Circular Thoughts
Posted: March 26, 2011 Filed under: Campaigns, Fluff/Inspiration, Homebrew, RPG, Spirits Of Eden Leave a comment »In times of uncertainty, it can be said that treading familiar ground is comfortable. Believing my work to have stagnated, I have identified some fragment of the cause. Far too much of my writing work on Eden seems to involve writing atop two-year-old prose, editing two-year-old articles and particularly, editing a two-year-old page. As an experiment, I want to try to write some fresh prose in place of those previously unassailable articles which have existed on my Eden page, and rethink some of the previously unassailable concepts held within. This includes adding a new page, which I believe encompasses the project a bit better – The World of Adel, rather than the Spirits of Eden Campaign Setting. I believe this new name better represent the idea that I’m working on something that’s not relative to any one game, since “campaign setting” seems largely to be a D&D-inspired term that in my experience generates D&D expectations. Also, there has always been a problem with the name of the planet vs the name of the setting vs the name of the supercontinent which I hope to rectify by just calling it all “Adel.”
As usual, the 4e page will remain untouched, as I have received emails in the past that have asked for its continued protection, and though I ignore developing it, it will remain.
If you have any comments on what would make the material more accessible to you, given that I want this to be a useful reconstruction for all of us, please leave them here. I will assure you that I answer all of my comments promptly as I can.
The Divine Defender X
Posted: March 24, 2011 Filed under: Fluff/Inspiration, RPG, Spirits Of Eden, The Divine Defender Leave a comment »Paliurus Squadron (III)
Kaleen tossed and turned in bed, trapped within her mind.
Illusory battles haunted her dreams. She found herself in the midst of a molten landscape, a fluid waste of liquid sand and mineral trees. A solution of every place she had ever imagined, and overwhelmed by enemies. Her blade swept clumsily over an Elven warrior in its faceless suit of armor, leaving her open for a brutish Sorian, who’s fists connected with her midsection like the hammer to a gong. An angel’s arachnid legs seized her and held her fast against a stone. All of her strength left her. Kaleen heard the aural chorus of her hymns but it gave her no advantage, no matter which spell she tried to sing. No fire appeared to sweep away her enemies and no force broke her bonds.
Spindly steel limbs forced her chin up and her eyes spread. Before her, Paliurus Squadron had been arranged in similar bonds. The Elf’s sword, the Sorian’s claws, the Angel’s sharp limbs, each caressed the vulnerable neck of a fellow sister whom she knew she had failed. One by one, she saw her squad mates beheaded, and suffered their lifeless eyes to stare into her own, each judging her unfit to lead.
Embracing Setting Changes
Posted: March 23, 2011 Filed under: Campaigns, Fluff/Inspiration, Other Systems, RPG, Spirits Of Eden Leave a comment »If you’re interested in worldbuilding, these kinds of articles are a great part of my process. Every once in a while my own conception of my own setting changes. Whenever that happens, I sit down and I write to myself what it is I want to change. I decided to post it and let you in on the process, and what sorts of things I want changed.
The changes are such that I feel the need to comb through past articles and see whether they still fit enough to be linked to in my setting page, or if I should remove the links, thus parting them from the glorious canon. This is the nice thing of having it all on a blog and editable. There are a couple things that I’d like reader input on before I go take the red pen to them. So if you’re interested in worldbuilding or you’re a fan of Eden, help me out here. I want to start rolling in a few edits and retcons here and there, here’s my ideas.
The Divine Defender IX
Posted: March 22, 2011 Filed under: Fluff/Inspiration, RPG, Spirits Of Eden, The Divine Defender Leave a comment »Paliurus Squadron (II)
Paliurus Squadron – as the assembly of the Mothers recognized it – gathered for the first time in the open stone court used by the convent as a training field. They had each been brought their full combat dress by a pack of excitable Cherubim at the tower. Now outfitted and dismissed, they awaited their first communication together as a squadron.
At the head of the Squadron, Kaleen stood with a weight upon her head she had never felt before – the dull iron band of the common Seraphim had been replaced with the silver crown of a Seraphim captain. For a few hours she had been weighed down by this unnatural addition to her armor. She felt she would never get used to it. This weight seemed to have been balanced by lightness at her hip as sleek blade replaced her heavy mace. But this changed little – the crown was closer to her skin than the sword, and still discomforting. The crown even contrasted her skin and hair more than her old, dull little iron band did. In every way the silver crown seemed to call too much attention to itself.
Hampered by this turbulence, Kaleen stood before her squadron on the court.
Copper Coins! beta: Fighter Archetype
Posted: March 21, 2011 Filed under: Copper Coins!, Homebrew, Other Systems, RPG 2 Comments »Here’s a preview of the Fighter archetype from Copper Coins! beta. For comparison purposes, this is basically what an archetype was in the alpha:
Fighter
Perks: Vitality (6), Mettle (5), Wounds (5), Willpower (3), Light Armor Use (1), Heavy Armor Use (1), Shield Use (1), Protect Allies (1), Weapon Power (3), Brawn (1), Language (1), Aggressor (1)Skills: Simple Weapons (5), Athletics (5), Object Use (5), Advanced Weapons (4), Labor (4), Exotic Weapons (3), Intimidation, Deceit or Persuasion (any one at 3), Medicinal Lore (3), Wilderness Lore (3), Common Lore (3), Stealth (2), Artistry (2), any other Lore skill (2).
Talents: Agitate (1), Power Blow (1) and any talent at (1).
The Divine Defender VIII
Posted: March 17, 2011 Filed under: Fluff/Inspiration, RPG, Spirits Of Eden, The Divine Defender 1 Comment »Paliurus Squadron (I)
The Seraphim (and one Cherubim) formed a line in front of the Mothers, who appraised the whole group. Kaleen stood in the center, Andante and Shanti on opposite ends and the two strange women directly beside her. Though wind blew enough to upset their gowns, there was a tense silence nonetheless. Their every movement would be scrutinized.
To Kaleen’s immediate left stood a dark-skinned Damakran woman, a head taller than Kaleen with her hair down to the jaw in a bob, dyed a light red. She was not as large as Mother Nall, but Kaleen could trace the rough shape of her biceps under the fabric of her sleeves, as well as her broad shoulders and the solid definition of her abdomen through her gown. The fin-shaped protrusion on the peak of her head, characteristic of the Damakran, was subdued, rising only three inches and tapering off the back of her head.
A ghost of a woman with wolf-like ears pointing backwards and a gray tail stood to Kaleen’s right hand. Around her neck she wore a small, ornate iron band bearing magic runes. Everything about her was frighteningly pale, from her wavy locks of hair to the near-transparent skin on her hands and neck, assuming a semblance of color only on her face. One of her eyes was covered in a black patch, while the other was red as the Sargassan sunset. She was shorter than Kaleen but not nearly as small as Shanti, and very light of build, almost dainty. Perfectly straight and unshaken and with a countenance that betrayed no emotion, the woman seemed almost like an apparition.
For several minutes these figures remained solid as statues until Mother Leyka stood before the squadron again, turned to the two mothers, and presented them.
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Spiritual Talk