Since I’ve started running the new season of D&D Encounters I’ve been digging into Dark Sun, and it is resurrecting my interest in the setting. Inspired my new found interest, and the paltry setup for encounters I decided to write my own introduction that I read to the PCs, so here it is, enjoy:

Fury of the Wastewalker: Introduction

You find yourself packed within one of the many compartments of a fortified mobile fortress strapped securely upon the back of a hulking behemoth known as a mekillot. Not much time has passed since you left the small, but sturdy merchant village of Altaruk.

Sharing your quarters are two worn travelers, Daclamitus and Valuna who wear ragged clothing, and keep quietly to themselves. However, you notice a light in their eyes that is inconsistent with their outward appearance.

A spoiled tribal chieftain’s daughter Felorn is from Gulg, she has a nose ring, hair decorated with feathers, and clothing depicting large trees (nature DC 20 to recognize they don’t look right). She is interested in hearing tales of adventure.

Milo, the short, and stout merchant eyes everyone suspiciously while rubbing a coin between thumb and fore finger. He has brought three slaves along with him, and treats them savagely which he is well within his rights to do.

Although different paths have brought you together, your goal is the same: trek across the sun scorched tablelands to the city-state of Tyr.

One night, Jarvix notices a subtle shower of meteors among the stars in the ebony sky. The caravan overseer (Sedran), a practical man, thought nothing of the dire omen. But, Jarvix made sure you were all aware.

During the night you are woken by a high pitched birdlike call, although it has an unsettling ethereal nature. You do not have much time to listen because you hear orders being barked by the caravan guards. Through the narrow slit in the side of your compartment you can make out the makings of an all enveloping sand stormed headed your way. Everyone is thrown hard against the back wall as the mekillot shifts forward hard as the pilot attempts to evade the storm. The loud groaning sounds of the shifting fortress are barely audible above the howling wind.

A distant herd of inix sprint just ahead of the storm only to be overtaken. As the storm engulfs them, you notice that it is as if their very flesh is being ripped away to the point where only bone fragments are left by the time the wall of sand overtakes them.

A caravan guard bellows, “OBSIDIAN RAIN!” and then all hell breaks loose.

The wagon fortress begins to rock back and forth violently as the mekillot begins to grow nervous. The guards continue to bark orders, and the atmosphere within the wagon reaches a fevered pitch. You can hear the wails of women clutching their children crushed by shifting cargo, and a gibbering madness consuming the crew.

Everyone is rolled within the compartment as the mekillot rears up. The straps snap sending the wagon careening into the storm. Chunks of obsidian begin exploding through the hull destroying everything in their wake. A spear of obsidian narrowly misses Barcan, but cleaves through Felorn spilling gore across Phye.

The sky is blacked out by an enormous shard that collides with the wagon, shattering it utterly. The force of the explosions hurls everyone out into the early dawn air. You witness the wagon torn apart, and lifeless bodies swirling in the storm.

Your final sight before being consumed by the storm is the enormous mekillot bellow lying dead, its body pierced by millions of obsidian shards, which in itself may not have killed it, but it was pinned to the ground by the thirty foot shard that destroyed the wagon fortress.

The sands brush coarsely against your skin as intermittent shards tear away at your flesh.

Finally, you succumb to the pain.

Some time later you awake to the dull howling wind. In the distance you can see another obsidian storm gathering strength. A tent ahead suggests that there were other survivors from the caravan, but upon further inspection you find the corpses of Milo and his slaves torn asunder, the contents of the tent hastily thrown about.

As you begin to rummage through the contents for supplies you see small bipedal reptiles leap from the surrounding silt. They are light on their feet and keen to pick through the remaining cargo. A quick scan of the area reveals them lurking on all sides.

The best path away from the storm lies directly through your foes.

Last Friday I went down to the board to see if I could find my brink now that renovations have been completed. I don’t recall what the bricks cost, but they weren’t giving them away.

Here is a close of photo of my specific brick, let my name live on in infamy.

vanlandw and I play our final rounds of Halo 2 together

Today, I played my final few rounds of Halo 2 online. I seriously cannot believe they are canning XBL support for all Xbox games. It looks like Bungie knew some people would be coming back for a last round so they flooded the “Did You Know?” tips with amusing little snippets.

On the flip side, I honestly don’t think that I’ll miss it. We played several matches, only won two. And, I played just abysmally. I sealed the night by receiving an ass kicking in Big Team Battle. Yup, that pretty much sums up my entire Halo 2 experience.

Check out the miserable abomination that was my Halo 2 career

The new Dresden book Changes comes out tomorrow. I was originally planning on getting it for the kindle, just like all the books I read. Unfortunately, it was pulled a couple of days ago because the publish is being a dick. This all stems from the publishers preference to the “agency” sales model for digital media. They prefer this because while they get fewer profits they have more pricing control. Why does this matter? Well, Amazon has been purchasing licenses for books at their whole sale prices (around $13 for new releases), and then turning around and selling them for $9.99 in the kindle store. What does this mean? Well, having cheap books helps bolster the sales of Amazon’s ebook reader, the kindle. Publishers don’t like this because they think it “destroys the value of digital books.”

While other ebook publishers, have given in to the agency model (Sony, B&N) others, such as Apple demand the agency model. Sadly Amazon is the last hold out. As a reaction to penguin refusing to release new books to the kindle unless Amazon agrees to the agency model, Amazon has begun canceling preorders and reduced the price of hardcovers to $9.99.

Please help Amazon “destroy the value of hardcovers” by choosing to purchase their loss leader $9.99 hardcovers rather than paying full price elsewhere.

Changes (Dresden Files, Book 12)

So, this afternoon I quickly whipped together a drupal install with a couple of custom content types to get the ball rolling. I have left registration open, so if anyone has a D&D character they would like to post (the non crunky bits), and track their sessions feel free.

http://portraying.us