Larch checked everything one last time. She was as ready as she was going to get to go home. To Numeria. Are they safe? Are they well? Did they seek the Ghost Wolves, join them? Or did they strike out on their own to rebuild from scratch? Have they found a shaman […]
He recalled kind hands. Gentle. Precise. Living. In his reverie, the masked face of the Necromancer caresses the periosteum of his right humerus, knitting and weaving the necromantic energy tightly up through the calcified articular cartilage and into his clavicle before replacing the frayed robe that covers his bones. He could feel. He knew he […]
She sat in the wagon in silence for almost five minutes. He. He just. He reaches for her, with the hands that kill so very easily, and there is that old feeling again and Larch does not do touching she doesn’t like contact and- -And he is warm. So warm, just like […]
Larch finds a small note inside her vodka bottle. It reads: Just ask him out. Guys are too dumb to notice. ~CC Really, it was all that damn god’s fault. Without him, she’d still be in blissful ignorance. But the note on her vodka bottle sent her bone pale then puce with rage, and she […]
Thorngrasp. A grasp of thorns. A thorny grasp. Black walnut rootlike vines with cedar ruddy thorns, grabbing the enemy. “I think it fits you, in more ways than one.” It was hard to tell with the monotone, but perhaps he was… friendly? Smiling? Or was that sardonic? Even sarcastic? Had that been […]
Kellid names are as brusque and percussive as their Hallit language, and most use two or fewer syllables. Second names are rare and typically limited to those who distinguish themselves through some great deed or draw from an especially significant lineage, though Kellid clan members hold their clan’s name in even higher regard than their […]
Ivran Chronicler looks out the window of his carriage. The city of Lastwall has finally come into view. The ride was peaceful but frightfully dull. All he could do was review his notes and check his old scars. The last time he did a psychometric reading, he was maimed and burned by the memories of […]
Tymon. She had faith- complete faith- in him. She knew he was going to win. Larch dropped five hundred gold on him without a thought, and the only reason she didn’t drop more was that she didn’t want to see hungry for money in front of the others. She was, but still, it wouldn’t […]
This hospital has good bones, Larch thinks. She traces the grains of wood with callused fingers, the whorls and patterns. Old bones, but good- the solid dark wood is somber but goes well with the walls and interior he has furnished. The Doctor’s style was simple, functional, almost spartan: everything had a place and was […]
Happiness buzzes under her skin like friendly bees as Larch carefully tends the Firework Snapdragons in her wagon. They are a culmination, proof of concept, solid evidence that she can do it, that she was strong enough, smart enough to do on purpose what she had done once before, filled with rage and wild power […]
She doesn’t tell them what she’s doing. If Larch did that, she’d have to explain, and she honestly doesn’t know if she could. They aren’t her tribe. This isn’t her home. The shaman reminds herself of that, ineffectively, as she carefully plants seeds around one abandoned house in particular. It’s lost a corner, and […]
In the aftermath, Larch worked. She used her spells, first, repairing flesh and wood alike where fire had charred and blades had cut. This was the first raid she’d dealt with in a long time; the last she could remember had been when she was… nine? Something like that. But the principles remained. First, […]
“…Why did you even tell me that?” “Don’t whine. It’s not becoming. One or another, however you decide, you should know what he is. Informed decisions are the basis of smart plans,” Flower said, both ruthless and kind. She licked a paw and groomed her left ear. Larch laid her head on the […]
Larch sat on the bed, feeling bone deep weariness in every line of her. The baths had been nerve wracking. Hot water to soak in was a balm to body, mind, and soul, but sharing them… She was not body shy on any sexual level. Her body was just a body, a meat shell […]
It was impossible. Reprehensible. Absolutely one hundred percent straight fucked up. Larch regarded her list with the air of someone regarding the time and date of thier execution. This should not be. I still have dreams at night of the research room. My scars ache when the weather changes. And this- it is […]
Larch nearly slipped off the branch of the tree and somehow, didn’t fall. Flower, next to her, laughed in cat fashion with a little mrrp, amused eyes watching her. They remained the same purple as all those years ago, when they were both young, and Flower just a sprout with a tiny amethyst bloom. […]
Mallory slipped into the kitchen and peered around for whatever side room would give her the privacy to change. She spied a storeroom and headed for a corner of it, pulling a large crate of produce against the wall to conceal herself. Not ideal but it would do. She had changed clothes with far less […]
With a heavy thud, Sulfira carved a trench in the gravel beach. Her vision was blurred and her muscles ached. The ringing in her ears was suddenly drowned out by the roar of The Tarrasque. Struggling to get back to her feet, the dragon summoned up all of her might just to stay steady. When […]
Market Street was quiet. A feint cloud of snow from the road blew by the entrance of the Rusty Dragon. In the front window of the building, a sign written in common, and varisian read “Under new management.” Arcs of purple lightning suddenly appeared in front of the building and with a blinding flash, Coira […]
Dear Reader, For the first… and potentially last time, I will introduce myself. My name is Alexander Penarrow; Scholar of the Mists, sorcerer of the arcane, Doctor by trade, and enemy to the children of the night. My life has been a long one. For two hundred and sixty five years, I have dedicated my […]
(This vision is in first person view, through the eyes of the blade’s owner.) Upon touching the blade, you are struck with a vision. The half-orc child picks up the falchion, his growls and grunts of rage surge through your head as he is beaten and abused into submission. The scene changes to an […]
The gates to the School of the North slowly creaked open. Though the room was dark and her students were silent, neither of these things impeded the Jiang Shi’s senses. She could hear the rustle of their robes and see them all in the dark clear as day. A single student stepped forward and bowed. […]
The sun slowly crept up over the horizon. A fine morning in the town of Stags Fall. After a merry evening with all the people she liked, Melda ended up staggering out of the bar in search of bacon. With a pounding headache and blurred vision, she woke from her slumber. The hobgoblin cleared her […]
The Nameless Knights muttering was cut short. The sound of iron twisting and breaking bone echoed through his ears. After nearly biting his own lip off, the knight dared to open his eyes. The sounds of gurgling and stagger steps caught his attention. The man with the prince staggered with the crossbow bolt in his […]
The room was quiet. No windows, but plenty of warm and soft light. The walls were covered in book shelves and other knickknacks of varying origin. A feint smell of incense hung in the air. A sturdy love seat and single chair were on opposite sides of the center table. On it, a small kettle […]