Monday 23 April 2012

And here is T for Teufelfeufer as I promised :)... I have always wanted to run something in or around this damned place...

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: S is for Shallya on "Another Caffeinated Day"

Argh! Sorry for my tardiness! With school work piling up, I've barely glanced at my computer screen :/ So sorry everyone... But, to fix the problem, I bring you two for one!

Here is Shallya, Goddess of Healing, and immediately afterwards I will give you "T"!

Enjoy :)

Saturday 21 April 2012

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: R is for Rune Magic on "Another Caffeinated Day"

Rune Magic. It's an odd fit in the Warhammer world... Magic specifically for creating magic items: something the players will usually never see, and yet, oh so cool.

It is stuff like this, peppered through the books, that makes me wish I was a nicer GM :)

ENJOY!

Friday 20 April 2012

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: Q is for Quaysh on "Another Caffeinated Day"

Greetings all!

It seems we've slunk back to the original theme of "Magic" that was established in post A! AWESOME!

High Magic is a fun one - significantly stronger than the Human-capable Winds and only usable by the High Elves... They claim we can't use it. Perhaps they are right, or perhaps they got the fast one on us, once again!

Enjoy!

Wednesday 18 April 2012

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: P is for Praag


If you had to say one thing about Praag, it is that it is cursed. Utterly, utterly cursed.

The city sits on the River Lynsk, bordering to the north the Troll Country, and to the south Kislev. Due to this location, it is often the first stop for the Kurgan hordes invading the Empire. As such, Praag suffers every time.

During the time of Magnus the Pious, when the Great War Against Chaos was raging, the city of Praag was hit harder than it ever had before. The walls were surrounded by the damned, and the soldiers on the inside were out matched. However, their stout Kislevite hearts weathered the worst of the war and managed to keep the city standing for several weeks. That was, until Magnus was on the march.

Knowing they didn’t have long, the Kurgan hordes mustered for one last push. And the walls and gates of Praag fell, and the Winds of Chaos blew through the streets, twisting the landscape and scarring its people. When Magnus finally made it to the siege, he crushed the Kurgan’s surrounding the city and pushed through their broken lines to see the fate of the doomed city. What he saw was not meant to be.

Men were fused with the stone walls of houses, and cobbled streets ran with blood from between the cracks. Trees howled at those around them and the windows of the houses grew eyes and glared through those who saw them. Praag was a bastion for Chaos, and its once proud people were slaves to Chaos, or dead.

Magnus ordered the city burned, and, once the war was over, fled back to the Empire, thinking the end of Praag was assured. However, the Kislevites endured. They rebuilt their city, brick by tainted brick, and rose a new Praag on top of the old. They had no idea it was still tainted… That was, until strange things started happening. The main market street started displaying strange writings every morning, seemingly made from the cobblestones itself. Dark figures followed civilians at night, but never got closer. Dark howling could be heard in the Square of Kisses in the darkness. And yet, Praag lives on – a magnet to the forces of darkness through the Old World.

If you want to read more about Praag, I guess this is as good a time as any to make an announcement. I am currently writing a revised version of Praag (that is, revised form what is in RotIQ), and I will begin posting about it regularly on versamus after this month. It is planned out as a massive source-book for the city, filled with everything you could ever want to run a campaign in a terrifying urban setting!

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: O is for Ostland on "Another Caffeinated Day"

Poor old Ostland. Not as harshly treated as Praag (coming up tomorrow), but Ostland still takes the cake for most damaged of all provinces in the Empire. With each Incursion, Ostland gets a little weaker...

I hope you enjoy reading about depressing Empire stuff... This is WFRP after all, so I'm guessing that's why you're here!

Sunday 15 April 2012

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: N is for Nagash


If one were to ask: Who is the villain of the Old World? Many would reply with “Archaon”. This is, however, an incorrect answer. Archaon is merely a vessel for the Chaos Gods, primordial and elemental forces that are opposed to Order and common conceptions of civilisation. They are not evil, and the Empire is not good. They are merely polar opposites on a Lawful-Chaotic spectrum. Therefore, one might point to the Orks or the Skaven and their respective leaders. Again, they are merely opposing ideals.

The answer would be: Nagash, first and greatest of Necromancers.

Born in ancient Nehekhara, Nagash was a noble son who fell in with the respected Mortuary Cult (servants of the Lord of the Dead who served to ready royal corpses for burial). He became obsessed with death and the avoidance of it, and, after encountering (and torturing) several Dark Elf sorcerers, he learned the secrets of Dhar and of the power of Warpstone. Armed with the diabolical knowledge, he cursed the lands of Nehekhara and the Old World by unleashing the race of Vampires on them. He became the first liche and reduced the cradle of human civilisation to a home for the undead…

However, he was caste out from his own home and, after several forays against the Skaven, was eventually destroyed by a baleful Aethyric blade. This, however, was not the end. Nagash has died and resurrected numerous times, fighting Skaven, Chaos and even the God King Sigmar Heldenhammer!

His spirit rests currently, but who knows when next this foul monster will arise…

Saturday 14 April 2012

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: M is for The Moot on "Another Caffeinated Day"

Ah, Halflings... A combination of the silliness and grim dark that perfectly encapsulates the Warhammer World. But I don't think I could ever say it as well as Tim, so I'll leave the pretty words to him!

Go check it out. Seriously, go, NOW!

Friday 13 April 2012

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: L is for Lucky Charms


The peasants (and in many cases, the nobility) of the Old World are a superstitious lot. Given the nature of the Warp and the uncertainty of the existence of material gods, however, this is perhaps the wisest of stances. As such, the culture of the Empire, and indeed beyond, has breed a massive economy dealing in Lucky Charms.

Lucky Charms can take all manner of forms - rune stones, the finger bones of ‘Saints’, small straw dolls of the family or god, and so forth. The one thing that ties them all together, however, is the faith placed in them by their owners. Whether through some kind-eyed onlooking god, or because of the random whims of the Aethyr, it is not uncommon for these Lucky Charms to have a seemingly tangible effect. Of course, the reason you didn’t get your head split open could be because the ground is slippery after the rain, or it could be because your Lucky Charm made your enemy slip. You can never know…

What you can be sure of, however, is that there will always be charlatans selling false relics for a quick Crown or so. And further, the fools of the Empire will always buy them.

Thursday 12 April 2012

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: K is for Knight of the Blazing Sun


Few Knightly Orders capture the imaginations of the Old World like the Knights of the Blazing Sun. Whether it is their fantastically ornate armour, their dazzling mirror shields, or their newcomer god, it is anyone’s guess. The simple fact is, during a siege or attack on a couching in or parish, the Knights of the Blazing Sun always seem to pop up and settle the score.

Originally a secular group from Carroburg, the Knights found their way to Estalia en route to crusade in Araby. However, the town in which they were staying soon came under attack from their foes and their deaths were assured. Suddenly, the great statue of Myrmidia toppled and slew hundreds of the Arabyan forces, allowing the Knights to take them in open combat. They returned to the Empire filthy rich and worshipping a foreign god.

But the Goddess of Tactical Battle is a good suit for the Knights of the Blazing Sun – Myrmidia offers insights into battlefield tactics and great wisdom. There is no wonder why this wise goddess is beginning to replace Ulric on the lips of waiting soldiers…

But now, decades after their conversion, the Knights still roam the lands of the Empire, often alone and foregoing the comforts of the chapter house, seeking out the meek and the helpless with polished shield held aloft and the flaming courage of Myrmidia to keep their countrymen safe!

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: J is for the Journeyman Wizard on "Another Caffeinated Day"

Hello again,

This one was a fun read for me... Specifically because last night I started a campaign in WFRP wherein the players are all agents of the Grey College and got told off by a very cross Journeyman.

Brilliant fun.

Anyway, enjoy Tim's newest post!

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: I is for Isha


Isha, the Elven Mother Goddess, is considered by all Elves to be the creator of their race. However, due to the unique methods of divine interpretation and reverence, they also consider all other female ‘Mother Goddesses’ as being a part of Isha, or perhaps Isha as a part of a greater representation of the concept of the ‘Mother’.

Isha is the Goddess of the harvest and of natural bounty, mother of the earth and bringer of fertility… Much like the other female deities of the Old World. Evidence of Isha can be seen in other deities such as Shallya, Rhya, Valaya, Esmerelda, and Hyacinth, and vice versa. Given the nature of Old World worship, the collective thoughts of one deity are seen in the other, and vice versa.

As Teclis inferred when he taught safe magic to the magisters of the Empire, all gods are merely projections of emotion and collective thought in the Aethyr. He put forward (however lightly) that perhaps all human gods, and the ‘miracles’ they bestow, are sourced from the same place as the foul Winds of Chaos. This thought is, of course, heretical under the current theological thinking in the Old World… But it is no less true.

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: H is for the Handmaidens on "Another Caffeinated Day"

Greetings all,

Firstly, sorry for the tardiness of this post; with Easter and my Uni not giving us Easter breaks, I have been swamped in familial issues and overdue essays... As such, I wasn't able to get around to posting this, nor writing today's entry on time. Therefore, I will be posting it later today than usual. Sorry for the inconvenience!

However, I present to you the Handmaidens on Another Caffeinated Day! One of my favorite subjects - Magical Manifestations - as they just generally creep me the hell out! Check it out, and stay tuned for "I is for Isha" later today :)

Saturday 7 April 2012

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: G is for Geheimnisnacht


Every year, on a particular night, citizens of the Old World shut their doors and windows, snuff out their hearths and quiver in fear, huddled together, and pray for the dawn. This night is Geheimnisnacht - Night of Mysteries - when the dreaded Chaos Moon, Morrslieb, is full and closer than ever to the world whilst Mannslieb also reigns in the sky.

During this Night of Mysteries mutations spring up, Chaos abounds, and Necromancers roam the world reaping their deadly tolls. It is a universally dreaded time among the sane, and the holiest of holies for those with a dark soul.

Geheimnisnacht is only the Reikspiel name for it, however, as each culture on the planet recognises its importance and holds it as a dark time above all others. Winter’s Eve, Ar’Uzkul, Twilight’s  Tide, and possibly the Dark Elves’ “Death Night” (in which Witch Elves scourge their cities for sacrifices to their evil god of murder, Khaine).

With the proximity of so much warpstone, it is not surprising that the eerie glow of the Chaos Moon causes the just to hide whilst the bestial roam free in an ecstasy of worship for their vile gods…

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: F is for Flaming Sword of Rhuin on "Another Caffeinated Day"

Greetings all,

Sorry for this late post, but family commitments have gotten in the way :/ Anyway, Friday's post for the A-to-Z: the dreaded Flaming Sword of Rhuin!

Enjoy!

Thursday 5 April 2012

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: E is for Elector Countess Emmanuelle von Leibwitz


Few personalities in the Old World truly encapsulate an entire social class. Elector Countess Emmanuelle von Liebwitz, however, truly represents the ‘spoiled rake’ stereotype.

Occupying the both Countess positions available in Wissenland (that of Elector Countess of the province, and of the City State of Nuln), the Countess is by far the most powerful person that side of Altdorf. However, uncharacteristically of most nobility, she is attempting the throw away most of her lands – giving Wissenland to the Toppenheimer family – so that she can be rid of the bores of provincial matters. In the absence of these worries, she would certainly be aiming to throw many more of her illustrious parties and balls (many of which are said to last days, or even weeks!).

To put it short, however, the Countess could be seen as Nuln personified – a bright jewel in the crown of the Empire, strong and enduring, yet wasteful and flamboyant, with just enough excess to get the newssheets talking. With apparently “10,000 completed outfits” in her wardrobe, no one could doubt the strength and wealth of the cultural capital of the Empire.

But, even though the Countess is a much loved socialite, this middle-aged woman has a dark side. She is notorious for her hatred of the “po-faced burghers” and for countless scandals involving whatever young, fresh faced, handsome man crosses her path. To cover up these dealings, and to maintain her hold on her beloved ‘jewel’ – the City State of Nuln – the Countess has established several groups of ‘secret police’ and spy networks that run through the city (many of which are unaware of the others, so as to prevent corruption).

Wednesday 4 April 2012

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: D is for Daemon Slayer on "Another Caffeinated Day"

Greetings all,

Sorry for the tardiness with this one, school and all that jazz got in the way once again!

Anyway, here is "D", and it touches on a subject VERY dear to my heart. Enjoy!

Tuesday 3 April 2012

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: C is for Crime


It won’t come as a surprise to many that, among the myriad problems facing the Empire, Crime is rampant. The Empire being a relative land of plenty causes its citizens to always ‘want more’. From the grandest nobles, to the lowest scum, everyone is out to make a few extra Crowns. However, in a land as corrupt as the Old World, it is easy to see how one would be forced into crime.
Crazy laws abound in the urban cities, giving rise to laws detailing the manner of one’s singing, or the length of their blades. One such law details how all privately owned merchant vessels docking into Altdorf must moor in to ‘Empress Annette’s Quays’ unless there is no room available. Another, secondary law, states that such moorings will cost “two shillings per foot of length per day to dock there”. So any merchant wanting to make ends meet is robbed half blind under the law when he goes about his business!

No wonder we have instances like the Pudding Tax Revolt of 2433!

Naturally, in a world where crime is rife and the law confusing, the only ones who win out are the lawyers. Lawyers attend the great colleges of the Empire to learn their profession and seek the gold it reaps. When they are finished, they are thrown into a horrible world of politics and back stabbing (almost bad enough that it should be taken to the courts!). However, life for the lawyer is far sweeter than their charges. 

That is, of course, so long as they don’t get posted as a Traveling Judge. The Traveling Judges represent an effort by some and a punishment by others on the rural settings of the Empire. Great ‘learned men’, carried on thrones on the shoulders of their menservants, arrive in villages and parishes all over the Empire and dispense ‘justice’ in the only form available to them. Death. Whether it is a petty crime, or a murder, the Traveling Judge will decide the punishment and his word held as absolute. The defendant will have to pay a fine, lose a limb, or lose their lives. When they enter a village the criminal underground stops moving.

Of course, they are still better than having a Witch Hunter run through the place…

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: B is for Blather on "Another Caffeinated Day"

Greetings all,

Due to timezones and all that silliness, I am way ahead of everyone else in this blogging A-to-Z business. So, to fix this issue, we have settled for a standard upload time of GMT0000, therefore GMT1000 (which is 10am EST, the Australian timezone where I live).

Anyway, here is the second installment of the WFRP A-to-Z over at "Another Caffeinated Day": "B is for Blather", a WFRP skill very close to all our hearts!

Keep rolling those dice, and I hope to speak to you again soon!

Monday 2 April 2012

Blogging WFRP A-to-Z: A is for Azyr on "Another Caffeinated Day"

Greetings all,

Welcome to this year's cycle of Blogging WFRP A-to-Z! As I have mentioned previously, I will be doing this along side two other bloggers; Timothy Stone, blogger of Another Caffeinated Day and JohnPaul Temple, blogger of Thousand Thrones Blog. As part of this, each day we will be switching back and forth (so, for instance, Sunday (which was actually yesterday, sorry :/) Tim posted the first one up! So, here it is: A is for Azyr!

Keep rolling those dice and I hope to speak to you again soon!