Daily Archives: May 28, 2015

I Knew I’d Be a Handsome Cadaver, But Not This Way!

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Hey Elmerton!

I know my last visit probably soured you against me again, but I’m not working for Wreckanis anymore. I swear! I wanna be friennnds with youuuu, and I have information to give you as a peace offering!

The other day, I was in the forest outside of Elmerton and I met a young fae girl who was really sad. I sat down to talk to her and learned that she had found a necklace while exploring and she put it on, but then she couldn’t take it off! And what was worse than that, it was hurting her! I could tell from the Essence on the necklace that the last people to touch it were Jack Garren and Galynn, so I decided to try to make the thing my problem instead of this little fae girl’s; or, better yet, make it Jack and Galynn’s problem!

Together, the fae girl and I figured out how to get the necklace off of her and onto me, so now I can’t take it off! Shucks! Anyway, I studied it and, to my surprise, discovered it was a Tane item. Those crazy Tane are always making trouble! So, I went to Brimm and asked around and learned that the thing was made by a Tane named Jabjulalola, she used to be a Jubjub Bird, but now she wants to become a Morticent of the Gatekeeper. Lame.

(Oh, I should explain for those of you who may not know: Tane have the ability to turn themselves into other things. I don’t mean, like, just a shape change. I mean they can completely change into something else and actually become that thing, or an exact clone of that thing. It is kind of like fulfilling a dream, but in reverse since they started out in a dream world. Becoming certain things is harder than others, but ever since Tane on Brimm became aware of Magesta, many of them have set their sights pretty high. Making the change is a long road, and until a Tane completes it, he or she is still a Tane and must answer in the affirmative to the question, “are you Tane?”)

So, yeah, Jabjulalola decided that becoming a Morticent meant that she needed to have her own faithful servants and spiritual hosts, which all Morticents have, and those people are collectively known as The Cadaverate. To do this, she created cursed necklaces and gave them to people in Elmerton. Among other things, the necklaces are designed to instill their wearers with ability to host her Spirit once she finally becomes a Morticent, and becoming a Morticent is a task that is made easier for her if the necklace-wearers believe that she is already a Morticent, which is why she has been hamming up the monologues and maniacal laughter wherever she goes.

Well, there it is. Jabjulalola is no longer really a Jubjub Bird, but she is also not yet a Morticent. If she completes her journey, anyone in possession of one of these necklaces will become a member of The Cadaverate and recognized as a trusted servant by any Morticent of the Gatekeeper. While this will not mean that these people will lose control of themselves and go on a killing spree or anything, it WILL get in MY way of turning from Tane into a Redbush, and that junks for me! I hope I can get rid of this thing. It is pretty, though.

Your Dearest Friend Who Would Never Hurt YouWreckanisMadeMeDoIt,

-Mister Redbush

Player Submission: A Common Man’s Guide to Marionettes and Werewolves

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Granted, the two entities discussed in this issue do not have much in common, but as Elmerton is currently dealing with fear of these (and other) threats I will be covering both this moon in an effort to help those afflicted face their own fears. Let us begin with marionettes.

Emily's MarionetteMarionettes or “puppets” as they are sometimes called, are constructs that can be easily and quickly identified by their pale faces, rosy cheeks, and hinged jaws. Or at least, identification would be easy were it not for the fact that they tend to appear under cover of darkness.

Another signature of these constructs is their vocal tics. Each marionette appears to be capable of uttering only a few short phrases or sounds, often in childlike voices. Fear of these creatures is understandable, especially when such sounds include eerie laughter, questions such as “Are you my mommy?” or “Promise you won’t tell?” or bizarre offputting statements including “I LIKE you” or “I’m going to rip off your wings!” As these constructs are mindless, the last statement isn’t even likely to be directed at a person with wings.

Adding to the air of fear and compounding the uncertainty that marionettes create is that, when struck by weapons or targeted by spells, they will appear to suffer no ill effect. This can be unnerving to opponents that feel they are powerless to stop them, but despair not – they can be dealt with much like other foes.

One thing to watch for is that, once defeated, they will sometimes collapse to the ground, or sometimes hang in midair as if dangling from invisible strings. In either case, whether or not they are dealt a final blow, they will sometimes rise again. After they rise they can be dealt with again, but be aware of this possibility. They will eventually fade away.
For more information on marionettes and constructs in general, consult Reinen.

Werewolves are another matter. Werewolves are fearsome beasts, and even experienced fighters may run in terror when facing a werewolf. Advice to the Common Man in dealing with werewolves: Don’t.

At least not alone. Their ability to terrorize their opponents can instantaneously turn a 2-on-1 fight against them into a 1-on-1 fight, which heavily favors the werewolf. For this reason 3-to-1 odds (or better) are recommended. When the odds are against you, attempt to retreat and seek reinforcements.

Werewolves are incredibly strong and thus they can hit incredibly hard. Among other things, the immense strength of these beasts allows them to quickly shrug off snares and bonds, so if you entangle one, don’t expect that to buy you much time.

Another reason the Common Man would be best to avoid werewolves is their signature ability to regenerate. The surest way to stop their regeneration is a silver weapon, but that is not easy to come by. Shadow damage is also an effective way to stop regeneration. Any psionicist who has mastered the 5th Circle of Psionics should be able to enchant a weapon with shadow damage at least a handful of times per day.

That covers basic werewolves, but as adaptable shapeshifters, there are of course variations. For advanced abilities and tactics, Silver is an excellent resource.

Yours in Knowledge,

Rybin vanHoltRybinvanHoltseal

Historian and Scholar