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Round Zero!
Iron DM 2020 This is the Round Zero thread, where all those who wish to partake in this year's competition can show what they have, and see if they can stand up to their fierce competitors and last year's victor, Unko Talok! Come, refine each other so that the best may face off, and the greatest be crowned Iron DM of 2020! The thread will be open for 13 days (plus about 1.5 hours) from the time this is posted (exact deadline see here). Make sure you get your entry in quickly! Once you have posted, that is it: no edits, no second posts. Breaking these most simple of rules could lead to a very early (and very embarrassing) departure from the stadium. Last edited by Inem; Sep 17th, 2020 at 11:30 AM. |
#2
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The Sequestered Dragon The Sequestered Dragon, referred to colloquially as "the Dragon" by those in the know, is a black market specializing in mundane and arcane items of unique significance. The name also refers to the elite band of treasure hunters and enforcers that operate the market, led by a gnome known as Ghrim Batul. Members of the Sequestered Dragon speak of Ghrim Batul with a mixture of reverence, awe, and fear. Employees of the Sequestered Dragon scour the multiverse for unique and valuable artifacts. These treasure hunters operate clandestinely and while they prefer not to resort to violence, they have been known to use whatever means necessary to secure the objects they desire. The existence of the Sequestered Dragon is a closely-guarded secret, known only to smugglers, thieves, and other folk who deal in the mysterious and obscure. The market itself exists on a demiplane that "connects" to various doorways in out-of-the-way places like back alleys on a semi-regular schedule. A person hoping to gain admittance to the market must provide an item(s) of subjective value as payment for entry. The items then become property of the Dragon. The Sequestered Dragon does not deal in currency. The only accepted form of payment is vitality: Anyone wishing to leave with an item from the market must place their hands on a clockwork orb which drains life essence from the payee and transfers it to the Sequestered Dragon's mysterious owner, Ghrim Batul. In this manner it is said Ghrim Batul has cheated death for decades, and the market is very very old, possibly ancient. The market itself takes the form of a large, disorganized warehouse with items arranged haphazardly onto shelves or on top of boxes. Inside can be found all manner of things from mundane to extremely powerful and dangerous. There are even a few life-sized statues in the dusty back corners. Most items are unique in some way and all are valuable, whether that be actual financial value, arcane power, politically-sensitive objects or documents, or even mundane items of significant emotional value to their former owner(s). DM Notes and Plot Hooks Ghrim Batul keeps their identity, motivation, and goals secret, however s/he needs to be present at the orb to actually receive the years of life transferred from customers as payment, which gives the players an opportunity to confront, converse with Ghrim Batul or possibly even be recruited to work for the Sequestered Dragon. The Dragon's hunters regularly traverse the different planes of existence in search of treasure. The players might thus be able to convince one of the existing Dragon Hunters to work as a sort of sub-contractor relationship which presents an opportunity for them to accompany the Hunter to the market and thus gain entry for the first time. The statues are sentient beings that have been petrified by a spell. Last edited by Astra; Oct 2nd, 2020 at 10:28 AM. Reason: un-secret |
#3
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__________________
My bones are lazy, but my soul's on fire.
Agetha - Philamine - Ches - Daigen Last edited by Wishkamon; Oct 2nd, 2020 at 03:32 PM. |
#4
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[SECRET="Inem"][SPOILERBUTTON=Switches]"Good Morning, Father Mateo. Luke Anderson has been found not following the teachings of The Great Diakoptes. This is his third violation." Father Mateo looks to Sister Mary both of whom are dressed in long red priest robes with an incomplete circle with a line that breaks the circle at the end of their stole embroidered in with a silver thread. Father Mateo looks to Sister Mary and responds, "well he knows the rules, and so do you. We must flip his switch. Maybe he can try again in a century as a new person. What was his switch number again? AB23 was it? Also, what was the status of TG87? It should be almost a century since they were turned off, right?"
"Yes sir but I will check the book of switches just to be sure and document the changes." "Very good Sister Mary I will meet you on the switch floor" With that said they both departed their separate ways. After a few minutes, Sister Mary walks down a staircase holding a lit lantern into a dark room that seems to stretch on forever. In the not so far distance, she sees Fater Mateo holding a lantern. Surrounding him and the base of the stairs are panels and panels of small little metal toggle switches. Sister Mary speaks first, "Yes you were right Father Mateo. Flip switch AB23 and flip switch TG87. I have already documented their changes." "Very good Sister Mary. I have already located switch AB23 I have placed a small candle over by it. Would you hit it for me as I am still looking for TG87?" as Father Mateo speaks he is walking further way looking at the panels full of switches searching for the right one. Sister Mary turns to her right and immediately sees the correct switch. She walks off the end of the stairs and to the right to flip the switch that has the candle right next to is. Sister Mary leans over and with a quick puff of air blows out the candle. Sister Mary puts her index finger on the switch and checks the label one more time "AB23" and clicks the switch towards her. When she does a small pebble small of light comes flying in from the distance and touches the end of the switch and then recedes into the panel disappearing from sight. Sister Mary then carefully picks up the candle as it is still hot and strides towards Father Mateo. "Ah found it," Father Mateo said and he flips the switch away from him. When he does a small light comes forth from inside the panel and goes to the end of the switch then ascends and disappears past the ceiling. "Come on Sister Mary. We have a newborn to show the ways of Diakoptes. Let us return to the surface."
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To Absent Friends My PM Thread. It is whatever you or I want it to be. I am not a DM or GM I am a G.O.D.=Game Operations Director. Last edited by GodRosen; Oct 2nd, 2020 at 03:08 PM. |
#5
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I am running a series of open enrollment Legend of the Five Rings beginner games. Check out the recruitment thread for details.
I have taken the Oath of Sangus. Last edited by Spoonybard; Oct 2nd, 2020 at 07:46 AM. |
#6
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The Onion Gang
Alternatively known as the 'Brownies' or 'Bulbs'. The Onion Gang is an urban criminal group of limited influence, mostly confined to slums and labourer districts. The rank and file of the group are all working class and mostly uneducated, although the gang has some connections with merchants and financiers of modest means. Their main activity within their turf mostly relies on protection rackets and open availability to enforce a contact's wishes regarding a third party through force and intimidation. The gang’s signature look includes a small brown onion strapped to the belt – during the group’s inception, onions were an uncommon commodity due to regularly poor harvests and blight, and so the accessory became a way to flaunt wealth and resourcefulness. Although onions are much more common now, the habit has endured among the Onion Gang. The Onion Gang are on hard times. Recent pushes against opposing gangs to expand their turf have not favoured them, turning into costly struggles and feuds that have exhausted their resources and left the gang demoralised. They are weak compared to most of their rivals. The current head of the gang, Ruth ‘Red’ Tillman, had originally been popular for bringing the organisation back from the brink of collapse after years of poor management. She is ruthless towards dissent in her ranks, and reserves a particular loathing for informants and turncoats of any kind. Under her leadership, the punishment for betraying the gang’s trust is ‘peeling’ – torture that ends in scalping (the intention is for the victim to survive the scalping – success here is inconsistent at best). There was initially panic within the slums when the ‘peeled’ bodies of former gang members and traitorous contacts were dumped on the streets. Despite the high exposure of these killings, Tillman has kept local law enforcement from raiding known Onion Gang premises – exactly what system of bribes, blackmail and/or leverage she’s achieved to accomplish this is a system she keeps close to her chest. Part of the unofficial agreement she has with the law is that her brand of brutality begins and ends within her own gang – those who live in Onion Gang turf are to be treated cordially as long as they pay their dues and don’t make trouble. Despite her successes, Tillman’s aggressive approach to expanding the gang has lost its sheen. Her position is under threat. Tillman’s main rival within the gang is the enforcer with the street name ‘Dry Eyes’ – as an orphan and lifelong career criminal, he has little need for any other name. His proposal is to squeeze the current turf for all that it has in a brutal shakedown, and prepare for all-out war against the competing gangs to gain respect. It’s a violent plan that makes Tillman look demure by comparison. Tillman sees Dry Eyes’ approach as unsustainable, tantamount to poisoning their own water supply. She still has enough support to keep her leadership secure, but the pent-up frustration among the rank-and-file doesn’t favour her.
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Last edited by HotsuSama; Oct 2nd, 2020 at 04:28 PM. |
#7
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__________________
DM - Pathfinder: Kingmaker |
#8
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Last edited by Thaco; Oct 2nd, 2020 at 04:54 PM. Reason: Missing Spoiler added |
#10
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Sun - Thu: On Vacation and Behind on everything! / Fri & Sat: Rairly Available Last edited by Silk; Oct 2nd, 2020 at 06:51 PM. |
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[SECRET="Inem"]Sir Thomas of Jorn, an ordinary-looking fluffy white cat is anything but ordinary. Where ordinary felines catch mice, lounge in the sun on a warm summer day, or serve nobly as a “shops’ cat”, he oversees “The Undying”; a monastic order in the service of Arasti; the silver maiden, dedicated to protecting the realm from chaos and undeath. Though they tend to avoid the political and martial conflicts of man, there are plenty of other threats to the realm, the deadly nightmare hounds principal among them.
Only Thomas of Jorn and a handful of others know their true numbers, but whether nine or nine hundred, the feline knights and dames of “The Undying” are blessed with gifts from Arasti as varied as the members themselves are. Among their numbers are fierce war mages with destructive magic for combating whatever creatures threaten the stability of the realm. Some are more akin to the druids in their manner and ability, opting to use the power of nature of the elements. Others dwell in shadows and prefer to employ greater subtlety in the use of their magic. Others still opt for the use of their martial talents combined with defensive magic to serve the silver maiden. Whichever path they choose to serve, each also must co-exist within the realms of men, and whether they reside in the great houses of the Empire, in the harbor or trade quarter, or in the slums, each are charged with watching history unfold, but not to interfere or intervene with the natural progress of a kingdom or its rulers. It has been thus, until now. In the wilderness beyond the three kingdoms, a shadow of a threat is forming, one that apparently seeks the destruction of “The Undying” and all other "Awakened" creatures; which are other cats/dogs etc… that have been awakened to the existence of The Undying. Often times, they serve as helpers for the knights and dames of the order. In these past weeks, five Undying charged with patrolling the wilds disappeared when they investigated an unseasonable wild fire. Three more from villages on the fringes of that endless grassland were found dead later that same week, causing a great stir among The Undying. Something is coming and they need to face the threat. Thomas of Jorn must convene Arasti’s counsel and Knights and dames must be sent to investigate the nature of this threat, so they might know it first-hand. If they discover what they face, they might be able to stop it before it threatens the rest of the three kingdoms.[/SPOILERBUTTON]
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I TOOK THE OATH OF SANGUS Posting Status: Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday: EVENINGS Monday, Friday and Sunday: OPEN POSTING NORMAL THIS WEEK. Last edited by HalcyonRhys; Oct 2nd, 2020 at 03:57 PM. Reason: Missing Spoilerbutton added |
#14
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__________________
Black Lives Matter - Gay and Trans rights are human rights.
The Fickle Tendrils of Fate | Site Rules & Help | Become a CS! Going through some stuff. Nothing bad! But kinda consuming. Worried it will impact game updates. Last edited by Unko Talok; Oct 2nd, 2020 at 09:22 AM. |
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