And I made...a mistake.

Well, not really a mistake, just a decision that resulted in a family tree branch that Obsidian is going to hate me for, haha.

Archduchess Aline

Title & Character

• Is this person an Archduke? (50/50) = Yes
• Is this person older than the Monarch? (50/50) = No

Determined how to roll for age. First question determines die size.

• What is the maximum age difference to the Monarch?
  • 1/4 = 6 Years
  • 2/5 = 10 Years
  • 3/6 = 20 Years
• Result = 6 Years (d6)
• What is their age, given the Monarch is 77? = 76 (Rolled a d6, got a 1)

Appearance

• Body (Deck) = Shorter than average, and chubby
• Gender (Deck and my own interpretation) = Female, she/her, prefers to present herself with masculine stylings
• Skin tone (same as Monarch) = Medium-dark warm brown

• Does she also have heterochromia like the Monarch? (50/50) = No
• Which of the colors is predominant? Muted red (heads), muted green (tails) = Muted red
• Hair color = Same as Monarch's for sake of my sanity (moss green, graying)
• Hairstyle (deck) = Short, chin-length
• Other physical details (deck) = Large hands, long legs, short torso. Was likely quite stunning when she was younger and is still attractive.

Personality

• Industry focus for governance (deck) = Agriculture/farming
• General disposition (deck) = Perky, energetic despite her advanced age
• Clothing style (deck) = Frequently wears a cloak (perhaps she is easily chilled), and still dresses in clothing easy to move around in.

This Archduchess is an active lady who still moves around her territory on a regular basis and still manages many of her affairs on her own. Her name is Aline.

Family & Offspring

• Does she have a spouse? (50/50) = Yes
• How many does she have/has she had? (d10, given her age) = 10
  • Side note here: Initially I used a d12, got 12, then decided that perhaps that was too many. I then changed it to a d10, rolled again, and still got the max. I took this as a sign that destiny really wants this lady to have had a LOT a spouses.
• How many are still alive? (d10) = 5
• Is having multiple spouses legal? (Unlikely) = No
  • But I will say that having multiple partners is not unusual.
• Is her current or latest spouse still alive? (50/50) = No

Determined who else may be dead or alive (50/50 per spouse until the minimum of 5 for either status is met):

1. Deceased
2. Deceased
3. Deceased
4. Alive
5. Deceased
6. Alive
7. Alive
8. Alive
9. Alive
10. Deceased

That will be fun to explore later if I feel like it...

Offspring

• Does Aline have children? (Likely) = Yes
• How many? (d20 but roll again if over 15) = 15 (wow)

For sanity, all children were from the spouses, though I may not specify if the spouses and children happened while the spouse was wedded to Aline. I rolled a d10 to determine which kid came from which spouse relationship. The number on the die corresponded to each spouse (1 = Spouse 1).

The totals are as follow:

• Spouse 1 = 2 children
• Spouse 2 = 1 child
• Spouse 3 = 1 child
• Spouse 4 = 1 child
• Spouse 5 = 1 child
• Spouse 6 = 4 children
• Spouse 7 = 2 children
• Spouse 8 = 1 child
• Spouse 9 = No children
• Spouse 10 = 2 children

Aline loves freely—and often. It is probably a good thing that the crown is not passed on by a line of succession.

Archduchess Veturia

Title & Character

• Is this person an Archduke? (50/50) = Yes
• Is this person older than the Monarch? (50/50) = No

Determined how to roll for age. First question determines die size.

• What is the maximum age difference to the Monarch?
  • 1/4 = 6 Years
  • 2/5 = 10 Years
  • 3/6 = 20 Years
• Result = 6 Years (d6)
• What is their age, given the Monarch is 77? = 71 (Rolled a d6, got a 6)

Appearance

• Body (Deck) = Average height, underweight. Very frail.
• Gender (Deck and my own interpretation) = Female, she/her (trans)
• Skin tone (same as Monarch) = Medium-dark warm brown

• Does she also have heterochromia like the Monarch? (50/50) = No
  • At this point, I will say that the heterochromia is a rare trait for this bloodline, or it signifies other things not related to genetics.
• Eye color = Muted red
• Hair color = Moss green but hers is all gray.
• Hairstyle (deck) = Shoulder-length and kept in a half-ponytail, relaxed and low maintenance.
• Other physical details (deck) = Sports a few gray whiskers on her face. She has many wrinkles.

Personality

• Industry focus for governance (deck) = Arts and entertainment; theatre district, artisans.
• General disposition (deck) = Haughty; she has aged into a prideful and cranky woman.
• Clothing style (deck) = Often seen in a pair of leggings with loose and comfortable clothing over it, like long tunics or dresses, that are usually adorned in elaborate embroidery and other details.

Veturia may be cantankerous at some times, but there's no denying her impact on the arts and entertainment of Vilderine. She has worked hard to manage both her large territory and remain an avid patron of the arts, and sees her status and reputation as her just rewards.

Family & Offspring

• Does she have a spouse? (50/50) = Yes
• How many does she have/has she had? (d4, for my sanity and because I feel Veturia is less likely to have many) = 3
• How many are still alive? (d4, roll again if 4) = All 3
• Is her current or latest spouse still alive? (50/50) = Yes

Perhaps Veturia is the reason that two divorces happened.

Offspring

• Does Veturia have children? (50/50) = Yes
• How many? (sanity and likelihood check, d6) = 2
• Roll a d4 to determine which spouse relation yielded which child (roll again if 4):
  • Child 1 = Spouse 1
  • Child 2 = Spouse 3
• Does child 1 remain attached to the archduchy (heads) or are they ineligible for inheritance because they went to their other parent's house post-divorce (tails)? = Heads, remained with Veturia's house.

Archduke Gael

Title & Character

• Is this person an Archduke? (50/50) = Yes
• Is this person older than the Monarch? (50/50) = Yes
• What is their age, given the Monarch is 77? (d6) = 82

Appearance

• Body (Deck) = Very tall, underweight, borderline frail. Uses a wheelchair to get around more frequently these days due to joint pain.
• Gender (Deck and my own interpretation) = Male, he/they, (cis)
• Skin tone (same as Monarch) = Medium-dark warm brown

• Eye color = Muted red
• Hair color = Entirely gray
• Hairstyle (deck) = Trimmed and tidy, with close-cropped around the sides and longer on top.
• Other physical details (deck) = Large hands like Aline, several tattoos that are faded from age.

Personality

• Industry focus for governance (deck) = Trades, construction, shipping logistics, guilds
• General disposition (deck) = Just as perky as his sister Aline, and held back only by his age.
• Clothing style (deck) = Wears tight laced-up stockings (compression) for his joint pain. Has taken to wearing simple dresses in recent years.

Gael is a good-natured spirit that is winding down in their late years and is now just enjoying the sunset. He once spent a few years aboard sea vessels once it was clear he wouldn't be the next monarch, and came back with sailor tattoos and a better grasp of the different seafaring trades.

Family & Offspring

• Does he have a spouse? (50/50) = Yes
• How many does he have/has he had? (d6 again, for sanity) = 2
• How many are still alive?
  • 1 = Both deceased
  • 2 = Only spouse 1 is living
  • 3 = Only spouse 2 is living
  • 4 = Both are living
  • Result = 4

Because 2 spouses are much easier to manage, I did some brief exploration.

• Is ex-spouse 1 still on good terms with Gael? (50/50) = Yes
• Are they still romantically involved, just not married? (50/50) = No (So, just friends.)
• Is the current spouse on good terms with ex-spouse? (50/50) = Yes

Perhaps the first marriage was dissolved after the romance cooled off, or they realized they were better off as friends.

Offspring

• Does Gael have children? (50/50) = Yes
• How many? (sanity and likelihood check, d6) = 5
• Roll a d4 to determine which spouse relation yielded which child (Heads = ex-spouse, tails = current spouse):
  • Child 1 = Spouse 2
  • Child 2 = Spouse 1
  • Child 3 = Spouse 2
  • Child 4 = Spouse 1
  • Child 5 = Spouse 1
• Does child 2, 4, and 5 remain with the archduchy (heads) or did they go to the ex-spouse's house (tails)?
  • Child 2 = Left the archduchy
  • Child 4 = Remained with the archduchy
  • Child 5 = Left the archduchy

There are 3 children that are part of Gael's household. Two are part of their ex-spouse's household. Since Gael, the ex-spouse, and current spouse are all on good terms with each other, it is likely that the children are not resented by any of the three parents. However, the children may not feel the same.

Also, the numbering of the children above doesn't mean they were born in that order, all children were born within wedlock. Just for my own sanity, lol.

Osalle's Home

Osalle, daughter of the Monarch, was sent to one of the Monarch's siblings' houses to live.

• Which sibling's house does she reside in?
  • 1/3 = Aline
  • 2/4 = Veturia
  • 3/6 = Gael
  • Result = Veturia

That's it for this week's post. I may do a third part to show the "completed" tree (loose emphasis on completed, there) but I likely won't go through as rigorous a process for the archdukes' children. Mainly because 10 children...is a lot...oh, why did I decide to do that to myself...

(Because it's fun. ♥)

Note: "50/50" means I flipped a coin. "Likely/Unlikely" means I used the Freeform Universal oracle in the Solo TTRPG Toolkit plugin for Obsidian. "Deck" means I utilized my Character Design Deck.

Family & Offspring

I want an older monarch with no living parents but with living siblings. I wanted potential for several branches so I selected a d10 for siblings.

• How many siblings do they have? (d10) = 3
• Do they have a consort? (50/50) = No
• Do they have concubine(s)? (50/50) = No
• Do they have children? (50/50) = Yes

Children would have been outside of marriage and concubine relations. It is more likely that they would be few in number so I selected a d4 for the following question.

• How many children? (d4) = 2
• Are they twins? (Unlikely) = No
• Do they share the same parent? (50/50) = Yes
• Was the relationship with the parent a secret? (Likely) = Yes
• Has the relationship remained a secret (heads) or is it now public knowledge (tails)? (50/50) = Remains a secret
• Is this a long-term relationship? (50/50) = Yes
• Selected a d20 for next question since the monarch is older.

How many years apart are the children? (d20) = 7 years

Going to assume the monarch is aware of the children regardless if they birthed them or not, for my own decision.

• Does the public know of child 1? (50/50) = No
• Does the public know of child 2? (50/50) = Yes
• How old is child 1? (d100, reroll if over 50) = 11

This means child 2 is 4 years old.

Also, going to assume both children are alive, to make things easier.

Does child 2 live in the royal palace (heads) or with another member of the royal family (tails)? (50/50) = With another member of the royal family.

Monarch's Details

Already established senior age above.

• Age (d100, reroll if under 55 or over 80): 77
• Gender (deck + my own decision) = Male
• Cis (heads) or trans (tails)? (50/50) = Cis

Earlier in this process, I had decided that there would be a means for people with any body type to produce a child, likely magical. This will explain my next question. I skipped child 1, because since the public is not aware of them, but is aware of child 2, it is extremely unlikely that the monarch produced child 1.

Did the monarch produce child 2? (50/50) = No

Decided monarch and siblings will be humans.

• Body type (deck) = Average height, slender
• Skin tone (deck) = Medium-dark warm brown
• Eye color (deck) = Muted warm red
• Hair color (deck) = Dark warm green (moss), that is greying
• Hair style (deck) = Medium length hair pinned up in an ornate arrangement that accommodates the crown
• Other physical details (deck) = Moles, Heterochromia Selected a muted green to pair with the red eye.

General disposition (deck) = Calm

Utilized my "Career (Broad) card to server as a general focus for his governance.

Governance focus (deck) = Business, merchants, trading

Name (Fantasy Name Generators) = Frederick Chares

Frederick's Lover

Roll for the lover's ancestry:

1. Human
2. Elf
3. Dwarf
4. Beastfolk
5. Orc
6. Goblin
7. God
8. Human

Roll result = Human

Thought it would be spicy if the lover was much younger than Frederick, hence the following parameters.

• Age (d100, reroll if less than 25 or older than 40) = 31
• Gender (deck + my own decision) = Nonbinary
• Reproductive equipment, female (heads) or male (tails) = Female
• Are they still lovers with Frederick? (50/50) = Yes

Determined current opinion of Frederick, meaning how stable is their current relationship:

1. The relationship is on the rocks, unstable
2. The relationship is built on emotional intimacy, and stable
3. The relationship is built on physical intimacy, and stable
4. The relationship is built on an imbalance of power, and is unstable
5. The relationship is intimate in both ways, and stable
6. The relationship is full of love; there are other reasons as to why they keep it secret, and it is unbreakable

Roll for result = 6

(Initially I rolled a 4, but I rolled again because I decided that 4 was not that interesting. Then I rolled a 6 and I am extremely happy with that.)

Exploration of why the relationship remains secret, and the lover did not become a concubine or consort.

Out of the two, who does not want the relationship to be public the most?

• 1/4: Lover
• 2/5: Frederick
• 3/6: Both are equal on this desire

Result = 5, Frederick

Note: This doesn't mean the lover wants it to be public. They could also agree with this decision.

Potential reasons as to why Frederick wishes it to remain secret:

1. Keeps the lover out of court intrigue and harm's way
2. The lover has personal goals/ambitions that would get ruined
3. The lover has zero desire to join the court and Frederick respects their wishes
4. The lover lives in Khulgana and it could spark political drama
5. The lover travels frequently for their work (or for adventure) and Frederick doesn't want to chain them down
6. Frederick (and potentially the lover) have an ulterior motive for this decision - explore further for nature of this motive

Result = 6 Oh my.

Checking to see if any of the above ideas apply.

• Does the lover live in Khulgana? (50/50) = No
• Does the lover travel frequently? (50/50) = No
• Does the lover live in Vilderine? (Likely) = Yes
• Does the lover have personal goals or ambitions that would be ruined if the relationship was public? (50/50) = Yes

Checking the nature of the ulterior motive and goals/ambitions.

Does the lover's goals/ambitions align with Frederick's (heads) or does he simply support them (tails)? (50/50) = He merely supports them; they belong fully to his lover and are not his own.

I decided at this point, I will not dig deeper, in case this was something I could thread into gameplay.

Frederick's 2nd Child

Decided to skip child 1 for now.

• Age: 4
• Ancestry: Human
• Gender (deck + my own interpretation) = Female
• General disposition (deck) = Angry, moody, petulant (perhaps bitter about separation from her birthing parent)

Name (Fantasy Name Generators) = Osalle (Oh-sah-yay) Chares

To be continued...

I stopped here for the night. I will likely do some similar rolls for Frederick's 3 siblings and see how long their branches go, then determine which family member Osalle is living with. I have zero intentions of playing as her, but seeing as how her parents' motives are questionable and one of them is a monarch, it is possible she will come into play somehow regarding the throne.

After that, maybe I'll actually go back to reading the rule book. xD

For this week's worldbuilding, I dipped into a world that I actually hadn't planned on fleshing out much at all. It's the world my Greenhill Adventurers Guild novels are set in. Or will be, whenever I get back to the draft of the first. Anyway, Greenhill is a young city that is vaguely situated near some vague wilderness that is largely uninhabited. It was built around a college of magic, and if I remember right, only a century or so old. Because the college was being built there, it sprang up with purpose and planning. In the first novel, one of the main characters is a recently graduated and advanced level student. But we don't spend the novel in the college; in fact, you only see it in chapter one.

This weekend, I felt like playing the solo TTRPG Archivium, a game where you play as a custodian to a mysterious Archive that no one seems to know about on a college campus. This game was intended to be set in modern times without magic, but I had the brain blast of playing it in the Greenhill college. "It's fine," I told myself as I hurried home from an errand to start diving in. "People just won't know about it since the college is new. They wouldn't expect some dark and spooky Archive to exist."

And so, I sat down and started fleshing out more of the college, which until now, didn't even have a name. (I did say that novel was still a draft!)

The Nixian College of Magical Studies and Research, or "the College" as known by locals, is situated in the center of Greenhill. Off in the distance is a mountain range and Lake Cilia, where the cast of the first novel will travel. Somewhere else are some waterfalls called Gracidia Falls, which I have no real knowledge of other than them being mentioned in casual dialogue as a point of interest. There is also a river, and the character from earlier, Leighton, comes from a farming village somewhere in the general area. This entire area has a vague European fantasy aesthetic. There is one known non-human group of people, the Harekin, who are, as you guess, people with some features of a hare, like Final Fantasy's Viera but with furry legs.

I wasn't kidding when I said I hadn't done a lot of building for this world. I was genuinely interested in putting out my first trio of romantasy novels, with a potential fourth, and then moving on to a new series. The only problem is that I hadn't expected on getting pummeled by two jobs and depression. However, the first book has been on my mind again, so when the idea to play Archivium in its setting popped into my head, I jumped on it. I'm not going to be playing as Leighton; it's a Harekin named Murdac (he/him), but I thought what better way to jolt some creative juice into me for working on the draft than playing a game with the setting?

The College, I've decided, based on prompts from the game, focuses on magic studies relating to the natural world and environment. It takes advantage of its close proximity to the areas mentioned earlier, with plenty of research going on relating to biology and ecology. This would also be a great place for folks studying magic related to combat against beasts and monsters.

Hunter Orders (the name is a WIP) are essentially monster hunting guilds that have exclusive priority on creature bounties and kills. Adventurer guilds can also take these on in the event that the danger is more immediate and dire, or if the critter being requested is common and not registered as dangerous or protected. This arrangement helps deter over-hunting for things like horns or potion components, as well as keeping novice adventurers from hunting beasties larger than them. Hunter Orders typically require new members to undergo a trial to prove their skills before letting them in, so having a quality education in magic and natural sciences would be a boon for people angling for membership.

My character for this Archivium game is one such hopeful. He comes from a low income family, possibly with a single parent that is a soldier. There isn't a Hunter Order in Greenhill's immediate vicinity yet, but it does have an adventurer's guild.

I'm still filling out some details about the school as I work through the initial start of Archivium. I don't know yet if the "Archive" will play a part in my book series—obviously, I would need to strip out anything related to the game itself if I were to do so. But it could inspire something else in the series, and I do have the potential for College shenanigans in a fourth book if the first three were well-liked enough.

If you'd like to check out the series, you can view the synopsis of book one over on my Books page here on my website.

Here are the keywords I worked with:

• Object: Helmet, thought to be indestructible, was created in response to a...
• Event: Revolt against a tyrant king long ago, and was kept by...
• Faction: a Yalan monastery, who were virtuosos of both song and martial arts.
• Material: The helmet is made out of enchanted platinum and a rare, extremely beautiful seashell.
• Creature: Features an engraved design of a drake...
• Modifiers: That is also painted orange.

I once made a mural that depicted a battle over territory. Maybe this is the revolt that this helmet was created for it. Revolts don't need to be small scale; it could've been quite large, enough to drive someone to create an enchanted helmet. I also decided to give this in-game stats as a useable accessory, +15 DEF for now. It honestly may not be enough for a "relic" but I haven't yet determined if this item is still in the ruins or if the villain has it. If it is in the ruins and I acquire it, then +15 would be amazing for my currently level 2 party members, who have an average defense of 7.

That's it for this week. I'm gonna be really busy next weekend too, so it may be another short one. After that, I'll try to put more elbow grease into these!

Back in Week 2's post, I wrote about a historical disaster. At the time, I theorized it might be possible that my campaign's villain could have been involved with it. I have decided that no, he was not involved.

However, what was involved was a tome with a powerful magic gem embedded into its cover. I have currently declared this to be a Mana Gem, since LoA's stretch goals that have been unlocked includes rules regarding Mana Gems. These are planned to be similar to materia in Final Fantasy games, where you can embed them into weapons. Whether or not this gem will remain a Mana Gem depends on what the rules and lore are when they come out, but I can easily say it wasn't a Mana Gem if my idea doesn't align with canon. Instead, I can say that it was thought to have been one, but is either weaker or more powerful than a real Mana Gem.

This tome was created during a livestream "workshop" where I used roll tables and prompt cards to create a Legends of Akeroth character and a oneshot plot hook. This tome was being protected by the Galiodor Institute of Magic, a school in New Erwick. I named it by rolling 3d10 for a random flower out of my flower language book, which has each entry numbered. The result was #397, Galium Odoratum, which turned out to be super fitting because one of its "potential powers" is protection. It was like the dice knew!

This school was protecting the tome, but it is no longer there—it's been stolen by a recently retired faculty member, who sold or delivered it to a mysterious faction. The characters in my campaign don't know that last bit yet, but the oneshot's main character, who I'll be playing as, is a student at the school. They and some of the current faculty know that it was stolen by the retiree, but they don't have evidence to prove it. Because the school was in charge of the tome's protection, the government of New Erwick has decided that this massive failure means the school should be shut down. The faculty would either be branded as criminals and go to trial, or have their reputation ruined forever. The oneshot's main character, Elodan, will be infiltrating the retiree's manor (as a dungeon) in search of evidence to prove that it was this person that is the real thief. Assuming the oneshot goes well, Elodan will become a new guild Waymate in my main campaign, which puts them into contact with Kadlen.

In my main campaign, my character Kadlen and two guild members are at the ruins of a monastery. I had already used prompt cards to determine that it was destroyed by an enemy, and by a storm. I have since decided that it was destroyed by a creature of legendary size that could create storms, the same faction that has had a couple of references in past sessions and prequel game had a hand in this happening. The theft of the tome artifact now has me thinking: what if this faction is the same one that has the tome? What if they destroyed the monastery in search of another artifact or relic? It would also make sense as to why they raided that dungeon in the prequel game, leaving nothing behind, and there was evidence of magic in the form of a mural that was infused with magic to prolong its longevity.

And on top of that, this monastery was attacked only a couple of years ago. In a flash, I had remembered that Kadlen's previous party that he was a member of was killed by a "fiery behemoth" and a couple of years ago.

Storm-creating giant creature? Fiery giant creature? Same time frame? Seems very suspicious!!

It's pretty exciting to start having the main villain of my campaign start to slowly form, and in away that feels very connected to the world and the events that have happened in it. Having him connected to the incident that killed Kadlen's previous party would definitely put him in the "bad guy" zone. But what is the motive for collecting artifacts and relics? What is the problem that this villain seeks to solve, and is willing to go through these lengths to accomplish it? I look forward to finding that out.

Let's see what we came up with!

Game-Provided Prompt Tables

Some solo TTRPGs include their own prompt/oracle tables (we'll just collectively call them prompts). Legends of Akeroth, my current system for a solo campaign game, is one of these. It features several prompt tables along with a d100 table of biome-specific events for journeys. I utilized three of them to show how I think my way through them.

Scene Spark Tables

This d66 table is a collection extremely short but coherent sentence prompts. The book suggests using it when you want a quick answer to "what happens next", like if you were to exit a shop and weren't sure what to do after that. A prompt I rolled was:

A messenger arrives with urgency

This prompt felt a little too open. Where is the messenger from? What is the urgent matter? So, I used two other tables in the book, on the previous page, in fact. These were "Action" and "Theme", two more d66 tables but with single-word entries. I rolled:

Action: Escort Theme: Balance

The idea I worked out for these prompts developed as follows:

A member of an escort for a person of importance, perhaps nobility or royalty, comes running in a panic. The escort group was attacked and slain, while the person they were escorting was kidnapped. This is a huge matter of importance because the person is linked to the ruling body of a nation, who is experiencing high tensions with another nation and the fear of war is very real. Perhaps this kidnapping was done by the rival nation...or perhaps it was staged to look that way by a third party that seeks to benefit from the two nations going to war.

This idea utilizes the "urgent messenger" as a surviving member of an "escort" group, and this event could upset the "balance" that is the relationship between two rival nations.

Juice Oracle

There are also system agnostic prompt tables that you can utilize in any game. The one I used for this example is a free one-page prompt resource called the Juice Oracle. The drawback is that it's only designed for printing it double-sided, so using it as a PDF may be a little annoying for those that are unable to print it. I've been greatly enjoying it, though, because it has four d100 tables for NPC dialogue topics.

Treasure Prompts

First, I rolled a piece of loot or treasure using an object/treasure table series.

• Category: Armor
• Quality: Tattered
• Material: Adamantine
• Type: Boots

At first I thought, oh, it's a pair of leather boots with adamantine armor plates strapped or sewn on, and the leather is tattered. But tattered leather is a little harder to imagine, and I doubt anyone would be interested in the boots as loot. So I considered maybe the boots had some sort of fabric element to their design, which led to me imagining them having a fabric lining on the inside.

Perhaps this lining is what's tattered, something that could be repaired if you took them to a cobbler. And, the reason the interior is tattered is because some kind of critter, like a mouse, has chewed up the fabric lining for a nest. And maybe the boots are still inhabited! The critter could be a sign of what the player just experienced; maybe they just fought the critter's friends. Or, a sign of what's to come.

Maybe they should be careful about entering the next room, lest a swarm of dungeon-dwelling critters overtake them.

NPC Dialogue

Since I use the NPC dialogue tables a lot, I wanted to show a couple of examples of how someone could use them. I imagined the context being that you, the player, have walked into a tavern and want to talk to the tavern keeper. I rolled once on three of the tables, which are varying topics of conversation. Here are two of the results:

A spiritual loss involving (blank).

This one got a bit grim-dark, but my first idea was that a god died recently and this tavern keeper was a devout follower. If this was a setting like Lordsworn or a Blackoath game, this could probably fit right in. Perhaps you're a cleric or paladin of this god; maybe the sight of you brings relief to the tavern keeper, or maybe they're repulsed by you. Maybe you both experience a moment of shared grief.

Another idea, which, uh, was equally dark if not more, was perhaps the tavern keeper had been fervently praying for the safe return of their little girl, who's been lost in the woods. But the prayer has gone unanswered—resulting in the loss of faith—and now the tavern keeper just wishes to find her body so they can lay her spirit to rest, at least. This would be a great plot hook for a quest to go into the woods and look for the little girl.

And she doesn't have to be dead! Maybe some mischievous fae or spirits lured her away, and when you find them, you have to solve a puzzle or make a bargain to get her back.

Rumors of an NPC's past.

I had a more light-hearted idea for this one. There's a rumor about the local bread maker's past—which may or may not be true, since it's just a rumor. Maybe they're the real murderer of their husband, who died in an accident. Maybe they're actually a famous thief who used to tear it up in the big city, and their treasure trove is in their cellar. This could be an excellent social mechanic situation with a bit of mystery.

The Story Engine

This is what I consider to be my heavyweight champion of prompts, the ultimate toolbox. Well, almost ultimate, because I don't have all the expansions I want for it, but I digress. The Story Engine features three core decks, one for story, worldbuilding, and lore. They've shown up on my blog and in my gaming already. I even used them to write a short story that you can read for free (check my books tab!) This section of the stream covered three different ideas, but I encourage you to check out the video of the stream to see them all.

Anyway, here's the group of cards I drew from the Story Engine deck and what I attached them to:

• Scam Artist
  • Charismatic
  • Silence
• Wants to pledge their life in service to...
• Flask
  • Celestial
  • Element
• But they must find something they lost long ago

After some back-and-forth with chat, and rolling on a quick d6 table I wrote up for an element (moon), here's the resulting idea:

A charismatic scam artist was cursed with muteness after trying to sell flasks of water that was "blessed" by a moon goddess. They want to repent and pledge their life in service to the goddess, but she decrees they must first find what was lost long ago.

This could result in the scam artist, who could be a member of the clergy that worships this goddess, seeking the player's help in locating this lost item. After some poking around, maybe with other NPCs to learn more about this person's backstory, the player could learn that the character sold a personal item, like a rosary or amulet, that was given to them during an incident that first converted them to this faith in the first place.

After hunting down this item, this NPC could realize that which they had really lost, which was that memory of why they devoted themselves to the goddess. The curse could be lifted here if desired.

From here, I went on to create another storyline and then a full adventure-level quest involving vampiric beans, flooring, and a jokester who's funny phrases weren't jokes at all. It was a lot of fun, and I may do another prompt stream in the future if folks want to do it again.

Write about a species commonly grown as a crop in your world. What conditions does it grow in and what products can be made from it?

For this prompt, I utilized my world and lore decks from The Story Engine. Since I was working quickly today, I didn't photo any of my card draws, but I didn't make any spreads today anyway. Here's my results:

• Region: Forest
• Origin: Grows in what was once an ancient lake
• Spin-Off Origin: Origin of a pastry
• Attribute: All access to this crop's growing area is controlled by one faction
• Material (Type, in this case): Fruit
• Other Tidbits: Powder, Explosive, Waxy
• Faction Notes: Expert harvesters, are also the ones that discovered how to grow and utilize it

The Interpretation

This crop is a fruit that grows on the bed of what used to be an ancient lake in the middle of a large forest. The lake is dried up, for reasons I've yet to determine, but the soil is extremely fertile and great for growing things. This fruit, however, is a dangerous crop: it produces an excessive amount of pollen that is extremely flammable; any hint of a flame near it can result in fiery chaos. Because of this, growing it in the bottom of the lake was a brilliant idea. The walls of the lake formed a natural barrier from wind and can keep the forest safe since it's isolated.

The fruit itself has a waxy skin, and is the origin of a specific pastry that was first created using this fruit. Because of the pollen, the flowers, while lovely, are left to naturally wither and dry up before being doused with water and crushed into fertilizer paste.

Due to the dangers of this pollen, this crop is grown only by one faction, or group of people, who are experts in harvesting it. They are the only ones with access to the lake bottom in which this crop is grown in.

Possible Plot Hooks

There's several ideas I could utilize as TTRPG session plot hooks. What if someone nefarious was attempting to sabotage the crop by dropping a flame into it? What if an NPC wants the player to obtain one of these fruits, but the faction, who has a monopoly on them, refuses to sell outside of their chosen dealers, and now the player must convince them? What if the fruit turns out to also be a key ingredient in a potion that can cure a deadly disease, and that's why the NPC needs it?

Another idea is that the faction is in need of pest control. Something is attracted to the crop, and since it's grown in small, careful batches, damage to a batch could jeopardize the group's income. And if the creature became covered in the pollen and happened to get near an open flame somewhere, that could start a forest fire. Maybe there's a group that protests the crop being grown in the forest because of forest fire risks.

This was a fun exercise and I'll likely do more throughout the year. I liked that I was able to quickly tinker on a tidbit of lore I can incorporate into my setting, along with some plot hooks.

This is how Siren came to be.

The Lucky Riot X-001

We started with three keywords to describe our ship and selected outdated, finicky, and nimble. This ship was designed to be top of the class in handling; with a sporty design, it was meant to be the ship for joyrides, as it flies smoothly and is great to fly. However, its fuel systems were at the mercy of technical limitations of the day. It was fiddly and often required some jiggling in order to get it to function well.

The ship was named the Lucky Riot X-001, meant to be the designers' ticket to fame and fortune. But alas, they created it too late. Just as the Lucky Riot was about to be presented to investors, there was a sudden breakthrough in fuel systems technology that completely resolved the problem that hindered the Lucky Riot.

Without any investors and no way to retrofit it with the improved fuel system, the Lucky Riot was placed into storage, grounded before it could truly fly.

The Thief

The first captain was Maria DeMoire, a wanted thief who was devious and skillful, and who plied their skills in black market ship parts. They stole the Lucky Riot by accident; they had intended on stealing a fancier ship. Why steal just parts? Why not steal an entire ship? Perhaps they wanted to get a foothold in the market themselves. But the heist went awry and they made a getaway in the Lucky Riot.

During the getaway, they pushed the ship to its limits. The fuel system, dated and janky, sustained damage along the way. Maria stopped for replacement parts and was conned into buying some that didn't work with the ship. The trader had immediately recognized the Lucky Riot, who wouldn't have had many specific replacement parts since the ship didn't make it to production. They were able to get rid of some old junk parts for a premium price. Maria, on the other hand, struggled and limped the whole way to their destination, and grew embittered with the ship.

The icing on the cake? The black market dealers wouldn't buy the ship. As a one-of-a-kind, or OOAK, it was too highly recognizable by authorities as a stolen vessel. The sporty design was still fairly unique and stood out. The dealers wouldn't touch it, and since a lot of its parts were proprietary, they wouldn't even take those.

And so, Maria stashes the Lucky Riot in a hidden place, where it remained for a year.

The Zealots

Too risky to fly, the Lucky Riot stays hidden until outlaw hackers come knocking on Maria's door, in need of a ship. They want to launch a super virus from a ship's computer at an orbiting space port; they obviously couldn't launch it from their own ship since it would likely ruin the computer. They pay Maria for the Lucky Riot and take it into space.

These outlaw hackers were members of a techno-cult. Their aim was to serve a message, and serve it they did. The virus, launched from the Lucky Riot's computers as it was docked to the port's terminals, raced through other ships and caused a lot of internal damage. But it didn't impact the Lucky Riot the way it was initially thought. Unbeknownst to the hackers, the virus mutated the ship's programming, giving it the barest beginnings of sentience.

Through these zealots, the Lucky Riot learns the meaning of passion.

The Ghost Ship

Because the Lucky Riot never made it to production, its data isn't in most ship databases. When it's scanned by other ships or port systems, nothing comes up. Because of its disappearance during its theft and violent reappearance, it takes on the moniker of "ghost ship" in the news. But the moniker becomes more than that as rumors at the port bars mention a ship in the rear of the docks that opens ventilation hatches on its own, flickers lights despite no one being on board, and makes the security guards jump in their skin with random alarms.

The Showboater

Pusher Fineletter laid eyes on the Lucky Riot and fell in love. The ship was sporty, still looked fresh off the line, and Pusher had a vision. He'd been hyping up his claim to fame, which was that he was a hotshot pilot that could fly anything, the best pilot who fought in the border skirmishes in the Outreaches. What better way to prove that than flying a ship like this? The original creators of the Lucky Riot never picked it up. It was a failed investment and they had already claimed insurance. Pusher ignored the warnings about odd events around it, paid the dock fees, and took the captain's seat.

But Pusher, while imaginative, is not an engineer. He adds a sharkfin-like structure to the top of the hull that featured a pair of boosters, attempting to make the ship go faster. Instead of increasing speed, it makes the ship incredibly hard to handle, and puts excessive strain on the outdated fuel system. He also painted neon chartreuse racing flames across the silver-blue hull, though the added boosters leave sooty burn-marks each time they're used.

The Rebels

Pusher finds himself in a pinch when he runs out of both fuel and money. He resorts to docking at a port that he'd normally never visit. Where he talked the walk, these port patrons walked it, lived it, and had the balls to prove it. No one would give him work, except for a group of people that offered him fuel in exchange for a cargo delivery to a nearby planet.

What Pusher didn't know was that he was set up, a scapegoat for a group of rebels aiming to take down a fascist regimen by force. When he arrived, everything went according to their plan; the ship, which was immediately flagged as suspicious on account of not showing up on scans, was searched upon landing. The law enforcement found the contraband cargo and confiscated both the cargo and the ship. A planted mole in the forces would later take the contraband to the planet-side rebel faction, while the Lucky Riot was impounded and Pusher thrown in prison.

The Lucky Riot, barely sentient enough to know what was happening, was taken to an automated junkyard planet, and forgotten.

It wasn't all bad for Pusher, though. During the takedown, the prison systems go down and Pusher escapes before being found by the rebels. Recognizing who he was, they take advantage of him again, turning him into a folk hero who saved the day after riding in on the "ghost ship". Pusher doesn't realize he's being used again, and eats up the fame and glory he finally obtained. He does miss the Lucky Riot, and often spoke fondly of it when recounting his tales.

The Junkyard

The junkyard is on a backwater planet run by automated scrappers. After the rebellion, the planet is forgotten in the aftermath, left behind as low priority. The planet experienced frequent, powerful electrical storms, sending power surges through dead ships that occasionally lit up the surface of the planet like twinkling stars.

For a century, the Lucky Riot experiences a fitful sleep.

Which each power surge, it briefly awoke, only to find no one in its cockpit. After a few years, it starts sending out a distress signal during power surges, and with each desperate ping, the signal became more warped, with more of its silent voice distorting the signal into something unusual compared to a normal beacon.

During its time in the junkyard, the Lucky Riot learns loneliness.

The Scholar

Denglar Gendarmo, leader of a research expedition is desperate. They're confident they're a genius within reach of a major breakthrough, but funding and investors aren't convinced. In their own rickety bucket of bolts, Denglar and a small expedition crew come within range of a junkyard planet in search of ship repair materials. They pick up an odd distress beacon, and Denglar, feeling strangely drawn in by the odd signal that almost seems alive, names it Siren.

They find the Lucky Riot on the surface of the planet. After fitting utility arms to the ship, they get it off the ground and into space, hoping to utilize it in their expedition as an additional vessel to collect samples. Their goal was to find a large, theoretical source of an ore that would revolutionize ship power systems, and they found it: a large asteroid composed mostly of the ore. What they didn't expect was Siren resonating with the ore. Denglar, seeing the reaction, took a sample of the ore and created a module that allowed Siren to finally speak with others.

It spoke in a different language. Its original programming wasn't in the same language that the researchers spoke, but it also didn't know that language to begin with. It could, however, now output sounds in structured thoughts and sentences: effectively, its own language. Denglar was ecstatic, and quickly began trying to make mutual understanding happen between themselves and Siren. During this time with Denglar, Siren learned friendship.

Fate

Denglar was the only one enthralled by Siren.

Their crew didn't understand. Denglar up until now had been enthusiastic, maybe a little weird, but competent and logical about their mission. Suddenly, Denglar was talking to a ship, which was making some pretty odd noises. They simply thought the old ship's computer was corrupted from all the storms on the planet; there was nothing special going on. But Denglar's behavior was increasingly concerning as the scholar spent more and more time alone on board the Lucky Riot instead of their research vessel.

Worried that Denglar had succumbed to space craze, they intervened and attempted to constrain Denglar. In the scuffle, a firearm misfired, killing Denglar in the cockpit of the Lucky Riot.

Siren saw everything and learned loss.

In its despair, it resonated intensely with the asteroid, which the ships were still tethered to. In a huge release of energy, a tear in the Veil formed, sending Siren—the Lucky Riot—tumbling through it. The fate of the researchers are unknown; maybe they perished in an explosion, maybe they lived and told the tale of a ghost ship that cried.

As for Siren...

Travelers of the Veil

My lore as a PNGtuber streamer, along with Cheeki's, is that we're both from different dimensions, and we visit new ones together. The "dimensions" are the games we play. Before we had this stream, I had the idea that the ship created in this session could be the ship we use as a "headquarters" or "home base" in the Veil. So that's why the story ends like it does.

This was a really fun creative exercise. I'd recommend it for anyone wanting to make their own space ship with personality and history. Is it a game? I don't think so. You don't roll any dice and there's no risk, no uncertainty, because you choose the prompts yourself. I rolled one anyway a few times, because I had expected this to be a game, and I like the problem-solving that arises when you're presented with a prompt or idea that you didn't choose.

The full video will be up on Youtube soon. I'll update this post when it is! Let me know what you think of Siren, or of the game itself if you've played it. Also, here's the sketch I drew as we played!

Bear-like Folk

Physical Traits

Often thick and muscular in frame with layers of protective fat. They have specialized eyes that see very well in the dark. (Unsure of this one, feels overused and not very special)

They are furry, and their fur colors range from naturals to unnatural thanks to special dyes created for that purpose. There are establishments where they can dye their fur in one of two different methods: Full body or by design. For full body or full coverage dyeing, they prepare a dye bath. For partial or designed dyeing, a dye artisan applies the dye, like a hairstylist.

Dyeing their fur comes from their history of tribes and warring, but is now done for fashion and personal preference.

Cultural Traits

Often loud and boisterous, they are fighters and lovers, and fiercely defend their homes and family whether it's in combat or in a debate. Thanks to more modern amenities, they no longer need to hibernate in the cold season(s), but still tend to grow sluggish during that time, and often have to fight the urge to binge eat during warmer seasons.

Because of their powerful builds and cave-dwelling origins, many can be found as miners, blacksmiths, and construction workers. Originated from the center region of the continent.

Bird-like Folk

Physical Traits

They bear eggs, but if they are of mixed blood, they may bear children the mammalian way. Their bodies and skeletons are lightweight to aid in flight, but as technology and science advances, it becomes more clear that magic from the (still undetermined) ore aids them in flight. As long as there are traces of the ore throughout the land, it helps give them lift into the air. Where the ore is more prevalent, they soar; where ore is faint, they mostly glide. Regardless of the presence of ore, their flight stamina is not very strong, since they were built for short flights and frequent dives in and out of briar patches.

Their wings are feathered, but their bodies are covered in patches of light, hollow, but durable carapace. This protects them from the briars, which spread across the region they originate from. They are able to dive in and out of thorny thickets without concerns. The coloration of their carapace is similar to crabs, and the hues vary along the spectrum.

Cultural Traits

They tend to be fairly independent, though the lack of resources in the briar region made communities necessary. They are often merchants, pursuing treasures like magpies and selling wares from different regions after traveling far to obtain them. Despite their flashy appearances, many who are combat-oriented excel in stealth missions since they can get in and out of trouble quickly. However, their wings can present some dexterity challenges.

They are very proud of their briar region, a reaction to other folk's perception of the area as being dangerous, sparse, and generally unwelcoming. They will happily chatter about the benefits of the area, and work hard to produce fine goods that could only be created in the region. They can often be found as artisans and crafters.

Deer-like Folk

Physical Traits

Where water is often shallow and scarce, they tend to be more petite in height. Where water is deeper, they are taller with long legs. Their feet don't end in hooves; they have long toes instead to walk in water, and their fingers are webbed. In more modern times, cutting and removal of the webbing becomes a body modification choice for many who live in the mega city without plans of moving away from it.

They tend to be lean in build, with antlers regardless of sex. Antler decorations are a long-running popular fashion choice. The style and materials of the decorations vary depending on the point of time in history.

Cultural Traits

Originated in the marshlands, but also up and down shorelines. They often have a herd mentality and stick together in clusters; however, they are also sometimes skittish and paranoid, making communities full of drama and suspicion.

Many often take to the water, using boating and seafaring as a way to escape issues at home while returning from time to time for the benefits. They tend to be excellent swimmers, fishers, and weavers. Those that dwell in the mega city often work in government, positions that require management and bookkeeping, or art studios.

Humans

Physical Traits

The original colony of humans was diverse in builds and color. This persists throughout history, though if they were able to compare the strength and ability of a colony member versus that of a more modern human, they would see a much larger capacity for increases in both. This would likely be caused by differences in the planet's make-up, atmosphere, and effect of the ore. For example, humans when they landed could not immediately access magic as well as modern humans.

Cultural Traits

About what you would expect of humans. Diverse in opinions, natures, and personalities, no two are the same, and sometimes they fight about that. But thanks to the disadvantages of their initial arrival and the continent-shattering mega earthquake that happened shortly after, the opportunities for conquering were reduced in favor of collaboration. Human remain versatile, imaginative, and resourceful.

Mixed Folk

Mixing happens and the traits passed on usually balance out in some way, with people rarely having all advantages and no disadvantages, and vice versa. Even if a lineage got muddied, a person would usually have two distinct and obvious bloodlines. So, while a lineage may contain all four kinds of folk, at most, a person would display two of them.

Pretty convenient genetic mixing, mostly for the sake of my creativity, but also because I'm not about to study genetics for realism's sake. A rock can give you magic on this planet, after all. Mechanics-wise, I'll probably allow only half/half mixes just to keep things easier to manage as a game master.

The Plot Connection

I wasn't making a random enemy tonight. In a recent session, my character Kadlen came upon the den of a predator. Whatever it was had moved on, leaving behind signs that it was a messy eater, with half-eaten and unidentifiable corpses. Kadlen didn't go near enough to determine if the bodies were animals of the forest or something else; he was just glad whatever it was, it wasn't nearby.

Additionally, in my first session, Kadlen had met an innkeeper named Lira. While I was rolling for some details about her, I determined that she was abrupt and a little rude to Kadlen because she was worried about someone close to her. This person was going to commune with a monster. While Kadlen didn't learn this detail, I filed it away in the NPC's file as a possible future quest.

When I started rolling details about this creature I was making, the first detail was that it was a "magical" entity. In Akeroth, Voidcraft magic is essentially "the bad magic", the dark stuff that no one likes. In a mental blink of the eye, I recalled Lira's plight and decided that this creature happens to be the monster that is being communed with.

Creating the Hollow Eater

To make this creature, I utilized two sets of generators: the monster oracle from the Legends of Akeroth playtest copy, and The Elegant Fantasy Creature Generator. I used the LoA oracle for its mechanics, though I mostly used it as guidelines and didn't roll for much. I used the EFCG for some visual details and flavor.

The result is the Hollow Eater.

In LoA mechanics, this is a Threat Level 2 enemy, which means that a party with the average level of 2 should be able to manage it. In theory, at least. It's a huge size, taking up a 3x3 space on a grid, and it's immune to shadow and fire damage. Its action table consists of an arcane attack, a physical swipe attack, and two debuff moves. It's topped off with a potential killer special move that combines a bite attack with +1 HP regen and a check to see if the target becomes Weakened.

For visual flavor, dice helped me determine that this is a humanoid creature, albeit a large one. Born of twisted Voidcraft magic, its body is mostly featureless, without defined musculature or skeleton, except for a single horn atop its head and a large, gaping maw with lots of teeth. It's covered in gray skin that's translucent in areas, revealing a network of dark veins. It also has a halo of pure magic energy. I am considering the halo as being a potential weakness.

Besides its loot table, which has a potential drop of either coins, a potion, or a resistance tonic, I decided that it will drop the horn as a monster part. I'm not sure what kind of properties the horn will have. I can decide that later.

Tying It Together

The Hollow Eater was named such because Voidcraft magic is described in the Drakonym rulebook—which shares the Akeroth setting—as having relation to the Hollow King. This is a Big Bad Evil Guy that was mentioned elsewhere in the Drakonym book. Since this creature was operating on instinct, but is a magical entity, I decided that it eats but doesn't need to. And that's why it leaves its meals unfinished, because it isn't actually hungry, but feels a hollow emptiness inside. "Hollow Eater" felt like a good nod to both the Hollow King and its eternal greed.

After Kadlen found its den, he and his companion also heard rhythmic thumps deeper in the forest. I've decided that there is a cult that either helped create the Hollow Eater on purpose or by accident; perhaps it was originally one or more members, warped into this evil, mindless entity. Either way, this cult now serves it in some fashion. The person Lira is worried about has potentially fallen in with this cult, or may be at risk of joining them.

I won't bring the Hollow Eater into play just yet. Kadlen is level 1; though he's about to level up, I think I want some more experience with combat before I tackle this thing. I will at least bring along two Waymates as party members. It could also become a dungeon if I decide to tackle both the Hollow Eater and the cult; the Hollow Eater could be a final boss of the dungeon.

We'll see where the dice take me as I continue to play!

Here are the cards I drew.

And now, here is how I interpreted my results:

Faction: A siblinghood prone to extremism desires the tome.
Location: (Pre-determined to be located at Tower Yarrin)
Event: A new genre of music would be formed.
Figure: Empathic Composer created the tome full of magical song compositions.
Object: (Pre-determined to be an arcane tome weapon)
Material: Silver, perception-enhancing or altering properties, Boon for Soul checks.
Creature: Tree, Heimstre is the design on the cover.
Modifiers: Ardent, "Songs of Ardent Joy" is its name.

Getting "tree" for creature was amusing. I'm thinking it could have been used for something like a treant. But in the setting of Akeroth, there is coincidentally a world tree, so I thought it was very fitting to have an illustration of it on this book's cover. As for the mechanics of it, up to 5 listeners of a song, including the singer, will get +1 Boon to a Soul related check. A song from the book can be sung once per long rest.

I also now have a few faction, a siblinghood that's after the book. This will take some more thinking, card draws, and dice rolls, which I'll do another day. Meanwhile, I feel that the composer is likely the client of this quest. They commissioned the arcane enchanters at Tower Yarrin to infuse their compositions with magic. I think the "empathic" was likely meant in the literal kind of way, like being able to literally feel emotions of people or spirits, since it was paired with "telepathic". But I'm taking it in the less powerful way and more in the sense that this composer feels great empathy with those who have experienced sorrow and misfortune.

As I play my solo campaign, I'm getting signs that perhaps the "historical disaster" didn't happen an extremely long time ago. "Historical", which was a descriptor I had obtained from another Story Engine card session, doesn't necessarily mean that the disaster happened way back in history. It could mean that the disaster was of historic proportions, an event large enough to impact an entire region and take decades to recover from. And, there are several kin in Akeroth that can live to two centuries, so even a few decades is still something fresh in some folks' memories.

This composer, who will likely become a new NPC to also craft later, feels the aftermath of that event keenly, and wants to alleviate the woes of those who suffered from it. They want to provide hope, to remind them of joy, and so they wrote a book of songs before commissioning arcanists to enchant them with power. Doing so would allow this composer to help listeners with more than pretty words, but to help bolster their spirits against hardships. And in doing this, they will create a new genre of music, as these compositions were written in ways not seen yet.

Maybe the siblinghood faction aligns itself with chaos and revels in destruction, despair, and antipathy. Maybe they are affiliated with—or are—the main villain of this campaign. More importantly, I now have a faction that is most likely going to get in my character's way when he attempts to retrieve and deliver this tome.

He better succeed, because I've also determined the value of this tome is 1,750 Draviks! My character only has 10 in his pocket, if something goes wrong, there's no way he can pay for it!

Windford is a small city on a river that is full of artisans, has Venetian-inspired architecture, and a fledgling adventurer guild. I used the Story Engine decks to help produce a few of these broad details and in session two, I determined that the city also has a few waterways throughout it. So it is definitely inspired by Venice, and I want to lean into that a little. While I'm not going to work on a city layout yet, I want to create a few more key points about the city today.

Also, the mask my LoA session pngtuber wears is also Venetian-inspired! Many thanks to Cheeki for suggesting it; at the time, she didn't even know that Windford had Venetian inspirations. Truly a funny coincidence!

I started by looking at artwork created by Venetian artists. Here are a couple of pieces I found that I liked and gave me a good aesthetic vibe.

I grabbed the art by Francesco Larrazo Guardi because they were paintings of Venice by someone who had been there in person. The Giambattista Tiepolo piece I chose because I really liked the lighting and composition of it, but this image also included the decorative frame around it. Tiepolo is also listed as having been an artist of the Rococo style, which was born out of a resistance to classicist art. When I was skimming the Wikipedia article on the movement and saw that, I had an idea.

When I first created Windford, I jotted down that it was full of artists and artisans because many fled there during a historical disaster. I also drew a couple of cards that resulted in the point of interest of "a street where a famous artist's studio was once located, that birthed a famous art style". Now I have a link to two different concepts: a disaster and the birth of an art movement, because one of the things about Rococo is that it has origins or themes about the common man, a rebellion against the elite society.

What if that disaster was caused by a group of elites or nobility? Soon after an exodus to Windford, a small group of artists who were part of the refugees get back to creating art. Influenced by their experiences and the consequences of the disaster that was surely felt by the region as a whole, a new art movement was born.

This doesn't mean that the art movement is specifically Rococo, but it does give me a stronger idea of what the disaster could have been. Before, I just had "historical disaster", something that happened a few decades ago at the least, well before my character's birth. Now I have "a historical disaster that was caused by elites/nobility, and a famous art movement took place because of it".

This may not seem like I got very far on the idea, but as of this post, my campaign does not have a villain. What if the villain is related in some way to that disaster? It happened some time ago, so if he* was alive at that time, then he is either undead or still alive by some other means, likely magical. OR he's a kin that is longer lived, as there are some kin in Akeroth that can live for two centuries.

* I say he, because the only detail I do know about this guy is that he's male, as pre-determined by my personal agenda.

While the history of this city is still fairly vague, today I linked two previously disconnected ideas and created a new way of how my villain could potentially be linked to an event. It's still up in the air if he is or isn't, but that's something I can mull on in my head at work.

I think next week, I'll get back to the setting from my first post...unless the LoA brainrot continues. And if you haven't already, check it out on BackerKit, where you can get a free playable demo for solo and group play if you follow!

Secondly, I have a lot of worldbuilding aids, such as the Story Engine decks and tables galore. These haven't been getting a lot of use lately, for many of the same reasons that kept me from worldbuilding. Now that I have time and energy to worldbuild, I wanted to spend dedicated time to fleshing out this setting while using things I've spent money on.

Originally I had intended on making a video for these weekly sessions, but I'd like to actually complete the challenge, ya know? Having to edit a video would create a roadblock that would make it too easy for me to skip. So after hastily building a new website and blog, here we go.

One Setting, Two Planets

I don't have a set structure for this challenge yet; I did obtain this list of 400 Worldbuilding Prompts to assist me, but I won't use it every week. So, the format of these posts may change.

Today, I'll review what I've already created, which is not one planet, but two. I used the Story Engine's worldbuilding journal to kick off some planet details, and after doing some dice rolls and some card draws, decided that I would have a pair of sister planets that had similar make-up, but progressed much differently.

Additionally, humans did not originate on either planet. They arrived as settlers, part of a social experiment performed by an extremely large corporation. This experiment would place two groups of human volunteers with wiped memories on both planets, and then be checked on from time to time for their progress. The humans would not know of their origins and there would be no interference from the corporation...for now.

The twist to this would be that the experiment was a front for the corporation's bid on two planets that contained an extremely valuable resource. However, this is not something that would come into play for a very, very long time, because science fiction isn't my preferred genre setting to work in. Fantasy is. And any science fiction work I do create will likely be soft sci-fi or space opera, or even just space fantasy. I just don't have the chops for science stuff, though I do plan on trying to learn more about various scientific topics in order to better inform fantasy creations.

I started working on one planet first. I decided that when it comes to technology, it'll be behind its sister, somewhere close to an industrial era, perhaps. Mining will be a big deal on this planet because of a reveal of magic-granting ore after a major earthquake split a large area. I haven't yet worked out the details of how the ore grants magic yet, and yes, it happens to be the resource the jumbo corp wants to get a hold of.

Planet Land Masses

This planet is about 50% water. Most of the land is concentrated on a single continent that stretches between its poles. There's a two smaller continents that are fairly isolated; trade probably happens with them, but I haven't yet focused on them yet. So far, the bulk of my work will take place on the main continent, which is split into 5 zones.

Zone 1 - Mega-City: Located in the center, its two major landmarks are the mega-mines located in the massive ravine left by the earthquake and a temple set upon a hilltop. The temple is the headquarters for the religious order that holds majority of faith. The mega-mines are, coincidentally, owned by a corporation—I mean, a consortium. This "consortium" is not related to the one out in distant space in any way, but does create a bit of subtle irony. The city doesn't have a name yet, but is often referred to as "the Golden City".

Zone 2 - The High Plains: Located to the north of the mega-city and named such after the earthquake shifted most of its elevation upward. It used to be a desert before the shift, so cacti are still a common sight. Its major landmark is a lake that also formed after the earthquake; named "The Lake of Last Chances", it is protected and owned by no one. However, I've written down as a plot hook that this protective status is being contested after a valuable material was found inside it.

Zone 3 - Valley with Port: This area used to be a grassland before the earthquake, and then became a valley. It's located to the east of the mega-city and is the smallest zone. This port is likely who would be trading with the second largest continent across the eastern ocean.

Zone 4 - Briars: Located to the south of the mega-city, this is a large area that is still mostly untamed. My biggest point of interest here is a village that hosts the resting place of a legendary monster slayer. Near the village is a gorge shaped by an earth-eating monster, that became its deathbed after being slain by the hero. This story is one I'd like to play out using the game Prequel, which focuses on a group of heroes that fight evil...and lose. My favorite part of this idea is that my player, Cheeki, would play the Prequel game as the hero laid to rest in the village, and then later come back to this vilage as a different character in a different game, and recognize who it is.

Zone 5 - Fen/Marshland: The largest zone on the continent. There are three major landmarks here. The first is a large city and the second is a magnificent dome structure that's a wellspring of nature magic and a school. Since I haven't worked out my magic system, this part is still in the works. The third landmark is a bridge over a large gravelands, crafted by mages to solve transportation problems over the marshlands while respecting the dead. It is hauntingly beautiful.

Peoples of the Planet

There are 4 sentient groups on this particular planet. Or at least, on the main continent, that I currently know of. It's possible there may be more from the two smaller continents, but I haven't decided yet. As for the groups I do know, I haven't yet worked out their details other than what I rolled on a table from the workbook journal.

Humans: Pretty much what you would expect. They haven't mutated or evolved in any form since landing on the planet with no memories, and have acted like humans typically do. Thanks to the giant earthquake, they didn't really get a chance to do too much in the way of warring and conquering, but there was some tension in those first few decades since they were mysteriously dropped off with no explanation other than by deities.

Bear-like People: They have specialized eyes. Primarily originated from the fen/marshland zone.

Bird-like People: While they have wings of some kind(?), they also have protective shells or carapace. They still mostly reside in the briar zone and their shells are probably what protects them from thorns.

Deer-like People: Often small and petite. I can't find my note on it, maybe I never wrote one, but I am thinking that I could make them interesting by having them be aquatic in some way. They could be seafarers and river folk, and maybe inspired by kelpies.

Next Week...

I have more notes than this. For example, I had already started jotting down some details about who first found the ore, who owns the consortium, and a little of what it does. I have a handful of various plot hooks that could also set me off in developing some locations and lore. I'll need to decide before next Sunday what to do next. The ore is pretty important, so I may work on that and determine what it does, how it does what it does, and why it does it.

Until next week!

First, to address the elephant in the room...yes, I am posting this on Christmas Day. Shhh, don't look, I promise I'm resting. Anyway, here's a brief play report on my first complete solo game with Legends of Akeroth. I greatly enjoyed it, and I'm eagerly waiting to sit and play my much longer game.

For this game, I decided to play a "prequel" of sorts. My "main" game is going to follow a character named Kadlen, who joins a guild that I've already created a few details for, as well as the guildmaster. The guildmaster has a rescued Vatahim, which is an owl-shark hybrid, an enemy that was in the LoA rulebook. I decided I'd play a brief adventure with the guildmaster as my character, and this would be where they'd rescue the baby Vatahim. This meant there would be two necessary outcomes: the guildmaster lives (so they could later go on to start the guild) and acquire a baby Vatahim. I also knew I wanted to utilize the shrine generator in the rulebook. There were no other details, the rest of the story happened organically through play.

I used my character design deck to determine some more details about my guildmaster, who's name became Dizen Fellclaw (they/them). They're a Drakari, a level 4 Warrior, and uses a sword and shield combo. I started the day in a little fishing hamlet and rolled a scene spark to see how I'd come about a shrine. A villager girl named Sadda was born; she approached Dizen and told them that a sealed entrance was no longer sealed, and Dizen, wanting to make sure there was nothing foul afoot, agreed to check it out. Sadda became a Waymate, because by this point I had decided I wanted a dungeon, not a shrine, and I wasn't sure if Dizen could solo a dungeon despite being level 4.

Waymates are LoA's way of creating companions from PCs who's players can't make it to the game but still want to be involved, or to help solo or small tables tackle challenges that would need a bigger party. While Dizen couldn't die, Sadda could, and it would crush Dizen if anything happened to her. Since she was a fisherfolk by trade, I made her a level 2 Warrior and gave her a spear for a weapon, but no armor. Her move table also consisted of just stabbing with her spear, but I gave her the perk of her spear having a range of 2. This proved quite handy while Dizen acted as a tank during combat.

Away they went, on a short Journey with a 3-segment clock. I rolled for events that included fighting a Vatahim, which was interestingly relevant to my desired outcome, and saw large boulders that were overturned recently. When they arrived, they investigated the area and determined that the intruders had used some kind of large beast to bust open the sealed passage, which turned out to be the dungeon.

Using LoA's dungeon generator, I explored rooms with traps, perils, and even met a new NPC that I could reference in my "main" game. When we came upon the boss room, I used the random enemy generator in the rulebook to craft my boss: an earth elemental, left behind by the intruders. Dizen almost went down, but with a surprise crit during a critical move, they took it down. (Sadda also helped.)

The pair explored a couple other rooms, finding...no one. None of the intruders were still around. I had decided that I would leave this as a mystery, because this game needed to be brief and completed, and I had other things going on in my life that limited play time. I can reference this adventure in the future. Perhaps my Big Bad Villain had some business here, maybe another faction did instead. I didn't finish exploring the dungeon; instead, Dizen decided to call in a couple of friends to come by and look, since they were quite winded and only had Sadda with them.

After leaving the dungeon, Dizen heard a soft peeping noise. They discover a baby Vatahim hatchling, who's nest was destroyed when a nearby boulder was overturned by the intruders. Dizen realizes this is why they were attacked by a very aggressive Vatahim earlier, and regrets killing it. They pick up the hatchling just in time for Sadda to appear and tell them that Vatahim imprint, so they're a new parent!

For an epilogue, I wrote Dizen's return to the hamlet, where they tell Sadda they're retiring from most active adventuring duty and forming a guild. The Vatahim, who's name became Kiki, is also doing well, but is still pretty young. Sadda gleefully volunteers to be Dizen's first member of the Band of Owls, and the curtain falls.

Overall, I enjoyed playing the game a great deal. Most of my challenges and hang-ups were on combat, which is mostly due to my inexperience with crunchy games and playing solo, and organization of my most-accessed rules. I was using a .pdf reader and haven't yet transferred any resources to my Obsidian vault. I think that for my next game, I'll print it out, so I can put bookmark tabs and flip back and forth more easily. This will cut down my time spent on looking for tables and rules, and spare me confusion or frustration.

Legends of Akeroth begins funding in early 2026. If you follow the campaign, you can download a free solo demo and a free group play demo. Both give you a great idea of how the gameplay works. I definitely look forward to having the final physical book in hand myself.