Category Archives: In-Game PC Submissions

These are submissions written by a player at Magestry and may be anonymous.

Player Submission: Solun’s Ashynn-Odes

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The Minnow’s Call by Solun

Madness seeps from my skin and yet I am still mad

Sadness drains from my eyes and yet I am still sad

If I toil in argument with the sun will it give me rest

If I boil in agreement with the dark will it give its best

 

Cael’s Covers by Solun

They cannot keep you from me

We have an appointment

They cannot save you from me

I’ll bear no disappointment

I will peel them one by one

I will see my mission done

 

A New Belt by Solun

A new old friend

A living dead end

I’m Rigid, it bends

I’m Grabbing, it sends

Player Submission: Common Man’s Guide to Minions of Tshurkurka

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The subject of this moon’s installment of my series is the minions of Tshurkurka. While this guide will not tell you everything you need to know about Tshurkurka, it will prepare you with a basic understanding and equip you with the Knowledge necessary to combat his servitors.

Tshurkurka was a Tzigane of the Remeika family who found an ancient tome from which he learned much of blood magic and necromancy. He plundered the graves of his family ancestors for power, and eventually sought out the grave of the Tzigane necromancer Gallus.

Gallus had been exiled by the Tzigane is his time and been banished from the from the physical realm. In his attempt to absorb Gallus’ power, Tshurkurka somehow absorbed Gallus’ banishment.

Noshi faceMost of Tshurkurka’s servants are outcast Tzigane. When a Tzigane is cast out, he or she is cursed with a teardrop tattoo under the eye as an outward symbol and a reminder to everyone that that person has betrayed their family. Those who serve Tshurkurka each bear a red teardrop and additionally have a silver crescent moon around each eye. These servitors are called Noshi.

There are three types of Noshi. The weakest are still living but have the ability to reflect and turns spells back upon the caster, suggesting a lunar connection. The second type of Noshi are undead Noshi. These creatures have typical undead traits: immunity to most spirit and psychic effects, vulnerability to cure spells, etc.

The most dangerous type of Noshi are undead that have been made into constructs. In addition to the immunities common to undead, they are capable of absorbing an opponent’s entire life force, sometimes even in response to being struck with a weapon! Be prepared to dodge or deflect such attacks, and keep in mind that it is often difficult to distinguish these foes from other less powerful Noshi.

Currently Tshurkurka is using these Noshi to gather spiritual energy, and has an arrangement worked out with the Gatekeeper whereby the Gatekeeper gains the best “bits” and Tshurkura keeps the rest. It is unclear what the Tshurkurka gains in exchange.

Another threat created by Tshurkurka are the so-called “Grave Elementals” — essentially an animated grave site, earth and all. They are highly destructive and difficult to take down but are not invulnerable. As creatures of elemental earth they are vulnerable to lightning, and and they are also vulnerable to spirit energy.

Grave Elementals are capable of causing minor earthquakes, knocking over people in a large area, and pummeling single foes. Keep in mind that while Grave Elementals hit like a ton of rocks, they are also dumb as rocks and slow as molasses. They will tend to pursue one foe until another strikes it harder. Even if you cannot deal damage of a type to which it is vulnerable, in many cases you can simply strike from behind once or twice and walk away (running is rarely necessary). This is especially effective as a way to gain a Grave Elemental’s attention and keep it from striking a foe that has been knocked off of it’s feet.

In fact, standing behind a Grave Elemental is often an effective way to stay out of the shockwave and avoid being knocked down. You can then attack it from behind, causing it to turn and focus on you and allowing your allies to regain their footing.

For further information on Tshurkurka, contact Majento or myself.

Yours in Knowledge,RybinvanHoltseal

Rybin vanHolt

Historian and Scholar

Player Submission: Common Man’s Guide to the Incarnations and the Allegiant

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This Guide will be a departure from the previous entries. In the spirit of the month of Enlightening (Editor’s Note: this article was received in Enlightening, but is only being published now), I will be enlightening you with Knowledge regarding the Incarnations and the Allegiant. This essay will also touch upon the Bloodwaters.

Incarnations

The Incarnations are embodiments of the most important concepts in Magesta. There are many minor Incarnations, but the Great Incarnations technically number 17. The chart below contains 19, though it should be noted that the Creator is technically not an Incarnation (currently) and Death and Dream are technically the same liminal Incarnation. Usually, the Incarnations are counted as 18, counting Death and Dream separately and excluding the Creator.

It is from the Incarnations that we derive the days of the week and the months of the year. Since many members of town often struggle remembering the names of months, this chart includes the previous Age’s month names as well.

Age                                 Years                                      Incarnation                                         Day

Creation                              117?*                                        The Creator                                         Shapingday

Dream / Repose               3613                                            Dream                                               Dreamingday

War                                     1005                                             War                                                  Battleday

Tears                                   5375                                             Fear                                                 Weepingday

Gathering                           2877                                        Community                                       Gatheringday

Arrival / Waking              2007                                           Faith                                                   Wakingday

Fortune                               125+                                           Fortune                                              Fortuneday

 

Incarnation                                            Month                                               Old Month(Age of Arrival)

Nature                                                          Newgreen                                                              Impril

Music                                                            Petalsong                                                            Maygrelian

Knowledge                                                  Enlightening                                                          Ogrune

Magic                                                             Suncast                                                                   Gobly

Peace                                                             Stillbreeze                                                           Gnomegust

Labor                                                            Harvestwane                                                          Elftember

Death                                                            Reapingdusk                                                          Orctober

Evil                                                                Boneharvest                                                        Dwarvember

Law                                                                  Greysky                                                                Drakember

Chaos                                                             Ravingfrost                                                          Humanuary

Memory                                                      Reminiscence                                                           Faebruary

Life                                                                  Bloodthaw                                                              Marchestry

*Some scholars argue that since Death did not exist until the Age of Repose, measuring time for the Age of Creation is meaningless.

Allegiant Symbol AloneThe Allegiant

The Allegiant is an organization dedicated to worshiping, serving, and giving Agreement to the Incarnations. The Allegiant categorizes the Incarnations into three groups: the Head, the Heart, and the Hand.

Each of these three groups is tied to a different color of the Bloodwaters. While the Incarnations are manifestations of phenomena important to Magesta, the Bloodwaters are a sentient manifestation of the entire universe. There are five colors of the Bloodwaters, but only three are accessible from Magesta.

The Blue Bloodwaters are Spirit. Blue is the color of the Heart. The Heart is living. The Heart is emotion. The Heart is passion. The Heart sways rationality and gives drive to action. The Heart is Chaos, Death, Faith, Fear, Life, and Music.

The Red Bloodwaters are Magic and Energy. Red is the color of the Head. The Head is consciousness. The Head is reason. The Head is methodical. The Head is drive. The Head gives order to action and tempers emotion. The Incarnations of the Head are Dream, Memory, Knowledge, Magic, Evil, and Law.

The Yellow Bloodwaters are Time. Yellow is the color of the Hand. The Hand is action. The Hand is work, though not necessarily manual labor. The Hand is follow-through. The Hand is consequence. The Hand gives a means to both passion and ambition. The Hand is Community, Fortune, Labor, Peace, Nature, and War.

There are those in the Allegiant who serve all the Incarnations, but most Allegiant members are drawn to either the Head, the Heart, the Hand, or to one Incarnation in particular.

If you are interesting in learning more about the Incarnations and the Allegiant, please seek out one of the following people:

Oliver Finnestera, Minister of the Elmerton Allegiant

Rybin vanHolt, Cordent of the Head

Sebastian Dark, Yeoman of the Hand

Asmondaious, Confessor of the Heart

 

RybinvanHoltseal

Yours in Knowledge,

Rybin vanHolt

Historian and Scholar

Player Submission: Carzon Sazdar Blocked by the Heroes of Elmerton

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This third report on the terrors of the Gatekeeper’s loyal servant, Carzon Sazdar, is a mixed story of death, demons, betrayal, and hope.  On the evening of the 30th day of Petalsong, the growing sounds of combat sounded from the woods in the center of Elmerton.  At the forefront was a man in a horned mask that many recognized as Lodi – a person who had helped rebuild parts of Gindinmere and provide aid to many who had suffered at the hands of the Gatekeeper.  A man who, up until mere hours before, had been considered an ally by the adventurers of Elmerton.  As his mask was lifted to reveal a wicked grin and mocking speech, it only served to confirm the suspicions that Carzon and Lodi were one and the same.

Carrying a coffin-shaped shield with a blood red glow, Carzon directed his troops and demonic allies to attack the town while he began to rip open a dimensional scar that crossed the town which had just started to heal.  The heroes of Elmerton resisted with sword and spell, but every time a large number of Carzon’s warriors were slain, he recalled them from the Gatekeeper, suspending their promised one true death in the name of necessity.  In return, Carzon lashed out with his own power, killing many who opposed him directly.  As for the demons, they continued to slip through the gap between dimensions almost as fast as they were destroyed.

Seemingly aware of the conflict, the Incarnation of Death himself established a space in the town to judge the recently departed.  At times, he was accompanied by some sort of assistant that I could not identify.  A great many spirits visited him during the night, some multiple times.  Each spirit had a hushed discussion that I could not make out, and Vorkarian consulted his dice.  More often than not, they were permitted to return, and most moved to continue the fight against the agent of the Gatekeeper.

After several hours of hearing the clash of metal and seeing the flash of spells, a cry went out for Elmerton to disengage – that someone had done what they needed to do.  Caught between wanting to investigate and wanting to live, I slowly moved towards where the noise had been the loudest, near the shrine to the Incarnation of Nature.  At the distant sight of Carzon’s glowing shield, I froze and strained to hear what was being said.  The voice of a single man spoke against the group that was led by Carzon, and though I could not hear clearly, I could tell that the tone was defiant.  There was a surge of the sounds of combat, which then quieted as quickly as it began.  The same single voice, now mocking, still spoke.  Carzon replied, sounding frustrated or tired.  After a short time, I no longer saw the trees lit by a reddish light.  The night was still.  Carzon was gone.

On Fortuneday, Elmerton celebrated their victory with music, games, and food near where Carzon was stopped.  I believe that this is the first record of defeat for Carzon Sazdar and The Gatekeeper.  I pray to the Incarnations, and especially to Vorkarian, that it is not the last.

R.S.

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

PC Submission: You Are Invited!

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Dear Elmertonians and all others that may drift in to town. Tree Cake

You are cordially invited to the birthday party of Semaril Luthius. Please join us in merriment and festivities on Wakingday, the 30th of Petalsong. There will be refreshments and delicious food to eat and perhaps a ritual or two. Although it is a birthday party, gifts are not required, but I’m sure would not be turned down.

Hope to see many of you there,

Cesira Storm

PC Submission: Corabarra Rescued!

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Know the spirits through and through/

Guide them as they come to you./

Some are brazen, some are meek/

Listen to them as they speak.

-Excerpt from Rhyme the Twenty-Ninth, The Ancient Rhymes

On the 11th of Reapingdusk, in the year 124 of the Age of Fortune, heroes from the town of Elmerton freed the Corabarra family of Tzigane from the haunted city of Qui Lagua- also known as the City of Faith – where they were resisting being haunted and possessed by the spirits there. It was a joyous day.

Using a ritual, Elmertonians bound the spirits of the Corabarra to a volunteer named Azareth. The names of the trapped Corabarra were recited and Azareth was then sacrificed and sent to Vorkarian, bringing the Corabarra spirits with him.

With the ritual successfully completed, now the Corabarra should be able to return from Vorkarian free of haunting spirits. The hope is that these Tzigane will be of assistance in the conflict with Tshurkurka.

I will not present the full list of Corabarra freed, but below are the Top 10 Most Most Common Corabarra Names according to the Memory of the Blood (along with the number of Corabarra with that name). I hope you find this list interesting:

Female                                                                               Male

  1. Maria (64)                                                               1. Tamas (47)

  2. Abela (54)                                                                2. Vanya (38)

  3. Flora (51)                                                                 3. Tem (34)

  4. Katarina (50)                                                          4. Wen (32)

  5. Katryana (43)                                                         5. Burril (24)

  6. Aleta (38)                                                                6. Beti (22)

  7. Olena (34)                                                               7. Pias (22)

  8. Adara (24)                                                               8. Casamir (21)

  9. Risa (24)                                                                  9. Radu (20)

  10. Loiza (21)                                                                10. Rye (18)

 

Rybin vanHoltRybinvanHoltseal

Historian and Scholar

Please note: the above list is for entertainment purposes only. Gender accuracy of the names not guaranteed. Author not responsible if you give your male child a female name or vice versa based on this article.

PC Submission: Common Man’s Guide to Wood Trolls

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In this installment of the Common Man’s Guide, we will tackle wood trolls (Note: physically tackling wood trolls is not advised). Wood trolls are commonly encountered while traveling in Irvanshire and are even more common in the nation of Kire Dero to the north.

Wood trolls are of human height and appear made of wood with long brown noses, long brown ears and long brown claws. They rarely if ever travel more than half a dozen paces from woods or other natural settings; entering a town or even a large building is a good way to lose a pursuing wood troll.

Wood trolls are not always hostile, but often are. When fighting wood trolls, be wary of being entangled. Any strike from a wood troll’s claws or any weapon it wields could entangle you if you are not careful. Be prepared to dodge or parry such strikes if you can. When entangled you are easy prey, so it is best to use superior numbers: bring a companion to protect your back.

Wood trolls seem to be attracted to shiny valuable objects, and searching wood trolls for valuables can prove profitable. Be sure to look in the following places when searching for coins or other items: under it’s bark on the torso and other places, inside the nose, and inside the ears. You’d be surprised what you can find if you’re thorough.

At this point one might be thinking that wood trolls may not seem like much of a threat, but we have not yet discussed one of the wood troll’s most important attributes: regeneration.

Wood trolls regenerate – that is to say they heal quickly – in natural settings which explains why they are loath to leave such places. Within about a minute a wood troll can fully heal from nearly any injury, unless that injury is caused by fire. Traveling with a nature caster is thus strongly advised when dealing with wood trolls. Any wounds cause to a wood troll by fire will not heal, though other wounds will. Dealing a final blow with fire is one sure way to finish off a wood troll. Keep in mind that any Magestry caster can use the cantrip Fire Strike as a way to eliminate an unconscious wood troll. If not dealt with quickly after being rendered unconscious, a wood troll can begin healing and awaken again, so exercise caution when looting.

Remember this motto: “Fight smarter not harder,” and you will not have trouble with the same troll twice.

For further expertise on fighting wood trolls, seek out Sandow in Elmerton.

 

Rybin vanHoltRybinvanHoltseal

Historian and Scholar

Player Submission: A Common Man’s Guide to Undead Part 1

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In this foray into undeath, I will explore the subject of several common types of undead: skeletons, zombies, and ghouls. Before you say, “Oh my!” rest assured they are not nearly as frightening as they may seem.

First, some common traits of undead. Undead in general are unaffected by psionic and spirit effects with some exceptions. the most notable being their reaction to spells that Cure and Inflict wounds. Unlike living creatures, undead are harmed by Cure spells and healed by Inflict. Necromancers who command undead use this to their advantage, particularly with area Inflict spells that simultaneously harm living creatures and and heal undead. It is important to remember that this can be used against them with Cure spells, however.

Undead creatures also react differently to sunlight. Most undead cannot exist in direct natural sunlight. Shining magical sunlight upon undead may be effective, to a varying degree. Sometimes it can destroy, injure, blind, or cause a pain-like reaction. Other times it simply irritates them. If you see undead out-of-doors in the daytime, you should expect the undead to be formidable indeed.

There are also some spells specifically designed to deal with undead. As this is a guide for the common man, I will not delve deeply into spirit hunter skills, but the ability to Turn Undead is common enough to warrant some discussion. Turn Undead works as a Mass Fear or Whirlwind that only targets undead. Situational, but still very powerful you say? Well, necromancers have an altered version, Bolster Undead, which can provides resistance to one or more Turn Undead attempts. Therefore, it is not recommended to attempt to Turn only once. If you are going to Turn, be prepared to do so 2-4 times, or find another way to deal with the undead.

With the preliminaries out of the way, our first undead subject is the skeleton. Skeletons are easily Skeletonwarriorsidentified by a lack of flesh exposing bare bones. Skeletons are often dressed in rags, but can be well armed and armored. Not much more need be said of them, most skeletons can be dealt with in a few sword blows, though there are exceptions.

Zombies are a different matter. Zombies are rotting, slow-moving corpses. While slow, they can pack more of a punch than skeletons. Zombies often take 20 or even 50 regular sword blows before they stop moving. Even when they have been put down, they are still a potential danger. It is good practice to be wearing gloves before handling any corpse, but this is especially true of corpses that have been shambling around, bumping into each other, and being exposed to the bodily fluids of various victims for Incarnations know how long. For your own safety, don gloves before searching a defeated zombie.

Ghouls are more troublesome than skeletons and zombies. They possess pale white skin and flesh, and are marked by an insatiable hunger to consume people. Ghouls are often encountered  with zombies and skeletons, but are distinguished by their ability to paralyze their foes and dragging them off to be devoured. Therefore, it is imperative to use a “buddy system” when ghouls are present to ensure that no one is left behind. A single ghoul can typically consume a full grown adult in 5 to 10 minutes, less if more than one ghoul consumes the same corpse.

For more information on undead, consult a spirit hunter. Current spirit hunters in Elmerton are Reinen and Eraku.

RybinvanHoltsealRybin vanHolt

Historian and Scholar

Player Submission: A Common Man’s Guide to Elementals

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In this, the first part in what is hoped to be a multi-part series, I will explore the subject of elementals: their capabilities, vulnerabilities and habits.

The four elements are earth, air, water, and fire; elementals exist of each of these types. The weakest elementals, what I choose to call Least Elementals can be harmed by nearly anything but their own element. For these, as long as you are not “fighting fire with fire”, so to speak. your efforts should be effective. More powerful elementals, what I call Lesser Elementals are unharmed by weapons that are not enchanted in some way. Greater Elementals are only harmed by their opposite elements, and may regenerate if not using the opposing element to wound them. The strength of an elemental is difficult to gauge without observing it closely so the best practice is to use the opposing element if possible.

It should also be noted that an elemental’s own element will often heal the elemental. Another capability of elementals that should not be ignored  is the ability to hurl energy at foes. The Greater Elementals can throw quite devastating amounts of elemental energy. Keep this in mind and  you will at least not be caught unawares.

Earth elementals are dark brown in color and have acidic attacks. Being opposed by the element of air they are vulnerable to lightning. Earth elementals are strong but slow. As such they are capable of great feats of strength and can hit quite hard. Greater elements will sometimes root themselves to the ground, using the surrounding Earth to resist most effects. Use this opportunity to get out of their reach and conserve your strength until they are once again in motion.

Air elementals are quick as lightning. They can close distances rapidly, and many of the taller ones have surprisingly long reach. Air elementals can emit strong gusts of wind and are clever enough to use this tactically to to turn a 2-on-1 fight into a one-on-one fight in an instant. As such it might be better to confront such creatures in larger groups or alternately  allow an experienced fighter to fight them solo. Greater air elementals are also capable of whirlwinds that can push back all foes (and allies for that matter) of the air elemental. Air elementals are a light, whiting blue color. Be careful not to mistake them for water elementals.

Water elementals are a darker blue than air elementals. Water elementals will often absorb the first few attack or spells directed at them, and use these attacks on you later. To minimize this danger, wait to use your stronger attacks until it has stopped absorbing. Water elementals deal frigid cold ice damage, possibly freezing limbs. Their opposing element is fire.

Fire elementals are perhaps more likely than other elementals to hurl elemental projectiles, and more likely to hurl more deadly projectiles, including the dreaded fireball. Observe them carefully but remember fire is chaotic. If you can manage it, avoid casting spells with components at them, for you may find the component coming back your way, charged with elemental fire. They are best dealt with by ice magic.

There are four elemental sites in town: the air site at a rock just below the portal anchor; the water site just past the Gwendolar shrine; the fire site at the amphitheatre; and the earth site at the chimney of the old forge, between the amphitheatre and the upper cabin. Elementals tend to be drawn to the corresponding elemental site, or on rare occasions, the opposing site.

If you observe elementals acting strangely, especially near the elemental sites, or have further questions, seek out Loxi or Linarien.

RybinvanHoltseal
Rybin vanHolt

Historian and Scholar