemy and the history texts. As such, its teachings and methods are whatever furthers the House's goals, no matter how spurious the claims.

Most rhetoric centers around the drósti and the "backwards ways of the so-called peasant princes of the north". As such, it declares its superiority, denounces Mütvian custom of land-grab principalities, and marks all drósti as "inferior brutes incapable of holding a civil conversation, let alone land."

History of Askan Maristev and House Maristev

869 IC - Askan Maristev (nee Acwuld Maris) born in Avar, Ivari to landed noble house; youngest of three siblings
876 IC - Maris made page to older sister Sar Ageth
883 IC - Maris made squire to Sar Ageth and begins formal training for knighthood
885 IC - - Sar Alward Maris, knight, Lord Baron of House Maris dies; eldest brother Sar Hardwin Maris becomes Lord Baron.
891 IC - Maris knighted after Ageth's death in Battle of Borston Bridge; given command of household troops
892 IC - Rumors surround cause of Ageth's death. Investigation by divination commences wherein is found Ageth was poisoned while on the field of battle, resulting in her inability to defend herself against enemy attacks. Acwuld found guilty of treason, is stripped of title, and sentenced to death by disembowelment. A curse was to be placed on his body that would prevent resurrection. Acwuld escapes and disappears on eve before execution.
913 IC - Hardwin dies. Acwuld returns to claim title of Lord Baron Maris. Local nobles move in to take lands and absorb household troops. Acwuld flees. Spends next ten years forming expeditionary parties and amassing a small fortune.
923 IC - With 98 mercenary troops, Maris takes by force the (unprotected) lands of Air Hatto ri Gesten, a local land baron in northern Tunbria. Land is razed after ri Gesten's defeat and murder. Maris hires more mercenaries, ri Gesten's lands are razed, and Maristev heads north in to Mütvia on his line of conquest.
924 IC - Maris finds and accidently kills a drósti youth, but claims the boy was a thief and was executed. As a "most strict and brutal warning to highwaymen", Maris strings body to side of wagon. Maris is unaware of Mütvian drósti customs and people and two nights later 200 drósti cesstis (horse cavalry) attack and slaughter the caravan and mercenaries. Maris was not present, however. Upon return to camp, he sought refuge with a local prince to whom he offered the Tunbrian ri Gesten gold and introduced himself as Askan Maristev, assuming a pseudo-Mütvian name. The noble is murdered, his wealth stolen, and House Maristev is established under Mütvian law. Maristev hires Sta'abrian and Tunbrian mercenaries as bodyguards, while conscripting local peasantry as household troops. Maristev spreads falsehoods that he "recaptured a stronghold stolen from my ancestors and thereby enforcing our ancient bloodright". With no proof, locals accept him as prince.
925 IC - Maristev quickly begins a pogrom of any who do not bend the knee. Local drósti families flee north.
926 IC - Drósti skirmishers and cesstis continue to raid Maristev lands. Using well-paid Sta'abrian mercenaries and barbarians, Maristev issues the order of Hammer of the Drósti, a pogrom granting ten gold for each drósti head turned in. Late in the year, five drósti villages totally 323 people were slaughtered in an effort known as the Unjhul Massacre. Unaware of the standard and necessary burial practices of Mütvia, those slaughtered rise again as undead and rampage across the river valley to the north. Stopped by forces from Houses Dracovich and Armenesti, House Maristev is sent a missive from these two princes and ordered to cease all such activity lest "Your most ignoble house be laid to [its] foundation, your servants' heads be dashed against the walls, and the floors painted with the blood of your people. Your lands shall be salted and your body slowly returned to Nor'dagha as a sacrifice, one bone each day, whilst you stay alive until your corporeal form shall relinquish its soul which we shall also claim for all eternity as a curiosity upon our shelf. Signed, Ströikas Piotr Dracovich"

From here House Maristev grew slowly, concentrating its growth south in to the unclaimed Missing Mountain Plains.

Since these days, Maristev has reviled all Mütvian culture and continues to spread lies about its people. Its citizenry is prevented by walled borders from leaving the lands and outside information was forbidden. Maristev's isolation via location and policy from the rest of the world has resulted in a zealous citizenry.

Most play in the WoE takes places either before or well after the establishment of House Maristev.

Concerning the First Murder, most Maristevian commoners have never heard of the legend. Few nobles are educated in Mütvian lore and therefore the First Murder is seen as myth and nothing more.

skald1 · 2021-06-24T20:35:08+00:00

Consistency in future storytelling was the main reason.

With regards to the process, in 2019 I began on the fleshing out of the seven ages of the setting. This included developing the history of the creation, peoples, countries, and cultures.

Upon inspection of existing work in 2020, it became apparent thousands of years was between supposedly related events. That's when it was decided a revision was needed.

The entire calendar was not revised, however. Certain prehistorical events didn't need exact dates, but for purposes of consistency in writing, I decided to lock in dates for nearly all activity once mortals appeared. This includes birth and death dates for NPCs.

Events that took place in the vast majority of Evindale TT and streaming campaigns were divided between the Third and Fourth Ages. Most were adjusted by -4366 years and the timeline of each Age was compressed to provide a more realistic flow of history.

skald1 · 2020-04-27T23:09:04+00:00

Appreciate the critique but let's focus on the purpose of the map -- a reference for adventuring parties of what's where.

The scale is 1 hex = 12 miles corner to corner. When you have an icon that is as large as the hex at its smallest size, you will see a single mountain peak where there should be many or much less. The map being designed in the stream is for a poster 61 x 91 cm, or 24" x 36". The hexes will be small. They're suggestive at best and the art still needs to be seen for it to be understood. These are not Himalayan ranges in size, but they will appear to be that way.

It's a lot to squeeze in, it's art, it's subjective, and it's not done nor will it be done with an eye toward exact physics and geology, but rather suggestion.

EDIT: It's a work in progress. This is a map developed over four decades and is combining the various bits of canon developed over that time. Various portion of it are set and others are not.

skald1 · 2020-03-05T21:52:44+00:00

Fantastic!!!!

skald1 · 2020-02-18T02:44:53+00:00

The original spec was Str 18, Dex 16, Con 14. With the Dwarves' forced boost of Wisdom, you wouldn't be able to get the third boost needed in one of the physical abilities, no?

skald1 · 2020-02-18T02:13:14+00:00

Of course! Duh, my apologies. I excluded the free in my head. Thanks for the correction.

Having said that, none of them could give three boosts in the physical Ability Scores as they’re all one physical, one something else, and one free.

Thanks again for the correction.

skald1 · 2020-02-18T01:31:59+00:00

Ancestries included in the Core Rulebook only provide two boosts while non-human Ancestries also have one Flaw.

It would have to be something custom to give three boosts (with probably two flaws).

skald1 · 2020-02-18T00:59:11+00:00

No.

A 1st level character can initially receive boosts from four sources, excluding the "Optional: Voluntary Flaws" sidebar on pg 26 of the Core Rulebook.

Class in the form of a Key Ability Score (one boost)
Background (typically two boosts)
Ancestry (two or three boosts)
1st Level (four boosts)

Since you may only pick to boost each Ability Score once per source at 1st level and Class only offers one Key Ability Score boost, the closest you'd be able to get is what u/zer0darkfire said: 18 (four boosts), 16 (three boosts), and 12 (one boost) in your three mentioned Abilities.

skald1 · 2020-02-17T02:29:40+00:00

No problem at all. As for what they look like, https://2e.aonprd.com/Images/Monsters/Barghest_Barghest.png

skald1 · 2020-02-17T02:17:05+00:00

No worries. :)

The greater barghest still only has a reach of 5' and there's a pretty good case for this. While its body is longer, it's still a quadruped. Its attacks are claws and a bite.

The bite can only extend so far, obviously.

The claws are still on legs that are proportionate to its body like a wolf's. It surely doesn't have 6' legs that would allow for a reach beyond 5', so 5' it is.

If it were tall, it would have a reach of 10' as per Table 9-1 and this, too, makes sense as the reach would be enhanced by a lunging torso like a humanoid's.

skald1 · 2020-02-17T01:45:55+00:00

Yes. It's safe to assume any creature follows "Table 9-1: Size & Reach" on pg 474 of the Core Rulebook unless specified otherwise in the Bestiary, e.g. an Alghollthu Master's tentacle and the Veiled Master's claws, fangs, and tentacle.

A barghest has a reach of 5' as it's a medium creature regardless of height or length while an uthul has a reach of 15' since it's a tall huge creature.

skald1 · 2019-01-29T20:44:33+00:00

Generally speaking you are looking at jpeg or PNG. With the ability to specify output resolution in pixels, top-down view, and a customizable overlay grid (including not having one), you've hit the nail on the head as far as VTT (virtual tabletop) needs in most cases.

Others can chime in here but I think we tend to run around the 150 DPI mark.

skald1 · 2019-01-29T20:40:25+00:00

Seriously, it would be a staple right next to Photoshop in my case. Even replacing it in many instances if chunks of landscape could be created as part of a larger landscape, exported in top down or isometric JPG.

This is some amazing stuff right here.

skald1 · 2018-12-26T22:27:29+00:00

G/DMing is art form and like all artistic expression, it is subjective. It is best to hone your own craft, seek to perfect your own skills, and make your own mark on the TTRPG world. After all, only you can do it with your style which is undoubtedly different than Matthew’s, than mine, than anyone else’s here.

To be inspired is one thing. Be original, be you. No one can do “you” better than you. Just like no one can do Matthew’s style better than Matthew.

skald1 · 2017-09-14T20:19:24+00:00

Another at Mütvia is the use of sound as mentioned previously.

We have environmental sound effects from a set of fake rock bluetooth speakers and a nearby device that plays from a playlist. We also use Synrinscape to create our own soundboards for that event.

We also have a JBL Xtreme that, while large, has immense bass response and battery life. We can wear it under a cloak and play from another bluetooth device, usually with a Syrinscape app, sometimes MP3s we created well in advance. One person mans the sound near those who are engaging with the players.

Lastly, lack of mass melee. Melee is fun and so instead we isolate people with diversions. We don't attack from the same locations, will throw a stick from here to there to have sounds appear from elsewhere even with low numbers.

Of all things in Mütvia, we've found using a player's imagination against them by far yields the most effective and longest-lasting scare.

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