Shores of Night

 "There is no try, there is only do or not do... Are you expecting me to say that with a straight face?" Background: Zippim was born in the south, in a small village at the edge of the Dragontooth Mountains. His family were loving, hard-working Gnomes, but they had a large family and worked the land. When a Monk, Skylar, passed through their village, expressing admiration for Zippim's poise and athleticism, and offered to train him in the arts of his order, Zippim's parents were taken aback. They deliberated and asked their son what he wanted to do. This led to the young Gnome seeking the Monk out and conducting a long conversation with her. By the time they'd finished speaking, he was convinced he wanted to join her, while Skylar was impressed not only by Zippim's dexterity but also his wisdom. The next day, he bade farewell to his family and set out on the road with his new mentor. They travelled the road for several months, and Zippim learned that there was...

 "My father never did anything for me, except land me in a world of hurt." Background: Jane has only ever known adversity. She has no memories of her early life, or of her mother. Instead, she was plunged into a Potemkin World early in her life by Madjee-Kawiss. Growing up in a world that would train her to be a perfect warrior. Tests were so commonplace they lost any meaning, and there was little to no kindness.  Jane strived to meet her father's expectations, fighting with the other children he gathered or forming alliances. Looking back, and with some knowledge of the World's media, she would describe it as living in a real-life Battle Royale or Hunger Games. She lost friends in the "war games" Maudjee-Kawiss pitted his many children into and though she mourned, she didn't stop. The only way to win, she knew, was to convince her father that she was worthy of his attention and love.  She failed.  One day, after a fierce day of combat, she was summaril...

 "Hush, did you hear that?" Background: Taaka was born in Ballenmouth, the child of a loving couple - a Human man and an Elven woman - who'd eloped because their parents disapproved of their relationship. Settling in the docks area of the city, Taaka's father went to work on the ships as a carpenter, helping build ships in the yards. His mother opened a shop, selling spells and magical items for ships. They often worked together, experimenting with ways to make ships safer through magic and design. Taaka went to a good school but did poorly in his studies.   When he reached his majority, Taaka decided to see the world and the most obvious way to do that was to become a sailor. Always a dutiful son, he bade goodbye to his parents and then went down to the docks to find a job. Signing on with the Blue Wave as a cabin boy, he left Ballenmouth, sailing to the islands nearby and down the coast. This allowed him to visit many of the cities in the nearby area, learning abou...

The Colombian woman peered at the Tarot cards arrayed before her. "You walk a dark path, Chosen of Loki, beware -" "Can we cut to the chase, Rosa?" her client asked, drumming her fingers on the little table. Violet Steitz, thrust into the responsibility of being a Scion of Loki by the god's capricious joke was tired and in need of coffee. That made her crankier than usual. The fortune teller sighed and rolled her eyes. "You're always in a hurry." "Please, if what you've said so far is true, we've got a big problem on our hands," the blonde woman said. "Okay, okay," Rosa said, rolling her eyes and gesturing towards her Bandmate. "Basically, watch your step, falling down could kill you." Background: Born in Bogotá to a well-off family, Rosa (which isn't her real name) grew up in the lap of luxury. Given everything she desired, she soon became spoiled, and the young girl lived in a bubble. Home was in a gated ...

 Hi,  So, um, I broke my keyboard on Saturday morning. I'd set it somewhere where the heat from my little fan heater could reach it and heard a series of pops - which I thought were from the heater. I turned that off and there were still pops going on...  Anyway, an hour later (it was Saturday and I like to get up slowly at the weekend), I pulled the keyboard out and went to start typing only to find that quite a few of the keys weren't working anymore. I managed to order a new one from Amazon and thought I'd work on things on paper but ended up finishing the Gaunt's Ghosts omnibus I've been reading for gods know how many months and then powering through V for Vendetta.  So, if you were wondering why there was no character this month, that's why. I'm going to try and get the new Scion up during the week because I want to try and keep some sort of order going and next weekend is a D&D character weekend. 

 At the weekend, giddy from the excitement of a trip to the opticians, I went up to London to visit the Cartoon Museum . It's something I've wanted to do for quite a while, partly because Rich Johnston from  Bleeding Cool  has spoken highly of it, and because a work colleague had also spoken highly of the place (though she went when they had a V For Vendetta exhibit). So, I got up early on Sunday, caught the train up to London and then navigated the Tube... which wasn't difficult but I hadn't been up to the Smoke for 2 years when I was dating someone who lived up there and I'd forgotten how long the tunnels are and the confusion that often reins when you're trying to navigate the stations to get to the right platform. It's an easy enough journey to get to Wells Street - you just hop on either the Bakerloo or Northern Line and get off at either Goodge Street, Oxford Circus, or Tottenham Court Road and walk from there. The Cartoon Museum is pretty unobtrusive ...

  "If you keep talking, I'm going to smash your teeth out. Understand?" Background: Tullox was the result of a drunken night of passion between members of two different clans in the wild lands north of Gallanburgh. A Winter Solstice gathering led two lonely souls, an Orc woman called Bagrak and a Human man called Grum to seek solace in each other's arms, and the Half-Orc arrived eleven months later, born on a surprisingly hot summer's day. His parents welcomed him with open arms, having married at Summer Solstice, and he was raised within his mother's tribe. A matrilineal group, they followed the philosophy that every adult was responsible for helping raise children and that the children were a sacred trust from the gods. While they warred and plundered when it was the season to (mostly indulging in cattle rustling with neighbouring clans, with the occasional raid south into "civilised" lands), there was an atmosphere of peace, love, and acceptance ...