Friendship is Dragons
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Page 506 - The Face of Terror
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All of my fears are irrational though, so I have no real say in what someone should and shouldn't have for a fear.
And what about playing the halflife series? Those hamdogs are freaking creepy!
Booooowwwwwwwwww I found those hamdog things more annoying than creepy. I think what creeped me out were the noises the black ops made when you're lost in a maze of crates.
This one in particular http://residentevil.wikia.com/File:A_bridge_to_far_in_re5_(16).jpg
I guess I'll start. There is a legend in my game world, of the ancient ones. The precursors of dragons. As the legend goes, they drift through the void, and devour all that they encounter, devastating entire words before leaving the planets and traveling to new ones. These creatures creatures approached Earth, and began devouring all life, when a young True Dragon spoke out, saying that this world should not be destroyed. The others turned on the dissenter, and he was forced to fight, and slay his comerades. From their bodies, he created the dragons we know today.
From his virtue, his scales turned gleaming platinum, and he took the name of the lord of all dragons, Bahamut.
That's right, people. The dragons in my game world, the six legged, five hundred hundred meter long, 250 meter tall creatures that are the single most dangerous species on the planet, are the half breed spawn of cosmic horrors.
In case you can't tell, my game world has some EPIC fights.
We were playing a level 20 campaign for a short while, and at one point we came against an Ancient Wyrm red dragon (with lots of caster levels) and his flunkies. We nearly died at the door except that I removed the dragon for a few turns via portable hole and bag of holding while we mopped up minions.
So a few rounds later, when the dragon came back and we'd fought it for a round or two, the bard decided to try a Deadly Performance to kill the dragon by playing a very happy song about a dragon dying of joy. The dragon rolled a 2 on its fort save and died. The entire party was stunned. It was unanimously decided that any bard that can slay a dragon with music deserved their own legend, so we started waxing on about how she was chosen by destiny, yada yada. Basically we gave a Jack Black style drum-up complete with air guitar and obnoxious screaming.
So a few rounds later, when the dragon came back and we'd fought it for a round or two, the bard decided to try a Deadly Performance to kill the dragon by playing a very happy song about a dragon dying of joy. The dragon rolled a 2 on its fort save and died. The entire party was stunned. It was unanimously decided that any bard that can slay a dragon with music deserved their own legend, so we started waxing on about how she was chosen by destiny, yada yada. Basically we gave a Jack Black style drum-up complete with air guitar and obnoxious screaming.
Sounds like a call for a Tenacious D reference, myself. Just swap 'devil' for 'dragon' and make a few other appropriate alterations...
Raxon, are you familiar with the D&D Immortals set, by any chance?
That had a race called the draeden, which were suspected of being related to dragons (mind you, the Immortals suspected any race older than them to be related to dragons... but to be fair, there did seem to be a kind of kinship between them, as dragons were the only race weaker than they that the draeden paid any respect whatsoever to). They were pretty much exactly what you describe, apart from not looking anything like dragons...
...In their natural forms, anyway. One of their abilities was always looking like the most powerful, horrific, and undefeatable opponent the viewer could imagine. It was specifically mentioned in their description that most mortals would see them as colossal dragons.
While that edition of D&D had few Lovecraftian references (unless you count the creatures from the fifth through third dimensions, which generated supernatural feelings of revulsion in inhabitants of our dimensions - feelings that were mutual. Think human/VUX) one could interpret much of the Lovecraftian mythos as draeden seen through the eyes of mortals able to imagine things worse than dragons the size of planetoids.
That had a race called the draeden, which were suspected of being related to dragons (mind you, the Immortals suspected any race older than them to be related to dragons... but to be fair, there did seem to be a kind of kinship between them, as dragons were the only race weaker than they that the draeden paid any respect whatsoever to). They were pretty much exactly what you describe, apart from not looking anything like dragons...
...In their natural forms, anyway. One of their abilities was always looking like the most powerful, horrific, and undefeatable opponent the viewer could imagine. It was specifically mentioned in their description that most mortals would see them as colossal dragons.
While that edition of D&D had few Lovecraftian references (unless you count the creatures from the fifth through third dimensions, which generated supernatural feelings of revulsion in inhabitants of our dimensions - feelings that were mutual. Think human/VUX) one could interpret much of the Lovecraftian mythos as draeden seen through the eyes of mortals able to imagine things worse than dragons the size of planetoids.
They are a prime example of cosmic horrors. Universal extinction of all other life kind of a threat.
They were hundreds of kilometers long, and had weights in the millions of tons. They are a threat so massive that it would take pre-timeskip Raxon to even have a chance of fending them off. You know, when he was a literal force of nature, and wielded nigh unlimited power. Yeah, this is the kind of crap he dealt with back home. The DC universe must be such a relaxing place for him to retire in.
In modern days, the weapons were seen as a legend. That was, until the scientist Samson (Imagine Vegapunk mixed with the mayor from Buffy), found one, and set out to form them together to defeat his father, the fleet admiral (who was also the tyrant from the past), and his brother (who had eaten the peregrine phoniex fruit)
What I liked was that the party never got to use these. The villains always kept them just out of reach, or had already used them. In the end, the three factions of the world (The Phoniex, Samson, and the Fleet Admiral) were at a stand still, and the party decided who became the new ruler of the world. (Enough of the party sided with Samson that he won.)
My players once met a Fae, and he explained to them that countless centuries ago all of creation was threatened by a grand cataclysm. Gods were struck down, planets torn apart and only the Yellow King could stand against it. He saved creation, or at least some of it, so one of his chosen followers, 'The Martyr', gave his life "for a second time" to restore all creation. In his honour the Fae were created to safeguard creation and his soul was drawn out of the cycle of life and death to exist in eternity.
....
It was about ten minutes layer that one of my players realised 'The Martyr' was actually our rangers old character from about three campaigns ago.......
Legend tells of three ancient artifacts that, when brought together, contain the power to destroy a pool of magic known as "The Pool of Radiance". These three items are the Sword of Lythandor, the Gauntlets of Moander, and the Helmet of Dragons. Alone, each item is very powerful, but together, they can make a warrior unstoppable. The items were created specifically for the destruction of the Pool of Radiance, and thus their power is dormant as long as a Pool of Radiance does not exist.
My players aren't aware of it yet, but they'll be forced to find and obtain these three items soon enough because in the end of the campaign they'll have to face off against the Pool of Radiance.
My players aren't aware of it yet, but they'll be forced to find and obtain these three items soon enough because in the end of the campaign they'll have to face off against the Pool of Radiance.
Dear gods ... what system to you tend to play and how much do i have to pay in order to buy in?
A campaign I once played in had a legend regarding Bahamut and Tiamat. In this canon, the two weren't considered gods, but they were so close to it that they might as well have been.
When civilization was still young and the spark of sentience was only beginning to form in the earliest peoples, the two dragons plotted against the gods. They had no divinity of their own, and they wanted it. They attacked the gods, killing several before finally being subdued. Tiamat was sealed in an alternate dimension, only free for one day every one thousand years. Bahamut's punishment, however, was more severe--he was literally shattered, and his scales were scattered across the world and turned into dragonstones, which were gemstones of immense power used for high-tier magic implements.
A few millennia later, Tiamat destroys nearly all of civilization during the twilight years of a great renaissance, but that's another story altogether.
When civilization was still young and the spark of sentience was only beginning to form in the earliest peoples, the two dragons plotted against the gods. They had no divinity of their own, and they wanted it. They attacked the gods, killing several before finally being subdued. Tiamat was sealed in an alternate dimension, only free for one day every one thousand years. Bahamut's punishment, however, was more severe--he was literally shattered, and his scales were scattered across the world and turned into dragonstones, which were gemstones of immense power used for high-tier magic implements.
A few millennia later, Tiamat destroys nearly all of civilization during the twilight years of a great renaissance, but that's another story altogether.
Haven't actually gotten around to figuring out what the hell Bahamut actually did to him. Kinda leaning toward killed, with a vast army of dragons charging into battle against against the eldritch evil that is Tiamat.
We are talking some crazy awesome epic tier campaign stuff, where a brood for thirty dragons is an easy encounter.
Seriously, at this point, the characters are god tier powerful, may as well go all out. Why not have the gods pick sides, and get the forces of good and evil interested in having the whole world as a strategic foothold?
Hello! I have been reading Friendship is Dragons and I wish to interject with a tale of yore from a campaign I plan to do, but will probably never get around to making.
It starts with a race called the Archons, which are a precursor race to all life in a D&D world that as of right now has no original name. The Archons wielded silly amounts of power in all fields, as they were the chosen race of the God of Destruction Azerthothness. Eventually, they flew too close to the sun, and created a weapon, called the Godarc, which could slay Gods. Needless to say, they never got the chance to use it, as they were Uber-Nuked by every God but Azerthothness, who swore vengence for the destruction of his chosen people.
It's a work in progress, but it could prove interesting to have players trek through an Archon ruin, searching for powerful artefacts of ridiculous attack bonuses.
It starts with a race called the Archons, which are a precursor race to all life in a D&D world that as of right now has no original name. The Archons wielded silly amounts of power in all fields, as they were the chosen race of the God of Destruction Azerthothness. Eventually, they flew too close to the sun, and created a weapon, called the Godarc, which could slay Gods. Needless to say, they never got the chance to use it, as they were Uber-Nuked by every God but Azerthothness, who swore vengence for the destruction of his chosen people.
It's a work in progress, but it could prove interesting to have players trek through an Archon ruin, searching for powerful artefacts of ridiculous attack bonuses.
Raxon needs to try to resurrect the species in order to challenge them to a collective dance off.
He must be stopped, naturally, but I can't think of a more unnecessarily stupid and shortsighted idea, and quite frankly, he's just as likely to plant bombs in all of them and set them off after the dance off. Because that makes everything better!
As far as Legends goes, I have no tales of that. My DM, however, and his friend were both playing characters in a campaign that basically became the avatars of their chosen gods, Tyr and Helm. The follower of Tyr created an axe that not only housed his soul in it, but would also siphon the soul of anyone else that would lay hold on it and add the power of that soul onto itself. The follower of Helm, however, had a shield that was ultimately indestructible and shielded the wielder from practically every ill effect, including the power the axe possessed. Eventually legends were created that the end time would be harrowed by the meeting of the two in battle and once the axe hit the shield, a colossal amount of energy would be unleashed causing the destruction of the area and anything that was in it. It also never happened but whatever.
I pointed out to them that it reminded me of the intro to Dungeon Siege 2 and they kinda gave me the same odd look people sometimes gives me when I mention that I remembered what it was like to have dial-up. Oh well, at least it gives me a story to tell here.
There's a bit more involving the Godarc and the Archons technological prowess (Flying Warforged with light sabers???) but some of it is ridiculously silly and juvenile.
In my campaign world, there are a few legends and myths that my players have come upon, but there is one that best fits story time today: the story of the Age of the Titans. There are seven Ages in my setting, and most adventures take place in the fourth or fifth, as they are the Ages of Mortals and of Expansion, respectively. The second Age was the Age of Titans, and ended many thousands of years before the fourth age began.
During this Age, there were four Titans who wandered the Earth, doing as they pleased, be it ravaging or building. The Red Titan was a fiery and destructive entity that knew only anger and chaos, and wherever he tred, ruin followed. The Green Titan was very different, being an entity of boundless life energy; wherever he tred, vast forests would sprout in his wake, over growing the fledgling cities of man. The Green Titan was neither good nor evil, for it knew only life and growth. The Gray Titan appeared as a great, hulking armored man with a sword said to be made of Force itself. He was a wild one, knowing not peace in his heart, and he slew any man or beast who crossed his path, always searching for one who could best him. Lastly was the Blue Titan, unlike his brothers in many ways; he had little power, being of pure Will and Cunning. He wandered the land, turning man against man and beast against beast, ensuring the rule of the Titans by preventing mortals from uniting against them.
But it would not last. There came a great Master of Artifice and Arcana, a person forgotten to history and time, known now only by the title of The Laughing Son. He set himself against the Titans, intent on ending their dominion over the Earth. In his quest he traveled, and learned many things and met many people, both good and evil, both strong and weak. He discovered Starmetal, the leftovers from fallen Stars themselves, and began to work it in his craft. For seven years he worked the Starmetal, and shaped it to his will, and infused his Artifice upon it. For seven years he secretly gathered allies to his cause, hiding in a place unknown to the Titans. Seven years was his toil.
Then, he was finished. He had created the Hyperstone, an Artifact of unknowable power, capable of killing the unkillable and breaking the unbreakable. He set forth with his allies, his band of warriors and scholars and workers, and sought the Titans, to slay them and free the Earth from their dominion.
First they came upon the Gray Titan, who, being a master of only physical combat, was utterly obliterated by the power brought to bear against him. As he died, it is said that his armor was shattered and scattered across the Earth, and he passed with great rage and much resentment, for he had not yet found his equal in combat.
The Titans knew now that a great threat existed against them, and they sought to destroy the Laughing Son and his Hyperstone and his companions. They sent the Red Titan to destroy them, and to ensure the Hyperstone was no more. The Son and his party came upon the Red Titan in the night, alerted by the great clouds of ash and fire that followed him. A titanic battle was waged, with many proud heroes falling to the Chaos Magic and Evocations of the Titan. Volcanoes burst from the ground, the Earth shifted and was torn asunder, fire and smoke consumed the world. But, at the end of it, the Red Titan fell, his own power becoming his weakness against the Hyperstone. It is said that even in death, his corpse spited the world, burning a hole through the earth until coming to rest in its molten core.
Now on the defensive, the Titans began to avoid Mortals and Beasts, fearing to encounter the Laughing Son of Humanity and be destroyed. The Son, his companions thinned by their fight with the Red One, pursued the Green Titan next, following the great trails of jungles and forests it left in its wake. It was but one month before they came upon the Green Titan, and engaged it in battle. Unlike the Gray or Red Titans, the fight with Green was one of endurance; so vast was his life energy that the Hyperstone could not kill it in one blow. The companions and the Son took shifts manning the Hyperstone, continuously fighting the Titan with it, until after a period of seven days, the great Green Titan fell, it's body becoming one with the earth and fueling its growth. It is said that his tears rain down from the sky whenever a life is taken prematurely.
There remained but one Titan upon the face of the Earth, the Blue One. Having seen his brothers destroyed by the companions, he fled to a high place, knowing he could not fight the Son and the Stone. But the Hyperstone had been forged to slay the Titans, and would not be satisfied until it did, and it pointed the Son to go to the high place where the Blue Titan hid. It was not long before the companions arrived at the Blue One's refuge, and sought him out; but him, being of great cunning, had laid many traps and alarms, and he was made aware of their presence, and he fled his high place for a low place under the depths of the great seas. The companions suffered losses, but were resolved to see their business to the end, and they pursued him to his low place. The Blue One had foreseen this, and laid more traps for the companions, to weaken their numbers and their resolve so that he might escape. They, being prepared for this, were able to seek him and find him, avoiding his traps, but were unable to defeat him before he fled.
The Blue Titan ran to another place, and another, and another, the Son and his comapanions always on his heels. He began to come to them in disguise, and sent illusions after them, and did as he had done to Men during the reign of the Titans, and drove wedges between them. The companions were fractured, and began to depart from their quest, and returned to their homes. Their numbers dwindled as they chased ever onwards. After seven years of chasing the Blue One, finally only the Son and his faithful chronicler were left.
But after seven years, the Blue Titan had become exhausted, and could flee no more. The Son came upon him at noontime, where he lay quietly against a great stone along a cliffside. The Son, expecting another ruse, was cautious, and feared to approach. The Blue One invited him to sit down, as he wished to speak with the one who had undone what could not be undone. Convinced, the Son came and sat beside his enemy, and they did speak at length about mortality, the impossible, and what a human truly was. And they spoke for a day and a night, neither resting nor eating, until the dawn of the second day, whereupon the Blue One rose and proclaimed that he now understood what he must do. And he took the Hyperstone from the Son, and he slew himself with it, and it is said that as he died, he let out a great laugh that echoed across the whole world, and the companions who had abandoned their quest wept with shame.
The Hyperstone fell from the cliffside into the great river below, and was swept away. The Son, now an old man, smiled as he lay against the great stone on the cliff, and passed on quietly, content that his mission had ended. The Hyperstone was lost, and Men and Mortals upon the Earth rejoiced and lived free from the tyranny of the Titans. So ended the Second Age, and began the Third Age, the Golden Age.
I also noticed a lot of intervals of seven units. Significance?
I'd dump an overview of my homebrew pantheon, but my notes are a bit of a mess right now. I'll save them for another day; suffice it to say that certain deities are heavily inspired by pre-extant characters. (eg Discord/Q/Ceogorach for the Chaotic Neutral prankster, with a Raxon Dunwich knockoff as his demigod follower and not-Old Man Henderson as his mortal champion. The Mane 6 also make appearances with pseudo-Latin names, as does Buttercup the horse god of fertility and half-breeds from Jackobol Trades' stories in the mid-400s. I swear, between Buttercup and Armbrost that guy has the best damn character stories.)
Yes, there are many noticeable effects from the age of the titans! There are several mountain ranges that were born during the Red Titan's fight, as well as two oceans that, while not immediately, owe their existence to the geological tremors and shakings that the fight created.
EDIT: And how could I forget the most important part? At the heart of the site of the battle, there is a great volcano, said to be so vast and ancient that it may very well be the hole that the Red Titan's body burned in the earth. Nothing has ever been able to grow in the surrounding area, either. ;)
I miiiiiiight have a thing for the number seven. :p
I remember Buttercup! I loved reading that story... And there's nothing wrong with drawing inspiration from other sources. I borrowed from the story "Ponies Play D&D" when I made a party of recurring high-level characters for the fourth age that my players often interact with near the ends of campaigns. I wouldn't mind hearing about your lore sometime. :)
Zombie clown dogs? ...oh, that does sound like a creepy evil thing to throw at a party.
Funny how it takes a moment for Twi to realize the Nightmare Moon part. XD
Funny how it takes a moment for Twi to realize the Nightmare Moon part. XD
Grim Adventures is kind of hard to be scared of when everything is so goofy. :) One of the funniest depictions of the Reaper though.
Grim Fandango is a great game! :D A bizarre world of the undead with some great humor to it.
And then I ask Manny to pick up the litter box.
And then I ask Manny to pick up the litter box.
Mythos building... Happened randomly in a DnD game with my dwarf when I started playing him. He nearly died (got revived just in time)as he talked about seeing a dwarf ghost. So then he started shouting Thulmar grant me strength in times of need as so forth. Everyone else tried to figure out which god he was worshiping and I just said the dwarf didn't know. For all he knew the dwarf being he saw was a ghost or a death knight.
Then because he started getting popular as it was a critical hit/death blow saying as he did do a lot of crazy stuff (climbed a giant and choked it to death with a chain!) the DM eventually made us go to find an old tomb. Apparently some dwarven lore talked about a being called Thulmar. (Dwarf, god, or undead being was unknown).
From there it started being a world building moment fighting the undead as a necromancer tried to steal a holy relic... It was an axe called De Knee Chapa! (The name I would always call my latest weapon of course.)
Lots of chaos as my dwarf managed to retrieve the weapon after the fight (elven mage caused part of the temple to collapse killing the necromancer.)
And it ended on the question of who this being was and more importantly if he was a good deity or an evil deity. (The elf didn't trust Thulmar by sighting that if he was a good deity or being there would be records that he knew about.)
Then because he started getting popular as it was a critical hit/death blow saying as he did do a lot of crazy stuff (climbed a giant and choked it to death with a chain!) the DM eventually made us go to find an old tomb. Apparently some dwarven lore talked about a being called Thulmar. (Dwarf, god, or undead being was unknown).
From there it started being a world building moment fighting the undead as a necromancer tried to steal a holy relic... It was an axe called De Knee Chapa! (The name I would always call my latest weapon of course.)
Lots of chaos as my dwarf managed to retrieve the weapon after the fight (elven mage caused part of the temple to collapse killing the necromancer.)
And it ended on the question of who this being was and more importantly if he was a good deity or an evil deity. (The elf didn't trust Thulmar by sighting that if he was a good deity or being there would be records that he knew about.)
World building and Dwarven axes, huh? Here's a toy I want to drop on PCs sometime but haven't had the chance yet; you're welcome to borrow it for your own games:
The Blood Axe
This is a Dwarfen mining axe of fine quality, with a hammerhead on the back of the blade. Its magic appears when it strikes rock and casts a variation on Stone to Flesh, letting the axe blade easily bite deep into what was previously solid rock. The axe gets its name because digging this way is messy – the rock bleeds! Happily, this problem is addressed by the axe's other enchantment, a Clean spell which may be activated at will by the user; a Power enchantment lets these be used at no fatigue cost. And since rock is turned to meat, this can be used as a limited food source, which can be handy if the user is deep underground. Note that while it's a good axe, none of the enchantments provide any advantages in combat.
The Blood Axe
This is a Dwarfen mining axe of fine quality, with a hammerhead on the back of the blade. Its magic appears when it strikes rock and casts a variation on Stone to Flesh, letting the axe blade easily bite deep into what was previously solid rock. The axe gets its name because digging this way is messy – the rock bleeds! Happily, this problem is addressed by the axe's other enchantment, a Clean spell which may be activated at will by the user; a Power enchantment lets these be used at no fatigue cost. And since rock is turned to meat, this can be used as a limited food source, which can be handy if the user is deep underground. Note that while it's a good axe, none of the enchantments provide any advantages in combat.
And I guess Clean hurts slimes like a watered-down Horrid Wilting? I'm not familiar with a Clean spell beyond Prestidigitation, which explicitly can't deal damage directly.
I like this weapon/tool. I shall appropriate it as a unique artifact lost in my setting's extensive Dwarven ruins.
Countless times I assume. But that is only half the story, no? We, as adventurers, explorers, survivors, and kleptomaniacal insane behemoth experiments gone wrong, have a need to find out more about the legends we care for so much. But of course, some legends are miss-interpreted, created from nothing with no realism behind it, or turned into a nice, bardic like, song for us to enjoy.
-Edit-
Also, this is of some importance, I was viewing Deviant art for inspiration towards more D20 shinanagins, and found something I really shouldn't have, it is just too perfect.
Coincidence?
Personally, I've never found clowns to be naturally scary. Aside from the ones in horror movies who are specifically made to be creepy, I've always actually kind of liked clowns.
Legends? Uhm... I have one, but it's not that big of one and came from a game that never got far. This was a campaign we were doing after the last one I talked about, and we were in this dungeon. Wacky times ensue, including a group of Kobolds assisting our Bard as a band. But the only real legend making can be when we got into one room and there was a statue in the center. Now, before I go on, I'd like to point out this was still the same GM. So as a result, it was none other than Jackery Bard.
Wish it was a story time about stories. Then I could tell you guys about a Wizard named Mundus.
Wish it was a story time about stories. Then I could tell you guys about a Wizard named Mundus.
zombie were-mutts.
(domesticated dogs instead of wolf side.)
pug, dachshund, sheepdog...
(domesticated dogs instead of wolf side.)
pug, dachshund, sheepdog...
Ugh... I can relate to not liking dogs Spud... I can never really be comfortable around them, even with ones I've known for my entire life...
I don't mean to sound cruel, but few humans, much less dogs, can get up after taking a steel toe to the face. Dogs have a crucial weakness, and that weakness is that in order to attack, they necessarily have to expose their head and neck, two of their most sensitive weak points.
Now bears, I could understand. They can stand upright, and rip your throat out, and generally have 300 lbs on you, as well as the fact they're more or less armored due to their sheer size and bulk. But a dog? Naw. Heck, canine units in the military and police are most effective at taking down fleeing suspects. Anyone with a knife and a cool head is likely to kill that poor dog.
Then again, people who kill police dogs get hurt pretty damn bad in prison. They're often killed, because, you know, punching a dude or smoking weed may be illegal, but killing someone's dog? Funny how that works. Criminals in prison mostly hate people who kill police dogs, because heck, the dog ain't responsible. They may hate cops, but they don't hate the dogs.
They do the same thing in prison to guys who hurt kids...guess hardened criminals have a soft spot for kids and pets.
If, for example, I killed everyone in a nursing home, I would be dead within a week of arriving in prison. That crap doesn't fly.
I have seen and read literally hundreds of cases where the most feared criminals have some code or honor about them (that deal with creatures or children usually). Granted a lot of them are fiction because I watch television and read books that were several times higher then my age limit should have allowed, but that's besides the point.
Those with low/ no morals, get no respect and are forgotten when gone.
"Killing cop."
Awesome! You'll fit right in here!"
"And his cop dog."
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
Most of the games I played in as a player, there wasn't much emphasis on mythos...but as a GM, I do try to work some in.
Take Tales of Equestria, my still being worked on anthro-pony RPG...I doubt I'll get it any where near shareable any time soon. Anyways...
There is a legend, older than the Two Sisters, of a lost era of time, the First Empire. The oldest legends place this empire centuries before the Two Sisters or the founding of Equestria. Some scholers have extrapolated it has having existed 10,000 years before the recognized history of Equestria began!!
According to the legends, the First Empire was founded by the Alicorn Council, 12 powerful Alicorns who ruled over not only the world Equestria is part of, but of many worlds, as they had blended science and magic together to create the first MageTech! Their civilization florished for centuries until a young Alicorn rose to join the council. He had a darker vision for the world, a world where he and his Unicorn followers would rule over all other life. The council cast him down and for that, he declared war on all of them.
In his fortress, he crafted MageTech abominations to release upon the world and crafted an ultimate weapon to destroy the First Empire Capital in one blast, but a brave band of warriors, lead by a Unicorn, breached his lair and detonated the device, only to discover another had been made and secreted into the Great City. The second device failed to fully activate, but it brought devastation still, turning the fertile land into a white desert, the White Sand Desert as it is called today. What remained of the Mad Alicorn's city lay in the heart of the Black Sand Desert.
After this devastation, the Alicorns retreated to another world, taking most of their knowledge and MageTech, fearing another incident. The Ponies broke into tribes, some remembering their past through stories. And some ponies still search for clues to this lost era, even if some say it is just a fairy tail.
Take Tales of Equestria, my still being worked on anthro-pony RPG...I doubt I'll get it any where near shareable any time soon. Anyways...
There is a legend, older than the Two Sisters, of a lost era of time, the First Empire. The oldest legends place this empire centuries before the Two Sisters or the founding of Equestria. Some scholers have extrapolated it has having existed 10,000 years before the recognized history of Equestria began!!
According to the legends, the First Empire was founded by the Alicorn Council, 12 powerful Alicorns who ruled over not only the world Equestria is part of, but of many worlds, as they had blended science and magic together to create the first MageTech! Their civilization florished for centuries until a young Alicorn rose to join the council. He had a darker vision for the world, a world where he and his Unicorn followers would rule over all other life. The council cast him down and for that, he declared war on all of them.
In his fortress, he crafted MageTech abominations to release upon the world and crafted an ultimate weapon to destroy the First Empire Capital in one blast, but a brave band of warriors, lead by a Unicorn, breached his lair and detonated the device, only to discover another had been made and secreted into the Great City. The second device failed to fully activate, but it brought devastation still, turning the fertile land into a white desert, the White Sand Desert as it is called today. What remained of the Mad Alicorn's city lay in the heart of the Black Sand Desert.
After this devastation, the Alicorns retreated to another world, taking most of their knowledge and MageTech, fearing another incident. The Ponies broke into tribes, some remembering their past through stories. And some ponies still search for clues to this lost era, even if some say it is just a fairy tail.
Another bit of Mythos pertains to the Travelers, the Equestrian equivalent of Gypsies.
In the first days, the Travelers were just know as Those Who Chose No Home. Moving from place to place in beast drawn wagons and carts, living off the land and doing what they must to survive. They lived by a creed, No place called home, no pony called Master.
It wasn't until the Rise of the Two Sisters that things began to change. Celestia wasn't sure how to handle these wandering ponies, for she was trying to make sure all her ponies were safe in cities and towns. It would be Luna, known as the Night Maiden by the Travelers, that would suggest the best course of action, to leave them be. She knew they traveled far and wide and gathered many stories and artifacts from around the lands. She slowly culitvated a friendship with them. To show their acceptance of her friendship, to this day as well, all Traveler Wagons have the Lunar Symbol on them and all Travelers carry the Lunar Symbol on them, often on a pendant or buckle. Luna was the one who gifted them with the name Travelers, saying that those who traveled far and wide with no fear or predjuduce were true Travelers.
During the fall of Luna and the Rise of Nightmare Moon, the Travelers retreated to the shadows, fearful that Celestia would turn on them, thinking they were tainted like the Night Maiden, but Celestia forgot about them. For 1000 yrs, they lived as they always did, but worried about Alicorns rising among them. Luna had given some Travelers access to the Royal Library and they had learned about Ascension and feared what Celestia would do if a Traveler Ascended to the Alicorn Form. For this, Travelers are very careful to learn their skill, but never fully master it.
With the Return of Luna, the Travelers send envoys to Canterlot and learned the Night Maiden remembered them and their Friendship. She chose a handful to serve as the Eyes of the Night, Travelers who would report directly to Luna on anything that was out of place or possibly a threat. One of these Travelers is Trixie...
In the first days, the Travelers were just know as Those Who Chose No Home. Moving from place to place in beast drawn wagons and carts, living off the land and doing what they must to survive. They lived by a creed, No place called home, no pony called Master.
It wasn't until the Rise of the Two Sisters that things began to change. Celestia wasn't sure how to handle these wandering ponies, for she was trying to make sure all her ponies were safe in cities and towns. It would be Luna, known as the Night Maiden by the Travelers, that would suggest the best course of action, to leave them be. She knew they traveled far and wide and gathered many stories and artifacts from around the lands. She slowly culitvated a friendship with them. To show their acceptance of her friendship, to this day as well, all Traveler Wagons have the Lunar Symbol on them and all Travelers carry the Lunar Symbol on them, often on a pendant or buckle. Luna was the one who gifted them with the name Travelers, saying that those who traveled far and wide with no fear or predjuduce were true Travelers.
During the fall of Luna and the Rise of Nightmare Moon, the Travelers retreated to the shadows, fearful that Celestia would turn on them, thinking they were tainted like the Night Maiden, but Celestia forgot about them. For 1000 yrs, they lived as they always did, but worried about Alicorns rising among them. Luna had given some Travelers access to the Royal Library and they had learned about Ascension and feared what Celestia would do if a Traveler Ascended to the Alicorn Form. For this, Travelers are very careful to learn their skill, but never fully master it.
With the Return of Luna, the Travelers send envoys to Canterlot and learned the Night Maiden remembered them and their Friendship. She chose a handful to serve as the Eyes of the Night, Travelers who would report directly to Luna on anything that was out of place or possibly a threat. One of these Travelers is Trixie...
I'm actually somewhat responsible for my youngest sister's phobia of clowns... when I was about 9 or so (making my youngest sister about 6), my friend and I would continuously watch horror movies, and make my sisters watch them with us. One of our favorites was Stephen King's It. Pennywise was scary as hell, and we loved it. My sister? Let's just say she wasn't too thrilled.
As I have said before, Tim Curry is awesome, among my top ten sexiest and most talented movie stars. Seems a bit odd there aren't many women on the list, but I like to chalk that up the fact that women don't need to be good actors to make it in hollywood.
I mean, they do have to be good at something, just not always acting. Seems to me that at this point, if the actors' guild really wanted to benefit actresses, they'd all get complementary knee pads for their auditions.
Then again, I suppose that goes for a lot of guys, too, but three quarters of the leading ladies in hollywood are leading ladies because they slept with someone, or a lot of people to get parts. At least, I assume they did. It would be a shame if the directors actually thought they had talent.
Most male actors are crap, too, with few exceptions. Especially sports stars and singers. DAMN YOU SHAQUILLE O'NEAL! STOP RUINING MY FAVORITE SUPERHEROS! SHAFT WAS AWESOME UNTIL HE WAS IN YOUR MOVIE, AND YOU SCREWED STEEL OVER WITH YOUR CRAP ACTING!
Well then how about a zombie clown then? A movie had one of those....
The white face make-up of clowns, and indeed clowns as a concept, originated after the Black Death; the make-up disguised its wearer and symbolized death—and the dead can do or say anything, because they are beyond law and custom. Similar to court fools, clowns thus were an outlet for social commentary on difficult or taboo subjects. The humor, where it existed, was far rougher and blacker than modern audiences would tolerate.
I like to draw from existing mythologies when creating a setting for a game. When I ran a Little Fears game for my cousins, I decided to run with a little Greek inspiration. Specifically, the Oneiroi. See, we already have Closetland, a world of monsters and nightmares. So a world of Dreams seemed a fitting addition!
The Dream world was ruled by the three brothers: Morpheus, whose domain was pleasant dreams; Phantasos, whose domain was surreal and prophetic dreams; and Phobetor, whose domain was nightmares. Morpheus was the eldest, and thus the King of Dreams. But he had been gone for some time, off to comfort an old friend. He appointed Phantasos as regent in his place.
The King of Closetland (the Bogeyman) saw an opportunity, and approached Phobetor for an alliance. You see, in Little Fears, monsters can use nightmares to go in and out of Closetland, and thus attack children. In exchange for nightmares on command, the Bogeyman offered to help Phobetor overthrow his brothers and become King.
When the PCs entered the dream world, Phobetor's influence was already apparent. They ended up in a forest made of black glass, and all of their enemies were similarly made of obsidian. I had some fun with some literal Night Mares, which they defeated by pooling their Belief and rolling a ton of sixes (those are open ended, meaning you keep rolling and adding to the total every time you get one. They were getting some crazy numbers considering you only use three six sided dice!) We never finished the game, as I only see them once a year, and they wanted DnD last time. But it was a ton of fun, and it got teenage boys to beg for their 7 year old sister to be allowed to stay up late and play with them.
The Dream world was ruled by the three brothers: Morpheus, whose domain was pleasant dreams; Phantasos, whose domain was surreal and prophetic dreams; and Phobetor, whose domain was nightmares. Morpheus was the eldest, and thus the King of Dreams. But he had been gone for some time, off to comfort an old friend. He appointed Phantasos as regent in his place.
The King of Closetland (the Bogeyman) saw an opportunity, and approached Phobetor for an alliance. You see, in Little Fears, monsters can use nightmares to go in and out of Closetland, and thus attack children. In exchange for nightmares on command, the Bogeyman offered to help Phobetor overthrow his brothers and become King.
When the PCs entered the dream world, Phobetor's influence was already apparent. They ended up in a forest made of black glass, and all of their enemies were similarly made of obsidian. I had some fun with some literal Night Mares, which they defeated by pooling their Belief and rolling a ton of sixes (those are open ended, meaning you keep rolling and adding to the total every time you get one. They were getting some crazy numbers considering you only use three six sided dice!) We never finished the game, as I only see them once a year, and they wanted DnD last time. But it was a ton of fun, and it got teenage boys to beg for their 7 year old sister to be allowed to stay up late and play with them.
I for one still find it hilarious that the Drow are considered nothing but legends and ghost-stories in Pathfinder. I try to work it in whenever I have Drow involved, mostly because it's funny how hard the party will try to 'prove' that drow exist.
Too much of that might result in a team of Lantern Bearers on their heels, of course, which can get...'unpleasant'.
Too much of that might result in a team of Lantern Bearers on their heels, of course, which can get...'unpleasant'.
...Zombie dogs.