Shores of Night

First, a small confession. I have mental health issues. Specifically I have anxiety  and depression , which puts me in the same bracket as about 25% of the population of the United Kingdom and which is the most common co-morbidity for mental health issues. I take pills for it, and that does the job most of the time, though at times it becomes overwhelming. I'm lucky, I know, because there are far more terrible conditions to have and much worse things I could have, but at the same time its been a monkey on my back for most of my life.  I'm lucky, again, because I don't have any psychotic disorders. I'm lucky because I can function on a day to day basis and things aren't so bad I can't work. I'm lucky because I have a good network of people around me.  As far as I can tell, I developed these conditions before the age of ten, and that seems to be common. The  World Health Organisation  reports that around half mental health conditions start by the age of 14, an...

 "The entire world may be in danger, but that's no excuse for poor manners." Mary Culworth, University Steward. Welcome to the third part of Gallanburgh's history, which discusses life as part of the kingdom of Tarrenmark, and in particular the effect Sirran Vanley had upon the city. We will also cover the machinations of Pakessith the Gentle, the Green Dragon, and the beginning of the Upheaval.  While the first two parts of this detailed around a century, this one covers about fifty years.  The first two parts of this can be found:  Part 1  and  Part 2 . Sirran Vanley: An adventurer and soldier, Sirran Vanley became the governor of Gallanburgh soon after the conquest. His first act was to order the creation of Gallanburgh Castle, just outside the old city's gates, and to complete the curtain wall to maintain order within the city. As a former adventurer, Vanley, understood the role that the adventuring economy had within Gallanburgh and sought to maximis...

 For the past six months I've been dealing with what I call "the Knot" based on the Gordian Knot . It's a set of... problems, I suppose which I don't feel I have an answer to and occasionally seem big and intimidating they feel overwhelming. I know that a large part of the situation boils down to waiting, something I'm not very good at, and at planning out what I want in sensible steps, which I'm also a bit crap at.  The waiting part comes down to the house I shared with my ex-wife and the fact that it seems to be taking so long for her to get it onto the market. I have to remind myself that she's got an immune disorder and is very busy at work... but at the same time I find myself thinking that cliché "if she wanted to she would" and the situation is frustrating because it makes me feel like I'm stuck in limbo, and unable to do anything.  This waiting and frustration is in many ways the foundation of the Knot - the first strands if you l...

 "Esteemed Colleagues, I would like to raise a complaint about the inns within our fair city! Most of the bars here don't provide enough tables and chairs of appropriate height for Gnomes, Halflings, and Dwarves,  and it's a disgrace, I tell you!" Gnome Town Ward Father Rimple Fapplestamp Welcome to the 2nd part of Gallanburgh's history, covering the city's growth in its second century, including the First Orc War, the Establishment of the Temple of Eznar, the God of Magic, and the rise of Tarrenmark.  You can read the first part of this history  here . The Growth of Gallanburgh: The city continued to grow, attracting more scholars and a tribe of Gnomes to settle there. Gallanburgh's name became a watchword for quality instruction in the Arcane arts, and to draw attention. Keen to maintain peace and prosperity, the city made overtures to the villages of Fair Meadow, Little Marshton, and West Field to accommodate students and tutors, leading to a more decen...

 I wanted to put something together to talk about things I love at present, be it music, writing, RPGs or something else.  Musically, I've been on a major Folk for a while and I'm obsessed with Thea Gilmore. I love the way Folk touches on politics, world events, the nature of the country, and other subjects. It feels refreshing when a lot of other music genres seem to spend all their time talking about love and attraction. In many ways, it reminds me of punk (which may be why the two genres seem so compatible). The song Bones is amazing and makes me so happy, but I've also included her song Have You Heard because its also great, and really brings a touch of humour to the proceedings.  I also wanted to throw in a David Bowie song from Labyrinth (an amazing film), because I started listening to  Aurelio Voltaire's  album The Black Labyrinth. This is a homage to Labyrinth and other 80s fantasy films and led back to Bowie and the amazing Within You.  I recentl...

 Urm, I want to blog today but the things I started writing need research (and are now sitting in my drafts), the guide I want to write on I haven't world-building even started yet and I don't feel qualified to talk about very much else at the moment.  So, I don't really know what to post.  Last week I talked about love, which feels like something I think about a lot. I'm caught in a catch-22, scared of losing myself in someone else's life but also wanting someone to walk alongside me. I worry that I'm codependent and determined that I don't want to walk that path again. That's one of those things I'm working on in therapy. While I'm a lot less neurotic than I was even a couple of years ago, I'm conscious that there's still a lot of self-discovery and learning to do, and I'm continually growing and developing as a human. Which is all positive, especially when I consider where I was when I started therapy.  I'm not going to say the...

 "Welcome to Gallanburgh, the university city. Home to the greatest colleges in the world, any Wizard or Sorcerer trained in these most august halls has more access to arcane knowledge and power than any other! Studying with us, not only puts you into the top tier of magic users on the Haggard Coast or Northlands but will act as a seal of approval in cities like Ballenmouth and Wolfthorpe. More than that, our graduates go on to help defend ships, join armies, uncover lost lore and serve their communities."   Gallanburgh University welcoming speech, made annually by High Chancellor Armston Felton (traditionally this is as far as the speech gets before the High Chancellor falls asleep at the podium). Background: Five hundred years ago, Gallanburgh was once a small village, a place of no particular importance. That changed when Humbor Salladore, a wizard of the Bright Order, came to town, setting up a small school to train other people in magic. For the next twenty years, he wo...