A RIVERSIDE SHRINE (GLAUGUST 26)

Spoilers for the Pb starter box. Thinking I'll call it THE WINDOWS OF THE HEAVENS. Too on the nose?

 SHRINE TO ABZU. Patron god of the R--n river since before the days of the Church.

V--. A sickly, smiling sociopath masquerading as a beneficent priest of Abzu, ‘disciple’ of the ‘recently departed’ D--. He believes that gods are made from worship, and SHE, a giant leech he’s nursing to titanic size through holy sacrifice, is his great project. He walks with a limp, covering up the wound from when SHE tried to feed on him.

At any given time, V-- is...

1-3 Tending the SHRINE (2), wiping away bloodstains.

4-5 In the UNDERCROFT (3), feeding a traveller to SHE.

6 In his TENT (4), writing in his journal.

(1) DOCK. Splintered, mossy, serviceable. Around the next bend of the R--n river, out of the temple’s sight, a river skipper lies scuppered and emptied after a bloody altercation (with V--, who fed its crew to SHE).

(2) SHRINE. Its support beams, circumscribing the squat stone structure, stick out above its cupola, imitating river reeds. Inside the wood door (V-- has the key) is a small, dimly-lit room, dominated by a statue of Abzu. On a plinth before it sits a dented brass offering-bowl. A hidden drain in the base of the bowl would deposit in the river, but V-- has broken open the pipe so it drains into the UNDERCROFT (3) instead.

SURFACES. It takes someone looking for it, but nearly every surface in this room- walls, floor, offering-bowl especially- has been scrubbed imperfectly clean of blood.

V--. If he is here, he’ll play the part of a kindly old priest. Please, leave a sacrifice for Abzu; maybe a gift, maybe some gold, or if you don’t have anything else, perhaps a rabbit in blood sacrifice?

GHOUL-HOUND. Behind the shrine hides a ravenous, tortured ghoul-hound (stats as bear at half HP). V-- has whipped it so grievously that it won’t emerge from behind the Abzu statue unless V-- gives a whistle, at which point it will pounce on whatever’s nearest.

(3) UNDERCROFT. In the center of this dank, earthen chamber, once a ritual burial site, is a pool of blood and gore. SHE, a massive leech, writhes in her feed. (Stats as carrion crawler w/ vampirism; heal for all damage dealt.) D--’s corpse is chained against the far wall, cut along the throat and drained of blood.

(4) TENT. In V--’s small canvas tent, tucked just behind a tall clump of reeds, is a bedroll and a journal; the ‘gospel of SHE’. Under the pillow is a bloody, coiled bullwhip. If V-- learns his tent has been, or is being, disturbed, he grows violent.

GLAUGUST 2: “Deicide dungeon.” Eventually for Pb's STARTER BOX. Thanks for reading, and happy gaming.

Garamondia in Review (GLAUGUST 26)

  Louis du Garamond is a luminary newcomer to the GLoG scene (by my crusty old standards). I’ve read some of his work, but I never quite got into it the way others have. This GLoGtober is my excuse for exposure therapy. I’ve selected a small handful of his posts for totally subjective and personal review.

Pilot-in-Dreaming. A unique class, deftly expositing setting mystery, and a well-executed retire-as-monster capstone. The tension between the evocative concepts, reminiscent of Vulvania or the Bad Doctor, and quotidian mechanical text dulls the shine. 6/10

North, South, East, West. Punchy and cool. Are we supposed to go there, or is this a glorified rumor table? 9/10

Brain Ghosts. My career aspirations are as a songwriter for musical theatre. I often feel that, beyond the basic principles of engaging storytelling, there are limited ways to bring that experience into gaming. A unique, compelling, and theatrical monster is ingenious, and inspiring. Can I come up with an existentialism monster? A dad rock monster? 9/10

Modron Calculator. I don’t know if the Modron Calculator lives up to the beholder’s standard of iconicity, and I don’t know if it’s worth its weight in ink (do we need, say, Matrix? Or the banal things you’re signing off to do?), but there are some fun ideas hiding in the excess. “The next time you fight a Calculator there will be two of them. The third time there will be four, etc. etc.”- I really like that. 5/10

What are your Dragons/Who's in Charge. For a long time, I wasn’t sure what Pb’s dragons looked like, and now I do. Epochal post of ideas (save for the unremarkable Baroness). 10/10

Hatesteel Blades. Holy mechanical text, Batman! 2/10

How I Run Games. This was a very interesting post, but I was particularly struck by Louis’s description of his blog writing. “I really enjoy writing in this mode, totally detached from running games.” In my experience DMing, players get antsy when they’re not speaking. As I write for games, even when I’m getting heady, I try to design with verbal economy in mind- designing things that, even when they’re meant to be complex or alien, can be described and grasped in few words. I wonder how Louis would introduce the Barony to new players? Would its most abstruse elements, like image games, make it to the table? (How) can one offer its depths to a player who won’t take on assigned reading? (I have the same question for authors like Locheil.) 8/10

Overall, while Louis’s writing is often more verbose than I think is responsible, it’s more often compelling and inspiring than I’ve historically given it credit for. I don’t know if I’d read through his whole backlog, but I’ll certainly click a few more index links, and read his new output more consistently. (Leave any other must-reads in the comments.) Thank you, Louis, for your writing, and commitment to craft. We’re all bettered by it.

GLAUGUST 1: “Review Another's Blogpost.” Thanks for reading, and happy gaming.