tkdguy

For some reason, I'm fascinated by the inland Sea of Mhorec, from Hero Games' Turakian Age setting. It's a freshwater "lake" which by my calculations is at least half the surface area of the Mediterranean Sea, somewhere in size between Hudson Bay in northern Canada, and the Gulf of Mexico. The idea of a freshwater lake as big as a major sea is just compelling to me.
 
That prompted me to research the largest lakes in real-world history, with the record going to the Paratethys Sea, which formed about 12 million years ago. Covering much of what's now Europe and the Near East, this mega-lake was a little larger than the Mediterranean. It was generally shallow, although with much deeper basins within it; but it still held ten times the fresh water of all today's lakes combined. It also supported a thriving ecosystem with unique species of life.
 
Here's a map of the Paratethys, with an outline of the region's modern geography superimposed:
 

 
This shows that there's ample precedent for a more diverse and distinctive hydrology in a fantasy world than most of us tend to think of. And it proves you don't need some cataclysmic global geologic upheaval to produce drowned or desertified kingdoms, or unusual sea creatures. Merely enough of a change in climate to raise or lower water levels, or a shift in local geography, for a sea to be cut off from direct access to the world ocean, as with the Paratethys.

I usually cobble my homebrew campaigns from different sources. I'm not good at designing urban areas, but I have city maps from different rpg products, so I just adapt them to my game. So what if my fantasy version of San Francisco looks more like Lankhmar? It's FANTASY after all. It just makes my life easier.

Nirifel Meldarin, Travelling Bard
 
AC 2 (elven chain, Dex 17); MV 9; B10; hp 39; THACO 16; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6 + 2 (short sword of quickness); Str 12, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 16; SA heroic inspiration; SD -3 to reactions; AL N (NG). Thief skills: CW 70, DN 80, PP 25, RL 95. Spells (wizard): 3 1st, 3 2nd, 2 3rd, 1 4th (typically: charm person, detect magic, sleep; blur, hypnotic pattern, improved phantasmal force; invisibility 10' radius, protection from evil 10' radius; dimension door). Magical items: ring of protection +1, short sword of quickness, elven cloak, ring of chameleon power.
 
Nirifel is a young half-elf, only 37 years old (looking to be in her late teens in human terms). She is 5' 6" tall, weighs 132 lbs., and has coppery red hair and light brown eyes. Hailing from the Gnarley Forest, as a child of Clan Meldarin, she came to spend time around Gnarley rangers. She lived for three years at Corustaith, where bard friends of the rangers saw her potential talent early.
 
She lives half of her life in the Gnarley now, but she is always curious to travel abroad. She's seen Veluna, Furyondy, Nyrond, Urnst, Ulek and Celene, and she's currently itching to set off for Ket and beyond—or is it the lands of the far-distant Barbarians whose skalds she has heard of? She's currently a little low on resources, though, so she'll sing for her supper a few more times before she sets off. Nirifel is quite naive and has a reputation for being fey, but she is a good and capable planner.
 
Nirifel has inexhaustible good spirits. She's always able to find something good in everything (regardless how severe adversity seems): an unexpected finding of a new friend, or surprising resourcefulness in one she already knows. She's quite steely and determined under pressure; "that's the human in her," a ranger would say (but he's likely to be biased). The elf in her is more to the fore when she travels deep within the Gnarley, visiting swanmays, dryads, or faerie folk, hoping for a new tale or song they might have for her.
 
Nirifel is young and freewheeling, but nobody's fool. She wants fair payment for her skills if she goes adventuring, or a clean room and good food if she sings to entertain. She carries her own lute, but she can pick a good tune on almost anything, and has a fine singing voice in addition. She prefers the company of elves, half-elves, or gnomes, but her prejudices against dwarves were dealt a blow by her visit to Dumadan. There, she heard a recitation of The Forge of Worlds by a dwarven choir, which left her shaking for hours. One day, she wishes to return there, hoping to be allowed to listen and learn for much longer than she was allowed on her first visit.
 
As an adventurer, Nirifel is a classic jack-of-all trades, singing for supper, charming the odd vendor or supplier of equipment, scrounging what she needs when she can, preferring talk to combat. She wanders widely in Greyhawk's lands (though not in the Wild Coast), and might be encountered almost anywhere.

If I play characters with magic, I usually make them multiclass, usually fighter/mages. That's probably because I grew up with B/X and I liked to play elves because of the Silmarillion. I rarely play a pure spellcaster. Clerics never held much appeal for me.
 
On another note, how feasible would airships be in a fantasy campaign? Even if magic is used to create lift, there are so many large flying creatures around that the airships could become targets.

I'm vaguely remembering (have yet to play in the setting) that Eberron in D&D has things like magic-powered airships and trains.  And then there's Spelljammer...

A recent The Daily episode dealt with Biden's supposed senility. The reporter noted that Biden has a very long history of mixing up names and sentences that wander off into unexpected territory. Also addressed the cognitive advantages of old age: less glib, but better judgment. Slower speed, but better aim, so to speak.
 
I am reminded here of the assessment of someone who knows former House Speaker Newt Gingrich well. In ten minutes the man can be relied on to come out with ten startling, original, and superficially brilliant ideas... half of which contradict the other half, and nine out of ten of which turn out to be batsh*t insane once you look at them closely. Really, not someone I would want with his hand on The Big Red Button.
 
As I grow older myself, I place greater value on temperament than cleverness. I trust Biden to at least try to do the right thing, even if I may disagree with him about what the right thing is.
 
Dean Shomshak

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/2/13/2223296/-My-Thoughts-on-Biden-As-Someone-With-Actual-Cognitive-Dysfunction?detail=emaildkre&pm_source=DKRE&pm_medium=email

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/2/13/2223296/-My-Thoughts-on-Biden-As-Someone-With-Actual-Cognitive-Dysfunction?detail=emaildkre&pm_source=DKRE&pm_medium=email

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/2/13/2223296/-My-Thoughts-on-Biden-As-Someone-With-Actual-Cognitive-Dysfunction?detail=emaildkre&pm_source=DKRE&pm_medium=email

Even if Biden's cognitively impaired, I'll take him over a (much more) cognitively and morally impaired Trump. 

Thank you. Just the thing to refer people to who keep repeating that canard because the guy who almost certainly has real cognitive dysfunction keeps throwing out that slander.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/2/13/2223296/-My-Thoughts-on-Biden-As-Someone-With-Actual-Cognitive-Dysfunction?detail=emaildkre&pm_source=DKRE&pm_medium=email

"Ok, let's take it from the top."
 
"The top of what??"
 
"Name!"
 
"My name?"
 
"No, my name!"
 
"I do not know your name."
 
"You play games with me mister, and you're through!!"
 
"I am? May I go now?"

Yes, it's a fantasy version of California, where it's actually an island. Its name is Insula Calafia (Island of Calafia) after the mythical Amazon queen who ruled centuries ago. San Francisco is called Porta Aurea (Golden Gate) in this universe.

Not really sure why I prefer the not-magic guys.  To be completely hinest with myself,I think it is because, in general, I dont like magic. 
 
 

Made pistachio blondies with candied orange peel for Valentine's Day

https://allpoetry.com/The-Erl-King