Hey yall, life update time. I'm gonna be real with you - I'm really struggling, and could use some help 💔
(Non-image version of the text below, as well as links)
I don't know how else to start this; for the past couple of months, things have gotten pretty dire. I need help.
My fiancé and I need to move from California to New Jersey within the next month - My fiancé’s family has graciously offered to let us stay with them in NJ while we recover and look for new housing. The apartment we’re in is awful, and the cost of living expenses are bleeding us dry. And although I love my roommates, this living situation just isn’t working anymore and my fiancé and I very much need our own space to work. Vending at conventions has become my full time job, and due to the scale that I’m working at now, I also need to move to a part of the country with more drivable conventions and more affordable living options.
We were expecting things to go smoothly leading up to our move - things were going well! We made plans to begin this move months ago, and were ready to get the ball rolling. Then shit hit the fan.
In the past two months:
I got scammed by an event I invested hundreds in
I made half of what I usually make at what is (well, was) my most reliable convention
my mom got diagnosed with cancer
my third "permanent" dental crown suddenly broke, and it has to be extracted. This is not the first time this has happened, and it has now restarted the extensive - and expensive - dental work that I thought was long behind me. You can see everything that took place in a previous GoFundMe that I had.
Emotionally and financially, I am exhausted. I haven’t felt this drained in years.
I'm trying to secure loans to help fund the move, but so far I haven't had much luck. So… here I am asking for help.
If you've enjoyed my work, please consider commissioning me, grabbing a goodie from my shop, or tossing a buck to the GoFundMe through the QR code shared below. I'm afraid to ask for help, but I'm in genuine need, and every cent will go towards getting me back on my feet. If you've enjoyed my art over the years, I humbly ask for any support you can provide. I will do my best to pay it forward by continuing to draw for you guys and entertain at the various conventions I attend.
I appreciate every single person who’s spent their time with me and my artwork, and want to keep sharing that with the world. Thank you for taking the time to read this <3
An unnatural gloom creeps over the countryside, the shadows grow long and the dawn seems slow to rise. The townsfolk grow increasingly listless, and have asked your party to investigate the mage's manor across the lake, which seems to be the origin of this miasmic melancholia. Your journey will not be an easy one, as the landscape grows ever more eerie, and things are seen to move in the drifting banks of mist.
Of the many reasons that wizards take on apprentices (passing down knowledge, having a sounding board for new theories, an extra pair of hands to prepare spell components and do the sweeping up) one of the less discussed ones is how vital it is to have a second pair of eyes on lookout for when something magical inevitably goes wrong.
It makes sense when you think about it, a proper wizard's mind is too full of brilliance to bother with things like making sure that week's batch of potions don't boil over in the cauldron or that the stacked tomes of lore present a firehazard if they're not put away.
So it was with the mage Milghram Brightstaff and his precocious apprentice Adaline, who lived a quaint existence in the manor by the edge of the lake filling their days with scholarship, experiments, and attending to the problems brought to them by locals visiting from across the countryside. That was until mage Milghram decided to pop off to his extra-dimensional storage unit by way of a shadowfell portal in the manor's basement. He thought he'd only been gone a few hours, but neglected to apply the protective charm required to spare himself from the memory-sapping defences guarding his vault. now Milghram wanders the land of shades in a perpetual state of "why did I come into this room?" while the essence of that dread dimension leak back through his unclosed portal.
Adventure Hooks:
The party might've been sent to seek out the wizard, or visit town on their own buisness. Either way nothing's getting done so long as the countyside is blanketed in memory erroding fog and creatures from the shadow realm stalk through the murk. After several nights worth of exposure the town's defenders have had the wost of it, having forgotten what they're guarding or why they've established barricades.. it'll take some guile or calm negoitation for them to let the heroes past the gate.
When the party eventually gets to the manor they'll not only find the place locked, shuttered, and in many cases barricaded, but also protected by a slew of arcane defences ranging from animated objects to teleportation traps that will hurl them out into the lake. Two thirds of the way through their magical B&E and likely expecting a mad wizard to emerge from the shadows and begin a villain monolog, they'll instead find an exhausted teen running through the manor hurling heedless spells at a fleeing bug-thing demanding they help catch it before it gets too big.
For a girl of only fourteen winters beset on all sides by living nightmares Adaline is handling herself marvellously. She's activated the manor's wards sealing the worst of the cursed mist in the basement (or atleast she had until the party chopped their way in) and has been using a borrowed wand to hunt down most of the shadow creatures that have begun to infest the manor grounds. She's deeply worried about her teacher however, and blames herself for the series of distractions that led the old man to forgetting to throw on his protective charm. Depending on how they play it, they can either have her charm them and venture into the portal looking for the errant mage, or attempt to distract her long enough to close the portal themselves and leave the old wizard for dead.
Hey all, I know I haven’t posted fuckall art on here so this may be a surprise, but I’m actually gonna (hopefully) get set up with an online store front to sell paintings and whatever other art I feel like, I’m super hyped! I have a few weeks before I meet with them and discuss the details, so I still need financial help right now sadly, but I’m really hopeful that in a month or so I’ll be set up and can start earning my own income again. In the meantime, I need any and all assistance I can get to pay for necessities, namely my meds which will need to be refilled soon. if anybody could throw me like 15-20 bucks, I’d owe you big time. Regardless, thanks to anybody who read and reblogged, sorry for putting another one of these out there. Links below, blog tips are cool too <3
So, since leaving my position with a newspaper in the spring because I was Spiraling™, I've been freelancing editorial work and data entry, but it's no longer keeping up with the bills.
I'm also not insured, and until my application processes in January I won't be able to pay for my prescriptions.
I greatly prefer offering to write something on commission ($10 for 1K, expounded on here) but I'm in dire enough straits to ask for any aid anyone can give.
Links: Portfolio, carrd, and Ko-Fi.
Direct donations via Venmo (appreciated ≧ - ≦)
Don't hesitate to message me here or on discord (Praazlwurm#2918) to verify/clarify/elaborate on anything!
i haaaaate posting like this but i hate debt collector calls more >.>
Hear me, young warrior. There is no glory in slaughter, no honor in conquest, and no such thing as a just war. These childish indulgences should be put down when we first pick up the sword. Instead there is only a chance, a chance to do the right thing when the opportunity presents itself, a chance to make the world a better place than we found it, a chance to spare the innocent their scars by bearing them ourselves. Follow if you see the truth in my words, if you don’t: well, you found your way up this mountain, I’m sure you’ll be able to see yourself down.
Setup: It is the rare wargod that acknowledges that war, and violence in general, is by and large a necessary evil, a burden to be taken up by the brave and the desperate and put down again when their is no more need for it. This is the true valor spoken of by the faithful of Tyr, a unique coalition of hardened warriors, pacifists, and fighters by necessity.
Tyr offers strength to those who must defend themselves in the most dire of circumstance, and a path of peace and redemption for those who’s lives have been stained by blood. Eschewing temples and a formalized priesthood, Tyr’s most faithful are itinerant healers, veteran commanders, or holders of ancient vigils, all of whom seek to safeguard peace, defend the innocent, and hasten the end of conflict. Shrines to the marred god are often constructed alongside battlefield memorials, or are simple stone cairns in the center of villages where weapons can be stored for times of necessity.
As a mythological figure, Tyr is often cast as an aging warrior who’s body bears many long healed wounds, most notably the amputation of his sword hand. Many sagas can be told about the adventures of a younger, more foolhearty Tyr which highlight the warrior’s many hardwon lessons, leading up to his sacrifice of his hand in an attempt to stop an apocalyptic event (though sources debate on which one).
Adventure Hooks:
To avert their own apocalyptic event, the party is told to seek a relic of Tyr that just so happens to be in the possession of a semi-retired adventurer. Said oldtimer happens to be a bit of an isolationist coot, and wants test the party’s character by seeing how they manage in the harsh environment he’s chosen to sequester himself in. If they force the issue, they’ll likely have to duel one of the greatest swordsmen of the age in a blizzard, but if they cooperate, they’ll have made an ally for life and gain a mentor in the process.
Now in possession of a cursed enchanted blade that drives them to glory and danger, the party hears tell of a shrine to Tyr that collects such objects in the hopes of purifying them. Said shrine happens to be in the depths of some haunted moorlands, the site of a vast and ancient battle that still draws scavengers and specters to this day.
An undead warrior haunted by a lifetime of misdeeds stumbles into town, repeatedly denied the rest of any afterlife. Taking hostages, he demands that the party take his blade to the local shrine of Tyr (up in the rocky highlands) and make offerings for him so that the god will relive him of his burdens. After a hard trek to the shrine, the hermit who keeps vigil there points out that Tyr would never take such a dishonorable soul into his service. Blessing the blade with the power to slay undead, the hermit sends the party back to defeat the drauger and become champions of their village, planting a seed of valor that might one day grow into legend.
Titles: The Marred god, Warden of Peace, Foremost among the Valorous
Signs: Clusters of old weapons buried in the earth, cold wind, things that have been broken and remade.
Symbols: A broken sword, or one buried midway up the blade. Tollstones ( large granite standing stones that have a cylindrical hole or bowlshape carved into thier top. used to collect offerings, markers for fallen warriors)
So one of my players got sent to a different plane, and is pretty much stuck there, so the rest of the party will have to try and rescue her; I figure they somehow will have to get their hands on a Gate scroll. Any ideas for where they could find such a scroll, and even more importantly, where would they hear about it? Or maybe what favour would they have to do for the city's resident high level wizard? Thanks so much in advance!
Ally: The Index
" My oh my you don't belong here, which is to say that I don't think I have a spot for you in the catalog, not that you are unwelcome, oh has anyone told you that you are welcome yet? I'd do it but I'm not sure I'm authorized, then again I'm not sure I've not been authorized to welcome you, in which case I extend to you a conditional welcoming and/or unwelcoming depending on privileges pending. If you could find yourself a seat, I'm five eights of the way through constructing an itemized list of the moths I've found in the library over the past year. It should only take another two days, then I'll fetch you some tea.
Setup: Seeking help from a powerful arcanist, the party is pointed towards the home of one Minerva Motteheaper, an archmage famed among the locals for never turning away anyone with a problem. When the party reaches her manor however, they find the place in shabby disrepair, exterior overgrown with moss and ivy and interior thick with dust. Following some of the only signs of habitation, they are drawn to a haphazardly sorted magical library, governed over by an eidetic but scatterbrained construct that calls itself "The Index". Left in charge of the house and mentally overburdened by the sheer number of things that need "sorting", the party will either need to seek help further afield or make themselves useful in crossing a few things off the construct's hastily scrawled to-do list.
Adventure Hooks:
Other tasks on the to-do list include "deal with greenhouse infestation" which will see the party dealing with a foul-tempered fey and it's giant insectoid pets, and "Check on Pinky, basement?" which involves rescuing The Index's pintsized mechanical sibling form a pile of barrels that've pinned it down in the cellar for months. The More tasks they clear off the list, the more clearheaded The Index becomes, allowing it to field their questions and even propose solutions given enough research time.
One section of the List is " Dust the Garnet landing, 3rd floor, CAUTION". Investigating finds the players infront of a fancy mahogany door that doesne't seem to make sense with the surrounding architecture, a bowl of eternally fresh fruit, and a small placard that translates itself into their native tongue that says " You have stumbled upon a landing of the infinite Staircase, if you wish to return home, enter the door and retrace your steps. If you seek something more precious than home, return to the stair and begin walking in the direction you set out in. Rest here if you must, walking the stair is dangerous, you will tire but you will not be able to sleep." Evidently Archmage Motteheaper's home intersects with some kind of "world between worlds", which may lead the party out into the greater cosmos later on.
After The Index's mind is cleared and Pinky is Recovered, the two will ask the party a favor: Neither of them know where their creator currently is, an their other siblings are scattered all about. If the party could help reunite them, perhaps together they'd be able to figure out where the Archmage has ended up.
Background: Like many powerful arcanists, archmage Minerva Motteheaper juggled many responsibilities, from advising the town elders on matters of state, to defending the region against arcane anomalies, to solving the problems of those who'd come to knock on the door of her stately manor. Eventually it all became too much for one person to handle, so Minerva built a series of constructs to help her with the day to day tasks so that she could focus on the things important to her. Several years ago however, the duty-burdened archmage said "fuck it" and teleported away, leaving her mechanical servitors to keep things up in her absence.
Future Adventures:
Thumper the Groundskeeper is actually still on the property. Years ago the stocky, stubborn bot worked itself to exhaustion one winter and ended up falling into the frogpond, in which it has rusted in ever since. The party will need a proper arcane crafter to fix the machine, whether that be from among their own number or seeking one out.
Tall and Spindly Medius was built to provide wisdom to the local authorities, and now occupies a seat on the town council, advising whos ever in charge. Unsupervised, the construct has taken its role a bit too far, and now masterminds local politics through a web of puppets, spies, and blackmail. It has no qualms about helping the party to recover its creator, but it may turn out to be an adversary somewhere down the road.
Battle-ready Ringer was made to be Minerva's personal assistant and bodguyard, but with no BODY to actually guard, the construct has become proactive in hunting down threats in the locality in case they ever become a problem to the archmage after her return. The only way the party will be able to find it is by figuring out which of the bounty missions from the local guild it's recently taken and catching up with it in the field.
For the Asker: Getting just one of your party stuck requires some creativity, especially if that player is still about and able to play while their character remains in the cosmic penalty box. My advice is to let them play AS Pinky ( A small sized Warforged Rogue at level with the party) while they climb the astral staircase, moving through a series of planear themed challenges before they get to whatever dimension their original party member was stranded in. THEN have some fun dropping some exposition about what happened to the stranded character and what strange things might've befallen them in their time away.
“ Remember, my little Sprout, if ever dark forces entangle themselves with your life, You come see your auntie Griva and she’ll set thing’s right. Lots of things in this world can be scary, but nothing is scarier than your Auntie, you understand? Yes? Good Sprout, have a sweetie”
Setup: Auntie Griva is an orcish wisewoman who is related (perhaps distantly) to one of the player characters. Wizened, dottering, and varying levels of sinister, she offers a warm hearth and an insightful word when the party comes seeking help with their current task. Auntie is not magical prese, but does possess sometimes preternatural insight into things given her many, many, MANY years living in touch with the land and reading every book she can get her hand on.
If ever the party seem lost, Griva is sure to have an answer on hand, whether by reading their tealeaves, letting them peruse her shelves, or rummaging for something in her attic. This allows you as the dungeonmaster to have a delightful roleplay scene and a bit of travel to her cottage and back while recentering your campaign on the things that matter, or introducing new avenues to explore.
Adventure Hooks:
When the party first approaches Griva’s Cottage at the edge of the woods, they find a scruffy young man clad in traveler's clothes and a black furred cloak doing battle with an animate scarecrow dressed like a knight, the latter obviously defending the doorway against this vagabond. The man will flee before the party manages to actually intervene, but may approach the party at a later hour ( meeting them on the road or throwing stones at their windows as they stay the night) and ask them to help him in settling a debt the old woman owes him. Griva is tight-lipped if questioned about it, claiming that she has the situation handled and the mangy boy isn’t going to get what he wants anytime soon. The “boy” in question is infact a psychopomp, a black hound sent from the underworld to collect Griva’s soul after the stubborn old woman has repeatedly refused to die. The old bat is intent to stick around as long as possible however, to ensure her family are well taken care of for as long as possible.
If you need an excuse to get a low level party out of the starting town and out into the world at large, a family member asking one of the heroes to make a delivery to their old Auntie might be the perfect way of steering them in the right direction. Along the way they can encounter any number of side adventures and rumors which will get them involved in the larger world, then have a nice sit-down at Griva’s cottage to think about where they’d like to go next.
After being badly hurt/poisoned/otherwise ensorseled, the party seek out Griva for healing. Queue a bunch of meaningful scenes where the rest of the party does cottage-chores together and thinks about the adventure so far, while the injured party members fade in and out of consciousness thanks to Auntie’s herbal cures and face fever-visions of things important to their character.
Auntie Griva LOVES books, and has carved a whole second cellar into the hill under her cottage to keep them in, favoring handwritten books that are traded to her or salvaged rather than anything from a shop. Just as the party seeks her out for information however, it’s become clear that someone is breaking into her library and stealing or otherwise defacing her collection. The culprits are a group of fairies in the employ of a warlock by the name of Ms. Muddle, who’s hunting for a rare manuscript currently in Griva’s possession that will sell for a fortune when sold to a particular patron of hers.
Everyone in town had enough sense not to venture into the dark forest and knock on the old wizard’s door. But the adventurers weren’t from town, and lacked sense as a vocational necessity
Adventure Hooks:
Across their journeys, the party hears tell of an old adventuring band known as the Frinsville Few, who were once the heroes of the kingdom but have now faded into the annuls of history, leaving behind a few errant monuments and a jaunty drinking ballad or two. As more and more plot threads come up empty, it seems that this retired band of adventurers was once undertook the same quest as the party. Perhaps it would be a good idea to pay these forebearers a visit, see what they discovered in their own time trying to right the realm’s wrongs.
When problems of a magical nature bedevil a town, it’s quickly agreed that a small group of brave and trusted individuals should seek out the old wizard who lives deep in the forest and ask for her aid. They’ll only need to manage crossing through a forest of dangerous beasts and fey enchantments first, no biggie! a fine first adventure!
In need of wits and learning far beyond their capabilities, one of the adventurers remembers that they have an old friend of the family that they can call upon, a crumudgony old wizard who spent her early years adventuring and has amassed quite a library on esoteric subjects. Perhaps they can rely on her hospitality? Perhaps it would be better to send a letter first: it’s been a while since they’ve been in touch.
Setup: regardless of their origin or intent, all the party will find at the end of their jaunt through the forest is an incongruously urbane manorhouse deserted in the middle of the woods. Once the home of a great mage by the name of Aellna Quailswit and her adventuring companions, the structure now shelters only cobwebs and old memories, along with a pair of standoffish familiars named Snitch and Tattle. These two feline guardians make most ungracious hosts, taunting the party from just out of reach and literally melting into shadows when caught, and have been put in charge of the manor only because their summoner is otherwise “indesposed” a fact the party can learn if they’re willing to put up with a few games of cat and mouse to appease the borded kitties.
Mistress Aellna was quite enjoying her quiet retirement and had settled into a comfortable routine of introverted study and experimentation when an old foe came calling: Drahdeelm, a demon of shadows and fear defeated by Aellna and her companions and imprisoned decades ago , now inexplicably free. Though she was ambushed, the wizard did not fall as easily as her old enemy would have liked and two battled furiously, leaving the house in shambles and the demon imprisoned in the wizard’s heavily warded attic summoning chamber. A problem the party may need to sort out as they sus out the wizard’s current whereabouts.
Further Adventures:
Piecing through her notes and questioning the various illusory staff, the party discovers that Mistress Quailswit has gone to check on her former adventuring companions: all now retired, passed from this world or otherwise having traveled on to less risky pursuits than adventuring. The stories of these adventures are for another time, but can be read up on by checking “The Frinsville Few” tag on my blog.
Drahdeelm is a conniving foe, and will attempt to entice the party into freeing him. First with promises of aid, then later with threats in more keeping with his nature. Most dangerous however is his unique ability among demonkind: Any time Drahdeelm scares someone, he spawns a short lived shadowy clone of himself. Though these clones are weak, perish quickly in the daylight, and possess none of the prime-fiend’s powers.... they do spawn out of the victim’s own shadow... meaning outside the binding circles their sire is currently trapped in. One wrong jumpscare on the party’s behalf and their demon captive will be free to wreak havoc once again. Though perhaps this will be the easiest way to find the wizard. He DID track her down once before.
With the demon free ( or safely ignored), Quailswit mannor could be a suitable home base for the party should they wish to “keep it warm” for the Wizard while she’s away. Equipped with a large number of magical creature comforts and a well stocked library, it nearly makes up for the fact that it’s located a few days hard hike from the nearest town.
This adventure inspired by @wearemage of the @weareadventurers collective. Go check them out!
