Earth should be my Campaign World

Reading the Trans-migrations of a certain people (Israelites) makes me think that I should be running Celtic Campaigns on Earth Either in Albion, Hybernia, or Hyboria.  Truth can be stranger than fiction.  Apparently, to understand the Israelitish trans-migration is to understand our Geneaology.  You all heard it that Western and Northern Europeans are Gentiles (non-israelites) and the Crew that worship Judaism are the Chosen People of God.  Well . . . that's not quite the case.

First of all, we need to begin at the Age of Cancer, rather than the Age of Leo.  Noah (known in Chinese as Nu Wa [They mixed up his sex, probably the first time a man's sex got confused by a Nation; the second time where we mixed up the sex of Jesus Christ and his Father and assume them to be women]).  Noah had three sons -- Shem, Japheth, and Ham.

Shem married a white woman, Japheth married a woman who is described as Chinese in appearance, and Ham married a black woman.  All three brothers were admitted into the Celestial Kingdom for making themselves perfect custodians of Life upon the Ark.

Apparently, by studying God's promises to his people, Noah had left a considerable amount of land to his son Shem.  This included the Fertile Crescent, the western part being the Levant.  This included all the land of Cannaan, Syria, Assyria, Babylonia, and Sumer.  However, as one traces the migrations of Hebrews, it is apparent that Shem had been given much more land than supposed.

Shem's lands also include: Spain, France, Holland, parts of the Rhineland, Scandinavia (Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Dan's Mark), Britain, and the Americas.  That's the largest parcel of land given to anyone.  But then Noah had to divide up the Earth amongst his sons, and since Shem was the Birthright Son, Shem got the largest parcel of land.

Japheth was given a good parcel of land; from Japheth came the Indo-Europeans: all of the first Indians, Persians, first Greeks (Pelasgius), Romans, and the first peoples of the Caucasus mountains are descended from him.  The tribes of Gomer and Magog are his legacy.   But so are the Modern Jew (Togramah and Ashkenaz). 

Ham was given all of Africa, and parts of India.  His sons Mizraim, Cush, and Canaan were given parcels of land in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Morocco.  Cannaan never did settle in Morocco; he stole the Levant from Shem instead.  As a result, Ham, Mizraim, and Cush cursed Cannaan.  Ham cursed his own son, after his son's cursing by Noah, that what he steals will result in the destruction of his legacy as a Nation  (Cannaan's son Sin would eventually carry on his legacy as the Hittites and eventually the Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese, and the Cambodians -- the Japanese people are special).

During the Age of Gemini, the first 70 Nations of men were founded and were waxing large in population.  The accounts of their wars and their politics were never written into the Bible, with the exception of Nimrod's politics and the Tower of Babel (Babylon) that he built.  So we have to turn to Secular History -- which is preserved in Myths and Legends -- to understand what happened.

The Founding of Israel

The founding of the Ethnos called Israel begins with one man.  Abraham.  This is taken from an account written by his own hand upon Papyrus:
"In the land of the ^aChaldeans, at the residence of my fathers, I,^bAbraham, saw that it was needful for me to obtain another place of ^cresidence;

 And, finding there was greater ^ahappiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of ^brighteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great ^cknowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many ^dnations, a prince of peace, and ^edesiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a ^fHigh Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers.

 It was ^aconferred upon me from the fathers; it came down from the fathers, from the beginning of time, yea, even from the beginning, or before the foundation of the earth, down to the present time, even the right of the ^bfirstborn, or the first man, who is ^cAdam, or first father, through the fathers unto me.

 I sought for mine ^aappointment unto the Priesthood according to the appointment of God unto the ^bfathers concerning the seed."

Book of Abraham, Chapter 1:1-3.

Abraham is in the History Books.  He actually came up out of the land of the Chaldees, which was under the sway of the Egyptians of the Old Kingdom at the time.  Abraham records the founding of Egypt under Mizraim and his wife -- Egyptus.  Also, the time period in which Abraham lived was the Age of Taurus, the Bull.

"Now this king of Egypt was a descendant from the ^aloins of^bHam, and was a partaker of the blood of the ^cCanaanites by birth.

 22 From this descent sprang all the Egyptians, and thus the blood of the ^aCanaanites was preserved in the land.

 23 The land of ^aEgypt being first discovered by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of Egyptus, which in the Chaldean signifies Egypt, which signifies that which is forbidden;

 24 When this woman discovered the land it was under water, who afterward settled her sons in it; and thus, from Ham, sprang that race which preserved the curse in the land.

 25 Now the first ^agovernment of Egypt was established by Pharaoh, the eldest son of Egyptus, the daughter of Ham, and it was after the manner of the government of Ham, which was patriarchal.

 26 Pharaoh, being a righteous man, established his kingdom and judged his people wisely and justly all his days, seeking earnestly to imitate that ^aorder established by the fathers in the first generations, in the days of the first patriarchal reign, even in the reign of Adam, and also of Noah, his father, who blessed him with the ^bblessings of the earth, and with the blessings of wisdom, but cursed him as pertaining to the Priesthood.

 27 Now, Pharaoh being of that lineage by which he could not have the right of ^aPriesthood, notwithstanding the Pharaohs would fain ^bclaim it from Noah, through Ham, therefore my father was led away by their idolatry;"

Pharaoh Menes (Mizraim) was never the first king of Egypt to hold the title of Pharaoh, they just gave him the title for continuity.  Menes' son Pharaoh was the first to hold the title because that was his name.  Because he had ruled so wisely and so well, his name Pharaoh became a title for all the subsequent kings of Egypt. 
The Founding of the Kingdom of Britain


Now Abraham is descended from a man named Heber, who lived in the Age of Gemini.  Heber was a direct Descendant of Shem, and all the people descended from him were known as Hebrews.  The Hebrews had a distinctive pattern to distinguish them from the nations.  They had long faces, white skin, and -- a propensity to explore.

A tribe of Hebrews, during the Age of Gemini, went up out of the Fertile Crescent and settled in Britain.  In there travels, they brought with them a few people descended from Japheth.  These people are the Neolithic People of Britain.  These proto-Britons built Stonehenge using counterweights, stones, sand, and a simple understanding of levers.

After that, during the beginning of the Age of Taurus came another people.  Presumably Hebrew because their faces were long and their skins were white, this group was called the Beaker People because of their distinctive pots.  They also brought with them metals and the stuff made of bronze.  So, where did these people come from?

We go back to Abraham.

Abraham had two children -- one by an Egyptian named Ishmael, and another by Sarah named Isaac.  However, a fight over who will get the Birthright between Sarah and Hagar meant that Hagar would be kicked from the family.  Hagar and Ishmael were led into Arabia where they would found the Arabian people.  In fact, most muslims say they are the lineal or spiritual descendants of Ishmael who they claim is the Birthright Son.  Now Isaac was a polygamous sort and had many sons and daughters; but the Birthright went to Jacob and not his first born son Esau.

The Beaker People of England is most probably descended from Isaac's other wives.  And Jacob went on to found a powerful nation of White men (yes, White men).  Jacob had twelve sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar from Leah; from Rachel: Joseph of Egypt, and Benjamin; from Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali; and from Zilpah: Gad and Asher.

During the Age of Taurus, Joseph was taken into captivity by the Arabians being sold by Judah for 20 shekels of silver.  These Arabians or Beduins had taken Joseph and sold him as a slave into Egypt.  And from there Joseph arose from a simple slave to being governor of all Egypt.  He had taken an Egyptian wife and had two sons: Ephraim and Manasseh.  Manasseh was born before Ephraim, but Ephraim inherited the Birthright Blessing.

This was all during the Middle Kingdom of Egypt, when Egypt was ruled by the 11th to 14th Dynasties.  However, of the 70 souls belonging to Israel at that time that went into Egypt something strange happened.  Zarah and his family were missing!

A little background on Zarah.  Before Israel took his family into Egypt, Judah had married into the Cannaanites like his uncle Esau.  He took a Cannaanite wife.  This wife gave him three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah.  When Er was of age, Judah listened to the counsel of his father and gave Er Tamar: who was of Elamite (re: Sumerian) royalty.

Okay, everything went well until during the Wedding night Er died of a heart attack.  Angered that this happened, Judah gave Tamar to Onan to wife.  However, Onan refused to plant his seed in Tamar's womb because she was his brother's wife, and then he died of a heart attack.  Saddened that two of his sons died, Judah promised Tamar to Shelah.

However, Tamar disguised herself as a harlot and Judah managed to do something stupid.  He procured her services as a harlot (i.e. Prostitute) and planted his seed in her womb.  The results was forced marriage, and Judah took Tamar for his wife.  Tamar gave him twins -- Zarah and Pharez.  When Judah took his family into Egypt, Pharez and his wife and Shelah and his wife followed him.

So, when the famine hit, Zarah couldn't stand it and so he took his family where they could live.  Apparently, they went north.  To Turkey.  And built city and an empire on the edge of Hittite territory over the ruins of an old Hittite city.  Zarah's family founded Troy.

However, that's not all.  Many of Judah's family left Egypt during the Middle Kingdom. One of his descendants made it to Athens and became Athens' first king.  He introduced basic laws:  Laws pertaining to marriage, stealing, murder, theft, and governance.  Other of Israel's family left Egypt and traveled into Hybernia (Spain), and Northern Europe, strengthening the Beaker Culture that flourished there.  However, Israel grew, and grew until a new Pharaoh came into the picture.  This Pharaoh was the first of the 12 Dynasty.

This Pharaoh, Amenemhat I, did not know Joseph.  He worried that the Ethnic Israelites will destroy Egyptian Identity.  So to preserve his race, this Pharaoh had turned the Israelites into White slaves (note, the Egyptians were dark, dusky black skinned but didn't carry the features that delineated them to be of Cush -- they favored the long face of Ham, while the people of Cush favored the blunt nose, and short face of Ham's Black wife).

At the end of the 14th Dynasty, and after 400 years of white slavery, Neferhotep was Pharaoh and he contended with the Levite Moses (Amenemhat III).  After the ten plagues of Egypt, Moses and the Israelites left Egypt with Neferhotep chasing them with his army.  When Israel crossed the Red Sea; Neferhotep and his armies perished, and the Amalekites moved into Egypt soon after and took over as the Hyksos.

That's not the end of the story.  you see, the Israelites were forced to journey in the wilderness for 40 years after the incident with the Golden Apis calf.  Moses took his people EVERYWHERE.  A list of places where they could have gone:

* India (the Hindus calls Moses "Mousa," so he must have been there)
* China.
* Mongolia.
* Ubekistan.
* the Ukraine.
* Persia.
* Babylon.
* Syria.
* Cacasus.
* Turkey.
* A good portion of Arabia.
* Korea.
* Burma.
* Cambodia.
* Afganistan
* Pakistan
* Siberia
* Caspian Russia.

It was forty years of wandering in the Wilderness.  FORTY YEARS!

The israelites in the Book of Numbers fluctuated.  So, some people have left and went into Europe.  Some settled elsewhere: India, China, etc.  By the time Israel went into the land of Cannaan to possess the land of Cannaan, the people were hardy and powerful from traveling and the people of Cannaan was so decadent, and so corrupt that most of them fell before the Israelites.

The Trojan War and Brutus


So, we turn our thoughts to Troy.  Zarah and his people founded Troy.  However, Paris stole Helen from Menelaus.  At the end of the Age of Taurus, the Danaans (the Mycenean Greeks) went up unto Troy to attack the Trojans for reasons other than just Helen.  Most probably, gold and silk.

Troy controlled the trade between Asia and Europe, and so the Greeks wanted in on the action.  What is not unusual is that the whole stupid affair with Troy was because it was an internal family squabble.  The Trojans are mostly descended from Zarah, with the Royal Family being the most pure.  The rest were mixed.  The Greeks that participated in the War were the descendants of Dan.

The war resulted in Troy's destruction and it involved the people around about.  With their city destroyed, the Trojans were scattered abroad (and some were taken captive into Greece).  Paris' people eventually made it to France and founded the city of Paris.  And as for Aeneas?

Aeneas founded a kingdom in Etrusca, and his descendants were Romulus and Remus.  But that is not all.  He had a grandson.  Brutus, being of the sort that was impulsive, committed an accidental killing of his father.  Forced to flee, he got many of his ethnic trojans out of Greece and went up into Spain and eventually England and founded Caer Troyas or what will become known as London.  His invasion was the first Iron Age invasion of Britain.  The Beaker culture in Britain became his subjects and the line of Zarah was preserved in the Land of Britain.


Our story continues in part 2 -- The Celts.

The Great Poser Art vs. DIY with Maya debate!

Poser and DAZ Studio artists, you hear it all the time.  There is a big debate on how those that use Poser and DAZ aren't really artists.  We all know that the people at Disney's Pixar take months working on and rendering those 3D movies (Disney shouldn't have bought Pixar, bleh!).  And the typical Poser still can take a fraction of the time to set up (my latest image, using DAZ Studio Pro, took hours to set up properly). 

Because of this, they feel that taking DAZ Studio and posing vickeys and mikeys are completely a cop out and all we do is press the "Make Art Button."  Well, well, well, I suppose these people have forgotten all about Andy Worhal and Roy Lichtenstein.

Andy Warhol (August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American artist who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture and advertisement that flourished by the 1960s. After a successful career as a commercial illustrator, Warhol became a renowned and sometimes controversial artist. The Andy Warhol Museum in his native city, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, holds an extensive permanent collection of art and archives. It is the largest museum in the United States of America dedicated to a single artist.

Some of Andy Worhal's work:

Roy Lichtenstein (October 27, 1923 – September 29, 1997) was a prominent American pop artist. During the 1960s, his paintings were exhibited at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City and along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, James Rosenquist and others he became a leading figure in the new art movement. His work defined the basic premise of pop art better than any other through parody. ^[2] Favoring the old-fashioned comic strip as subject matter, Lichtenstein produced hard-edged, precise compositions that documented while it parodied often in a tongue-in-cheek humorous manner. His work was heavily influenced by both popular advertising and the comic book style. He described Pop Art as, "not 'American' painting but actually industrial painting".^[3]

Roy Lichtenstien was considered America's "Worst Artist."  However, some of his industrial paintings have sold for more than 20 million dollars on the auction block.  Here are some examples of Roy Lichtenstien's work.

both have led the Pop Art movement, of which the 3D Medium can be considered to be a part of.  So, the next time some dude who think they know what they are talking about and accuses your use of DAZ Studio and Poser a cop out, then remind them of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstien.  They have paved the way, and one of the pair was even called America's "Worst Artist."  Remember, you are traveling in their shoes.

The Wadjet Eye

Apparently, two of my players have enjoyed the Adventure idea of The Wadjet Eye, so I'll be outlining it for them.  Basically, when I outline adventures, I've become enamored about how Robin D. Laws does things, since I think in the same vein.

Do not think, just for a moment, that I'm going for Historicity here.  Basically, in Egypt, there were three kingdoms, two Intermediate Periods, a Hellenic Period, and a Roman Period; and after that muslim domination.  You can't put the history of Ancient Egypt fully together since during the Pre-Dynastic Period all you have to go on is the Book of Jubilees and the Book of Genesis, and the writings of Abraham by his own hand (The Book of Abraham).  So, on with the outlining.


The Wadjet Eye (Tentative Title for a Pathfinder Adventure)

Setting: Ancient Egypt combined with Sinbad the Sailor.  Or in a round about way, this is a dhow goes to Egypt.  To be more precise, the setting is New Kingdom Egypt (18th Dynasty, when the Hyksos or the Israelites were "expelled" from Egypt) combined with Sinbad the Sailor from 1001 Arabian Nights.

Theme: Action and Adventure in a Romance of Ancient Egypt.

Premise: A theft has happened and the thief is discovered and being chased by the town guards.  The thief drops the loot, a wadjet eye, in the laps of the PCs and the thief melts into the shadows.  The PCs are mistaken for thieves and are being chased by the town guard.

The Twist: The PCs search for the actual owner, but the Wadjet Eye is being claimed by two parties.  One is the Wizard Menetnashté and the other is the psion Nafretiri.  They are both rivals, but are one or the other the rightful owners?  And what does the Pharaoh think? (The Pharaoh doesn't have a proper name in this adventure, BTW).  Oh, and the PCs are still chased by the paladin who wants to bring them to justice for stealing the Wadjet Eye.


The Climax: Our Heroes must continue the quest for the actual owner of the Wadjet Eye.  But the Wadjet Eye has powers of it's own.  Where they will lead, is anyone's guess.  However, the search for the actual owner leads to an ancient tomb and a fabulous treasure guarded by a unliving, undead mummy.


THE NPCS


Lysander -- A red half dragon paladin who is overzealous in his charge in protecting his district.  When a Wadjet Eye is stolen, it's his charge to bring back the thief for justice.


Menetnashte -- Egyptian wizard who wants the Wadjet Eye for his own purposes.  He believes that the Eye will lead him to fabulous treasure that will eventually make him Pharaoh over all the land. 


Nafretiri -- Egyptian Psion who also wants the Wadjet Eye for her purposes.  She wants to keep it out of the hands of Menetnashte, but she also wants the treasure.  What are her motives in wanting the treasure?  Who can say?  Maybe she wants the political power of Pharaoh.


Pharaoh -- the Pharaoh is the leader of Egypt.  Pharaoh in this case is unnamed because of the role he plays.  If the PCs meet the Pharaoh, he will try to mediate disputes and hear the PCs' side of the story.  He is Just and Fair.


The Mummy Amenhotep (Amun-hotep) -- not really an NPC but a monster.  The Mummy in this case is tasked with guarding the treasure.  Amenhotep was consigned to Undeath by the priests of Anubis for a great wrong he committed.  And he guards the treasures of the former Pharaoh before him.  


ACT ONE:
-- The PCs were minding their own business fresh from a trading venture in Punt when they see a thief being chased by the town guard in the city of Aden.  The thief bumps into them, and in the process passes the Wadjet eye and melts into the shadows afterwords.


-- The PCs are accosted by Lysander, a half-red Dragon paladin who is the lieutenant of the Wazir over the city of Aden.  He apologizes to the PCs and asks them if they have seen the thief.  When he sees the Wadjet Eye, he screams that the PCs are the thieves and tries to take them into custody.


-- After a little battle, the PCs are saved by the wizard Menetnashte, who desires the Wadjet Eye for he claims that he is the original owner of this particular eye.  The PCs venture with him to sea to reach Egypt, with the paladin Lysander following them.


ACT TWO:
-- After nearly reaching Egypt, the PCs' ship is attacked by pirates in the service of Nafretiri.  The pirates are defeated and the PCs reach the port town of Sayid.  There, while resting, Nafretiri visits the PCs and reveals the truth about Menetnashte -- that he hired the thief to steal the Wadjet Eye and to have the eye brought to her.


-- Confronting Menetnashte will mean that he denies the charge of wanting the treasures of the Pharaoh.  He similarly accuses Nafretiri of the same desire for the royal treasure of Egypt.  With both sides accusing the other of Megalomania, the PCs are reminded that they are still being hunted as Lysander attacks the PCs in order to retrieve the Wadjet Eye to be restored to its rightful owner.


-- It becomes a race to Luxor as the PCs must find that they must recover the treasures of Egypt in order to ascertain the truth.


-- On the way to the temple treasure, the PCs must brave the way there.  On the way, they encounter:
* Robbers
* A basilisk
* A lillend


ACT THREE:
-- Reaching the Pharoah's treasure vault at Luxor, the PCs use the Eye to open the vaults and go in. However, both Nafretiri and Menetnashte appear there and all are revealed through their accusations of one another.  Both accuse each other of wanting the treasures of Pharaoh and becoming the Pharaoh of Egypt for themselves. 


-- All of this shouting arouses the mummy Amenhotep.  Amenhotep, truly a lich, attacks the PCs and the wizard and psion.  However, Menetnashte quickly claims being a servant of Amenhotep and accuses the PCs of wanting to steal the temple treasure.  Amenhotep accepts the claim of servitude and attacks the PCs.


-- To defeat Amenhotep, the PCs must find his phylactery.  The secrets of the lich Amenhotep is stored in a canopic jar that contains his brains.  Once the canopic jar, in the image of Amen, is destroyed the lich will cease existing and pass on to the Spirit World.


-- After Amenhotep is destroyed, Lysander arrives with the Pharaoh.  If the PCs do the right thing and give up the Wadjet Eye to the Pharaoh and tell the truth, the Pharaoh will judge with justice and fairness on the part of the PCs.  


ACT IV:
The PCs will be free to go and Nafretiri and Menetnashte will be arrested for treason and judgement.  If the PCs do not surrender the Eye and claim the treasure for themselves, then the Pharaoh's army will overwhelm them and the Pharaoh will judge them and cast them into prison.


If it turns out good for the PCs, the PCs will be free to go.  Nafretiri and Menetnashte will get their just deserts -- death for treason against the people of Egypt and their rightful ruler.  And the PCs will travel on to Aden in their ship, free to go with any Egyptians they took as wives.  As for the Wadjet Eye, it is delivered unto Pharaoh, who is the real owner of this particular eye.


--------------------


So ends the tentative outline. :) 


Production Design:


This is to help fellow artists when they will be commissioned to do art for this adventure -- 


Ancient Egypt

Sinbad, the Sailor:

Monsters:

Lillend --

Lich:

D&D is Dying

Has Loren Green finally slain the Dragon in Dungeons and Dragons? 

Well, the game isn't, but the brand certainly is.  Because of problems with the upper management of D&D, Monte Cook has left D&D Next's development team.  Back when Wizards of the Coast started developing D&D Next, they brought in Monte Cook to help with development.  I thought it was to smooth over relationships with the customers who weren't ready to give up D&D 3.x in the wake of the D&D that was like ST:Enterprise -- D&D the Fourth.

The news was released last monday and to say I'm not surprised.  And Monte had this to say:

"Last week I decided that I would leave my contract position with Wizards of the Coast. I am no longer working on Dungeons & Dragons, although I may provide occasional consultation in the future. My decision is one based on differences of opinion with the company. However, I want to take this time to stress that my differences were not with my fellow designers, Rob Schwalb and Bruce Cordell. I enjoyed every moment of working with them over the past year. I have faith that they'll create a fun game. I'm rooting for them."


Basically, whether you like D&D fourth or not, the company alienated a large part of its customer base when it developed fourth to go after another demographic.  The alienating was done in such a way during 2008 that it left a bad taste in many people's mouths.  And Paizo, because of licensing reasons (mostly the GSL), developed Pathfinder.


So it looks like D&D Next might be D&D Last if Loren Green doesn't get it together and realize that he has to treat his employees and customers like people and the game like a GAME.  Fortunately, though, if Loren Green kills the D&D brand to get money like Perseus killed Cetus to save Andromeda; there are still dragons out there.  the legacy of D&D -- the GAME -- will still live through the Open Gaming License and it's fans. 


E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson created a game that was sorely needed by the public, at least by those who wanted to produce their own adventures after studying mythology and watching many of the Hollywood fantasy movies that were coming out at the time (you can also include Star Wars in the list).  They opened a door that cannot be closed.


The hobby will continue after Loren Green has slain the dragon in Dungeons and Dragons.  The brand may die, and people will be sorrowful, but the hobby will live on and creative intelligent people will still create D&D their way.  To sum up, the face of D&D is dying but long live the D&D game.

Ideas for Adventures

So, do to my game mastering style, there is some need for some of my adventures to come out.  I'm going to list a few ideas that I had:

* Psionics Adventure: a simple psionics adventure set in a land that is liken unto the Levant.  Where the men and women wear skimpy, exotic outfits.  Something akin to leather briefs and harnesses (A harness is liken unto ERB's harness worn by Barsoomian Martians).

* The Great Greek Adventure: A pseudo-greek land that inspires adventure with Classical Gods demanding to be worshipped.  And an adventure set in therein.

* Mansion for sale: A mansion is for sale, however, it's cheap.  Which means that the person or people who bought it is responsible for clearing the mansion out of nasty monsters that are lairing there.  A twist on the classic adventure in a Dungeon Magazine -- Castle for Sale.

* The Golden Voyage of the Azgari. An adventure set in an Arabian Nights vein.  The PCs are members of a large dhow's crew.  They get involved in an adventure that has a princess, a magic curse, a far away land, and outfits worthy of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.

* The Dark Shadow on Cemetery Hill. Strange events are plaguing the little sleepy town of Salem.  Some blame the ghosts of Cemetery Hill.  The town hires the PCs to investigate the source of the hauntings, which is said to be a house that belonged to the Funery Priest. 

* The Caves of Alazgar.  The Caves were cleared out before, but overtime the caves had become inhabited again by monsters.  The PCs arrive when the Caves' population of monsters have increased to critical stages.  And the PCs are called in to bring peace to the region. 

* The Mystery of Castle Thornehold.  The PCs are called in by the owners of Castle Thornehold to solve a difficult mystery.  The adventure involves a ghost, a girl, magic, and the mystery itself.

* The Wadjet Eye.  Another adventure of an Arabian Nights vein, this time set in an Egyptian theme.  Everything goes well for the PCs until a fleeing thief drops a wadjet eye in their lap.  Mistaken for the thieves, the PCs are taken for a ride as they learn not only the original owner wants the eye back, but someone else claims it for himself as well.

-- Vote for the Adventure you will like to have outlined! --

Interesting Quote from Gwenn Seemel

Sorry everyone, I've been playing Star Wars and in school for updating my blog.  However, I found an interesting quote on QuestionCopyright.org.

"I'm fascinated by how artists say that their adherence to copyright is about money (even when they aren't making a living with their work) but that when you dig a little deeper it comes out that it's about fear.  It's about the fear that someone will do what you're doing but do it better than you ever did."
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It's nice to know that most of us are afraid that someone is going to do something better than what we did.  Is it not?

Star Wars: The Old Republic

I played this for a week.

So how does it stack up to World of Warcraft?  Plain and simple, it does and it doesn't in plenty of aspects. World of Warcraft is or has, quite simply, a much better bang for your buck in an Arcade style MMO.  You have LFGs, you have pugs, you can go up against the Lich King.  There is simply no way, no how you can role-play there anymore since the role-players have all been driven off most WoW RP servers.  The PvP is much more advanced in WoW, and you have much more advanced features.

In all honesty, though, World of Warcraft is better in the feature department because of it's development in features.  So, can Star Wars get the ten million or eleven million subscribers that it needs to be number 1?  Answer: maybe.


Star Wars: the Old Republic is thirty years a little too late to take advantage of the Star Wars craze of the early eighties when GL was inventing the story as he went along.  Secondly, it's ten years too late to take advantage of the Star Wars renaissance.  Fourthly, it's clearly not designed to be like WoW in conception.

Although Star Wars: the Old Republic is doing its own thing, you have got to realize that it has many features in common with World of Warcraft.  The GUI is similar, and and the combat similar also.  You sit there for much of the combat, not moving but standing like a D&D character trading blows with your enemy.  that isn't realistic, but hp isn't too realistic either.


Blaster bolts are like blanks (death by blanks) and lightsabers don't really cut.  So that's the arcade style of the game.  Like I said, it has a lot of features in common with WoW in order to compete with WoW.  Many of its players are coming from WoW.  But they are also coming with to high expectations . . .

a). Star Wars: the Old Republic does not have pugs or LFGs.  Newbies have to miss out on a lot of good content (the Flashpoints, which are ST:TOR's equivalent of dungeons) in order to advance their characters.

b). Server population is low.  The population of the game is spread out among many different servers, so you don't get the help you deserve when asking for Flashpoints.

c). The Galaxy isn't fully open.  An Imperial Guild can't go in and raid Coruscant, and a Republic Guild can't go in and raid Drommund Kas.  What is worse, Imperials can't go in and raid Tython, and the Republicans can go in and raid Korriban.

d). There are no guild banks, but that is coming in patch 1.2

e). There isn't any good PvP, like Arena PvP.

f). There aren't any planned sporting events.


So, what does Star Wars have over Blizzard's WoW?

a). Star Wars lore -- Star Wars is incredibly rich.  The story and mythology of the Star Wars Universe has grown beyond George Lucas.  The story is bigger than him, both symbolically and literally.  Although it started with an idea and a need: "There isn't anything good in the theaters."  "I'm going to do a Space Western."  -- has gone beyond a simple honest film maker turned blustering blow hard because he can't take FAME well at all.

Star Wars has more than 30 years living in the minds of the public, and owned by the minds of the public.  There are novels, video games, movies, t.v. shows, CRPGs, and now . . . an MMO.  Star Wars is bigger than World of Warcraft in lore and history, spanning more than hundred of thousands of years.

b). Voice acting and better modeling.  The graphics and voice acting of each character is awesome!  It's everything you'd expect an MMO to be in this time and place.  Each character has a voice and a mini-movie.  People are just going to be, pardon the expression, blown away by the expressiveness and the way that the Star Wars universe just comes to life.



c). Rich story telling -- each class has a rich story being told through play.  There is a legacy system in which you can add a last name to your characters (i.e. Starstrider for one thing).  You can create a legacy for your alts.  From bank alts to regular, "I advance my alts so I can do things in the guild."

You can marry characters together, make them brothers, sisters, cousins, siblings, aunts, uncles, daughters, and sons.  And you can customize your characters' abilities according to their legacy.  You can't do that in WoW.

So, is SW:TOR better than World of Warcraft?  Yes.  Will it survive World of Warcraft? Maybe.  My advice is to buy the game and to play it.  This is the only chance you have to live your fantasy that you had when you saw Star Wars the first time.

But I don't know about you.  As for me, I'm playing a human Jedi Shadow, a Miraluka Jedi, and a Sith Sorcerer.  I'm going to build a legacy with these characters, marrying my Jedi Shadow and true blood Sith Sorcerer together to get an interesting family.  A Star Wars legacy like anything Goerge Lucas can think of.

Roleplaying Lightsaber Combat in Star Wars SAGA

I was going to write this post on the SW:TOR forums, but I am not allowed to write there, currently.  So, this is entirely my commentary based on the knowledge I gathered over the years on Swordsmanship.  So, we better go over what makes Lightsabers so special.  Although originally thought of for TOR players, I adjusted this for SAGA players -- who might be the most to benefit.

The Sword
First of all, we need to look at the sword.  The sword has been around since at least the Bronze Age.  It's early form is that of a long dagger.  The sword requires a heavy hilt to balance it, but it is a misnomer that a broadsword is 50 pounds.  A well made steel broadsword is only 3 and half pounds at the most, this makes a fifty pound sword a theory, since the heaviest sword is the Scottish Claymore.  A treatise on sword weight is given on ARMA.

However, it is more fantastic to see a bronze age sword being made and a steal sword replica being forged.

Bronze Casting






The Lightsaber

The problem with the Lightsaber is that it's physics aren't properly understood according to how it functions.  Theoretically, it creates a blade of hard light that can cut through anything.  Physicists say it's anything from a blade of plasma to a blade of energy.  The result: you actually have a weapon that all of it's weight is in the hilt.  It is possible to have "hard" Energy.  For this you need to understand the physics of Energy and Matter.  If Matter is energy spent, then a Lightsaber is in-between energy spent and energy yet to be spent.  Since we don't understand the Lightsaber, it's physics are beyond our understanding.

The Lightsaber Forms


There are seven basic lightsaber forms, and thousands, if not millions, of styles built on each one.  Roleplaying a lightsaber form according to the various Roleplaying Games is up to the player and not up to the rules.  Never the less, this analysis isn't an expert's opinion, just a martial artist's.


SHI-CHO
The way of the Sarlacc/the way of the Man

Shii-Cho is the basic lightsaber form.  This is the form taught to all lightsaber duelists, whether you are Darth Revan or Luke Skywalker.  It's balanced and provides the Jedi some defense as well as offense.  It's a good beginning form.

Shii-Cho and the Real World:
In the real world, men started bronze casting swords out of copper and forging swords out of ore (iron) since the Flood.  It became a real industry during Nimrod's time (i.e. during the time of the Prophet Elias).
Therefore the first sword fighting forms were developed by the Sumerians, the Chinese, and Egyptians.  However, the civilization of "Bronze Age"America turned to iron, and little is known of their sword making techniques.

Many swordsmanship forms have been lost in the last seven(?) thousand years.  If Shii-Cho has a real world counterpart, you are looking at medieval swordsmanship. although this fight between Hector and Achilles can also demonstrate Shii-Cho.



I know I showed this before on my blog, but it really gives the point of Shii-Cho.  Although you are fighting with weapons that have no weight, Medieval European Swordsmanship is really much more elegant than we give it credit for.  Shii-Cho is best represented by Medieval European Swordsmanship.

Roleplaying a Jedi using Shii-Cho:  The player should describe his Jedi making a powerful stance and moves that relies on making cuts and blocking cuts.  Parrying in Shii-cho isn't about style, style comes later.   Parrying is preventing someone else's lightsaber from hitting you and cutting you with a blade that is as hot as the sun -- theoretically.

The Shii-Cho duelist is worried about surviving a fight rather than looking good.  Yet, European Swordsmanship does allow for some theatrics.  You can describe your blade twirling around, and you can throw your blade with some accuracy without the Force.  Dodging is your best friend when using Shii-Cho.

Suggested Feats: Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Melee Defense, Mobility


Associated Lightsaber Forms: Disarming Slash, Sarlacc Sweep


MAKASHI
The Way of the Ysalamiri/the Way of the Crane

Just as the Arte of Defence in Europe is the evolution of Medieval Swordsmanship, so Makashi is to Shii-Cho.  Makashi is probably the ultimate in dueling.  Makashi depends on speed rather than pure strength like Shien does.  It's about making precise strikes and parrying those precise strikes.  It's all about lightsaber to lightsaber combat, as a Jedi and Sith fight, they fight with their lightsabers.

On Earth, the Art of Defense moved from parrying cuts to parrying piercing strikes.  Your weapons have changed also, as you went from flat cutting blades to little more than long pins that can penetrate your enemy.  Lightsaber wielders depend on parrying slashes and precise strikes when defending against Makashi wielders, as they use slashes and precision strikes.

Makashi can be excellently seen when watching the Princess Bride.



Roleplaying Makashi:  Makashi is a lightsaber form that relies on slashes and precision strikes.  As a player, you must make a lot of declared shots at specific parts of the body.  The heart, brain, eyes, wrists, throat and lungs are your primary targets.

Suggested Feats: Combat Reflexes, Improved Defenses, Improved Disarm, Rapid Strike

Associated Lightsaber Forms: Contentious Opportunity, Makashi Riposte


SORESU
The Way of the Minoc/the Way of the Apatosaur

We are moving outside the realm of Terrestrial Martial Arts when we use Soresu, as it is based on parrying blaster bolts rather than lightsaber to lightsaber combat.  Since there is no weapon designed to parry bullets, and you can't see bullets anyway, it's best to think of Soresu as the pinnacle of defense.

The only example is to look at Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber combat.


Roleplaying Soresu: You are defending yourself with your lightsaber against blaster bolts.  This requires quick reflexes and certain force powers and lightsaber forms.  A soresu specialist has high dexterity, so dexterity can't be your dump stat.  Soresu specialists are like Akido masters, they can handle many attacks at once.  Feats like Improved Defenses are critical to the Soresu specialist.

Suggested feats: Acrobatic Strike, Combat Refexes, Dodge, Improved Defenses, Melee Defense

Associated Lightsaber Forms: Circle of Shelter, Deflecting Slash

ATARU
The Way of the Hawk Bat/the Way of the Monkey

We are moving away from Medieval Fighting Forms to the Oriental.  However, if Hercules/Heracles was a Jedi, he would specialize in Ataru.  This is because Ataru specialists rely on the entire human body in order to win the fight.  Ataru combatants give it their all.  It's the most acrobatic, and has as its' only analog among my knowledge Tai Chi Quan.

If focused, a Jedi master of Ataru is nigh unstoppable.  The form is designed to cut through many combatants at once while moving in a single direction.  You cannot stop an Ataru master if he's moving, even if he strikes at you little.  He is pure power, dexterity, and strength.  Here, in this clip from Hero, we demonstrate Ataru in the moves of Flying Snow and Broken Sword as they battle their way into the palace of Chinese Warlord Qin.



Another way of thinking about Ataru combat is to actually look at the Monkey style of Kung Fu.  The Style was developed by a prisoner who observed the monkeys and their society.  He learned a great deal from the animals and how they fought.   There are five styles of Monkey Kung Fu.  Perhaps the best way to learn Ataru fighting is to not only study the Hong Kong fight choreographers, but to watch the Forbidden Kingdom and take careful notes of Jackie's fight sequences in the film.

Roleplaying Ataru: Describe you fights as if you are giving your all.  Jump and run while you fight your enemies. While you can get away with whirlwind attack, in real life, a duelist can not take his eyes off his enemy.  But you are always in motion during a battle.  Dexerity and Strength are your most important stats when playing an Ataru duelist.

Suggested Feats: Acrobatic Strike, Cleave, Dodge, Improved Charge, Mobility, Power Attack, Running Attack

Associated Lightsaber Forms: Hawk-bat Swoop, Saber Swarm


SHIEN/DJEM-SO
The Way of the Krayat Dragon/The Way of the Tiger

In associated martial arts, we move away from the Chinese to the Japanese and their Kenjutsu.  However Japanese Kenjutsu has thousands of styles, and the Legend of the Five Rings: the fantasy of Rokugan has seven major Kenjutsu Styles -- from the Crane to the Lion and beyond.  However, in the world of Star Wars, Shien is manifested as one form.

This form is best seen in screen Kenjutsu.  Akira Kurosawa's the Seven Samurai has many scenes in which stage Kenjutsu is revealed.   This one shows the battle between a Kensai and an Upstart, that should give you the soul of what Shien/Djem-So is all about.

Roleplaying Shien: The Shien/Djem-So Duelist is all about strength and physical offensive force.  You make powerful cuts and powerful slashes at your enemy.  The Shien duelist has one thought in his mind: "The best defense is a good offense."  This is his lightsaber fighting philosophy.  He wants the battle to be over and quick, so he uses overwhelming force to defeat his opponent.  If a Roman Legionary or a Samurai from the Lion Clan of Rokugan was to become a Jedi, he would be training his student in Shien/Djem-So.

Suggested Feats: Power Attack is your most essential feat; then: Powerful Charge, Bantha Rush, Cleave, Great Cleave, Rapid Strike

Associated Lightsaber Forms: Barrier of Blades, Falling Avalanche, Fluid Riposte, Shien Deflection


NIMAN
The Way of the Rancor/The Way of the Dragon

Niman is what you get if a duelist learns Medieval Swordsmanship, the Arte of Defence, Tai-Chi Quan, and Kenjutsu all in one go and managed to piece everything together in one balanced whole.  The Niman duelist practices a fluid style that moves from form to form in almost imperceptible ways.

They also combine force based attacks in their fighting styles, as they are able to telekinetically pull and shove their enemy.  Niman specialists have a relaxed approach to swordsmanship.  Niman dueling is represented in Episode I.



Roleplaying the Niman Specialist: Niman is perfect for the Jedi Sage type character.  If you are building a Jedi Sage from SW:TOR, you rely on a balance of blade work and Force attacks, or do battle in favor of Force Attacks.  You use the Force to push your enemies away or to pull them in.  Your blade work is very fluid, but has a relaxed quality about it.  Your important stats are constitution, charisma, and dexterity.

Suggested Feats: Dodge, Follow Through, Mobility, Unswerving Resolve, Whirlwind Attack

Associated Lightsaber Forms: Draw Closer, Pushing Slash


JUYO/VAAPAD
The Way of the Vornskyr/The Way of the Lion


With Juyo, we finally come full circle.  This is Medieval Swordsmanship at it's worst, elevated (or delevated) to common Street Fighting.  It's all about dirty tricks, there is no honor in Juyo or Vaapad, or at least little of it.  You can hit below the belt, for instance.

Juyo's strongest analog is Gladiator training.  In Spartacus (Kurt Russel) they reconstruct Gladiator training, and at the end of the film, they were defeated by Roman Legionaries.  The problem with Gladiators is that they are trained extremely differently than Roman Legionaries.  This is not so with Juyo duelists.  The Sith Marauders are definitely organized in SW:TOR, and they did use their abilities to great effect.

Roleplaying a Juyo Specialist: One phrase sums up your combat: "anything goes."  You are straddling the line between the Light and the Dark Side when you use Juyo.  There is no honor in your fighting, and you fight dirty.  You look for anything that will give you an advantage.  You can throw dust in your opponent's eyes, for instance, and then cut him down.  Your targets are the Instant Kill zones, Cripple zones, and Slow Kill zones.  The first rule in Juyo dueling is go for the instant kill first.  You call the neck and the heart.  Second rule is to cripple your opponent by slashing off his arms or legs.  Third rule is to go for the slow kill, but you got to kill your opponent quickly or they can still kill you while they slowly die.

Suggested Feats: Power Attack, Dodge, Mobility, Cleave, Relentless Attack, Follow Through

Associated Lightsaber Forms: Assured Strike, Swift Flank, Tempered Aggression, Vornskr's Ferocity

Outline of new Adventure so far.

NWN-Aur, the Wayawrd Gnoll by ~SailorX on deviantART

Here is my Outline of my new adventure:

The Invasion of Aine.

Summary: The Invasion of Aine deals with a invasion of a celtic town in Eastern Utah by gnolls.  The reasons have not been put in the adventure but it's about stolen land.  The player characters are caught unawares and must deal with the invasion.  There's only one problem: Gnolls in Pathfinder have 1 full hit dice.  Thus they have one 1 level.  So, they, the gnolls, will be going up against PCs of 4th level.

Recommended: For a scientifically correct gaming experience, I'll be recommending Advanced d20 Magic.

Required: I am leaning to Psionics Unleashed since I know the 3.5 psionics system forwards and backwards.

THE INVASION OF AINE

I.               ACT 1 – CHAOS IN AINE

A.     The adventure is set in Eastern Utah.

a.     Specifically, Dinosaur Land.  Eastern Utah is verdant enough for habitation by humans or gnolls.

                                                                 i.     The gnoll tribes are wandering hunter/gatherers.

1.     They are a Neolithic society with the ability of crafting steel.

                                                                ii.     Humans on the raising of beef cattle and farming.

1.     Humans are a late iron age society.

                                                              iii.     Aine is a  human celt colony in North America, specifically, in Vernal, Utah.

B.     The Player Characters are humans who have to deal with an gnoll raid.

a.     PCs professions may include:

                                                                 i.     Barbarian – shepherd

                                                                ii.     Bard -- Storyteller

                                                              iii.     Cleric – Pagan Temple Priest

                                                              iv.     Druid – Mountain Wise Man

                                                                v.     Fighter – Town guard, warrior

                                                              vi.     Monk – Greco-Roman Athlete

                                                             vii.     Paladin - Town leader.

                                                           viii.     Ranger – Forest runner

                                                              ix.     Rogue – Tavern keeper

                                                                x.     Sorcerer – Tailor/Seamstress

                                                              xi.     Wizard – Alchemist

                                                             xii.     Psion – Sculptor

                                                           xiii.     Psychic Warrior – Town Warrior

                                                           xiv.     Soulknife – Scout

                                                             xv.     Wilder - Musician

C.     The gnoll invasion is led by gnoll females, to be consistent with their hyena inspiration

a.     The leader of team 1 is Akwasibah, a gnoll Mother of the Fighter class.  She has the equivalent rank of colonel or captain.

b.     Makena, gnoll Mother rogue of the group and leader of team 2.  She has delusions of grandeur.

c.      Shani, gnoll Mother sorceress.  She leads team 3, and she is the kind one.  She is along to make sure no blood is spilt.

d.     Lusala, leader of team 4 and a male.  He’s a psychopath.  He is “one who cannot be tamed,” a berserker.

D.    The inhabitants of Aine includes: