LINKS in a Chain-

Cimmerian Chronicles has some great links up on his blog, not the least of which is dear to my heart. :D

World of Aediendi Overview-

WORLD OF AEDIENDI=-

Multiple lights shine down upon Aediendi from above, and indeed, lights in the great depths of the Black Ocean shine upwards to illuminate the cities of the Axen Coast. These lights are each in a different colour and hue, so that each appears as unique as they seem distant.

The brightest of Seen Lights is named Daygar, and shines with the light of a full gibbous moon at its nearest approach, but is wan in its heat provided. The next three, The Chained Sisters, encircle Aediendi at its equator, each equidistant and moving in step with Aediendi's rotation, although unlike earth's moon, each rotates at its own rate. It is believed that pirates in smoky, steam-spitting ships take harbour amongst The Three, while the women of Ilduria are well known for their willowy frames and inhuman beauty. Their offspring possess marvellous amethyst coloured eyes and hair that flows with a subtle breeze wherever they travel.

Blackheaven and Soot are dim, glowering orbs of red-radiant darkness out beyond the orbit of the Three Sisters. Soot is the dead sun's only stable satellite, and draws away the iron skin of its host in great clumps and perpetual showers of ferrous detritus. This Metal Rain is propelled outwards upon the weak and fluctuating magnetic fields and lines emanating from Blackheaven, and clouds the entire system of worlds and lights. The sight of near constant 'shooting stars' and 'thunder eggs' is as familiar and reassuring to Aediendians as dawn is to Earthers. With this constant enrichment of iron and molecular steel literally falling from the sky, Aediendi is well advanced in metallurgy.

But with all of the ferrous matter also comes disease and madness. Bodies too suffused with oxides begin to weep sticky plasma from open pustules and should the ailment not be drawn out of the victim, leads to insanity as the brain receives stronger and clearer sounds from Blackheaven. Sounds that form songs and words and generate an unquenchable hatred for all life. Armies of the Metal Mad seek each other like filings to magnets, and form War Bands that ravage the lands cursed by their presence. Even in Unlife, Iron Liches drive their emerging legions out of the Redsump Wilds towards the Human and Demi-Human fortresses of Genevian Hills, and only the bravery of naked warriors armed with weapons of bronze have staved off these feints.

Great Palekki (giant rust monsters) are used as beasts of burden and to process the superabundant iron, and their dung is the prime ingredient in Alchemist's Fire, making them both a beloved animal and a commodity. Raiders of the Suribahn Desert will routinely rustle herds if allowed to ford the crystal-pure Envol River, by which the green-blue Gassa flowers grow in unattended splendour. Overhead, dodging the igneous hail, are Ierun Flytes, great raptors the colour of burnished copper and bronze at sunset. With their metal-laced talons and beaks, Flytes are sought after as hunting animals and feared in the wild.

Humanity has not been without its changes since Blackheaven and Soot first appeared more than a millennium ago. Indeed, three distinct breeds of Humans have since emerged:

* ARMSMEN: +1 to Str, Dex, or Con; +1 HP per HD; -1 Cha -- Slightly greater frames with tougher skin tinged a faint terracotta red-orange regardless of ethnicity.

* ERIUDEN: +1 to Int or Wis; +1 Spell per Level and unlimited Cantrips or Orisons; -1 Str or Con -- Average framed with silver, grey, or white shocks in their hair.

* MALKIN: +1 Dex; +1 Level of Thief; -1 Wis -- Lighter framed with a propensity for possessing a second opposable thumb on each hand.

World of Aediendi Druidic Item-

Hello. :)

Here is my first oldskool offering from my new oldskool setting: the World of Aediendi

* Living Lance: +3 to hit, 2d6 Damage (3d6 on, or receiving a charge) to all non-TN targets while wielded by a Cleric of a god of the forest, all standard Druids, Fighters and Rangers. Anyone taking 7 or more HP from this attack must Save v. Death or die as living splinters course throughout the victim's arteries and veins.
The Lance will shatter only on a confirmed fumble (1 on initial d20 strike, and a failed attack with all standard modifiers on a second d20 roll). If the Lance should splinter, there is a 33% chance that the target of the attack will be struck by a 3d6 Lightning Bolt of 21st Caster Level for MR% purposes.
If a female character of the above listed Classes is mounted on a unicorn, the weapon becomes +6 to hit and does 6d6 damage to all /enemies/ in a 20' radius, Save v. Breath Weapons for half damage. The shatter chance drops to 2 in 2d20 failed rolls, but increases the Lightning Bolt to 6d6 damage and a 67% chance.


All the Aediendi stuff will make sense to oldskool players of the various brand-loyalties, although I make no specific compatibility claims. More importantly to you folks is that this announcement heralds the EisAge License: "You want to write about this stuff and not make a buck off of my work? Go ahead, have fun." License v. 1.0, abbreviated EAL v. 1.0.

Look for more oldskool goodness in addition to UWoM material. :)

Not the New Campaign: Latter Autumn (1075)-

I have started the 'modern' game, set in a period roughly equivalent to the turn from the 19th to the 20th century; post-Spanish-American War, pre-World War One.

I had started to write one of my lengthy expository descriptions, detailing the period, but then I remembered I'm supposed to keep quiet ("stay in bed or in the kitchen") and talk about more interesting things, like:

Random Torch-sconce Table: 1d4-

4: Diabolically-lewd figures in an orgiastic embrace of a phallic cone of cold-wrought iron
3: Weird carved ivory depicting six-limbed insecto-elephantine gods being wreathed by attendants
2: A crudely hammered-together collection of holy symbols
1: Mirrored 'Glass-steel' affair in an inhumanly geometric and blocky construction

With the JT-paid, I'm announcing that I'm not planning on posting any further campaign details.

I Hear You: Logo + Booklet Title-

I have read the eight comments on the previous post after having tweaked this and another booklet's cover. Here is a second go, although nothing is dead-final:



As to the nearness of release, I cannot speak from any certainty, and as others have said, it is best to deliver on promises --therefore no promised release dates. In short: It'll be released when it is meets my compromise between perfection and reality of what a first print, first edition product can be.

I will tell you that the product is not (in all likelihood) what you think it will be, and I look forward to reading the strong opinions about it when it is released.

Work on the final draft of the Referee's Manual will begin soon after the main release, and the cover artwork for that book is stunningly beautiful. It is difficult to contain my excitement. :D


I'd like to take this time to clarify something:

My 'devil's advocate' stance in the OS discussions should never be construed as one of antagonism towards the authors themselves. Like most of you, I have strong opinions, and when I am not with the stated majority, I imagine I am more of a grain of sand in the OS oyster than its shiny pearl. Yet, that's from whence pearls originate: an irritating grain of sand chafing at the soft underbelly of the creature. ;)

If I don't care for you, like Florida weather, wait a few minutes, as it'll often pass. If not, you'll know.
--If you don't like me, may I suggest you use your energy more effectively by doing your own thing more strongly to offset my Annoyance Factor. That'd be like producing a pearl out of a pesky grain of sand. :D


:: Best to all of you out there in Gaming Land

An Updated Look-

At the suggestion of scottsz, I have incorporated the Logo with the Mullen Cover:

New Logo-

It is a transparent background, that is why the text appears 'so dark'.
--It would be sharper against a white background.

Click it to see.