TLDunn213

Some people and places of interest in the City of the Shademakers. Grayhall Academy. Because of the number of living people in the City it was decided that a school system was needed. Along the way the Academy grew from a basic school into an Adventurer's Guild. Anne of Grayhall. Head mistress of Grayhall Academy. And wife of Jonathan Appleblack. Jonathan Appleblack. The current Supreme Shadow. It is worth noting that Jonathan has been the Supreme Shadow for a few hundred years now. And that Anne married Jonathan because she wanted to be with him. His being Supreme Shadow was just a job he had as far as she was concerned. It's also rumored that Anne does as much of the job of Supreme Shadow as Jonathan. Jonathan manages to remain Supreme Shadow mostly by ruling with a firm and fair hand. And organizing things so that he has to as little ruling as possible.

I was just rereading this and noticed that I never actually got around to saying what Varna look like. Now obviously while a Varna is wearing a husk you don't get to see it. That is rather the point after all. But when a Varna is out on its own Type ones look like a floating brain with a bunch of jellyfish like tendrils dangling beneath it. It's not entirely clear what the tendrils are for. Given that it has a psi-blast ability for defense and offense if needed. And telekinesis for moving objects. Type twos also look like a floating brain just larger. Type ones are the size of a normal brain while type twos are about 3 feet long by about 2 feet high and wide. Main body, with octopus like tentacles about 3 feet long hanging below. Type twos also have a stinger like appendage at the rear near the brainstem. Type twos are able to produce spawn by injecting a victim with whatever compounds are produced by their stinger. While it was previously believed that type twos were basically type ones who had grown too big to continue wearing a husk. This seems to no longer be the case as there are now reports of type twos (hereafter refered to as Grees ) displaying the body compression ability similar to that seen in Seku. More on this as information becomes available.

Let's start out in the wilderness where you have roaming bands of Barbarians and maybe a small village now and then. Out here it's mostly a bartar system and the closest thing to money is wampam beads. One Bead is equal to a Copper pice in terms of buying power. A String of 10 Beads; A Silver And a Bundle of 10 Strings; A Gold You won't find anything for sale at more than 5 Bundles . Or at least not very often. People out here want things they can use. An odd qwerk of this is that you might be able to trade a couple of well polished Copper pieces for a String while not being able to get more than a Bead or two for a tarnished Silver piece. And on the flip side of this you might be able to sell a single Bead for a couple of Gold. To the right Collector. Such trades are rare and typically not repeatable, but well worth keeping in mind if you get the chance. In Towns on the edge of the Wilds you can usually find someone who will be able to swap Coins for Beads and back again at the Bead for Copper rate. For a small service fee of course. Another place where you are likely to encounter off beat Money is in the Goblin Quarter of Cities that are large trading hubs. Here you might encounter Iron Bits, Iron pieces (8 Bits to the Piece ) Ceramic pieces, Guild Marks, etc. Pieces and Marks are usually about the same value as a Copper pice. If you venture into these places keep your Silver close and don't let anyone even think you have Gold unless you are so obviously powerful that no one would dare mess with you. In Civilized places the Money goes like this: 10 Copper pieces to the Silver 10 Silver to the Gold 10 Gold to the Electrum 10 Electrum to the Platinum 10 Platinum to the Krystal (Yes the 1K piece being 1000 Gold is totally on purpose.) So basically standard D&D/Fantasy world Money with the Krystal pice being the notable addition. Krystal pieces are made from Gem jell mixed with diamond dust a catalyst and a bit of magic to trigger the reaction.

By the Light of the Witch Moon Under Eldritch Skys By Balefire's Glow To Ride the Neither Winds. To Plant the Dragon's Teeth. Title ideas for stories linked to the Finial Days of Horkuna. The basic idea is an Earth like world Magic or maybe Psi Abilities are rare and mistrusted in most places This world has a second Moon. Small with an odd orbit and little effect on the tides and such. Barley visible to most people. But to those who have the Mage/Witch sight a full Witch Moon is as bright as a regular full Moon. Nights when the Witch Moon is full and the regular Moon is Dark are seen as Ill-omened by most. Which becomes a self fulfilling sort of thing. Because a night when honest folks stay home is naturally a night when those up to no good are going to be more active. General outline is one or more Gifted/Cursed as the main character and somewhere along the way they discover something that is a major threat to their world and because of their abilities they are the only ones who can stop it and save the world.

While exploring an abandoned house You find a research lab belonging to someone who has been exploring the Backrooms. Notebooks, Maps, Weapons, Supplies, and Gear for finding your way in, out, and around. The last entry in the main Notebook is dated three weeks ago. What do you do? I've been toying with some ideas as to what the Backrooms could be used for if someone had a way of finding/opening/closing entry/exit points both from the "real" world side and from within the Backrooms themselves. There are Lurkers. But I'm still working out what they are. Where they come from. Why they are there. Ect. Use ideas include hiding, smuggling, making just about anything one could need a reason to keep hidden.

Some notes about the City itself. As noted elsewhere The City of the Shademakers is located in the Plane of Shadows. It's not entirely clear just when, why, how the place got started but the general drift of the story goes something like this. A group of scholars/sages/lore masters ect who were all interested in Shadow Magic, Necromancy and other such related topics worked together to establish a research area free from distractions. Just when they discovered the process enabling the transformation into a Shade is not recorded but it was long ago and over time others learned of the Umbral Archives and came to join the group. Then others came not wishing to become permanent members of the group but wishing to visit and consult with the resident scholars. This created a need for the compound to grow into more of a regular city. For while the Shades don't need to eat or sleep, visitors who were mostly still among the living most definitely did. And anywhere there is a need that can be satisfied for a profit, sooner or later someone is going to start a business satisfying that need. And so all the usual business turned up. There was already some need for transport to and from the Umbral Archives as many of the Scholars needed research materials, add to that the needs of a growing city. This lead to the creation of the Shadow Fleet. There are actually several ships that are all The Shadow. As the ship is believed to be an Ill omen it never makes port as itself but takes on the aperance of some other ship. Quite probably the ship it was before joining the Shadow Fleet. Just how a ship joins the Shadow Fleet is a secret known only to the Captains and the Supreme Shadow. There are likely a few others who have figured it out, But they are not likely to be sharing that information unless they are offered a good reason typically in the form of a rather large amount of treasure or possibly information that is valuable enough. It is worth noting that because it started as a city of scholars, information and research materials are as much a form of money as actual coins and gems. As to the matter of food and lodging it depends on your personal taste and available funds. If you are broke and/or don't care about quality you can find a place about two streets back from the harbor. Or you can try camping in one of the empty warehouses right along the waterfront. If you happen to have some coin to spend and want a good deal try looking about five to six streets back from the docks. This is also the point at which you are most likely to find merchants with goods that are actually worth buying. If you are rich and/or looking for magic items and such you will need to go twenty streets in and get a guard to let you in. The walls and gates here mark the start of the city proper. This is where a city watch actually bothers with patrolling and such. Before this you are in Thieves Guild territory. Not that the Guild doesn't have a presence in the walled parts of the city. But outside the walls they are the ones running things. Inside the walls, they keep a much lower profile.

Upon first sighting the Shadow you will likely see it maneuvering in a way that is only possible with a full crew. Any attempts at communicating from this range will receive no direct response. The ship will however take up station keeping once you have signaled your intention to come alongside or otherwise board. If the ship doesn't do this or disappears, return to port and get a new time/location to try again. Once you are within range to do so, you will see absolutely no one on the Shadow. Magical items, spells, etc that enable seeing invisible beings will probably allow you to see the crew. It is generally considered a bad idea to do this. The Shadow disappearing or sailing away are the most common results. There are some reports of the crew of the Shadow attacking. This is largely unconfirmed, but all such reports agree that this happens only if you are already alongside. As to what the crew of the Shadow look like; I'll cover that a bit later. Never set foot on the deck of the Shadow until you have asked permission to come abroad. You will know if it was granted by nothing happening. There are no reports of the request being denied if you were allowed to come alongside in the first place. There are no confirmed reports of anyone being stupid enough to not ask permission. So what exactly would happen is unknown. The most likely reactions are the Shadow disappearing or the offending individual being tossed over the side. In any event once on board find a spot on the deck that is out of the way of the crew and stay there. Unless you feel like you are being asked to get out of the way, then get out of the way. Do not interfere with the operation of the ship. Do not go below decks. Do not go into the galley. And especially don't sit down and eat when there is a meal on the table. Unless you want to join the crew. More on what happens if you do in a bit. Do not enter the captain's cabin. Some say you can enter if you ask permission and have a good reason for being there. Make sure you have a good supply of food and water. If you follow the rules the trip can take anywhere from a few hours to a couple of weeks. When you arrive at the Umbral Archives. Thank the captain and crew for their hospitality, and get off. For those who lack common sense and want to push their luck. Here are the likely results of breaking the rules. You will be attacked by the crew, and the ship itself, if you are holding your onw against the crew. They will either throw you over the side, or kill you and then throw you over the side. Assuming that the ship doesn't just vanish. If you are still in the normal world, pray that there is an island nearby. In any case you are in the ocean, good luck. If you have crossed into the Plane of Shadows, you are stranded there in a random location. Good Luck. Or you have landed in some random Demiplane. You will probably need all the luck you can get. If you fight the captain and somehow manage to win. Whoever landed the killing blow is now Captain of the Shadow. Everyone else in your group is now part of the Crew. Any surviving members of the original Crew are now as loyal to you as they were to the former Captain. And you are now bound to the service of The Supreme Shadow, Lord of the Umbral Archives, and whatever other titles that notable might happen to have. In theory you can take that Title by winning a duel or otherwise conquering the current Supreme Shadow. There are no confirmed reports of anyone ever having managed to do it. The Crew of the Shadow are Shades with the ability to turn invisible and stay that way even when attacking. They are also able to heal themselves as per Vampiric Ring of Regeneration channeled through their weapons. The Captain has the Crews abilities as well as the ability to Animate Object anything that is part of the Shadow as a free action. And is almost always a Magic User of some sort. I might try to work out more exact stats for these guys later.

Quest for the Umbral Archives. Or any other names you want to use here. This is an outline/framework that you can use to build a quest for an RPG group or as a starting point/outline for a story if you want. I might try building a story with this later. Anyway to undertake this Voyage/Quest you will need a few things. Being insane is often listed. Although there is some debate about this actually being a requirement. An individual or group with some reason to make the trip. So, let's take a moment to consider reasons for wanting to go there. Which in turn requires knowing what the place has to offer. Mostly it offers knowledge. Including the knowledge of how to become a Shade. A rather surprising number of sages and scholars have sought this knowledge; for actual use and not just academic coursity; over the ages. Or maybe it's not so surprising if you think about it. Of the various types of undead one might consider becoming Shades are the best suited to the purpose of continuing academic activities free from the distractions of being alive. No need to eat or sleep. No worries about getting sick or dieing of old age before you finish studying your chosen subject. This has inturn lead to the creation of the Umbral Archives. All that research and knowledge has to be stored somewhere. And that somewhere is on the Demiplane of Shadow. Where exactly? Well, that's rather hard to say as things on the plane of Shadows tend to wander around, rather a lot actually. Fortunately there is a way to travel directly to the Umbral Archives. A few different ways actually. If you have the aid of someone who knows the place well and/or has made the trip often. They can lead you there by way of the Plane of Shadows or a Teleport spell. Unfortunately people who know the way and are available to act as guides are extremely hard to find. However there is another option. Apart from just blundering about the Plane of Shadows and hoping. And that option is a ship known as the Shadow. The Shadow is said to make port at the Umbral Archives regularly. However it is not known to make port anywhere else. And finding a captain willing to take you out to meet the Shadow is not exactly easy. The Shadow, the Umbral Archives, anyone who wants to go there, or even talk about it, are all things most people consider to be bad luck. Or rather, talking about it: bad luck, actually seeing the Shadow: BAD LUCK. Although enough money, including the price of Blessings from a Priest and many lucky charms and talismans, can convince some captains to make the trip. Make sure you have a reliable way of determining a person's true intent. As more than half the captains who say that they will take you to the Shadow are going to try to kill you and toss you overboard as soon as you are out of sight of land. One of the other challenges is finding an Orical who can tell you when/where the find the Shadow. I'll cover the details of how to board and travel on the Shadow later.

A finally we come to Monks, Ninjas, and some prestige classes that I don't really have the resources to cover properly. While Monks/Ninjas have abilities that are magical they are not really spellcasters. The best way to fit them into the system I'm using here is to treat them as Psi users who focused almost entirely on the Abilities aspect. Only branching out to explore actual Powers after mastering the more physical Abilities side of things. Rangers typically follow the Druid path for their spells. Although there are some that take the Witch/Shaman path for various reasons. Rogues, typically don't cast spells relying on any number of magical and/or tech items to cover those needs. There are exceptions of course and any given Rogue may have followed any of the available paths to gaining whatever spellcraft they know. Paladins, typically gain their spells from whatever they have sworn allegiance to. The main details that set them apart from Warlocks are 1) The Patron they are Sworn to is typically a well-known God of a suitable type. And 2) They are typically given Abilities rather than spells. With healing spells being a notable exception to this basic rule. With other exceptions being a function of the quest they are currently on. Dark Paladins/Black Guards are of course Sworn to some Infernal Power or other. But otherwise function the same as other Paladins in terms of spells, abilities, and so on.

Psionics definitely exist in the Shard Scape. And is most notable, among the various types of "magic" available, for being the most flexible. Psi users follow the Sorcerer form in terms of how they learn their skills. It is also under the Psi format that the concept of resonance comes most fully into play. There are a number of Psi Abilities that are distinct from Powers in that they don't consume Psi energy to work. Powers consume Psi energy to manifest and are typically at a distance. Abilities simply require that the needed level of power is present and are typically enhancements to the individual using them. Exceptions do exist, and I'll try to cover those at some later time. Psi powers work equally well in high magic/low tech environments and in low magic/high tech environments. Psi is of course just as negatively impacted as anything else when dealing with low tech/low magic/low life environments. Those places are basically hostile to everything. Synthoids and Undead fair somewhat better than average in such environments but even they struggle. As to how Psi fits in among Arcane, Eldritch, and Divine/Infernal magic it is most closely related to Arcane magic. The primary difference being that Arcane magic works by adjusting the Chaos that underlies Reality Psi works by adjusting the Order. Which is why it works in high tech environments. Technology alignes with Order and Magic typically works by manipulating Chaos. In high Tech areas Order is enhanced and Chaos is suppressed. By the time you reach a level of Chaos high enough to have a notable effect on Psi, you are dealing with Chaos levels that are approaching the limits of what most beings can deal with. At some point I will try to cover the related topics of abilities that parallel magic but are derived from Cybergrafts, Biografts and other related types of Bio-mancy and bonded equipment.

Warlocks, Shamans, and Witches. It is among these spellcasters that you are most likely to find Eldritch spells being used. The primary difference between Eldritch and Arcane magic is in where the power comes from. Which in turn dictates how that power is applied to achieve a given effect. Arcane magic works by subtlety adjusting the balance between Order and Chaos that underlies our reality, by directly interacting with those forces. Eldritch magic in contrast adjusts that balance by introducing, (and in some cases removing again), Chaos from Elsewhere. Less subtle and elegant than Arcane magic, but when Chaos and/or Destruction are the goal Eldritch magic is easily as, if not more, powerful. Now the reason that Eldritch magic is more likely with these spellcasters than others is a matter of how these casters gain their magic in the first place. Warlocks (and technically Dracons, Naze, and the like) gain their spells by forming a Pact with a Patron of one type or another. And it depends on the Patron and the circumstances, as to which mode (Wizard, Sorcerer, or Cleric) will be used. Of course there are any number of Warlocks who will try to find ways of recording the spells they are given regardless of the mode the Patron selected. Which brings us to Shamans and Witches. Unlike Warlocks, Shamans and Witches don't make an enduring pact with a single being but rather bargain with many different types of magical beings to gain the spells they need. This can lead to them becoming a Warlock, Druid, or Cleric, depending upon the type of spells they are most interested in. After all, why keep shopping around if you can get everything you're looking for in one place and for a single set of terms. The most notable difference between Shamans and Witches is that Shamans are typically members of a Barbarian tribe and so tend to be illiterate. Thus leaving them little choice but to follow the Sorcerer path for learning spells. Witches, by contrast, tend to live closer to civilization. On the edges of typically, but still, Close enough that reading is a skill that they can typically learn.

The most common spellcasters are Wizards and Sorcerers who use Arcane magic. Maguses, Shamans, and some Warlocks also use Arcane magic. But more on them in a bit. Arcane magic works by subtlety adjusting the balance between Order and Chaos that underlies our reality. The primary difference between Wizards and Sorcerers is in how they learn and cast their spells. Which most of you are likely already familiar with. But, for completeness and those who may not know. Wizards load spells into their minds with the mana attached and once the spell is cast it vanishes from their mind leaving room for a new spell. Sorcerers on the other hand learn spells permanently (well simi-permanently. more on this in a bit) With the mana as a pool to be taped and channeled through the spell as needed. Wizards can take a Feat called Spell mastery that allows them to permanently learn a spell the way a Sorcerer does. And likewise Sorcerers can take a Feat called Spell Flexibility which allows them to temporarily learn a spell as Wizards do. Seeing the advantages of being able to do both some adventurers tried training both ways. This proved to be quite difficult as the two ways of learning spells are almost opposites. Which puts quite a bit of strain on the mind of the student. Which eventually lead to the development of the Magus class. Which is designed specifically to address that problem. Progress is somewhat slower than for students who follow just Wizard or Sorcerer paths. But those who choose Magus say that it worth it. Anyway moving on. The next most common type of spellcaster is the Cleric or Priest. Priest are typically those who stay in Towns and Cities taking care of their congregations. While the Cleric is out with groups of adventurers keeping evil beings away from civilized lands. These spellcasters use Holy Magic provided by the Gods. Or Infernal magic provided by Demons or Devils in the case of Evil Clerics and Priests. Typically their handling of spells is much the same as Wizards. With the spells they are likely to need being provided by the Being they serve. Healing spells being a notable exception in most cases. These tend to be installed Sorcerer style and can be cast extra times by sacrificing other spells for the mana needed to do so. The difference between Good and Evil Healing spells is a side topic that I'll expound on more fully another time. Just as I will cover Warlocks, Shamans and the rest a bit later in this series.

Well, Good luck with finding any Demosidhe, Demosidhe Essence, or Demosidhe Hunters. As one might expect. Things that are from a time refered to as "The Forgotten Age" tend to be rather hard to find. Slightly easier to find are spellbooks than contain Arcane spells that reproduce Dreamwalking abilities. Well, most of the spells are Arcane, there are at least a few variations of these spells in Divine and Infernal formats. But as those spells are rarely written down in the first place I don't expect that you will find any of those. Then again; Given Your "Talent" for getting yourself in to trouble...

There are forms of essence magic that would allow someone to drain Demosidhe essence and either consume it or embue an object with it so as to gain Dreamwalking abilities. Of course this would come with it's own risk. Those who hunt Demosidhe might mistake you for one or assume you are bonded to one depending on the type of magic that they are using for tracking them down. And on the other hand Demosidhe and those willing to bond with them would probably be able to tell what you had done as soon as they see you using your powers. And they would probably not be happy about it. And given their ability to create very realistic dreams... Would you want to risk finding out just how creative they might be about expressing their displeasure over your having eaten one ? So while I don't have any accounts of this being tried. I expect that at some point someone did; and it probably didn't end well for them. Essence Magic is an interesting topic in its own right and I'll try to cover it in more detail somewhere else; assuming I haven't already.

I finally gained access to the restricted section of the Archives at The Library of Ling, and after allowing for author bias, "glorious victory" vs "appalling massacre". The relating of the events themselves is quite accurate. And by having both sides recored it is possible to gain an understanding of each side's view and motivation. One of the more important things to note is that Demosidhe vary widely in their views on the beings they feed on. Some seeing us as little more than food and playthings. While others were seeking some form of symbiosis. With some middle ground leaning in the food direction of treating those they feed upon much the way a wise farmer treats his cows and sheep well. So, basically two camps prey/food animals vs beings we can partner with. The symbiosis group are the ones who lead to the development of dreamwalking and subsistence magic. Interestingly most surviving research into this branch of magic is in the reverse direction. That is to say finding ways to take lifeforce and convert it into magical energy rather than finding ways to feed on magic. Although there are some creatures that are known to do this. I'll have to look into any connections between magic feed creatures and the Demosidhe later. In any event, because of Demosidhe that were willing to make a deal, there were people who were hiding the Demosidhe they were partnered with from those seeking to exterminate them. As you can easily imagine the arguments on both sides were quite heated. "They are just trying to survive. And they give us powers." On one side, and "They are draining your life force while giving you corrupting selfindulgent dreams." On the other. With a dash of "Power to invade people's minds and dreams. By joining with them you become as vile as they are." Just to round things out. And while there have certainly been Dreamwalkers who abused their powers. There are easily just as many stories of Dreamwalkers rescuing people from dangerous situations or delivering vital information and so on.

Now that we've covered basic protection, let's talk about what it is that we are protecting ourselves from. The first signs of Demosidhe activity is very vivid yet mundane dreams. Which is the beginning of breaking down your ability to tell the difference between dreams and reality. After a few weeks of this you will begin to notice that inspite of spending increasing amounts of time sleeping you are feeling less and less rested. With all your the usual effects of being tired all the time. This is when the dreams start getting odd. Nothing major, at first, just small things. Pictures of people you don't know on the wall among the ones that belong there. Looking in the mirror and seeing your reflection blink. People you know acting in ways that are totally out of character. Not too long after the dreams start getting odd, the hallucinations start. The same out of place stuff that was happening in the dreams. Along with people that you can only see when you're not looking at them. Now the Demosidhe aren't trying to kill you. At least not right away. They are draining your life energy, that's why you are feeling tired all the time. But it is your emotions that they are savoring. Lust, Anger, Fear, Confusion, ect. Individual Demosidhe have their preferred emotions. And typically act alone or in small groups. Once the hallucinations have started the Demosidhe are using your mind as a way into the waking world. Being shapeshifters they will use their abilities to create more confusion and mistrust between their chosen victim and the people around them. Thankfully the Demosidhe aren't able to remain in the real world for long. A few hours at most. It is unclear as to what it is about the real world that limits the time they are willing? able? to stay. Now what I've described above is their normal and preferred mode of operations. Near the end of the Forgotten Age as they were being hunted down in the Dream World, they changed their methods and started attacking in groups. Dragging victims into the Dream World and ritualisticly sacrificing them so as to quickly harvest and store the life energy and emotions for later consumption. There have also been reports of trapped tomes that if opened and read resulted in Demosidhe appearing and attacking the reader and anyone else nearby. With the apparent goal of simply feeding on their victim's life energy right there. Which would tend to indicate that a) the attempt to eradicate them at the end of the Forgotten Age was not entirely successful. And b) The surviving Demosidhe have not found a suitable or reliable replacement for US as a food source. Which means the ones that are left are Hungry and Desperate.

Demosidhe Basic protections Most of these are really pretty obvious once you think about it a bit. First and generally easiest is to drink a glass of holy water before studying about the Demosidhe and especially just before sleeping. Also keep a flask of holy water within easy reach at all times and take a mouthful when you first wake up and anytime you notice Demosidhe activity. I'll explain more about what that looks like in just a bit. Some other protective measures you can take include wearing a headband made of an alloy of iron and silver. (Ferogentum) Having protective runes and symbols engraved on it is a good thing to add but the headband will offer a fair bit of protection even without them. A protective magic circle and pentagram combo carved into the floor of your sleeping room and painted with a paste made from equal parts salt silver and iron added to just enough holy water to make a paste works very well. Top it off with a good clear coat sealant and place your bed in the middle. And you are protected from a wide assortment of supernatural dangers.

Other metals of note. Titiansteel a bit of a misnomer as it is actually an alloy of titanium and tungsten. Nonmagnetic very durable and corrosion resistant. Not typically enchanted which is not really all that surprising as it is made almost exclusively by Morlocks who tend to be technological and psyonic rather than magical. Ferogentum, (a lesser form of Myrthriem, being an alloy of silver and iron), is more often used for protective amulets and the like than actual weapons, mostly because it just doesn't hold high level enchantments as well as actual Myrthriem. Which is typically enchanted up +4 or even +5 as well as being both blessed and Ghosttouched. Myrthriem is an alloy of Mithril and Darksteel. Only a few hundred of these weapons are known to exist. As they were made for the singular purpose of driving out the Demosidhe. A Demon Fae hybrid that came into being during the Great Fae Migration of the Forgotten Age. The Forgotten Age is forgotten on purpose and for good reason. For the Demosidhe can enter the dreams of those who know about them and can then use those dreams as a way to enter our world. I will say no more about them here least you become an unwitting doorway for their return. If you are determined to learn about them, there are spells and other protections to secure your mind and dreams against them. Make sure those are in place before continuing your studies of this subject.

Feromantic iron is very magnetic. Such blades tend to become magnetic during forging. As to the effects of magnetic fields on enchantments. No one has really looked into it. There are no reports of enchanted blades made from other metals showing any magnetic properties. The exact effects of magnetic fields on enchantments would depend greatly on the type of enchantment and the purpose of the object and the reason for magnetising it. Brasium is non magnetic. In fact its non magnetic nature is a reason for its use in place of iron or steel in some cases. Brasium weapons are not typically enchanted but there are no reports on it being any harder to enchant than other metals. Darksteel takes powerful magic to enchant but once enchanted it will stay that way unless even more powerful magic is used specifically to disenchant it. There are no reports of anyone trying to magnetise darksteel but most likely it would take a powerful magnetic field to do so but once accomplished it would be practically impossible to demagnetise it.

This a quick overview of metals unique to the Shardscape. Or mostly unique; as some of them, Brasium for example, do have real world equivalents. And given that I just mentioned it I'll start off with Brasium. Brasium is an alloy of brass and bronze; which is to say copper, tin, and zinc; with chrome and nickel occasionally added for extra strength and croesion resistance. Brasium is commonly found in places where such resistance is especially needed; and in places where iron is less available. Next we have feromantic iron. This form of iron is mined in the Underworld along the banks of the Styx and is therefore much more able to retain certain enchantments. Which is the primary reason for bothering with the stuff, as it is otherwise no better than iron minded from anywhere else. However the ability to incorporate magical properties makes Feromantic iron highly valued for the creation of Darksteel. Which is formed by adding a relatively small amount of finely powered dark fire crystal. The resulting material is not only able to store highly powerful magical energies it is also nearly indestructible. There are a few other items I will be adding to this list later. When I can find my notes on them.

After some further research I believe I have found something of a pattern for predicting the probably of breeding true. The factors to consider are the compatibility of the magic involved in the creation of the founding members of the bloodlines involved. There were three different types of magic that were used to make Wyldings and Lyncanthropes. Divine and Arcane for Wyldings and Eldritch for the Lyncanthropes. With a few Lycans being created by Arcane magic. Oddly there are no known cases of Infernal or Demonic magics being used. But given how rare the use of Arcane magic was by the Yun-Xi it does make a certain amount of sense. And Yuuxath is not going to want his followers turning to other beings, Divine, Demonic, or Infernal. Which brings us back to the first point. Eldritch magic just doesn't mix well with other types. So, that seems to be the biggest factor in play. With the animal forms being the next factor to consider. And finally there is the matter of contamination from other magics that anyone in a given bloodline might have been exposed to. All of which is useful as a starting point. But beyond revealing how likely devation is, it doesn't really do much to help with predicting what form the devation will take. Moon phase, and other astronomical factors have been suggested, along with the local environment. And it is possible that these things are contributing factors. So far no one has kept accurate enough records for any reliable conclusions to be drawn. And with the majority of Ka-Jeen settlements being located on the lower slopes of the Dragonspine mountains western end. Otherwise known as the Fading Lands. Ruling out the effects of random wildmagic surges becomes practically impossible. As for Ka-Jeen living in other places where wildmagic is not a significant factor. There just aren't enough of them in any one place to be able to establish any sort of reliable baseline. So given that most Ka-Jeen A: Just want to be left alone. and B: Don't seem to care about what their children will be. I consider it best to simply leave them be. Of course if anyone does find a group of Ka-Jeen that want to be studied so as to have the option of trying to control the form their children will have; Please let me know. I would dearly love to understand what forces are at play and to be able to give the Ka-Jeen the opportunity to choose to influence the form their children will have.

Are the Ka-Jeen a race? And, if so, what boundaries do we use for inclusion and exclusion? These questions pose a problem that is arguably even harder to sort out than the question of inclusion surrounding half elves and their fractional offspring. After all half elves and their kin can be placed in order based on how they look relative to their bloodlines with fairly good accuracy. Ka-Jeen, with the shape shifting nature of the bloodlines they spring from... It has been something of a struggle among scholars to come to the agreement that Ka-Jeen are a single racial type. After all having Grandpa dire wolf, cousin fox girl, and aunt house cat all in the same family is something that requires very good birth records and some verification by skilled bio-mancers before most people are going to believe it. Ok, for completeness, and the benefit of those of you who may not know what Ka-Jeen are or how they came to be. I will try to cover those details. Now keep in mind that there is no real evidence for any significant amount of iintermixing by dracons, fay, doppelgangers, and such like other shape-shifting types. And we are left with the generally accepted origin of wyldings and lyncanthropes interbreeding, with a dash of Wyrdlings thrown in. And it is worth noting that Wyrdlings as a distinct group are practically impossible to find anymore. As for those who raise objections about the intermixing of wyldings and lycanthropes due to their being on opposing sides during the war. Remember that the wyldings volunteered while the lycanthropes were victims of a curse. Well, most of them anyway. So many wyldings, after the war, devoted quite a bit of effort tword efforts to help the lycans bring their bestial side under control. Given the amount of close personal interaction required for such an effort it's not really surprising that many of them paired up. And of course the Druids and Shamans were in favor of this. Both because of the ability of the Wyldings to help the Lycans stay in control of themselves and because any offspring they might have would be much better off with both parents being able to understand how to raise such a child. Now as to the wide range of non shape-shifting animal forms that can be found among the Ka-Jeen; that is something that many mages, sages, and bio-mancers are still trying to figure out. Wildmagic is definitely involved to some degree, but beyond that rather obvious fact, there is little progress in sorting out the details of what form or forms a given Ka-Jeen child will have. Seers and deviners are sometimes able to foresee the child's form in advance but as to what forces are at play in determining that form...

Wait...was that an arrow!? Pointing back the other way? Is this a sign that perhaps I've lost my way? And yet the road before me goes on as plain as day. But now there is this nagging doubt that I have somehow lost my way. Was that another arrow pointing to some hidden way ? The way is clear beforeme; yet I feel ever more astray . Wait... was that an arrow, pointing to a better way? ........ Next line: Have I lost my way ?

Well that is what the tophat is for Beyond that I'm not sure how much resemblance you can get with just a skull. I'm trying for a pirate flag that looks like what the Monopoly Man would fly if he was a pirate.

Thanks The logo I wanted was a skull with a tophat, and an eyepatch with a dollar sign on it and a pair of fancy walking sticks crossed under it. At some point I'm going to hand write out the cards on index cards and play test it assuming I can find both the time and people. If I have to I'll try playing it against myself or three player Me, Myself, and I 😁 And by all means feel free to make your own copy and play test it . I'm debating a couple of tweaks to what I have here but want to test this version before trying the other ideas. So I don't forget them. I'm thinking about adding a black market and having the Noping be a dice roll thing rather than automatic. Anyway if you do play test it let me know how it goes and any ideas you think might make it better.