#Duskhollow

[chainerstorment]

Detective Culver Bennigans took a drag from his cigarette, rolled the smoke around his mouth and exhaled through his nose, staring up through the drizzle into the Duskhollow night sky. There was a grimace set on his wide jaw, surrounded by the stubble of a five oclock shadow that grew to hide  the few scabs from nicks of the old razor he should have thrown out weeks ago.  As he smoked, he contemplated where his life went wrong to lead him here. Could’ve been back in highschool. He’d been a runningback for the football team, and good enough to earn a scholarship to Duke. But he lost that when he received a busted collarbone in a fight with students from a rival school. Nah. That wasn’t it. 

Maybe it was two years ago, when he lost his position as Lieutenant of Boston’s vice division, once Internal Affairs brought to light his habit of ‘Misplacing’ evidence. 

Maybe it was last year, when his wife left him. Tired of his drinking and smoking, tired of being ignored, she packed his bags. Culver almost smiled, almost. Saying she left him was a bit of a joke. Her father was a lawyer, and had managed to get her the house in the divorce. So really, Culver was the one who left. His thumb rubbed at the old wedding ring he still wore. Not out of any sense of lingering hope, or feelings of attachment. No, witnesses trusted married cops more. A ring makes it seem like at least there was one person out there who could stand the bastard wearing it. 

Culver nodded, yeah, that was probably it. Then, the sound of a barking dog snapped him out of what might have been close to healthy introspection. There was a dog across the street, barking up at an owl in the branches above it. Suddenly, the dog’s face split down the middle, unfolding into a gullet of teeth. It’s ropelike tounge shot out and snagged the owl, like a frog would a fly, and pulled it down into the cavernous maw. The face seemed to stich itself back together, and the hound trotted off. Detective Bennigans shook his head. Ugh. New breeds these days. It’s like people were trying to make one uglier than a pug. 

He dropped the smoldering end of his cigarette to the ground, the ember like a star falling from grace to extinguish on the earth. He might've thought it an apt metaphor for himself, if he hadn't beefed the English portion of his SAT. “Well, Let’s get this over with.” He grumbled. There was work to do, and he wasn’t being paid by the hour.  He turned, and headed back into his crime scene.

#duskhollow

[libraryfag]

alex j newall has a very similar rp style to will campos

#my posts #alexander j newall #will campos #podcasts #tma #dndads #duskhollow pd

[uselessnocturnal]

listening to RPGs is kinda the whackiest thing because you can make a roll and it’ll be liek “YOUVE BEEN STABBED!!!!” and then you roll for damage and it’s just “but Lightly. a Gentle Stabbing”

#i’m listening to MAG duskhollow PD #sasha’s switch from ‘ohno this is Bad’ to ‘ow’ #hsvhfnshfksn #sasha sienna #jonny sims

[elenariseventide]

When Penance is to Burn

The ever dreary atmosphere of the estate at Ravenhill had been shrouded deeper into darkness having mostly fallen to ruins after the current generation of Duskhollows sought refuge to the north in Quel’Danas. It had been by decree of the Raven Lord himself that the household be emptied and relocated to the far sunnier island that set as home for the other half of their Houses. There had been the occasional guard dispatched to the spanning estate to inspect the damages though it had been at least two years since anyone truly inhabited the home. Far be it time since the two elder noble Houses of Silvermoon conjoined their families and soon after the Horde’s aid in Argus had come to an end did the Lord and Lady resign themselves to a retirement of sorts. Their daughter had been born and despite the occasional call to action that Cineas took in his own regard, the two found themselves… domesticated and settled. 

However, this did not stop the missives from arriving, calling for their numbers, gold, and power to stand against whatever enemy loomed over Azeroth at any given moment. More often than not, they were ignored. It was only with the news of the fallen Banshee queen did Elenaris find herself somewhat intrigued but also disappointed. Although, it had been the defeat of N’zoth that had garnered the Duskhollow’s attention the most from their little piece of paradise on the Isle. The whispers which once guided them, haunted them in the best and worst of ways had become still and quiet. They had delivered the souls needed to procure their child’s life and as Maevyn had been born, their connection fell distant like a far off memory floating in the cosmos. 

While this offered the darkened pair some peace they had not ever expected to feel since their devotion had been offered to the shadows and yet at the same time, they felt lost without it. 

It had been months since Ravenhill had seen life when they decided to return to the estate and while they knew there had been damages to the manor itself, the Duskhollows were unprepared for the sight beholden to them upon their arrival. The gates were barely hanging to their hinges, the gardens that led to the grand entrance were littered with flowers crisp with lifeliness and the colorless hue of death becoming the petals scattered about the paths. There were parts of the towers which crumbled and what they were to see upon opening the doors of the manor was what broke her heart the most having seen its effect on Cineas. It was at this moment she had realized making the decision to leave their daughter behind in Quel’Danas had been the proper one. A slender and delicate hand raised to rest upon her husband’s arm, offering a nod in silent reassurance that they would restore his home, their home.

They had stood just a step outside large doors to peer inside, unknowing to what truly awaited their entry inside. A feeling had overwhelmed Elenaris as the neverending darkness loomed within the near empty walls of the estate and perhaps years ago she would have had the consciousness to foresee what was to come, the wherewithal to allow her perception to be greater than her comfort in normality. 

But as time passed them by, they had not prepared for the darkness to consume them in the way in which it took hold of Cineas Duskhollow the instant his being crossed the threshold. It was as if the universe and void beyond converged all on him all at once, attacking not only his body but his mind and rendering him powerless. In a flash of black feathers and purple mists, Elenaris found herself bound behind an invisible barrier which she attacked with all her force in attempts to get to him. No matter her efforts, she could not break through and thus fell helpless to watch the horror before her. The shadows swirled around him, contorting his body in unfathomable ways causing the release of painful screams to echo into the desolate mansion. She wouldn’t simply sit and watch as he  suffered, as he was tortured to death but as Elenaris lifted her hands to once again slam on the barrier, they would not move. Her entire being was frozen in place, only able to lift her head to catch the sight of Cineas’ pale amethyst hues locking onto hers before widening as the sound of his screams were cut off by the undeniable sound of breaking bones. The soft glow of his eyes faded, his lids not having the chance to fall to allow him a peaceful gaze upon his face while his crumpled body slumped to the ground. 

Her breath caught in her chest as she felt a piece of her fade away, unable to believe what had transpired before her and as his body hit the floor, so did hers as the barrier gave way. The pale blonde Sin’dorei scrambled for her soulmate’s lifeless body, hands shakily moving over him unsure of which thought to follow as thousands raced through her mind. The silence had become deafening, those that had traveled with them from the Isle standing huddled just outside the doorway just watching…waiting, for what? Who was to say. Each and every one of them felt the pain and horror as a guttural scream ripped through that silence as Elenaris fell over Cineas, not only a sadness but an anger overcoming her entire being. 

It had returned for them, allowing them just a brief view of what life without the Void would or could be like had they chosen a different path. However, the Void gave them life within their daughter and they asked for much in return. Despite their every effort to appease them, it would seem the shadows made their own rules. As her knuckles bore white with the tightened grip to the cloth of his shirt, she heard a soft voice beckoning her. It was familiar in tone, soothing in melody and with the choice to acknowledge this voice, Elenaris lifted her lids and standing there had been Maevyn, their little raven haired child beaming in all her glory with eyes like her father’s. 

“Mama, you were crying…” The soft voice cooed, a tiny hand caressing her mother’s face but Elenaris had noticed that not all was right with her daughter either. “I had a bad dream too, mama… something’s wrong with papa.”

[ @cineas-duskhollow​ ]

#inspired #the lady and the raven #Duskhollows #eventide

[bloopdydooooo]

who tf was the crazy person who ever let jonny sims play a doctor character

i think it should be illegals or him to ever get anywhere near a character with a doctor honorific

#i am currently listening to duskhollow pd #dr..... smiley? #and there’s doctor david (my love <3) #spooky doctor characters seem to be his forte

[artphantom]

sorry. sorry. but. going very positively insane over tma and jon saying "i love you" to martin. ok yes. yes it was just a casual and quick one but. but just bear with me ok. ok. its cuz love. ok. LOVEEEEE <33333

#its so hard to contain the excitement im supposed to be quiet #lol anyways. enjoing my listen of the magnus archives :D #the duskhollow pd oneshot special was so good tho right ? i enjoyed it a lot tbh :) #little fun snack :D #haunted speaks #tma

[macguffinandco]

[via @jonnywaistcoat's askbox]

Sasha:

"I love all of my micro-settings equally - they're all my favourite!

...but Not Far To Bermuda is my most the favourite. I love the way we did social roleplay with that one: the cliques and the juxtaposition between absurdity and mundanity - especially in the PCs' roles - consistently delights me. And I think that faded 80s one-hit wonders 'Ray Martini and the Shakers' may be the single best idea I've ever had.

If I had to pick a least favourite, it would be M.I.X.: Missing in X-Mas. I get that it's a Christmas themed micro-setting, but I think we might have made it a bit too Christmas. I love Christmas as much as the next person (and the next persons are @apocrypals' Benito & Chris), but I'd struggle to run it outside of December."

Jonny:

"I do not love all my children equally, and keep them all strictly ranked. Unfortunately that ranking system is very inconsistent and constantly shifting.

I have an unending fondness for Primetime Colosseum - the mix of Roman gladiators and pro-wrestling tickles something very deep in my brain, and coming up with ancient Roman wrestling stereotypes (the Briton-persona who's a creepy mud-caked druid, the disgraced centurion who's sworn never to remove his helmet until he's restored his honour, the one who has to wear a minotaur head the whole fight) is one of the most enjoyable creative exercises I've ever done!

Least favourite... Duskhollow, actually. It's really good, but writing a semi-comedy cosmic horror investigation setting felt like easy mode.

#i also love wizards staff #there's nothing better than a corpse farce #unless its a corpse farce with a wizard in it #oh and ghost ship as well #that one rules #theyre just all really fun #ttrpgs #indie rpgs

[quietsnooze]

Info dumping about my homebrew DnD world ahead!

Eidholme is a low magic fantasy DnD campaign setting wherein magic is very limited, feared, and persecuted. The continent is split into 5 kingdoms & 2 empires.

Here's a visualization using Azgaar's fantasy map generator, then painted by me using Inkarnate to show the landforms:

Long ago, there were racial variations (many of the expected DnD races), but war and mistrust tore apart the continent and drove out many as humans struck down the remaining.

Now, there are heritages in the bloodlines of many current day humans that lie dormant as also magic does

(Basically my way of saying "this is an all human campaign... mostly." When the players get to higher levels, they will manifest traits from their heritages if they want to have that aspect included. Most left that up to me to surprise them!)

The deities are known as Guardians. There are twelve who are revered across the continent in different capacities - the kingdom of the Reamers is highly religious and worships all 12, whereas others pick & choose their preferred "endorsed" Guardians.

The Guardians' sigils I designed:

• Pandor, of Pleasure

• Lilabet, of Patience

• Elnos, of Creation

• Phiphine, of Growth

• Aisling, of Endings

• Cohara, of Mercy

• Bodhi, of Progress

• Llyr, of Dominion

• Niamh, of Hearth-keepers

• Keros, of Justice

• Ashtur, of Aggression

• Ryasis, of Curiosity

The event that caused the humanization of Eidholme was over a millennia ago, but the hurt caused by the End of Magic is more recent - a little more than 200 years prior, with fear and abuse of it at an all time high, magic was almost universally banned across Eidholme.

What was the straw that broke the camel's back? The population does not know, other than it was surrounding the tensions that broke apart the Mountainlands into two empires: Marboke in the north, and Oakham in the south.

(My voice game players know tho! They participated in it in prologue)

The continent shares the equinox and solstice celebrations, but have differing, more local traditions for them. Here’s a calendar I created that shows them! In Launlia for example, the Primavernal is celebrated as the Awakening Festival locally, for Niamh, Guardian of Growth.

Another fun fact about Eidholme: the vast majority of the continent's trees and its ONLY forest exist in Duskhollow. The kingdom is shrouded in mystery, in ancient Woods magic, in protections that keep any out who it doesn't want to be there.

The Woods is alive. It decides.

I have a lot of documents my players can comb through for information at their leisure. This one factually lists information that the PCs would know. It is not necessarily Wiki-level accurate, however, as propaganda is a heck of a thing.

Cantrips aren't exactly rare, but depending on where you are, you wouldn't even want to risk casting one. Privilege allows some of higher station to play around with magic in a badly kept secret. Otherwise, you are licensed or regulated by the governing body on your usage.

And that, of course, is why both of the parties who play in this world stumbled across Wanted posters for their questioning and arrest! "Wanted in connection to blasphemy and magic usage in Launlia", while their allies are "wanted in connection to actions against the Crown"...

For as much as I limited in character creation for lore purposes, I gave back through the same world building. Characters can interact with the world, seeking lost ways of old magics, ancient techniques, connections with the natural world… even be taught new (homebrew) cantrips

This is one of those instances where the PCs fit the trope of “chosen one” levels of power, as few ordinary people are powerful like they are and will be. The catch? That also makes them HUGE targets for backlash. Without the right support, they’ll be on the run… everywhere.

That makes it a very socially driven, political ties sort of campaign story. They also have befriended nomads, who can help them in their own way.

Nomads are, expectedly, nomadic people dissenting of law and homeland. They are expectedly hunted or outlawed for their magic use.

Some places welcome them as a novelty, others allow them under tentative circumstances for services granted (easy to locally wash your hands of it and assign blame to nomads who are long gone by the time you’re found out). Their trust is notoriously difficult to gain.

Why? Because they’ve been lured by royals to perform, only to be mass incarcerated. They’ve been promised sanctuary and found instead themselves given to their enemies. The groups do not inherently trust one another, either- friendship with one doesn’t mean friend to all.

As for beyond the continent… not many know what lies beyond. Those who travel out rarely come back, those who do are driven back by storms and critical failures of their ships. The Brackish Tears is the only kingdom who receives imports from beyond the vast waters.

There's a tale of a Tearsian prince memorialized in statue: Eóghan Griogal - a prince, second son to King Cian and Queen Siobhan, beloved by his people in the 17th century, about 200 years BME (Before magic’s end) or prior to the new age. His romance to the wispy foreigner - had many people talking, some excited in the chattering and others devastated by his betrayal. For he found love at sea, a man whose affinity with water was undeniably clear, closer bonded to it than even the water births of the Reamers would boast.

The lore creates a very interesting challenge for a fantasy world:

- wood is expensive and rare, so describing anything, from building materials to origins of fruit, is adjusted

- gemstones are extremely rare and not mined anywhere anymore as the source died with the elves

- magic is mostly outlawed

I'm currently running two games in this world. One traditional DnD via voice sessions who adventure across the continent, one written/play-by-post mixed with Good Society ttrpg, sandboxed in the Brackish Tears' capital.

Here is the star map and constellations. I have so many documents for my players to chew on, and I’m adding to them constantly.

#dungeons and dragons #DnD #DnD homebrew #fantasy #fantasy worldbuilding #worldbuilding #good society #ttrpg #inkarnate #my art #long post

[incorrect-rqg]

Part 1

Part 3

Part 4

This isn't a tournament, there were just too many specials to put in a single poll. There will be a second round where we compare the top 4 polls.

#rqg #rusty quill gaming #not a quote #polls

[mysteries-uncovered]

doc fiona slaughter -> invesitgator?  villain of zampaniosim (evil dr slaughter).  comes from a different, more paranoid universe/reality.  has a visa to this reality.  (maybe from zampanio or to zampanio?)  note everyone else also note from our “real” universe (minoburgers).  aiming to get people to See Beyond which apparently has no correlation with knwoing that doc is from different universe?  important that they stick to designated color scheme?  does want to go home.  duskhollow pd as in police department?  the “world that came after”(morgan’s hill?).  has whispers within her that call for ronin (bestie).  also is minister of peace?  has had mind wiped from supposedly looking into vik and/or something to do with her “weird religion”? hydration sim: “Oh no! Doc Slaughter has betrayed the party! No one could possibly have predicted this! Now the race is on to see who will be first to the TOWER OF ETERNITY to claim the EIGHTFOLD SWORD!”

#characters #zampanio #doc slaughter #main meals #unsolved #morgans hill

[nanodevil]

Creation of my TMA ttrpg oneshot #1

I'd been feeling the urge to DM a game for a while, particularly after listening to some of the games hosted by Jonathan Sims on the The Magnus Archives. They occasionally run short horror themed one shots during episode hiatuses- and while listening to the Duskhollow run (episode 3), it dawned on me. I want to do this. I want to do this type of thing for a Magnus Archives setting.

So, as the hyperfixation goes, my brain went to work to figure out the bits. Now, I'm writing this halfway through the process, so the earlier details are fuzzy to me.

My main inspiration was the Duskhollow run, which ran on an adapted version of the Cthulhu hack mixed with elements of the Cthulhu hack 2e. I spent about a day researching different engines to run the game on, mostly from recommendations from friends. Most notably was Candela Obscura by Darrington Press. In the end though, I returned to what inspired me in the first place - the cthulhu hack. It's a rules-light engine, that does away with overly complicated rolls and systems present in D&D that to this day i cant always get my head around. I decided to splurge a little (seriously, like, 3 pounds) on a quick start guide to the cthulhu hack. It was mildly interesting, and gave light to the rules of the system (as well as Jonny's explanation in Duskhollow episode 1).

Now I had a system. I needed players.

The process of recruiting players and adapting the system kind of ran side by side. Of course, I knew exactly who would be interested in this sort of thing. My TMA friend, Circus, who finished the entire series before I even started it, was a big fan of the idea, and was on board immediately. My other friend, Biscuits, got wind of the idea on a group chat we share, and despite only watching up until season 3, was hooked. Lastly was Cap, who also expressed interest. Despite only having consumed a couple canon episodes, he knew a lot about certain spoilers due to online fandom osmosis. I was lucky that these 3 people were already familiar with each other enough that I wasn't too worried about any awkward chemistry - these 3 chronically online weirdos were exactly who I needed as 1. players, and 2. dedicated hypemen.

The players also affected the worldbuilding route I chose. From what I saw, I had several options.

Canon universe, with canon characters, set during the time of the podcast

Canon universe, set in the past or future (I liked the idea of new assistants working for Gertrude)

AU universe, with all new characters, villains, and statements, built in the vague shape of the TMA template

I opted for number 3 - it involved the most work, but I liked the potential and possibilities it opened up. Plus, anything set in canon would contain spoilers for players like Cap, who hadn't finished season 1, who hadnt experienced the emotional plot beats that I'd be relying on the most. Option 2 sounded interesting, but with a story set in the past, any futures of the characters would be set in some sort of stone that I didn't feel would be interesting. Option 3 allowed the most openness for the players to grow and explore, with opportunities for ME to make cool new shit. This would keep the concept fresh for players who HAD listened, such as Circus and Biscuits, and off-canon enough to not spoil anything for players like Cap (and also Biscuits).

I adapted the system itself in small ways. I changed the "sanity" stat to a "fear" stat to keep more in line with the canon. I fuddled with the flashlights stat, went back and forth between calling it the eye stat or the curiosity stat. In the end, I kept it as flashlights, and smokes as smokes. The quickstart guide I purchased didn't help a lot with character building, so I had to fudge things myself from the pre-set sheets. I ended up making my own character sheet for the players to start filling out, and this kickstarted me talking to my players about character creation.

And create they did. I genuinely cannot stress how much I love the characters they created. Before I go on to them though, I want to comment on the character sheets I made.

I didn't like the character sheets that came with the quickstart guide. It didn't appeal to my personal tastes, so I tried to adapt it myself. I loved the idea of the character sheet being a "staff profile" for their employment. I initially was going to fill the character sheets out for my players, to instill the worldbuilding idea that it was the CEO filling it out rather than the employees themselves (to foreshadow the CEO's plans for them). However, I didn't go that route. To be totally honest, I thought it was helicopter-DMing to fill out the sheets for them. Especially so since I know a big reason everyone joined is the joys of character creation and making a lil blorbo to play around with. So I made an example sheet for them to reference and left them to it. 2/3 of my players are artists too, so I was happy for them to draw their characters as THEY saw fit.

My own critique notes: I feel like this template is a little too difficult for those without editing software to reference and edit - ideally these would be printed. The benefit of the quickstart guides character template was that it was an editable pdf. I didn't know how to make this like, well, THAT. I liked the "lofi charm" of the drawn version, but it's not as good for that kind of player interaction.

I did like adding my own adaption things, such as the skills, inventory list, background, and ??? squares, as well as a space for an "employee ID photo". However, my excitement got away from me and I forgot to add a particularly important block to the sheet which was "fears". This was a system I wanted to add to the game, to be able to roll disadvantage fear rolls to those who were predisposed to certain things on a character level. If I redo this template, the fears section will definitely be added. Currently, I have to keep it in my own little template box, and make sure the players are aware of what they chose.

Returning to the players, I was beyond excited with the characters they created. They were fun, interesting, and varied enough to not have any repeated concepts. All of my players ran with their ideas, and we had fully fledged characters in less than 4 hours after messaging them.

Those 4 hours began when I completed my homebrewed class system. The original cthulhu hack class system I found didn't really pertain to the worldbuilding of TMA - namely, a lot of them involved combat. While combat in ttrpgs is kind of classic, I didn't feel like it would be a big part of the game as my intention was to make it a mystery. Besides, the archives is an academic institution. There's no way a "ruffian" or a "bruiser" were getting jobs as archive assistants. The point is that theyre all different varieties of NERD. SO, I changed the system. The old system included the aforementioned bruiser and ruffian, as well as the philanthropist, the scholar, and the adventurer.

My classes were based on the given resources of the cthulhu hack, as well as inspired by Duskhollow. The resources, that being flashlights, smokes, sanity, and items, all have ingame uses and systems that I wanted to affect. For flashlights, I added the librarian - they had a background in the archive libraries and would have more knowledge on doing nerd-type research. For smokes, I added the rookie, a new hire to the archives who still had to get to know everybody around. Sanity had the skeptic, my personal favourite class, that had an advantage with fear rolls because of their preset disbelief in the occult. The last was the artfefactor, which is a word i absolutely just made up, who had a background in artefact storage and allowed the player to have access to more interesting items. I was very happy with the list I'd made. Unfortunately, nobody ended up choosing the skeptic, which was fine (im fine. im fine). I also ended up brewing a fifth class for one of the players circus, that was the same as the librarian in all but name (introducing the handyman). By introducing these classes, the characters chose their class and created their character around it.

Cap, as the rookie, made a new hire who was desparate to please everyone. Biscuits, as the artefactor, had a mysterious and absolutely traumatized artefact storage employee. Circus, as the handyman, made a southern country MAN who worked as a book restorationist in the institute library.

The kind of excitement and planning and love that went into these characters all bled into the hype created between these 4 people, and I began to wonder whether this one shot would STAY a oneshot. I love the idea of longer campaigns, but knowing me and my short lived passions, I had gone into this project with the mindset to start something small. The coming session is still a playtest, but plans for a longer campaign started to influence my further world building.

Because next was the writing.

The writing itself was it's own project that I was very looking forward to. The benefits of the cthulhu hack system is that it favours mystery, cosmic horror, and investigations and clue-collecting. That sounded perfect for what I was going for. However, the idea of investigations was beginning to weigh on me. Duskhollow was based around a police precinct that involved solving cases. Now a notable thing about the Magnus Archives is that not every case gets solved. In fact, most cases were just stepping stones to a greater mystery. The question of how to make this an engaging and satisfying mystery while still leaving threads open for a possible larger mystery began to form in my mind. What was the larger mystery going to be? What was the SMALLER mystery going to be?

The idea was to give them a case, a statement, with leads they all had to follow up on. That alone left me scratching my head for an entire weekend (as i procrastinated by making npcs over actual storylines). There are 15 fears in TMA, all with their own preset lore and trends and amalgamous interactions (hows that for a made up word?). The vast scope (lol) mixed with the unending pressure (lol) to make something different to established canon kind of left me stumped for a while. I made villains, but they all had an air of finality to them, something that had to be built up to rather than dealt with in a single investigation (on the players first week no less). I put a pin in this, putting the question to simmer in the back of my bind as I started other missions.

Next was the discord server. The discord server is to host the game itself, and to allow for player interactions and questions. I started off with 3 channels, a "system" channel for info on the game, an "out of character" channel for general talk, and an "in character" channel for players to roleplay in. I wasn't really sure about the last one, I was unsure if it would be used at all. I was inspired by other DM friend Louis, who is big in the LARP scene. His own servers had places for characters to talk in character, and I thought it was neat! I invited the players to chat around about the game, before introducing the purpose of the in character chat. I was not expecting them to take to it so well. I was honestly shocked at the response. The roleplay was funny, engaging, and let the characters practice their voices as they roleplayed on the "Magnus Institute Microsoft Teams Equivalent". The work group chat, essentially. It was amazing. I was beyond overjoyed to witness the players having such fun with an idea i didnt think would take very well. It was a lovely surprise.

I'll continue more of my process in post 2, as this is getting exceptionally long (and i need a break of writing lol). Important points I want to add on is: the homebrew worldbuilding how my archive and the canon archive differ the investigation the marks and encounters system the minecraft thing

#personal #my tma oneshot process #my dad told me to record my process #so here we areeee

[verbosebabbler]

ZampanioSim North App.tsx: ZampanioSim North

More messages in code. From Debugger > farragofiction > ZampanioSimNorth > Static > js > App.tsx

These are less coherently structured than the last, and I omitted a few that were just mischievous smileys directed at parts of the code.

              //JR NOTE: Fun fact, I wasn't aware of the "This Is Not A Game" trope in ARGs when I created this! I am being quite literal here: this is not a game. There is no gameplay. It is however, quite explicitly a work of fiction at every single layer.  Zampanio is a creepy pasta JRAFewLayersDown found, NOT a real game JRAFewLayersDown found.  It's fiction even within the fiction.  But it's fun to pretend, isn't it? At every layer. :) :) :)  Boy was JRAFewLayersDown confused (but happy) to find people who were either VERY committed to the bit or lying for, I don't even know, clout?

/*

  JR NOTE: how it sounds to debug this:

  "so eyes are real so mirrors should be real and i KNOW the bodies have hit the floor

  so everyhthing should flip turnways, keep up"

  */

/*

  The Layers:

* A normal RPG :) :) :)

* okay so you can't close the menu but you CAN unlock skills and new menus and that's kind of fun. Hey look, you got the credits for finishing your skill tree!

* uh. What's this glitchy looking thing?  (on first playthrough if you proc waste it instead picks something else, subsequent playthroughs  you can access it) (can call skills from window directly as a waste or when unlocking them they fire for non wastes)

* OH GOD WHY IS IT ANGRY.

*  hack react to be broken (put the screens or something into window so they can be deleted/fucked up?), allows some force that likes you to contact you, when instead they were being drowned out by the achivement system that hates you.

  */

 pretend to know facts about the user, such as they play cookie clicker

        slow owl sounds in cctv mode

        need more reasons for people to hang around with ghosts

blackbirds cipher

wasted ominous song (you blew it)

literally index page of ZampanioSimsim

update death popup to focus on "new character to play as" not reincarnation

jadedResearcher — Today at 5:08 PM

note: when its time to go live, have LITRPGSIM e point to something ominous

jadedResearcher — Today at 7:12 PM

jadedResearcher — Today at 7:20 PM

        *persephone, hades, demeter quest.  QUESTS are more "combination of side quests and overarching story plot". (think land quests)

        * session 0 is "the game is real i swear" notJR, the core of Truth is "zampanio was never real but the creepypasta faq was" notJR, and the core of game mode is "the game wasn't real and you couldn't accept that" notJR.

        * port in fractal shit post (cant compile dart version anymore), associate different states of the fractal with diff words from gaslight array

        * gaslight cursor revals a radius of true color (hidden yellow things in the pictures?)

* post screenshots of this ramble hidden in Truth (is it readable in cctv mode???)

* one password is aviary full o fanimated gull skeletons

* another is just skelejr sitting in her wheelchair

* sprinkle right pws at the 'end' of each path and more

*zampanio (not the sim) is designed to spark Obsession in a target and convince them to attempt to enact or oppose the end of the world (the End can either cause the Unbinding of Chaos or the Binding of Madness).  if you unbind chaos then the page reloads and you are a player with every theme at once and then some.  if you bind maddness the page reloads and you are a custom spawned player with a coherent and human created backstory, skills, buildings, etc. regardless of which mode you can do a new ritual to Balance the Scales and return to regular mode. Which ritual you can attempt to do is decided by seed, and in order to Unbind Chaos you need to have 9 specific items spawn (from duskhollow) and attempt to use them in GAme Mode (they all have custome effects)

if you "go up" in game mode, leads to jr in a chair attic mode (instead of a genuine moment of forth wall breaking connection chair JR just wants any info on the "real" zampanio, especially any cached copies of that dead faq link. twisting the one moment of truth in indie games like this into more lies (while also being true because yes plz if you make zampanio fan works plz send)

        JustTruth ends with you being assigned your TrueClasspect now that you've answered all possible questions

             when Truth and Game intersect you meet god (at end of adventure). JustJR mode where i explain why i made this game, sitting in a chair

              truth and game true = meta map of zampanio if you are in true mode AND game mode at the same time

              gigglesnort fnaf mod is creepy pasta

        secrets under construction component, shitty geocities gif of construction.

        creepy pastas scattered throughout the site, based on themes, of the form: "You sit down to play a game. It's weirdly obsessed with X. theme1 creepy. then thene2 creepy.  

        * lightly themed ghosts (just enough variation for gaslighting)

Suddenly, you can feel the pounding behind your eyes. "let me out" you hear, "let me out"." 

         a QUEST has a title, text and a reward, all strings. (so you can say that a companion themed quest gives +1 loyalty and a god quest raises your acolyte level, etc etc) 

        quest screen (has to be at end so can reference ITEMS and GODS (the two gods both are trying to woo the PLayer)) 

      * for each theme, finally break out PERSON from noun , refactor SKILL CREATION to use person place or thing rather than generic noun

    * store missing TEMPLATE PLACEHOLDERS (VISUAL_EFFECT, MONSTER_EFFECT, OBJECT, LOCATION, ADJ, INSULT, COMPLIMENT,CLASS, ASPECT, COMPANION, CITYNAME) in consts  (missing CLASS, ASPECT, and CITYNAME, COMPANION NAME)

    * for each theme, write out a super tiny quest or two with TEMPLATE PLACEHOLDERS

The city guard knows it takes a PERSON  to catch a thief, and they have come to you.  The ADJ OBJ has been stolen from the LOCATION, with no witnesses. Will you be the one to finally crack the case?"

"if there is a companion who has a theme that matches TEMPLATE theme, they slot into anything that needs COMPANION name"

    * on player creation, generate quest array from themes. title is procedural from the theme of the template chosen.

    * quest screen (copy CITYBUILDING SCREEN as a start) has list of quest titles (upgrades to summary of quest plus the fake skill points you'd get for completing it)

https://zampaniosim.fandom.com/wiki/ZampanioSim_Wiki

        link to fake ramble of someone trying to find all the secrets and easter eggs of LitRPGSim (not the fake Zampanio game, the sim) including fake ones 

      fractal sim plus radio??? 

      third path: press esc too many times and perma crash the menu, leaving the spiral sitting there goin "..." and it ...panicking and activating win mode???? 

      first ending where you max out skills (or played long enough to reach the heat death of the universe (thru auto clicker)) and menu finally closes and then fake credits role 

        sub titles unlock only when you unlock skills related to them. you have to discover them, essentially 

        zero player game where you get little mini stories about what you 'did', like "used Medical Crown to heal a king" or whatever.  if the game were working PROPERLY it should praise you for whatever skill you've used the most, but obviously you've never used a single skill so it just picks one at random or glitches out. have console logs about ERORR NO FAVORIE SKILL FOUND etc.         if i ever do a lets play of zampanio it should be a hacked version that never goes live that is different in many very important ways but subtle at first       

#discoveringzampanio

[gaunttcg]

Lost Grotto, Duskhollow

#Gaunt #Gaunt TCG #Dungeons and Dragons #Regional set

[sweetcandyholic]

[ocs] into the woods to make a friend

#sweetdraws #original characters #original character #artists on tumblr #ocs #not my ocs #digital art #procreate #procreate art #oc: nisha #duskhollow #hayden (tall) belongs to ryan!

[aromantic-eight]

Transcript of Duskhollow PD part 1 is finished! 

12 point font version

18 point font version

#duskhollow #duskhollow pd #transcripts #tma transcripts #this is SUPER fun if u haven't heard it yet

[elenariseventide]

The journey had been long and hard on the troops as they moved through the mountainous terrain to reach Lordaeron. The warchief, Sylvanas Windrunner, had called for the aid of the entire Horde and whether he approved of her or not, he still was a part of the Horde. He was lord of his home and had civilians that represented his banner. Those that were loyal to him and his name. The days in which they were stationed there were long though he managed to send a raven with his letters to Elenaris and his young daughter, Maevyn, daily. They were the fire that stoked his icy heart and his one, continuous tether to this living world. When the word had been given for the respective forces to return to this cities, their homes, and their families Cineas had ordered Ebonheart to inform the men and women that they were to pack up so that they could make their way to Ravenhill come first light. He found himself slightly shocked to notice that he was traveling back home with nearly half the soldiers that he had reported with. Those missing had either become casualties or fled the battle whether it was the former or the latter would only be determined once the battle fields were able to be combed over after the blight settled and no one entirely knew when that would be.

The ominous tower that stood atop Ravenhill could be seen on the winding mountain that it sat atop just outside of Quel’thalas. Being outside of the city allowed it to experience all of the seasons that the Ghostlands could provide. “Let us make haste,” he stated with a nod to the armored man at his side and spurred his horse onwards. The steed was tired and grunted uncomfortably but Cineas knew that there was only a small bit further before the horse could rest for some time. The large, wooden doors that stood within the wall of Ravenhill creaked loudly as they were opened by the doors winding gears and the caravan of troops had slowed as their hooves echoed along the cobblestone road. “Ebonheart,” Cineas directed as he now placed his attention towards the death knight at his side. “Inform the troops that they may go home to their families and loved ones. We will require no work for a weeks time for those that fought under this banner and every household, regardless of if man or women returned today, will receive a bounty of food on behalf of my household.” It was rare that Cineas ever did anything that did not benefit him personally and while one could argue that this did benefit, those that fought brought honor to him and his name and it would not soon be forgotten.

Without giving the death knight time to respond to him, Cineas spurred his horse ahead of the group so that he could make his way towards the castle that sat at the top of the hill where he knew that Elenaris had been alerted to his return. The few remaining soldiers that were among their personal guard stood at full attention as he crossed through the smaller wall that defended the castle and he dismounted the steed in the courtyard as he glanced around to take note of Cindel. His armor made a heavy clunking noise as he came into contact with the stones beneath him and he bowed his head to his wife’s attendant. “My wife?” He questioned however without a moment passing, his eyes flitted upwards to take note of the elegant woman who he called his home standing atop the stairs that led into the castle itself.

The nights alone had proven to be difficult and lonely when Cineas had left to heed the call of their Warchief. It was no secret Elenaris disapproved of most of the Horde’s actions and the Horde itself but Sylvanas Windrunner was a leader she could stand behind and her assault against the Alliance was one the dark priestess reveled in. It was odd, being left behind during such a time when she would typically be out lending her own hand in what was going on in the world but not this time. No, firstly she had to recover from her near release to the void plane following a rigorous child birth but even more importantly, she had to stay behind to be with her daughter. Little Maevyn was born with the lightest dusting of black hair, long raven locks were sure to follow.

She had been a bit of a fussy child, but now as she rested in her mother’s arms to greet the Lord of the house, her father, home, she was soundly quiet. “Welcome home, Lord Duskhollow. We’ve been eagerly awaiting your return,” Elenaris spoke in a low tone as she often did, her voice cooing down the stairs before she began to slowly descend toward him.

The ascent up the stairs was taken two at a time to hastily close the distance between the two of them. He had gone too long without the embrace of his wife and the feeling of his daughter in his arms. Now it seemed as though his only desire was to be back in their company without parting again. He knew that with the battle ending was only the beginning and that this war had only just begun. He feared for the status and safety of his family now. Ravenhill was not far from Lordaeron and in the back of his mind he knew that his family would need to strongly consider relocation.

“Lady Duskhollow,” he greeted with the faintest of smirks and a fluid bow of his body. Upon rising to his full height, he closed the distance between the two of them and removed one of the sturdy, leather gloves from his fingertips. His fingers delicately ran along the forehead of his sleeping child and they lightly tousled with her dark strands of her. “I trust our heir has been in good health in my absence as yours seems to be returning as well.” His hand moved from the child's head to affectionately cup the jawline of his wife.

Little Maevyn cooed softly as his hand met her delicate skin but she did not stir awake. Elenaris watched the affectionate encounter with a light smile before looking up to her husband and leaning into his hand once it came to her own face. “I am doing better and she’s been perfect. Missing her father, of course, as have I… it’s nice to have you home once again, my dear,” she leaned forward to press her lips softly against his own for a brief kiss despite how she yearned for more than the subtle gesture.

As she pulled away, her cradled arms lifted slightly toward him as she raised a brow. “It has been some time since you have held her,” it was only then with the slight movement that the small babe shifted in her swaddled nature and her eyes fluttered open to reveal the faint glowing hue behind her previously closed lids.  “Seems she knows that you are home.”

Elenaris had been correct that it had been sometime since he held his daughter in his arms. It was as if Cineas would not let her go prior to his departure but war had no ties to family no matter how new the addition. He smiled, fully, as his arms extended and he took the baby from her grasp to admire the faintly glowing eyes of his child. No longer did the elves pass along their emerald colored eyes and part of him swelled at that. The connection to the fel at the result of his ancestors made him cringe outwardly. It spat on everything his connection with the void was to him. Though with the purification of the Sunwell and the Sin’dorei of the now not needing the sustenance from fel any longer, there was an overall sense of relief. “She seems to be powerful already,” Cineas jested as he nodded towards the top of the staircase and the large, wooden doors that were still held open by the guards. “Let us get inside and out of this chill.”

He hadn’t waited much longer for her to agree before he began his ascent up the stairs of the castle and into the place he had called home for all of his life. The halls were ever familiar, dimly lit by candles and, in some places, lanterns and he turned to face the blonde woman as the doors closed behind their entourage. “Mother? Has she been docile as of late, I hope.” He suggested and spun swiftly at the sound of the elderly woman’s voice coming from the dining room. “That’s no way to refer to the one who gave you life, Cineas. I’ve been more than helpful to Lady...Duskhollow since your departure to the war.”

Elenaris plucked the smallest bit of fabric from her gown between her fingertips to lift up her hem just slightly as she nodded in silent agreement to him before following in behind his steps to return just inside the door where some symbol of warmth greeted them. As they came to a rest, her palms smoothed out any wrinkles the action might have caused while she gave a soft sigh. Her brow rose at the request of Cineas’ mother and before she could reply, Synida arrived just as expected.

“Mm...yes, quite,” Elenaris said in addition to the elder woman’s words but quickly moved from the topic. “We heard news of the Warchief’s actions against Loraderon… is it true? Has the Undercity been completely purged?” The tone of her voice would be hard to decipher, it teetered on the edge of relief and concern and knowing her, she had a lue of reasons behind either emotion in regards to Sylvanas, the Forsaken, and their home.

Cineas held his daughter firmly within his arms as he rocked her gently, cooing in a calming manner as his mother and wife exchanged a few words. Elenaris’ question had caught him off guard momentarily and he froze as his eyes slowly moved upwards towards the woman. He had never been afraid at completely expressing himself and his thoughts to her but the news of the battle was something that left a lump in his throat. He was never entirely sure how he felt about the blight and he’d preferred if it wasn’t used all together. He sighed slowly before answering. “Yes, Lady Windrunner flooded the city with blight that would harm bot the living and the undead.” His gaze had dropped from her as his attention reverted back to the child.

“We had the upper hand on the Alliance until the arrival of Lady Proudmoore and we were pushed back. When the retreat had been declared, the blight was unleashed. The city will be uninhabitable for some time moving forward.” He smiled at little Maevyn after he finished speaking and gently ran his finger tips over her darkened hair. “I had wanted to have this discussion after we all had time to settle, but I think it best that we depart Ravenhill depending on the actions of the Alliance moving forward.”

Elenaris’ gaze fell to Maevyn with a soft sigh, her jaws giving away the tense feelings that his story had brought. She had heard rumors, even the faintest sounds of war from the distance, but she had no idea their warchief had gone to such lengths just to secure this victory. It was in that moment that Elenaris began to feel she could have more of a connection with and support the Dark Lady a little more than she had before.

Her lips twitch just slightly into a grin but it quickly moved disappeared at this final words. She flicked up gaze up to him in surprise and while she did miss her family’s manor, she had made a home here at Ravenhill that was just a deep as her roots in Quel’Danas. “You want to leave Ravenhill? Completely abandon it?” Elenaris asked as her eyes hesitantly looked to Synida and then back to Cineas. “We cannot just leave your home to rot and eventually fall to the Alliance… But Quel’Danas has been upheld if it must be done. If you think it will be unsafe for us, for her, then I think we should.”

Cineas inhaled rather deeply as he motioned for the entourage to follow him into the dining hall as he took as seat at the head of the table and he cradled his daughter in his arms. He bounded slightly, rocking her back into a slumber as a slight smile tugged on his features as he watched her with great admiration. “I do not want to leave it,” Cineas replied rather quickly as he glanced between his golden haired wife and his elderly mother. “The Duskhollow’s have occupied this land for generations and those that tend to it have lived here for just as long. However, I am not a stupid man nor am I green in the ways of war. When the Alliance come, and they will come, we are in a direct path to Quel’thalas.” He breathed as he gestured for one of the servants to bring him wine. It had been far too long since he had some of the Eventide stock at his disposal.

“I am looking into some rather…” He paused as he nodded at the servant and quickly grabbed the chalice to take a sip of the liquid. “Interesting magics with our newly acquired allies: the Shal’dorei.” He knew that Elenaris might have been disapproving of such alliances but they were elves and allies to the Horde after all and they were left with little choice. “However, to ensure the safety of our family, I would prefer that we move to safer conditions. You have not fully regained your strength, my love, and mother, simple magic drains your energy to the point of fragility and while I can feel the power within little Maevyn, she’s just a child. We must preserve this bloodline over this home.”

Elenaris followed behind him gladly, glancing over to Synida as they walked toward the dining room and eventually would take their seats. She looked down to Maevyn in his arms and smiled. It was a sight she had always thought would never be hers, a child of her own bloodline and that of a man worthy to make such a wonderful being with. When Cineas mention the Nigthborne elves, she raised a brow curiously as expected. “The Shal’dorei? What use of their magic do you have need for?”

When he had asked for a glass of wine, she too waved to the servant to request her own, despite the possible glare that she might receive from her husband. She then looked to Synida once more curious of what her thoughts were on leaving Ravenhill, the home she had known for years beyond her own. “If Quel’Danas is the safest place for our family then it is a decision that is not hard to make. We can leave a small force here to look after the estate and see that it is taken care of in our absence. If and when things settled in the surrounding areas, we can return.”

Elenaris asking for a glass of wine had brought a slight arching to his brow as he had been so adjusted to Elenaris avoiding the sweet liquid but he immediately began to smirk slightly at the image of her taking a sip from the wine. “I need their use of cloaking.” Cineas replied to her as he moved to take another long, indulgent sip of the wine. “Their city in Suramar was protected, yes, by a large barrier but they are rather skilled in cloaking magic that I feel could be effective in hiding Ravenhill from plain sight.” His gaze slowly transitioned between his wife and his mother before he flickered down to his daughter and gently rocked her as she made a content sound. “I do not want to involve the Council in Silvermoon as I do not trust those outside of this room, save for a few, to ensure our safety.”

With that, the door to the dining hall opened quickly and Ebonheart was revealed in the fullness of his plate armor as he bowed his head before taking his stance next to the door. “We must not instill fear into those that call this place home. I’ve already instructed Ebonheart to inform the townspeople that we will be providing them with feasts for the remainder of the week and something special for the families that lost someone within the battle. We can begin moving them slowly after that point, yes?”

“We have been living our lives here without the aid of the Council for enough time now and even longer before I came here. I see no reason to involve them, either.” Elenaris looked down to Maevyn in his arms and her gaze seemed to linger there up until the sound of the door and Ebonheart’s heavy steps pulled her attention away. She gave him a quick nod before glancing back to her husband. “I will send Cindel to give word to the stewards at the Manor to see that everything is in order for the household to full move and take residence,”

Yet again, Elenaris flicked her gaze to Synida, somewhat surprised that she had not yet spoke up on the matter. But then, a thought came to her, another reminder that there was a war waging between factions. It had been one that lingered for years but now it was coming to a peak and she was at home. “Will you be returning to the front? ...Where ever that may be now?” She asked as she looked back once more to Cineas.

Cineas had gestured for Cindel to come to his aside after she had glanced up from her hushed conversation with the death knight at the door. When the woman had approached him, he handed the baby to her and indicated that she bring the child back to Elenaris and requested that one of the servants in the room bring him something to eat. His food intake had been limited to things that wouldn’t spoil such as salted meats. He had taken a rather large sip of his wine and reached for the jug to refill it when his mother’s voice had grabbed his attention rather quickly. “This home has been in our family for generations, Cineas, and it stirs my heart with disdain to see that you are so quick to surrender this home.” Her green eyes had trained on her son for an extended moment before her wrinkled fingers reached forward to grab the jeweled chalice that held her wine. “At least unchain your brother to give him some sort of fighting chance with this war,” she added with a bit of a heavy sigh before finishing the remainder of the red liquid. Cineas seemed to be slightly betrayed by his mother’s words though he ignored her momentarily as his gaze returned to do the blonde woman who he called his wife. “It appears that forces of the Horde are searching for additional allies throughout Azeroth. I have received word that Lady Windrunner’s champion seeks aid from the Zandalari trolls and Etrigg has sought aid from the orcs on Draenor.” He rolled his eyes somewhat upon those that the Horde seemed to be wanting to ally with and then shook his head. “The forces of the Duskhollow and Eventide are going to remain with us until I am requested for them otherwise.”

As Cindel was beckoned, Elenaris looked over to the couple that stood a distance away which caused the briefest of grins to form on her lips. Once Maevyn had been returned to her arms, she began rocking slightly in a soothing manner as she listened to not only Synida but to Cineas as well. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at the mention of the other Duskhollow ‘Lord’ but her husband’s quick follow up made it easier to distract her attention from the statement. “Trolls and Orcs… that is just what we need,” She said with obvious distaste though at this point, if the Horde was making these choices she knew it was Windrunner calling the shots and somehow that made it slightly and easier pill to swallow.  

Once the food had been brought to Cineas, she nodded to Cindel so that she may take her leave and carefully reached to the table for a sip of her own wine before she seemed taken back by her husband’s final words. “You expect to be called once more?”

After Elenaris had dismissed Cindel, Cineas had waited a moment and nodded to Ebonheart to dismiss him as well. He seemed to distract himself with the wine in his cup until a plate was placed before him and then two more followed after it. The larger plate contained a few slices of some sort of roast and vegetables and the smaller plates had one of assorted fruits and a loaf of bread. He hadn't wasted a moment before greedily digging in and carefully swallowing the large mouthful and washing it down with a glass of wine. “We need the Orcs and the Trolls. Who ever has a larger amount of bodies to throw at the other side will win this war. Both factions of beasts prove essential.” He murmured as he reached for one of the grapes and quickly popped it into his mouth.

He dismissed his mother with a few quick words and after the sound of her cane hitting the stone floor had disappeared, he rose from his seat and moved to kneel before the chair of his wife. His hand gently moved to up her cheek and he smiled in an almost eerie manner. “Between the Eventide forces and my own, I expect us to be utilized again in this war. Which is why I'm placing the utmost importance on getting you and our daughter far from here.”

Elenaris had been distracted with the awaiting for Cineas’ response to even care to see Ebonheart leave. She glanced between him and Synida briefly but her gaze found his and locked on as he stood and made his place now kneeling before her. The feeling of his hand upon her cheek was welcomed, it was a feeling she had longed for each night when he was away. She reveled in the touch for a moment before deciding to respond and she knew he was not going to like what she had to say. “I will see that she and our household are well secure and protected, but once that is done and you are called back to aid in the moments where we strike the Alliance down, I am coming with you,” Her words were stern , as always, it was simply how the Lady was. A woman of her own, an independent and strong mind, but that small traditional and respectful portion of her still managed to weave through as her tone ered on the side of caution when standing up to Cineas.

He chuckled quietly at her response. Elenaris was back to being bold and oh how he had missed her though he had more than understood the toll that childbirth had taken on his wife. His hand dropped from her cheek after his thumb gave an affectionate graze to her bottom lip. “My love,” he replied softly as he rose from his knees to take the seat next to her idly, his elbow resting on the table to prop his head up. “Perhaps there were once days of the brave and beautiful Elenaris Eventide leading her soldiers into battle. Inspiring morale at the chance for a random peasant to catch a strand of her golden locks for luck. But you have a child now, an obligation to her, to yourself and to this house. Battle is no place for you.” His jawline tightened as he finished speaking as his gaze narrowed at her slightly. They had always been a formidable pair but he, too, felt odd in a way standing up to her. “Plus, I anticipate that you will be quite entertained with my plans for the Eventide Estate.”

There was a moment of silence between his words and when she finally responded. Her features slowly drained of her enthusiasm regarding the current conversation. “Your plans for the Eventide Estate,” She repeated him before taking a slow breath and tilting her head slightly. “Am I to be expected to stay at home overseeing decor changes and projects, continue knitting for hours within the day and be a typical housewife?” Elenaris had always wanted a family but she never anticipated being put into this situation. Her own jaw clenched as she stared over at him expectedly. “Yes I am a mother, but I am anything but that day to day Lady sitting back in a rocking chair while the rest of the world is off fighting a fight I should be a part of.” Her arms tightened around the young one that she cradled, glancing down at her as she continued to sleep soundly. She somewhat felt guilty for wanting to leave her but there was a burning inside her that yearned for more. “Your heir will be safe there with or without me but this is something I need to do before… retiring completely.”

“And what of our heir should the both of us perish side by side in a cliche story trope on the battlefield?” Cineas asked rather quickly as he reached for her glass of wine and quickly took a large gulp of it. “Who then will raise our child? My aging mother? Your disobedient sister?” He ranted slightly but he only seemed to calm himself when he had taken another sip of the wine. Battle had tired his senses and he was far from his normal self that exude control in almost every situation. He rose from the chair with her glass in hand and slowly paced over to the fireplace as his dull eyes gazed into the flames for a lingering moment. The heat felt warm against his skin but when the fire crackled more to life it gave a slight stinging to his eyes and nose. He stepped back slowly before tossing the remaining red liquid into the flames causing them to flare higher and brighter than before. “Very well,” Cineas replied finally as he turned around and folded his arms loosely over his chest. “If we are summoned to war once more, I will permit you to come with me so long as Ebonheart is by your side.”

With the tense and rather rash gesture, Elenaris barely flinched but inside the outburst startled her slightly as she had become a rather calmed woman in her state of caring for their child while he was away. She watched from her stationary position and once he had finished his little rant, she rose to her feet, baby still cradled in her arms comfortably. “Cindel will care for Maevyn until she is of age to assume her rightful place as head of our conjoined Houses, that was always the plan of action should we ever meet demise before the opportune time and that is why we named Cindel and gave her lands.” Her words were reassuring but flat as she stated them simply without expecting any push back and with that, she grinned to herself as he looked to her from across the room and then nodded to her elder mother-in-law. “I suppose I have some preparations to make, then…” She said with a bit of pride in herself that she had won out in her aspirations.

#Eventide #Duskhollow #MaevynDuskhollow #BFA