#averoigne

[chronivore]

Rendezvous in Averoigne by Les Edwards

[frogshunnedshadows]

"...Indeed, it were well that none should believe the story: for thin is the veil betwixt man and the godless deep. The skies are haunted by that which it were madness to know; and strange abominations pass evermore between earth and moon and athwart the galaxies. Unnamable things have come to us in alien horror and will come again. And the evil of the stars is not as the evil of Earth."

Clark Ashton Smith, "The Beast of Averoigne," 1933.

[noes-pillow]

Research Time!!!

What does everyone know about the fictional city of Averoigne?

[rosiefingereddawn]

I keep finding vampire short stories that most likely influenced Anne while writing the Vampire Chronicles, so I'm sharing them here:

First is the story A Rendezvous in Averoigne. I decided to look up where that was located (the tone of the story makes it sound like a real place) and look what I found:

So we have a vampire story that is set in a place that is based on Auvergne, the region of France where Lestat actually comes from. Not only that but in the story the vampires live in an extremely old medival-style stone castle, similar to the home Lestat grew up in.

The second story is Shambleau. While this story is very different from the traditional vampire story, it introduces the idea that when a vampire feeds on you you feel intense pleasure. The descriptions are very sexual, which is the same way Louis describes being fed on by Lestat in Interview. Additionally, a character mentions being able to see into the memories of the vampire-like creature. Again, just the same as in the VC books. I've included an excerpt so ya'll can see:

(I highly recommend Shambleau for my horror readers out there. It's a science fiction vampire story. It's very original and is the first story I've read from the short story collection that actually scared me/ gave me an adrenaline rush. It's old, 1933, so you should be able to just Google it)

I love refrences/inspirations to other literature/media in works so these have been really enjoying to find. I'm only halfway through this book so hopefully I'll find more

[weirdletter]

The Averoigne Legacy: Tribute Tales in the World of Clark Ashton Smith, edited by Edward Stasheff, Pickman’s Press, 2019. Cover art by Jervy Bonifacio, info: Facebok.

The lore of Averoigne didn’t end with Clark Ashton Smith. Over the decades other writers, fascinated by this “Lovecraft country” of medieval France, added their own contributions. For the first time collected together into one volume, you can read over two dozen poems and stories of Averoigne (including some never before published) by Mythos authors like D.J. Tyrer, Richard Tierney, Brian McNaughton, Michael Minnis, and James Chambers. Revisit Vyônes and Périgon, meet Luc le Chaudronnier and Azédarac once again, as tales of harpies and werewolves, ogres and giants, changelings and cockatrices await you.

Contents: Map of Averoigne by Tim Kirk (illustration) Pro­nun­ci­a­tion Guide In­tro­duc­tion by Ed­ward Stasheff I Sing of Averoigne by Aa­ron Hollingsworth (poetry) The Or­a­cle of Sadoqua by Ron Hilger The Dru­ids’ Al­tar by D.J. Tyrer (poetry) The Wed­ding of Shei­la-Na-Gog by G. Ar­thur Rah­man & Ri­chard L. Tierney The Land of Averoigne by Ed­ward Stasheff (poetry) The Cult of the Sing­ing Flame by Da­vid Reid Ross Séphora by Ash­ley Dioses (poetry) The Doom of Azédarac by Ron Hilger Night Vig­il for the Nec­ro­man­cer by Wade Ger­man (poetry) The Pink Flow­er of Saint Zénobie by Aa­ron Hollingsworth The Woods of Averoigne by Grace Stillman (poetry) Hugh the Dis­cern­ing by Gar­nett El­li­ott The Cir­cum­stances of Ghost­ly Cats by Mi­chael Min­nis Song of the Up­rooted Man­drakes by Dan Clore (poetry) Un­hal­lowed Ground, Un­ho­ly Flesh by James Cham­bers The Ring of Eibon by Ron Shiflet (poetry) The Lit­tle and the Big by Mi­chael Min­nis The Pass­ing of Belzévuthe by Si­mon White­chap­el The In­quis­i­tor’s Sin by D.J. Tyrer (poetry) The Butch­er of Vyônes by Mi­chael Min­nis Black Art in Vyônes by Keith Chap­man The Cock­a­trice of Cor­de­liers by Mi­chael Min­nis Clotaire of the Cross by Col­in Harker Guns of Averoigne by Car­di­nal Cox (poetry) Sym­po­si­um of the Gar­goyle by Si­mon White­chap­el The Quar­ry by Si­mon White­chap­el The Gar­goyles of Notre Dame by Mat­thew Baugh The Re­turn of the Co­los­sus by Bri­an Mc­Naugh­ton The Muse of Averoigne by Ron Hilger & Hen­ry J. Vester III Es­prit d’Averoigne by Paul Toffaleti (poetry) The Fell Fête by Ma­nuel Are­nas Boufonoula by D.J. Tyrer Moth­er of Toads by D.J. Tyrer (poetry) A Hon­ey­moon in Averoigne by Trev­or O. Childers To Klarkash-Ton, Lord of Averoigne by H.P. Lovecraft (poetry) About the Au­thors

[vintagerpg]

Clark Ashton Smith isn’t mentioned in the Dungeon Masters Guide’s Appendix N. If that seems an oversight, that’s because it is: Gygax hadn’t read Smith’s work in 1979. Had he, Gygax would have discovered that Smith has more in common with fantasy than Lovecraft, is more philosophically varied than Howard and matches Leiber for bejeweled decadence. His prose, however, is dense, narcotic and waxes poetic, so perhaps it would have been a poor match in that regard.

Still, any one of Smith’s settings has much for D&D to draw on. There’s ancient Hyperborea, with its dinosaurs and its looming doom of the ice age, or Averoigne, a fictional region of medieval France full of black magic and werewolves and worse. This 1970 Ballantine paperback collects all the stories of Zothique, a future continent of our own earth, returned to a more primitive age and where the dead outnumber the living by a vast margin. There’s a story called “The Empire of the Necromancers,” for Pete’s sake. It doesn’t get much more D&D than that.

The only D&D publication I know of that directly references Smith’s stories is the X-Series module Castle Amber, set in Averoigne and full of hallucinatory set pieces. For people who have read Smith, it is easy to forget that he remains relatively unknown compared to his fellow pulp authors. Consider this my small attempt to encourage you to try Smith, the greatest fantasy author to not influence D&D.

Bonus Fact: The amazing cover painting by George Barr also appears as the cover of the occult metal band Blood Ceremony’s self-titled debut LP, which you should check out if you’re into any combination of metal, witchcraft and flutes.

[daemons-and-deathrays]

Bizarre Bazaar Forever - Even More Planar Items!

Bizarre Bazaar Forever – Even More Planar Items!

Welcome back, weary traveler!  Please, as always, you are more than welcome to observe my inventory.  Should anything be particularly fascinating to you, signal me and I’d be happy to tell you more!  Of course, some of these artifacts are VERY dangerous and should be handled with care.  Fortunately for you, the GREAT Zam’dul is happy to provide assistance! Author’s Note: Making magic items from…

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[chronivore]

Vampire haunted Averoigne.

13 Nov 2021 11:45:58