Currently The Last Templar (Knights Templar series) By Michael Jecks see related

Low Magic Fantasy Campaign I

Character Cover Sheets

So Monte has talked me into joining his Tuesday night D&D campaign.  Apparently, the Tempe players quit, so they were moving the campaign into central Phoenix from north Tempe.  All three other players were Mikes, so the DM nicknamed them as DM-Mike, Host-Mike, and Player-Mike.  The campaign uses a few optional and house rules including rolling for defense (instead of a +10 static AC), alchemical and magic items can be purchased with starting funds but will be scarce afterwards, magic (divine and arcane) users and items are rarer than rare, certain races and subraces are changed for player characters (including orcs and goblins as options), unnamed characters with 1 HP (basically using the rules for mooks in Feng Shui terms), and no psionics.

I created an Aquatic Elf Cleric of Deep Sashelas.  I don't know why aquatic elves were on his list of allowed races, but I've always wanted to play one.  While I was finishing up my character, the other two players began the mission.  Our characters were hired by Quarius the Sorceror to root out the evil which has infested a temple of Heironeous.  Player-Mike is playing a Half-Draw Sorcerer by the name of Galen, Host-Mike is playing a Dwarven Fighter by the name of Garik, and DM-Mike is playing a Human Fighter named Harod to fill out the party.  The three reached the temple during a downpour and began killing the faithful guards of the temple.  When the found young acolytes they let them flee for their lives, then began looting.  Once my character was done, he raced to catch up with the rest of the party.  When he met the fleeing young acolytes, they warned him of the evil infesting the temple (ie the other player characters) and so he was spurred on toward his quest. 

Once all the player characters reunited, he used his divinely granted powers to heal the party.  That freaked out Garik and Harod, who distrust magic despite working for a sorcerer.  Our characters stumbled across some small, flat-nosed, blackened creatures who fled from our assault.  They tried claiming that we were on the same side.  When more guards showed up, they didn't believe us about how they were preventing us from chasing these evil creatures and joined comabt with us.  I chose to have my character defend himself without injuring the guards, the others chose straight out combat.  As they were losing, they retreated -- separating my character from the others.  As Rek'lawd-Nal freed himself from the combat he continued his search in the pouring rain for the little buggers who were infesting the temple, lighting a sunrod in the process.  How we pick up next session should be interesting.

Out of character, it's fairly obvious that Quarius has hired our characters to exterminate the good faithful of Heironeous and sent some evil minions to assist us.  In character, Rek' hasn't seen his party attack any of the good folk, but has seen dead guards, fleeing children, and evil minions.  Not being a denizen of the surface world (and not having any ranks in Knowledge:  Religion) he assumes that the temple is neutral, nor does he think of his faith as a cult.  He thinks nothing about revealing his faith nor using the divine might provided by his faith.

Thanks to MaulKat for the quiz:

What Lord of the Rings race do you belong to?

Hobbit

You belong to the Hobbits race! Undoubtedly related to Men, in these halflings lays also the future of Middle-Earth. When Hobbits are called upon they do not stray from their quest, and they seldom fail. Their origins are neither known nor recorded in any book or scroll, but they, too, spawn from multiple houses. They befriended Elves and are skilled in song and speech, but also have a tradition of hunting. They all have curly hair and hairy big feet. Some other Hobbits are Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry.

Hey - try this personality test and see how we compare

Clone Wars I

Currently Reading
The Tomb of Dracula
By ROBERT RODI
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The Animated Hawkeye Trilogy is based upon the original Bullpen Bits #s 3, 17, and 18.

So Monte has begun a new Star Wars:  Clone Wars camapign using the 3.0 rules.  Of the three of us, only Rusty has seen the related movie.  Rusty used the Human Jedi Padawan Learner template to create a human jedi guardian, while I used the Human Jedi Scholar to create a chiss jedi consular.  Monte wanted us to pick existing jedi for our character's masters, so Rusty chose Aayla Secura for Ostrik and I chose Ylenic It'kla for Naidraug Ralusnoc. 

Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away...

Four jedi were sent to the neutral world of Tatooine to ascertain what it would take to get Jabba Desilijic Tiure to allow the Galactic Republic to place a garrison there.  While the troops were left in orbit, the four jedi went planetside.  After getting a feel of the locals in Mos Eisley the masters set up a meeting at Chalmun's Cantina without the padawans.  While awaiting a resolution of the meeting, the area shook from an explosion.  Naidraug tried telepathically contacting the Ylenic to no avail, so the two padawans rushed to the cantina.  When they arrived there was no evidence of their masters, those whom they were meeting, nor whomever was responsible for the damage done to the cantina.

The padawans tracked down Jabba's operation to a palace outside the city.  Deciding that infiltration was better than direct conflict, Naidraug sought an audience with Jabba while Ostrik snuck inside.  Jabba had indeed been behind the plot that captured the jedi masters.  Naidraug tried bargaining for their release, but Jabba intended to Keep Aayla as one of his dancing girl brides.  In fact, while Jabba thought about a trade for Ylenic, he insisted that a dancing girl attend to Naidraug.  It was clear that the jedi masters were being drugged intravenously to prevent their lucidity and that the padawans would need to do some serious rescuing.

Meanwhile Ostrik was able to rescue the various people in the palace's prison cells and take them to the warehouse dock.  Naidraug noticed that one of the palace toughs had Aayla's lightsabre on his belt.  The tough was proud of the prize, and was reluctant to lose it.  He finally settled on a case of Corellian whiskey for the sabre, which Ostrik was able to take from a pallette elsewhere in the warehouse.  Ostrik and some of the freed prisoners moved the case to the dock doors, then informed Naidraug that the "delivery" had been made.  That was both lightsabres and one drugged jedi master down, one drugged jedi master to go.

Finally, Naidraug did manage to secure the trade of Ylenic for a metric ton of spice.  He requested that the clone commander escort the spice down, with the full battalion ready to rock.  When the spice was delivered, Jabba's forces found themselves surrounded on the dock with heavy armed troops on one side and Ostrik's assorted freed captives on the other.  The padawans successfully rescued their jedi masters, the other jailed captives, and the other captive would-be brides of Jabba.  While most of the captives chose to leave on their own, some even commandeering the landspeeder the padawans had rented, one of the brides requested that she be taken home to planet of Zeltros.  With both jedi masters recovered, the five headed to Zeltros.

Once planetside, the jedi reunited the young woman with her parents: the king and queen!  Thankful to have the princess back safely, a grand festival was held with the four jedi as guests.  Roll credits.

Your result for The Superhero Archetype Test...

Granted Immense Power, You're the Divinity-Gifted Hero

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“The JLA's success was mentioned in a friendly golf game between DC's publisher, Jack Liebowitz, and Marvel Comics' Martin Goodman.  Upon hearing this, Goodman turned to Stan Lee, his editor-in-chief, and asked for a competitive title.  Lee, thinking he had little to lose, teamed with artist Jack Kirby.  With that, the Fantastic Four -- and a new chapter in comics history -- was born.”  ~ Robert Greenberger, "Remembering the Millennium," Millennium Edition:  The Brave and the Bold 28, February 2000

Currently Reading Batman Adventures 2003 2nd Series (1) By TY TEMPLETON AND DAN SLOTT see related

Returning to This Project

The crime that created Superman: Did fatal robbery spawn Man of Steel?

It's been a busy August.  My maternal grandmother has died, I've attended the first annual Tunnels & Trolls Convention, lectored at my grandmother's memorial mass, attended her graveside service, flew out to the fourty-first GenCon, and am preparing now to run At-Con Program Operations for CopperCon 28 this upcoming weekend.  My bicycle broke down a few weeks ago, and they're still awaiting the part as of yesterday.  My house became a complete mess due to no time for cleaning, and I received a notice about the uncontrolled growth in my yard. 

So I find myself with some time to post here, for a change.  Yet, strangely I'm not in the mood.  Perhaps it's due to the fact that I am woefully out of practice.  Thus I am forcing myself to post anyway.  Or perhaps I'm not ready to compose a memorial for my grandmother. 

I found a stack of Batman Adventures volume two comics which I had never read.  I had had a subscription to Batman:  Gotham Adventures which was canceled and replaced with this second run of Batman Adventures.  I didn't like the drastic change in tone and theme, so I never read the rest of the series and let the subscription expire.  So I read the first seven issues this month.  It was well paced, well scripted, and brilliant in making drastic changes in character circumstances while maintaining continuity and characterization.  It's amazing what five years of perspective will do.  Now I regret not having any of the subsequent issues.  The previous series was more a series of one shots, while this newer series had stand alone issues which wove into a single whole.  Each issue laid the groundwork for future issues, without a need to own any other issue than the one in your hands.  Yet the story made you want to own all of the other issues.  Issue one takes the step of introducing the main characters, letting readers see how each of the heroes and villains will be portrayed in this series.  A great place for new readers and old readers alike.  I understand that this first issue was also published with a Free Comic Book Day cover. 

"Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him, 'Father!'" ~Lydia M. Child

I'm Only Human, Part II

A couple of weeks later I attended St Francis Xavier Parish again.  First I had the final LepreCon XXXIV committee meeting (at the JB's on the southwest corner of Indian School Road and 24th Street).  Half way there I realized that I had forgotten my phone at home.  I could go home to retrieve it and be late, or deal with not having the phone.  I chose the later.  At the meeting we finalized everything we could, with the few committee members who bothered to show up. 

From there I rushed to Burton Barr Central Library, so I could quickly go online (using an Express Workstation)and write down the instructions for getting to LunarLumiere's new place.  I had forgotten to print them up or write them down, and without my phone I couldn't just call her up and ask.  Once I had that information, I rushed to St Francis Xavier Parish for mass.

One of the things I was impressed by was that, like St Raphael Parish, the Ushers open doors for those entering from the vestibule.  It's a very welcoming gesture, one I wouldn't mind seeing implemented at more parishes.  Another thing that impressed itself on my memory was that the first lector was so soft-spoken, it was extremely hard for even me to hear her, even from the miked raised ambo.  Hopefully, someone will have impressed upon her the need to project her voice. 

Afterward I attended LunarLumiere's house warming party.  I teased Charles about him opening up the mother-in-law house he was renting from her, to have his own house warming.  However, he was too embarassed about how it looked still.  There was much, much amazing food to be had.  And, I ran into Eva, an old chum from FK.  We were both very involved in different student organizations, so we knew each other from that.  Apparently, Eva is a friend of LunarLumiere's and also a teacher.  Small world!  She's now married with a small daughter, who was very into capturing live bugs and drawing things while at the party.

I started rereading To Kill a Mockingbird because I wanted to reread it before seeing it at the Herberger Theater Center.  However, I just noticed that I missed that chance.  I always seem to miss my chances at seeing live performances (music, theatre, et cetera).  At least I thoroughly enjoyed the novel again.

“People in their right minds never take pride in their talents.”  ~ Miss Maudie Atkinson, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I'm Only Human, Part I

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It was a busy weekend.  Saturday after work I headed over to Tricuspa's so the two of us could enter all of the HLA events into the Phoenix Con Games web site.  We had started to enter them during our Thursday night meeting, but he was going to be unavailable the following Thursday and we were working against a deadline. 

Sunday morning we finally finished playing my Christmas themed D&D game, in the middle of Easter season.  Everyone seemed to have fun though, and gave suggestions for when I run again.  Of course, I have other priorities at the moment, such as LepreCon, Phoenix Con Games, and Chaos Out of Order for one of my other groups of friends.  I'm not adverse to running again though, and have several unfleshed out ideas I could run for them or others. 

After the game I rushed over to St. Francis Xavier Parish for mass.  I hadn't attended mass there before.  It's built in the classic domed ceiling style.  The ambo has a set of stairs leading up to it for proclamation (probably predating the microphones).  The main interior colour scheme was a very light aqua marine blue, like this colour only with a glossy sheen.  It made for a lovely worship space. 

From there I rushed to Copper Star Coffee to meet with LunarLumiere and her friends to see Levi Weaver in a live concert.  Charles ended up showing up after the concert, only expecting to be partially late.  Silly kid, he missed out on a great show.  Levi Weaver is a very remarkable and talented musician when playing live.  He manages to truely be a one-man-band, without needing to record several tracks separately in a studio to create the effect.  No, he creates that effect live, in a very impressive format that completely meshes with the songs and their performance.  I'd definately recommend seeing him live, and appreciate the fact that LunarLumiere talked me into seeing him.