Long ago, town of Bran Bramble was isolated from the rest of Lyrea, tucked away behind thorn-laden walls and ruled by a selfish lord. However, with the help of the new Queen's Royal Guard, he was overthrown, and felled by his own son, Gin!
Afterward, Gin took a vow of pacifism and left to travel Lyrea. He hoped to atone for his deed by helping others.
His brother Tomas stayed behind as Bran Bramble's steward. He believed he could make it a more welcoming place. But the following decades would prove more challenging than he could have imagined...
Tomas's approach was simple. His father had closed the town off from the world, so he would open it to all. Criminals, outcasts, and Resistance soldiers mingled among growing ranks of Royal Guard sent by the Queen.
Tensions hit a fever pitch when the Blind Berserker cleaved a path of ruin through the center of town. Our heroes, including Gin returning at last, arrived just in time to help Tomas and his local deputies fight back against the combatants on both sides of the smoldering crater!
After the conflict was settled, Fable, the catfolk cleric, cast Create Water to fill in the crater and extinguish the flames. And so Kittypaw Lake was formed!
Later on, Bran Bramble became a sanctuary for displaced wizards from the Painted Wastes, and finally began to rebuild into the town Tomas and Gin always hoped it could be.
There’s a saying around town, and it’s ‘all the money in Perdition comes from Perot’. The mine opened for operation in 1902 when prospectors were hunting for new veins as the mine in Delamar had been providing dwindling returns for a few years before the fire ravaged the town in 1900. William Perot founded the mine and the town of Perdition sprung up nearby. All of high society in Perdition is related to, or married to, a Perot. It employs a huge portion of the Perdition population, but its returns are now dwindling, too. Quarter after quarter, less and less gold and silver ore has been hauled out of Perot. There are whispers of lay-offs on the horizon and even the upper crust of Perdition is starting to get nervous.
Berserk is a vicious, dangerous, and unpredictable dragon. She came to the clan a few weeks after Lexen and is (apparently) her Charge. Despite her appearance, there is something evil that lies within her. Dark ooze leaks out of her mouth, eyes, and scales at times. Many suspect that the Shade has touched Berserk and is the reason for her violent actions. On the rare occasion that she talks with the other clan members, she laughs at this notion.
“The Shade may be powerful, but they are not the reason for my actions. Those are by my own choice. This Darkness came from other places.”
These words only fuel the mystery surrounding Berserk and Lexen, for the two also have a bitter rivalry. They both serve as the Guardians of the Gate, gatekeepers of Clan Shadylex, but outside of that they do not like each other. Lexen serves as a sort of ‘Warden’ over Berserk, keeping the violent dragon away from others and away from the clan. Berserk serves to antagonize Lexen and tries to escape from under her ‘Wardens’ eye to do harm unto others. It is because of this that the two do not live within the lair. Instead, the they live in a far away den that no one knows about. They rarely go there and appear to always be at the gates day and night.
For what reason Berserk behaves when on guard duty is a mystery. Is there some sort of benefit she gets from gate keeping the clan? Is it only because of Lexen’s presence that she does not attack guests and visitors? It is quite a mystery, one that Berserk isn’t going to reveal any time soon.
Garp Garp was taught the power of thrash by the legendary Blue-Haired Bard, who belted odes to the god Thrashikus and inspired Garp to become a bard himself. So when, years later, Garp heard rumors that Thrashikus was leading attacks on towns throughout Lyrea, he knew he needed to investigate.
However, he soon learned this "Thrashikus" was no god at all, but a charismatic and dangerous dwarf wielding a battle axe guitar. Alongside the Blind Berserker, an infamous outlaw with an unquenchable thirst for destruction, and a devoted cult of groupies, he left nothing but ruin in his wake. Garp Garp knew at once – these were False Prophets of Thrash, besmirching the name of the real deal!
When they finally came face to face with our heroes, Garp was especially gutted to find a centaur named Gerald (her-ALD) caught up in the frenzy! Gerald was once a protégé of Kingbird, but after Garp outplayed him in front of the Queen, he pledged new loyalty to Thrash, and vowed to travel the land singing its praises... only to fall . Their ensuing battle proved heavy in more ways than one.
From a gameplay perspective, I wanted these cards to play off each other very naturally, by combining the impulsive stat buffs of Inspire with artifact/enchantment hate to convey their wanton destruction. For instance, "Thrashikus" obviously pairs well with the Blind Berserker, gaining buffs each time she smashes something, but he also gets pumped up when ANYONE cracks an Inspiration token (since each one is an enchantment leaving the battlefield). Combine that with Gerald's recursive Inspire ability, and you've got a potent combat engine!
Five years ago, our D&D campaign began! Learn a bit about each of the eight player characters at the forefront of our epic tale, featuring their own hand-drawn art!
Garp Garp, Goblin Bard
Played/Illustrated by Juston - he/him (uppermindink on Instagram)
Garp Garp abandoned his goblin clan when he heard the beautiful music of the Blue-Haired Bard. She taught him the power of thrash before mysteriously vanishing! Now, he uses that power to protect his friends with the help of his flaming familiar, the Level Skull! He's also dabbled into darker magic and proclaimed himself Lord of Bones!
Fable, Catfolk Cleric
Played/Illustrated by Larissa - she/her (royallydivine on Instagram)
Fable is a sweet and caring catfolk with a sneaky trickster side! She hails from the distant kingdom of Eldoris, and is constantly appalled by the terrible things that happen here in Lyrea. She calls upon the cat goddess Xalyn to bring light and healing to this unwell kingdom!
Mishka, Tiefling Fighter
Played/Illustrated by Kelsey - she/her (@kelseesi)
Mishka was once a member of the Royal Guard, but was cynical, restless, and unfulfilled. Adventure was exactly what she needed, and she thrives in the chaos of this group! Even when she ran into a trap and lost an arm, she simply kept the limb to wield as a grotesque weapon, even getting it enchanted and modified for maximum damage!
Eventually, Mishka found a calling where she least expected – training meek wizards of the Unseen Library into adept battle mages. She stayed with them after they were displaced, to help rebuild.
Gin, Human Monk
Played/Illustrated by Boon - he/him
Gin is an enigma, a wandering drunken monk who is either two steps ahead or three steps to the side. For instance, he's the only member of the original party who wasn't kidnapped... he saw the others being taken and simply hopped along for the ride, to see if he could help. He is fiercely protective of his friends, especially Garp Garp, and will make demonic pacts to prove it! He's also an avant garde brewmaster, for anyone daring enough to try his mixes.
Tourmaline, Genasi Blood Hunter
Played by quinn - they/them (quinnntastic_ on Twitter)
Tourmaline began her journey as a sweet, naïve, young genasi (an elemental daughter of human and genie) who was abandoned by her birth parents and raised by two loving dwarves. However, she quickly fell into bad company and was tricked into drinking the blood of villain Ans Fleurellian. This changed her into a blood hunter, able to pay life for power, and set her on a heavy path of learning the world's hard truths.
Tourmie was whisked away to the Indigo, a mysterious realm of the dead, but while her time traveling with the party may have come to an end, her story is far from over!
Lani, Aasimar Rogue
Played by Riley - they/them (@ratbrick)
Lani grew up in the seedy streets of Crestfall, along with a tight-knit group of other orphans. She's an aasimar, chosen for protection by a divine guardian... but hers was nowhere to be found. Her time with the party was the shortest, as her loyalties stayed with the orphans, but any time our story returns to Crestfall, she remains a stalwart ally.
Unfortunately, sometimes life gets in the way. We had to write a few characters out of the party over the years, but that was also a chance to meet some new faces!
Olly, Gnome Wizard
Played/Illustrated by Vi - they/them (vidraws on Twitter)
Olly spent most of his life studying magic at the Unseen Library, before the Grand Council sent him out to join our heroes and spy on them! He did this, reluctantly, but his travels opened his eyes to where his allegience should truly lie. By the time the party made it to the Library all together, Olly was ready to fight alongside them to the bitter end!
Kornaan, the Cobbler
Played/Illustrated by Zack - he/him (me!)
Kornaan was a half-orc cobbler in the sleepy port town of Loam who marveled at the wondrous tales from adventurers who came to repair their boots as they were passing through. He was inspired, and set off to become an adventurer himself!
Since I'm the one running the campaign, Kornaan serves as a blend of player character and NPC. He travels with the party and offers help, but he'll always take a backseat when it comes time to solve problems (sometimes I even use him to create new ones when needed!). Nevertheless, his arc over the years has brought him from bumbling wannabe to real adventurer!
Lore Spotlight #10: Sagas Week - The Queensguard Oath
Once Queen Lyndette took the throne of Crestfall, her first order of business was reorganizing the Royal Guard so they could station themselves across Lyrea and return the rule of law to its neglected towns and cities. However, she kept many of them at Crestfall Castle, and among them were the Queensguard, stoic defenders of the Queen and her throne room.
In time, the thrill of the Fell King's demise passed, and the public grew to resent the new guard, who seemed all too focused on protecting themselves an their Queen than on tackling the larger ills still plaguing the kingdom. But that didn't seem to dissuade the recruitment posters perpetually plastered throughout the town square, nor diminish the undeniable prestige of those fortunate enough to join the Queensguard's ranks!
Meanwhile, way out in Cobbleston, a young tiefling named Mishka held no love for the uppity Queensguard back at the capital. She barely respected her fellow Royal Guard members (especially Brent. Ugh, Brent.) But it put food on her table and ale in her belly, so she found little reason to complain. She wouldn't mind something a bit more adventurous, though...
Lore Spotlight #9: Sagas Week - The Ballad of Nasty Pete
Once, some years ago, a goblin hunting party trekked out from the wheeled metal city of Contraption to find meat. They attacked a group of gnomes, but as they fought, the goblins noticed something unexpected -- a baby gnome with an unmistakable, familiar ferocity.
After some squabbling, the goblins spared the child and returned him to Contraption, to raise as one of their own. Nasty Pete, as he came to be called, thrived in his new home, joining his friends on hunts and eventually earning his Teeth, a remarkable rite of passage which had never before been achieved by an outsider! He was as goblin as any could be.
When Garp Garp was born, pulled up from the primordial mud pits by his father Blargg Blargg, old Uncle Nasty Pete was there to watch. Of all the goblins, he was the one Garp missed most after he ran away from home to become a bard. On lonely nights, a gentle song can be heard drifting across the Lyrian plains. A song filled with awe and fondness and triumph and love. The Ballad of Nasty Pete.
(Shoutout to @uppermindink for doodling Pete on this piece, along with his own character Garp Garp!)
Lore Spotlight #5: Sagas Week - Fall of the Fell King
For hundreds of years, the kingdom of Crestfall was ruled by the dreaded Fell King, a high elf known for his cruelty. Under his rule, the land of Lyrea remained splintered and isolated, its people left to fend for themselves. Crestfall Castle grew stagnant within locked gates and blockaded ports, but within its walls, rebellion festered.
No one remembers what finally kicked off the revolt, but almost immediately, citizens flooded the streets. A young fighter, Lyndette, rose among their ranks. With her magnetic charisma and fierce swordplay, she quickly became the face of the rebellion, and ultimately, it was she who struck down the Fell King and claimed the throne.
In the 70 years of Queen Lyndette's reign, Crestfall has begun to blossom, establishing trade routes and absorbing remote cities and outposts under its protection. However, a lingering shadow remains over the land. There is still much work to be done.
With this, the stage was set for the very start of our campaign! So began our heroes' grand adventures in... The Unwell Kingdom!
