A Grey Beginning is a prelude to Skein of Shadows and details Szeethe's rise to power as the head of the sinister Cult of the Grey God. He is determined to sacrifice the city of Crown to slake the thirst of his master, but first the foundations must be set. Exclusive Wandering Men website content.
A fan of Gritgut, the great furry fury from Skein of Shadows? Then Axiomatic Anarchy and its anchor swinging action is for you! Before Gritgut's tore through the streets of Crown he careened through the seedy and dangerous undercity and encountered his spiritual opposite. Exclusive Wandering Men website content.
What's all this about wandering? Who are these guys? What's all this about, anyway?! Why am I here? Find the answers to these questions and more inside and be sure and meet each of the Wandering Men: Ashy, Davis, Hall and Nathan! Also, be sure and check out our Frequently Asked Questions!
If you cannot rest until you see the vista afforded by a surmounted peak, then the Wandering Men will resonate with you. We embrace journeying and exploration; we're constantly pushing ourselves over the next hill, whether the hill is an obstacle, such as a towering mountain or raging river, or a challenging project, like writing a book or crafting a RPG. Reaching for the horizon is the name of the game. Do you hear the mountain's call?
In the second Axiomatic Anarchy, Corey introduced us to a new Crown villain - Penance Arbiter! We thought that we would give you a glimpse into what makes the construct baddie "tick". So, without further ado, we present him to you below in all his demented, construct glory!
Continuing our expansion of the Crown Campaign Setting, Corey was good enough to stat up Solis Emberheart - one of the minor characters from his soon-to-be-released novella, The Bonds That Bind Us, and who is also featured in our exclusive online series, Axiomatic Anarchy!
In typical Corey fashion, we asked him for a single write-up and he provided us with far, far more! More's the better, however; we think that all of you will enjoy the additional content as well!
Loraedian is a beautiful man, yet has seen almost 180 summers. His hair is silverish and his skin a pale white. He is proud of his heritage and when found around the Hall of the Hopeful Road, he usually wears light brown robes, in accordance with family traditions. His cultist’s mark is a long cut across his right palm, which he usually covers with a glove. There are times when the cultist need to hide, and he does this very well, beneath gray robes and deep hoods.
Male lumilon rogue 4/cultist 3 (CR 7)
CN Medium humanoid Init +2; Senses Listen +4, Spot +4 Languages Crownspeak, Afayim, Atolain, Oltreggish, Improved Telepathy
AC 15, touch 13, flat-footed 12; uncanny dodge, +1 against traps hp 31 (7 HD) Resist evasion Fort +2, Ref +7 (+8 against traps), Will +6 Weakness marked (DC 13)
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) Melee +1 spell storing* shortsword +8 (1d6+1/19-20) or Melee mwk sap +8 (1d6) Base Atk +5; Grp +5 Atk Options combat expertise, sneak attack +2d6, warrior’s blessing (sacrifice 2 hp, 3 rounds, +1 to atk/dam) Special Actionsguardian’s aura (sacrifice 3 hp, 1 minute, +2 to AC), lumilon healing (9 hp), shadow’s blessing (sacrifice 1 hp, 3 minutes, +2 to hide and move silently) Combat Gearpotion of cure light wounds, wand of levitate Cultist Spells Prepared (CL 3rd):
2nd – See Invisibility
1st – Alarm, Lesser Confusion (DC 15), True Strike
0 – Bane, Detect Magic, Ghost Sound (DC 14) * - from Dungeon Master's Guide, page 225; current spell stored is lesser confusion.
Abilities Str 11, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 17, Wis 15, Cha 18 SQ lumilon traits, trapfinding Feats Combat Expertise, Dodge, Skill Focus (Bluff), Weapon Finesse Background Feats Arcane Knack, Forethought, Improved Telepathy Skills Appraise +13, Balance +7, Bluff +12, Concentration +7, Decipher Script +13, Diplomacy +16, Disguise +9, Forgery +13, Gather Information +14, Heal +3 (CC), Hide +7, Intimidate +4, Listen +4, Move Silently +4, Search +5, Sense Motive +14 (+18 against people with the Child of Crown feat), Sleight of Hand +5, Spellcraft +5, Spot +4, Tumble +4, Use Magic Device +8 Lore Arcana +13, Dungeoneering +8, History +8, Legends +8, Local +13, Nobility and Royalty +8, Religion +13, Tactics +6, The Planes +13 Possessions combat gear plus +1 spell storing shortsword, mwk sap, leather armor, healer’s stone +1, 2 smokesticks, 2 thunderstones, brooch of shielding, explorer’s outfit, pouch with 28gc Hook"Welcome to my Hall! Whether you look for work, food or perhaps something else entirely, just ask and I’ll take care of it."
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As the weeks progress, each of the Wandering Men will write pieces that shed more light on the heroes of Skein of Shadows. Whether it’s a biography or a short story, the pieces will provide insight into what drives the characters. Arastin is my (Nathan's) protagonist in Skein of Shadows: Vendetta. An elf assassin, he makes an unlikely hero, but life forced him to make tough decisions. Frozen Dreams will be a short series that depicts key points in his life. The first installment, Tradition, features a younger Arastin and his father, Cador -- both men of iron will with vastly different dreams of the future.
Today we continue the trend started by Nathan with his Arastin-centered piece, Frozen Dreams - Tradition, wherein we reveal a bit of the history of another of the heroes featured in the upcoming novel, Skein of Shadows. Today's hero is markedly different from the sly and canny elf assassin, however, as today we focus on Corey's protagonist, the massive oltreggan known as Gritgut (who is also the star of the ongoing serial, Axiomatic Anarchy)! Join us now as we peer into the past of this burly brute - not only do we meet Gritgut, but also two other figures that appear in Skein of Shadows!
In today's piece we witness the birth of a legend. Davis sheds some light on the infamous demon fights that are now a tradition during the Festival of the Long Night. But more importantly we meet Farulazar, a dwarf gladiator who plays a very important role in Skein of Shadows.
"And in this corner: weighing in at 12 stone, armed with a gladius nearly as sharp as his tongue, a hero from Crown's streets, Farulazar the Fiend Fighter!"
Loraedian is a beautiful man, yet has seen almost 180 summers. His hair is silverish and his skin a pale white. He is proud of his heritage and when found around the Hall of the Hopeful Road, he usually wears light brown robes, in accordance with family traditions. His cultist’s mark is a long cut across his right palm, which he usually covers with a glove. There are times when the cultist need to hide, and he does this very well, beneath gray robes and deep hoods. 