Jan 24
Digging deep into ancient lore, literally, as a band of orcs exploring a cave suddenly emerge in a university library basement (Larry Dixon from "The Lurkers in the Library," AD&D adventure by Patricia Elrod in Dungeon 9, Jan/Feb 1988)
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Digging deep into ancient lore, literally, as a band of orcs exploring a cave suddenly emerge in a university library basement (Larry Dixon from "The Lurkers in the Library," AD&D adventure by Patricia Elrod in Dungeon 9, Jan/Feb 1988)
Have you read The Black Gryphon by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon (1994)?
yes
no
I didn't finish it
I've never heard of it
The Black Gryphon is the best fantasy novel because the description on the back suggests it'll be some get out of enemy lines war story, but that's literally just chapter one then the rest is just weird sexual tensions and politics.
Oh hey, my favorite Valdemar novel by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon is on sale on Chirp for just $2.99 right now for the audiobook edition. Yes. Please. I was a little girl reading Valdemar all the way into my teen years, passing around an old copy of The Black Gryphon between friends and leaving notes in the margin. When the Owlmage Trilogy wrapped up, I was left wondering for decades what would happen next as new series would explore the past instead of the future of the world. "What's next for Valdemar?"
When we got the answer with Gryphon in Light, I was an adult, and extremely happy to see so many long-running plot threads and hints coming to fruition. Also, during those years of growing up, my husband and I used to go out to help Misty and Larry fix up the place as they got older and needed people with good knees and backs to handle the heavy lifting.
Which is to say that the answer as to what was next for my favorite childhood series... includes both my husband and me =] Or, at least, characters named after us. Not to mention a couple of trans characters in addition to Valdemar's already very-queer cast.
So for $2.99, you, too, can try to guess which character is named after my maiden name! https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/gryphon-in-light-by-mercedes-lackey-and-larry-dixon-e03ea0f08c
Roll20 Questions? Answered!
But first -- there are two upcoming streams we’re excited for.
This Sunday Gail Simone, Mercedes Lackey, Jody Lynn Nye, Larry Dixon, and Chris Spivey are playing Castle Falkenstien by R. Talsorian Games for charity! Join them for a great cause and a great time: April 26, 2pm PT on twitch.tv/wanderingdm.
Then next week tune in to twitch.tv/dnd for a brand new series: Learning Roll20. Our very own Carlos Luna and Victoria Rogers of the Broadswords will be teaching you how to play D&D on Roll20 in an 8 episode mini-series special. Catch the first episode on April 28 at 4:15pm PT.
Have you gotten your monthly updates from Roll20?
Last night, April 23, was our monthly live-streamed Community Roundtable. You can find the video over on YouTube. Soraya and Kenton went over Updated Dynamic Lighting, future product releases, feature requests, and more.
If you’re just looking for the quick version of Roll20 news, make sure to catch the Roll20 Rundown! Carlos goes over the highlights of the last month, talks about Hotkeys, and shows off Updated Dynamic Lighting.
The Cutest Thing I've Ever Seen an Old White Man Do...
Was Larry Dixon, at a panel, say "Let's get one thing straight: this is my true love, this is my gal," and put an arm around Mercedes Lackey and lay his cheek against her hair like they were teenagers in love instead of 2 old people. So cute!!!
This was quickly followed by Mercedes Lackey rubbing her fingers along Larry Dixon's cheek a few minutes later, and he just stopped talking and melted for a minute, then said, "Sorry, I was having a griffin moment: I was getting scritches and people were looking at me."
That Time I Almost Got Mercedes Lackey Killed...
So let me tell you about Gen Con 2018 and how I almost got Award-Winning novelist Mercedes Lackey killed...
To get the story started, you'll need to know that I am acquainted with New York Times Best Selling Novelists Larry Dixon and Mercedes Lackey. If you are unfamiliar with their work:
* Misty is the author of over 100 fantasy novels. She also has a successful superhero series under her belt. And despite being in her 60s, does not look like she is going to stop writing anytime soon.
* Larry is also an author, who has collaborated with Misty on several Valdemar novels. He is a fantastic illustrator. Both are avid bird enthusiasts. Remember the giant eagles from Lord of the Rings? Those are thanks to the film and footage taken by Larry. The same footage has been used by Weta Workshop to create the griffons in the Narnia and Warcraft films.
So, anywho...
Larry recently succumbed to an old shoulder injury he received during his days as a volunteer fire fighter. It was pretty bad. He had limited mobility, had to wear a sling, and could not lift more than 5 pounds for risk of tearing his shoulder out of its socket. As it was only three weeks from Gen Con, and they had already promised their fans they would be there, Larry asked if I could drive Misty to Gen Con and watch over her during the convention. They were also going to be sharing a booth space with my favorite independent film crew Zombie Orpheus Entertainment; for whom Larry has been doing script writing recently.
Previous to this, I was not planning to attend Gen Con this year. Financially, 2018 has not been a good year for me. I have been making enough money to pay my share of the household bills and groceries. But I have not been making enough to save up for extra fun things like vacations or conventions. Ah, the life of a freelancer! So, getting asked to go to Gen Con was made me very happy. Knowing that the room and expenses would be covered helped greatly! All I really needed to do was acquire a badge and save up as much money as I could for the next three weeks to have a little extra spending cash for the dealer room.
In the three weeks leading up to Gen Con, I had managed to accumulate about $300 of extra spending cash. Not bad, but not nearly as much as I usually have to spend in previous years. However, the week before we leave, Rogue Genius Games drops $1,500 on me for recent sales of my newly-released Super Powered Legends Sourcebook. Suddenly, all of my financial worries for Gen Con vanish! Yay!
Sunday -- four days before Gen Con -- my friends marc and Tom drop me off at Larry and Misty's home so I can spend the next day helping with packing and sorting. About 10 AM Monday morning, we have a tsunami roll through the area and it knocks out the electricity. Given the rural area, the power does not get turned back on until 4 AM the following day. Needless to say, we were able to get nothing done with no power available. Tuesday is a mad rush to get everything done that we had not done Monday. Books are packed, posters and art prints are signed, Larry is trying to put EVERYTHING in the Ford Flex -- and I do mean everything! He wants us to take a giant printer, camera tripods, and several Go-Pros for ZOE to use. My foot goes down at 3 PM. Nothing more is going in that vehicle and we are leaving. Larry is literally trying to give us more stuff as we are backing out of the driveway. Bye, Larry... bye!
Once we get on the road, everything goes smoothly! We have driven through St. Louis, Missouri around 9 PM and stop at a Motel for the night at 10 PM. The next morning, we awaken at 11, get some breakfast, and go. According to the GPS, we are only three and a half hours from Indianapolis. And, thanks to smooth traffic, we get there in that time. Check in to our hotel, I go and grab my badge from the VIG Lounge, deliver some buttons I made for BJ Hensley, and all is good!
Thursday, everything goes great. I escort Misty to all her seminars. At the first one, I get to meet the authors of the Expanse! When we get to her autograph signing time, she lets me know that I am free to do what I want for the rest of the day, and I go through the dealer room. First day of Gen Con done! That evening, Misty lets me know that she only has one seminar to attend at 4 PM the next day and that she will otherwise be at the ZOE booth until then. I am otherwise free to do what I want until 4.
Then Friday...
Misty's 9:00 alarm goes off and she re-sets it. But she does not get out of bed. Seeing she wants more sleep, I make quick use of the bathroom, dress, and make my way out. It's 10:00 Misty is still asleep, as far as I can tell. I am standing in line to sell some miniatures at the CoolStuffInc booth when Larry calls me at 11:30 to tell me that Misty has had a stroke and my stomach drops to my feet. She is currently at the hospital. I run back to the room, and try to answer all the doctor's questions that I can. I pack an overnight bag for Misty, which is grabbed by her ZOE handler, Judy, and taken to the hospital. Otherwise, I am in the hotel room alone for most of the day, fretting and worried. I get calls every couple of hours for updates. At 4, I am coaxed out of the room by Larry, who convinces me to put on my game face and help show the con that we are still there for the fans. The show must go on.
I still can't help but feel like shit because I was not there for Misty when she needed me.
I finally get some food -- my first in the day -- about 9 PM.
Saturday, I am awoken by a phone call. Misty is okay. I was NOT a stroke. In fact, it was a toxic reaction to the outgassing of the new room we were staying in. The hotel wanted to impress Misty with its newest-refurbished room, not realizing they needed to let it vent from all the paint and redecorating. And given we were 11 stories up, none of the windows are able to open for outdoor ventilation. But, Misty is otherwise okay. I am up and out to the ZOE booth. The show must go on. We are here for the fans!
I have a curtain call for the Gamers: LIVE! show at 11:40 AM. At 11:20, Misty calls me to say I should gather my things in the room, as the hotel will be moving us to a room that is not so... newly refurbished; one that has already undergone its full outgassing period. I am internally screaming my entire way to the room, throw everything into my suitcase on the bed, and run all the way back to ICC 500, where the show will be. I am pouring sweat from what should have been a 30 minute round-trip done in 15 minutes. But I am there for the show!
Obviously, I sucked, because I have no improv skills -- especially when compared to the comedy talent of the ZOE crew -- which is why I quit acting during my Jr. High School years. But where I missed out on improv, I excelled at artistic comedy; holding up quick illustrations of goblins going "pew-pew-pew" after Owen Stephens suggested the villain of the show was a space ("SPACE!") goblin. Close to the end of the show, Satine Phoenix and Rudy Rootenburg appear, along with the rest of the Maze Arcana crew, and steal the show. This is the first time Satine and I have meet in person. We have spoken many times over private chat; both being fans of tabletop rpgs and both being professional artists. She gave me the biggest hug.
At that moment, I realized something... I was no longer sweating (thank the gods!), but I was no daisy either. Also... Satine Phoenix is a fucking ANGEL! She just... radiates... positively, joy, compassion, love... all the things that are good and wonderful and being a human. I really hope I get to meet her again, maybe for more than 5 minutes.
After the show, I return to the (new) hotel room to find Misty there with several of her author friends. They are laughing and talking about the experience Misty just had. As Misty describes it: "I have never been to Woodstock, but last night I went to Woodstock! Those hallucinations were something!" She went on to describe seeing a woman with brown hair and an astronaut suit standing in between the paramedics who took her from the hotel room. She saw visions of the actors from ZOE, and all the different characters each of them played, having a rave. In the MRI, she saw a sheet of red blood cells covering her. As the MRI machine made a noise, the sheet got closer and closer to her face. Misty was aware that if she blew her breath at the sheet, it would be pushed away...
Yeah... she has new material for her next several novels.
By Saturday afternoon, Misty is back at the ZOE booth, signing books for fans and telling the story of what happened to her to each one. All of them are crying, glad that their favorite author is not dead. I am sitting next to Misty, putting on my brave face and trying not to break down, either... I still feel like crap for not having been there for her when she needed me. but she's safe. She's smiling.
The rest of Gen Con goes smoothly. The drive back goes so smoothly that we get Misty home in one day (apparently I have my father's endurance for long-distance driving). I call my friend Marc and ask if he is willing to pick me up. I really want to sleep in my own bed. It's been over a week, and I want to be home. Marc does, indeed pick me up, and I recall all of this to him on the three-hour drive home.
It's 2 AM on Tuesday when I get to sleep in my own bed. At this point, I am really glad that I had the forethought to wash my sheets before I left for Gen Con. I was tired of smelling my own body odor. I slept so good that night.
The Silver Gryphon (Valdemar: Mage Wars #3) by Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon Japanese Book Covers Illustration by Jun Suemi (末弥純)