The Incompleat Violet Grimoire

So, Grayharrow was my first serious side RPG project since I started work on Avremier sometime around 1980. In rapid succession, I started slamming down notes and outlines for other 'color-titled' mini-settings. It just felt good to work on something other than Avremier for a little while.

Grayharrow is meant as a contained setting - not an entire campaign world. More like a collection of realms in one defined region. But, as I got distracted by the other entries in my side projects, it became clear that these individual settings could easily share a campaign world.

We'll see how it goes, but I'd like to share what I have of the Violet Grimoire setting so far. As with Grayharrow, this is the culmination of my brainstorms and design sessions. Not yet ready for prime time. Not fully developed. Not suitable for wide release. Not everything is guaranteed to make sense. These are mostly raw ideas, torn directly from my mind. Some may be processed or trimmed, but not all. No guarantee of quality is offered or implied.

THE SETTING

Centered upon the great city of Veriscine, which is the capital of the Imbraiac Regency. A metropolis with a rather baroque surface, covering decay and darkness beneath. Power, intrigue, desire, betrayal, fear – there must be fear. Always an undercurrent of something terrible lurking just beneath the decadent surface. Of madness concealed behind a crumbling façade of urbane civility. Buildings gain a spirit of purpose after generations of specific use or dedication. Some buildings spawn monsters from their very structure.

Veriscine lies at the mouth of a broad river meandering to the shore through a number of valleys and hollows to the north. Upriver, Fort Avres is the traditional home of the Baron Viceroy. The open waters beyond the mouth of the Lower Danaaru River are home to a dense archipelago shared amongst locathah, a’amuk merfolk, and others. Above the valelands lie windswept steppes and countless lakes. To the east, along the shore are marshlands and stretches of windswept, grassy dunes. To the west lie broken lands, fissures, canyons, and sinkholes - beyond which lie mountains.

The Imbraiac Regency is a civilization in complacent decline. The arcane and alchemical arts have been at their peak for generations. Much of arcane science is pursued for the benefit of those that can afford it. Pleasure and longevity are the most worthy goals.

The entire region is named Mysphanae, with the regional language known as Myspha.

DUNGEON & BASE TOWN

In the campaign area, there are three settlements that may serve as a “base town.”

• Veriscine: Capital of the Imbraiac Regency and greatest city in the setting. It is possible to pursue adventure within the city itself.
• Indar: This modest town is largely responsible for commerce west of the Lower Danaaru River and is meant to serve as a more traditional ‘base town’ for adventurers.
• Grimmenfast: An old castle that once served as the royal court for an earlier kingdom, Grimmenfast is a place that welcomes those of influence or interest, but can also offer challenges and dangers for the unwary.

In proximity to the main settlements of the region, there are a number of distinct sites for adventure.

• Carrion Isle:  
• Dalgorim, Ruins of: Castle Dalgorim was home to a deposed prince who lived in debauched exile. The place is partially fallen into decay and said to be haunted by the corrupt prince, his degenerate court, and their defiled victims. Adventurers approach the site overland through Banewood, or by the Mercy River.
• Pillar of Thunder: A stone karst found in the Lower Danaaru River, at the base of three towering waterfalls. The stack is a little over 120 feet high and ranges from 30 feet at the base to 60 feet in width nearer the top. This natural formation once served as a holy site and temple. Ancient spells and natural stone formations have helped preserve the Pillar through the ages. Chambers and passages can be found within, worked long ago by monks and temple artisans. Five other stacks of smaller stature serve as monuments and tombs for the greatest high priests of the order. Danaaru is a water elemental-deity and the river is named thusly.
• Pyramids: At four points where a river forks, there is a pyramid to blame. Each is a monument dedicated to one of the elemental deities: Aea (air), Danaaru (water), Hakhor (fire), and Oem (earth).

SITES & SETTLEMENTS

• Lifeless Vale: A valley blasted by necromantic energies and left a bleak and silent waste suited only for the undead. There is a small accursed human settlement.
• Wythe: Former military outpost turned into a fortified town. Somewhat wild and lawless compared to life nearer the capital.

VIOLET GRIMOIRE

A post-apocalyptic fantasy setting where the apocalypse passed almost unnoticed, and very few can be bothered with the business of recovery.

A central MacGuffin for the setting, this volume is said to contain the secrets of true immortality. A legendary treasure (artifact) that has been the goal of countless adventurers and other seekers. It has been the lifelong pursuit of Andraeun Nemacae, with the reluctant support of his wealthy and influential family. There is said to be an equal-but-opposite book called the Crimson Codex.

The reality of the Violet Grimoire is variable – depending on the goals and flavor of the campaign. The Grimoire offers immortality, but of what kind – and, at what cost? Let’s list some possibilities.

1. Accursed: You are immortal – in one form or other, but at a terrible cost.
2. Avatar: Your physical form is a vessel for some outer being or divinity. It is possible that your body will be altered to better suit the occupant. It is also possible that your body will not survive the transformation.
3. Immortality: You do not age. You are impervious to most forms of harm. You have no need to eat, drink, or breathe. You are no longer mortal.
4. Possession: Your physical form is the shared host for a being that preserves you as best it can for its own good.
5. Regenerating: Not only have you stopped aging, but you recover quickly and completely from harm. You are very difficult to kill. In fact, you would somehow have to be destroyed utterly to keep from being restored.
6. Reincarnation: Yes, you can die – but you will somehow be reborn in a new form, with  memories and experiences of previous lives.
7. Spirit: You are a disembodied spirit. You will not pass on to the afterlife and are able to possess the living with effort, for limited periods of time.
8. Transference: Your intellect and consciousness are placed inside an alternate physical shell. In theory, this can be continued indefinitely as long as there are viable shells available and the means of transference.
9. Unaging: You do not age. Period. Barring incident, you could live for a very long time.
10. Undead: You become some sort of free-willed undead monster, like a vampire or lich.

Then, there is the nature of the book itself. Is there such a thing? Is it really what legends claim?

1. The Grimoire is a myth. There never was such a thing.
2. The Grimoire is a myth, but someone is trying to create it themselves.
3. The Grimoire is a myth, but many of the spells and formulae do exist.
4. The Grimoire exists but is next-to-impossible to decipher.
5. The Grimoire exists, but as a scattered collection of pages, scrolls, illuminations, and engravings.
6. The original Grimoire is gone, but there is at least one questionable copy.
7. The Grimoire exists, but not as described. Its true power may deal with the nature of time.
8. The Grimoire exists, but is a dangerous, diabolical trap.
9. The Grimoire exists, but is exceedingly dangerous for the unready or unwary.
10. The Grimoire is actually an otherdimensional gateway or entity of some sort.

RULERSHIP

Courts: There is a Low, Middle, and High Court. The Low Court deals with crimes or disputes where no real status is involved. The High Court deals with crimes or disputes where one or more parties of high status are involved. The Middle Court tends to deal with the rest.

Government for the people is represented by the Regency Council.

• Archdeacon: Spiritual leader. Subordinates are Deacons.
• Baron Viceroy: Highest military authority. Subordinates are Knight Baronets.
• Lord Chancellor: Academic leader. Subordinates are Vice Chancellors.
• Lord Chief Justice: Highest legal authority. Subordinates are Lord Justices.

The gods were shown to be false. Their idols had been cast down. What need of deities representing forces or ideals long since mastered? Then, the otherworldly horrors of the Unquiet Dark began to stir – turning their attentions upon the world. Mortalkind became fresh prey for the ravening monsters from Beyond. In desperation and ignorance, the people turned to long-forgotten figures of ancient myth for deliverance and protection.

The OverNine: Nine Gods of Order with comforting human forms. Nine Lords of Hell that play at being gods – preferring  dominion in the mortal world over eternal war in the Infernal Regions. Diabolic overlords, now residing in Veriscine. Rarely seen outside their Deco-style tower of eleven floors. The Undeciment. During their reign, humanity has suffered little from the predations of alien horrors. The OverNine have proven exceedingly effective governors. Ruling through bureaucracy. Better the devil you know. Focus on the seven deadly sins as reliable anchors to the mortal realm.

1. Agnazael (Lord of Hosts)
2. Curichos (Lord of Brass)
3. Diabolas (Lord of Lords)
4. Eibur (Lord of Smokes)
5. Hepastre (Lord of Lies)
6. Nephronym (Lord of Songs)
7. Ochrys (Lord of Secrets)
8. Scathe (Lord of Punishment)
9. Tarcheron (Lord of Demands)

It is possible that the Lords of Law will merge into a single cooperative Overlord to meet a potential crisis or disaster.

Nine Gods of Disorder

1. Inchoatia
2. Doomspiral
3. Guivre
4. Mulacchi
5. Stokke
6. Gremur
7. Odleah
8. Irizaar
9. Chrysalis

The Lords of Chaos could devour or absorb one another, until only one remains as a single conglomerate.

FUNGUS

There is something of a silent conflict between the Fungal Lords and the Faerie Realm that takes place in the background and underground. A fungal network spreads underground and has taken over a great deal of ordinary plant life. The Fae are not pleased by this development. Humanity generally sides with the Shrooms over the Fae in any overt conflict. This may backfire as the Fungal Lords seek only to multiply and spread – having no regard for human prosperity or future. The Fae can at least be reasoned with and somewhat related to. Some humans take on fungal infestation as a means of escaping the influences of the OverNine. Sacrificing a measure of humanity for the illusion of freedom.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

• Human, Accursed: The Accursed is a type of free-willed undead that chooses to exist within living society. They see their condition as an affliction, or curse – hence the name. Many will belong to an Accursed Society, which gives them a measure of legitimacy within the Regency. The Accursed Spellcaster Society and the Accursed Warrior Society are two of the oldest and most respected of their kind. Quite a few Accursed turn to hunting other undead. After all, who is better suited to the task? Similar to undead ghouls, but have retained their minds and most of their humanity. Have a deathly pallor, hair and nails that no longer grow, and sharper teeth. Can unhinge their jaws to gape their mouths wide for a vicious bite. Tend to be very lean, with a somewhat bestial cast to their features. Keen sense of smell. Powerful leap. Strong grip. Impressive stamina. Immune to Fear and Paralysis. Resistance to Sleep and Hold. Receive an involuntary save vs. Cure spells, with success indicating failure. Have a trace charnel scent and tend to unnerve domesticated animals. Detect living. Able to go without breathing for long periods. Not all are Evil, but few-to-none are Good. Even if the character is not of evil alignment, he is affected by magic as if evil. If hungry, there is a chance for berserking in combat or other stressful situations. Often ignored by unintelligent or bestial undead as undead themselves. Those with experience levels are affected by energy drain, but cannot be taken below 1^st level – in other words, an accursed cannot be slain by energy drain alone.
• Human, Awakened: Certain bloodlines (and individuals) have been given special attention by the OverNine, allowing some humans to take an evolutionary leap. While still ‘human’, these people are generally taller, healthier, smarter, and without visible flaw. The least of these still belong to a kind of upper middle class in Imbraiac society.
• Human, Dormant: Standard human PC race. Casteless individuals whose genetic potential seems slow to waken. Gaining experience levels is one of the only ways to “jumpstart” these sluggish genes and achieve status. Cannot pursue the magical arts. PCs tend to be fighters and thieves, often from humble origins.
• Comar: Potential character race based upon mushrooms, these creatures are essentially humanoid mushrooms about the size of dwarves. Dwell underground and in shadowy woodlands. Darkvision 90'. Leathery skin for +1 AC. HD: d6. Very quiet. Resist mental effects and illusions. Resist cold.
• Cleric: Receive spells from devils or icons (iconolator), sigils (pictriarch), or symbols (symbolist). Clerics of Law? Rule? Order?
• Drau (“draw”): “Corpse elves.” Angular features. Drau are those that have chosen to remain in this world after death, but diminished. Necromantic traits. Near-dead. Magic as sorcerer. No spellbook, but fewer spell slots.
• Druid (Hedge Witch/Wizard): Devoted to the Fae Lords. Assume such animal shapes as erushae, faerie dragon, firefriend, gloomwing, peryton, or unicorn. Serve the natural forces of gravitation, electromagnetism, weak nuclear, and strong nuclear. Call themselves Hedge Witches/Wizards to minimize scrutiny and threat. Witch/Wizard is an archaic term with a nostalgic connotation (Mage is the modern term). Druidism is associated with Drau and the elemental deities, both of which are still viewed with suspicion by society. Their spell list may include some magic-user/elf spells.
• Dwarf, Fantoc: Disturbingly child-like, with oversized heads and large, soulful eyes. Males tend to be balding except for small beards and bushy brows. Very mechanically-inclined, the fantoc are known for artificial implantation and augmentation of the physical body. Tend to be elaborately scarred and/or tattooed. Consider their bodies to be no more than blank canvases to be adorned and simple clay to be molded. Often difficult to tell gender (if any) at first glance. Favor rich colors and complex patterns. Fantoc fashions tend to be rather baroque and fitted in layers. They love wigs and makeup. Fantasy-themed cybernetics with a steampunkish aesthetic. Known to humans as manikins, and to many others as moppets. PCs tend to be gadgeteers, trapsmiths/locksmiths, musketeers or pistoliers, snipers, assassins (with exceptional anatomical knowledge), and duelists. Their mechanical weapons are almost always crafted to be used only by fantocci with the proper implants.

Deepsky Solace: Occupying a massive crater,  Deepsky Solace is home to more than 7000 fantocci. Two high waterfalls plunge from the forested heights into the broad lake below. Major industries include mining (gold, some rubies, and tin), marble quarrying, fishing, furs (great white wolverines plague the kingdom in colder months), and spice (pepper, sage, and dill). Deepsky Solace is also known for its beautiful dyes and intricate weaving. They produce decent leathers and fine wool from the mountain sheep herded on the mountainsides.

Deepsky Solace is ruled by King Filspeg and Queen Hespera of the Goldenoak Dynasty. Filspeg is the fourth ruler of that name and Hespera is the second. Popular rulers known for their elaborate parties and celebrations, Filspeg (a bard) and Hespera (an illusionist) keep a lively court filled with unusual and talented nobles. Courtly names.

Benardei Hornblower: Batonneure (Head Conductor and Composer) to the Court (Bard). Rather stuffy unless performing.

Ipatchistro “Patches” (no surname): Chief Tinker (Hornblower is always commissioning new and more elaborate instruments from Patches).

Anadrienne Foxglove: Keeper of the Royal Purse (no character class, just a darn good accountant). Female.

Tambour Mosswater: Royal Apothecary (druid).

Gildesta Starshimmer, Countess: (sorceress). Female.

Bartoliette Cloudgather: Chief Cook and Fortuneteller (diviner). Female.

Mirundra Tallowfell: Castellan of the Summer Palace.

Fletcher “Fletch” Brindlebow: Pathwarden (ranger).

The king is said to have a long-standing hereditary pact with one of the major earth elementals and may sometimes call upon that entity for aid in times of great need.

A circle of druids keeps a haven on one of the lesser-inhabited mountains.

Houses are usually built half-underground with extensive root cellars and tunnels between some homes. Underground waterways lead to the lake. Kind of a Renaissance Italy/Provincial France sort of air.

• Effete Mage: Focused on magic to the exclusion of most else. Poor combatant. Tend to be awkward in social interaction. Moral flexibility. Trade proficiencies/skills for spell slots. Magical savant. Can swap out physical ability score points for academic ones during character creation – more so than usual. Improvement of Int, Dex, and Cha ability scores in much the same way as a 1e cavalier (by %). Notice magic in favor of most else. May have nimble fingers and talented hands, but tend to be hopeless with athletic or martial efforts. Bard-like knowledge. Bonus spells for high intelligence. Bonus spell slots for high charisma.
• Elf (Fae), Dullagh: A playable variant of the dullahan. Slender humanoid figure with a jack-o-lantern head. Body affected as an elf, while the head is affected as a plant (such as by mind-affecting spells). May cause head to glow from within (phosphorescence, not flame) to see in darkness. Expressive faces. Able to speak, hear, and see. Dislike gold (will not possess any) and can possibly be turned by a strongly-presented golden holy item. Tend to wear dark, elegant clothing. Can remove head without harm. Unaffected by decapitation. Possibly startle opponent or onlooker for first round, when seen. Knock, Haste, truename magic (Finger of Death). Also known as Scarecrows, mostly by humans.
• Etun (Ettin): Double saves vs. mental visual effects. One head is usually awake and alert at any given time. Surprised only on a 1. Ambidexterity – though the left arm does slightly less damage than the right arm. 8’ tall. See well in the dark. Each head is an individual, and will have its own name.
• Gnome, Attercop: Near-subterranean gnomish race with longish arms and oversized upswept eyes that allow a wide field of vision. See very well in darkness. Natural skin markings/patterns determine ancestry or family affiliation. Some throwbacks have a venomous bite, but most do not – though they still have prominent fangs. Still, attercops resist poison and can sometimes process it in their system through blood alchemy – producing one of a handful of effects within their own body, such as Cure Wounds, Neutralize Poison, Cure Disease, or simply make themselves poisonous to creatures that bite. Agile, quick, and fine balance. Climb exceptionally well (including ropes or cords) with empty hands and bare feet. Silk glands that produce strong cord. Natural talent for traps/snares. Hair on the head and face tends to be white or silver, and very silky. They grow long spines of their forearms and shins that cause damage in close combat/grappling, or can be plucked and thrown like darts. Scavengers that utilize almost any found materials for their crafts or construction. Known carrion-eaters. Attercops have an affinity for spiders and are known to have giant versions as pets, companions, guardians, and mounts. Often come to the surface to hunt or trade, but dislike bright light. Tend to wear clothing woven from attercop silk, and will sell such to others.
• Lizard, Bluetongue: Similar to elves in PC traits. Tall and lithe. Not prone to emotional outbursts or overreaction. Get along well with most other races. Known as Blues by humankind. Banded skin of pale blue or albino white. Eyes are always a shade of blue or blue-violet. Evasion. Escape bonds. Fit through small openings or spaces. Climb well. Jump. Move well upright or on all fours. Leathery skin. Diet of fruit, meat, insects. Language of hisses, clicks, and whistles.
• Lurighan (Smallfolk): A leprechaun PC race for the halfling. Luck and legerdemain. Elusive and evasive. Mastery of cantrips. Hit-and-run. Throwing skill. Movement not slowed by underbrush, loose rubble, or similar impediments that can be squeezed through. Burst of speed or action, constitution-based…cannot be encumbered or fatigued.
• Magician: Part alchemist, gadgeteer, and artificer. Possibly with fewer spell slots, but with the option of having a dedicated familiar to pick up the slack. Spellcasting can be taxing or unreliable. Skilled at identifying and using magic items – even those not normally suited for a spellcaster.
• Saigu (Weretiger): Mostly human appearance, with some superficial tiger features. Can manifest individual tiger traits at will (claws, eyes, tail, head, etc.). Can transform into half-tiger or full-tiger form. Physical features can change with mood. Tracking. Difficult to surprise. Nightvision.

HEROES AND VILLAINS

Heroism is what you make it. For even the direst of villains may choose Humanity over the Howling Black, in the end. Law and Chaos may prove more dependable than Good or Evil. Do you stand with your own kind, or do you embrace the Void?

The diabolic overlords represent Law and the potential for humanity to have a future - even if it is a future of servitude. Those other...Things...waiting just beyond the fringes of the wavering light - they know only hunger and chaos. Villains have goals and philosophies. Predators simple prey.

THE HORROR

Violet Grimoire offers a range of horror elements that run from Gothic to Mythos.

Notes/thoughts:

• Ability score damage.
• Deceptive evil.
• Delusion: Persistent “mental illusion.”
• Domination: Deep mental control.
• Encountering monsters that are truly unfamiliar, or that seem impossible somehow.
• Forced morale checks for PCs.
• Friend or loved one turned into a monster.
• Losing control of character by delusion, domination, or possession.
• Possession: Spiritual control, possibly tainting the victim’s soul.
• Surprise encounter where the creature is not clearly described and the DM deals out damage before even declaring surprise.
• Threat of becoming a monster yourself.
• Unwanted transformation of character.

DIVINITY AND HOPE

Some believe there are true gods out there. Divine beings of compassion and justice who will embrace humanity and raise it above the misery and tyranny of its current state. Others feel that humankind should take control of its own destiny and deny all gods or divine pretenders. These people are of the opinion that no entities of such power could possibly have mortal interests at heart.

Annulator.

Cobblecade.

Endarkenment.

Structuralists: Law extremists.

PLANAR STRUCTURE AND GATES

Mortalkind once explored the myriad planes and shared their own world with a multitude of alien species. That ended long ago with the Planewrack and the creation of the Twilight Rampart. The Regency now works to defend the world from abominable threats from Beyond, and maintains isolation from most other planes.

Generally, planar gates are unstable and detrimental to those that use them. Disorientation. Period of acclimation on the other side. Temporary loss of one or more senses. Possible hallucinations. Open gates also create a field of localized distortion. For the most part, stable planar gateways are creations and property of the Lords of Law.

The Unquiet Dark is the merciless Void that lies beyond the familiar and the sane. Beyond that is the Howling Black of primordial chaos.

ADVERSARIES AND CREATURES OF INTEREST

• Accursed: A type of free-willed undead that chooses to exist within living society. They see their condition as an affliction, or curse – hence the name. Many will belong to an Accursed Society, which gives them a measure of legitimacy within the Regency. The Accursed Spellcaster Society and the Accursed Warrior Society are two of the oldest and most respected of their kind. Quite a few Accursed turn to hunting other undead. After all, who is better suited to the task?
• Alchemental: Artificially-created elemental-type creatures that exist through dangerous alchemical processes.
• Amethyst Matron: Pale, slender woman with a head of amethyst crystal. Tend to act and behave normally when encountered – as if they can see, hear, and speak perfectly well – though they do not require light of any kind to see and their voice resonates with crystalline harmonics. Not undead, but not alive. No anatomy to exploit, such as with backstabs or critical strikes. Immune to mental and emotional effects. Immune to effects that require vision or hearing. Immune to poison or disease. No alignment. Do not need to eat, breathe, or sleep (immune to Sleep effects). The crystalline head is vulnerable to sonic effects, and the matron can live without its body – at which point the crystal may float and act independently. Body is vulnerable to petrification, but the head is not. Able to manipulate time in a localized area, including Time Stop, Haste or Slow effects. Detect Magic, See Invisible, ESP, Prismatic Wall/Sphere. Miss Chance, Miss Hap, Miss Step: Amethyst Matrons of West Ending. There are always three amethyst matrons in proximity and one trio is rumored to be caretakers of the Violet Grimoire.
• Ankheg: Worker-type of a species that includes the Umber Hulk as a warrior-type.
• Arathid: A species of mind flayer with a spider-like head. Served by a type of six-armed umber hulk and often accompanied by creatures resembling intellect devourers with spidery legs instead of the usual leonine legs. Also known as Web Flayers. Will replace the illithid in the setting entirely. The arathid culture is based upon permutations of the number eight and much of its organization is focused upon that number. The most powerful arathid have multiple arms and receive more respect than usual. There is some genetic disease or mutation that is creating degenerate versions of the arathid that are more spidery than ‘flayer. The creatures are desperately seeking a way to solve the problem. Elaborate banners of spidersilk are common among arathid houses and nobles. They craft many items themselves, from their own silk. Wood, ivory, and bone are also common raw materials. Arathid are not as “sophisticated” as standard mind flayers and tend to serve as lieutenants and researchers for the tyrathid host. Strangely, these creatures do not particularly enjoy the company of spiders. Only their own monstrous creations are likely to be found within arathid enclaves. They are very talented alchemists and have an instinctive understanding of chemicals and genetic traits. The biological fluids of other creatures are both intoxicant and resource to the arathid. These creatures do not devour the brains of intelligent beings, but they do intake spinal and cerebral fluids.
• Ascomoid: Weaponized by the myconid drug-lords as bouncers and bodyguards of all sizes.
• Attercop: Subterranean gnome race with spider traits. Also a PC race.
• Baelrohk: Indigo balor with actinic blue-white “fire” that flickers and crackles. Lightning sword and thundercrack whip. Metal-wielding foes suffer electrocution and burning. Local weather control – only toward violent storms for powerful winds and lightning strikes. Immune to electricity and cold. Able to fly in any conditions. Shocking Grasp at will. Create blinding flashes at will. Not affected by light-based blinding/dazzling effects. Create fog. Call Lighting to strike foes or strike itself (healed by electrical effects). Dimension Door-type effect by traveling through lightning strikes.
• Banes: A Dread that gains enough power and influence may claim a territory surrounding its lair to establish itself as a Bane. They usually keep the title they had as a Dread, but change the Dread to Bane. Some will name themselves for a singular hero that they destroyed. Moonfire’s Bane, for example. Banes are also known for gathering followers and servants to carry out their wishes, while Dreads are solitary – only surrounded by native or incidental monsters. One of the moryga.
• Banshee: Attached to established families of “true blood.” A sign of status and respectability.
• Basidirond: Domesticated by the myconid drug-lords, these creatures function as ambulatory “beds” in which clients can lounge within individually tailored, spore-induced, hallucinogenic sessions. These basidironds are not limited to the 1d8 effect table.
• Black Toad, The: Grossly obese (disgraced) monk with a small stone in his forehead. The stone is thought to be ornamental, but is actually a black Toad Stone partially embedded in his skull. Wears beautiful garments and suits of black silk patterned with toads and otherworldly scenes. The Black Toad is an expert martial artist and swordsman, though he prefers gunsen and chain weapons. His bulk serves as partial armor – in fact, part of his bulk is in the form of hidden subdermal armor. He is much faster and more agile than most opponents expect. As a villain of the setting, the Black Toad is involved with underworld dealings and the acquisition of magical items or antiquities by any means necessary. Though he prefers his (full) assumed title, the Black Toad’s given name is Kūrik Mūgo – though very few know of it. Calling him merely “Toad” is an offense sure to be punished. He is a eunuch and utterly hairless. His skin is very pale and he affects black lips, nails, and eyeliner. He is also heavily tattooed. Enjoys being surrounded by water, even if not immersed himself. Also favors steam and humidity. Though entirely human, the Black Toad has somehow infused himself with the ichor of selected oni (possibly through his tattoos), giving him some of their properties – such as massive strength. Implanted with artificial gills. Often wears a toad-skull mask.
• Blackbird: Officially – the state police force. Also, spies and assassins. Nicknamed for their black uniforms/armor, though Blackbird has become an unofficial title in common use. Twenty-four is the traditional number for a complete unit.
• Blackbird, Redwing: Elite officer types. Nicknamed for their crimson shoulder armor and sleeves.
• Butterflies and cocoons.
• Cobkin: Race of spider-centaurs. Stand at about medium-height, but closer to large-size in overall bulk. Able to climb and cast/spin webs like a spider. They are white, gray, or violet in hue. Each color type will have a different kind of venom.
• Corvugriff: Entirely black griffon with the features of a raven instead of an eagle. Very intelligent and capable of limited speech.
• Dark Creeper: Traits for possible dwarf race.
• Dooms: Among the most powerful moryga. Elevated after the destruction of an entire city, kingdom, or people.
• Dragon,
• Drau(gr): Replacement for Drow. Engineered from the draugr. Black “elves.” Also a PC race.
• Dreads: Huge and ominous, Dreads inhabit places of legend and infamy. Places that draw heroes, explorers, fortunehunters, and adventurers. Dreads feed upon the glory and might of those they destroy, growing larger and stronger with each worthy victim. It is possible that Dreads started as Viles who gained power and stature through trickery and murder, allowing them to evolve into something more. Dreads are named for the location of their lair – the better to draw new victims to them. The Dread of Banoth-Khol is one such monster. One of the moryga.
• Efreeti: The City of Brass is now part of the Infernum, and is ruled by Curichos. Solemn efreet can be found as executive assistants to the Infernal hierarchy.
• Elf, Imbrae: Degenerate elvish race so driven from nature and their homelands that they have turned to alchemy and mechanical sorcery to combat their enemies. Not generally evil, but definitely disturbing.
• Ettin: Engineered to become elite guards or soldiers. More evolved and intelligent. Trained in weapon use. NPC versions are larger than the Etun – closer to 10’ tall.
• Eye of Fear and Flame: Elder of a cursed/damned monastery.
• Eye of the Dark: A creature of the Unquiet Dark, superficially resembles an Eye of the Deep. Probably with a mass of tentacles instead of claws.
• Fae, Court: Tall and “ethereal” beings with some traditional qualities of vampires. Often feeding on mortals by draining them of vitality. Not exactly evil, but definitely amoral, selfish, uncaring, and ruthless.
• Fae Hound: A version of the Blink Dog, but far more menacing and large enough to ride. Possibly a version of the Enfield. The Enfield will have the head and hindquarters of a fox with the foretalons and wings of an eagle. Guardians against desecration of leaders fallen in battle. Subtlety, cunning, fierceness, and fortitude.
• Forever and Ever: Twin diabolic characters.
• Forgotten, The: Blanket term for those undead that are true monsters, lost to the Void.
• Fungi, Ghost: Large, white morel-type mushrooms that can drift through the air for short distances. Similar to violet fungi, but their touch withers/ages.
• Fungi, Violet: Basis for an entire ecotype. Sometimes, the touch of violet fungus infects the victim, but not with rot. Violet patterns (like lichen) appear on the skin.

• Ghost: Ghost or other spirit that wields a sword whose hilt is made of bone from his former body and the blade forged from chains binding him when he died. Ghost possesses the body of its murderer, then forces the murderer’s spirit out to hunt it down.

• Giant, Stonebear: At least one tribe of stone giants has embraced a form of lycanthropy to become werebear berserks.
• Giant, Storm: Rulers of the seas.
• Gibbering Mouser: Kind of like a rather horrific cat.

·         Golden Orchid, The: The Golden King upon the Orchid Throne. Orchidelerium - golden orchid. Seeking the rare flower...and what occurs along the way. Twin, distant suns (like eyes). Black stars – visible in the brief and awful twilight. Hyades (singing). Dim. Appeared on the Lake. May sit upon the water - or upon the far shore. Towers seem to be behind the moon as it rises. The Golden Glyph. The Orchid Mask. The Phantom of Truth. Orchid vampires.

·         Hermit: A terrible creature resembling a hermit crab takes up residence in a homeless person’s skull. The eyes are now the crab’s (on stalks) and it can extend its legs through the mouth. The victim is barely aware and not really in control of his own actions. Observers just assume he’s a little crazy – but in a harmless way.

• Hippogriff: Prized steeds.
• Horrors: One species of the chaos monsters of the Unquiet Dark known as the moryga. Horrors are seemingly mindless creatures of mutable form and savage temperament. No static or recognizable shape. Gaseous Horror, Gelatinous Horror, Tenebrous Horror, Tentacled Horror. Spend much of their time in a dormant state, rousing themselves to hunt. Subjects of Juiblex.
• Horse: With tendrils for mane and tail. With thorny vines for mane and tail.
• Hydra: There will be many types, and these creatures will serve as partial replacements for dragons as opponents.
• Infernal:
• Jack-o-Legion: Order of pumpkin-helmed knights.
• Juiblex: Shub-Niggurath? Ulhob?
• King Pin: Tall, angular, emaciated figure in tattered evening clothes. Finely dressed and appointed. Clatters/chimes softly when he moves. Carries a walking stick that is actually an oversized pin. Fights with pins the size of knives or swords. If he draws blood from an opponent with a pin, he can use it to pierce a rag doll that then becomes linked with that victim. Served by a veritable army of animated rag dolls of all shapes and sizes (the Scarecrew). King Pin is thought by some to be made of pins beneath his suit. May alternately be pierced by thousands of pins, pulling pins from his own body for use – with the ability to alter their size at will.
• Larvae: A singular gigantic entity of the lower planes made up of thousands of wriggling larvae. A swarm entity able to form rough humanoid shapes at need. Adjustable for a variety of encounter levels as the number of larvae can be assigned as needed – allowing for variations of size and hit dice. There may be one larva in control, or there may be a small collective “hive mind.” Alternately, Larvae could be a spirit entity that inhabits/possesses one or more portions of the swarm. In this fashion, Larvae could be on the path to demonic evolution on a massive scale. Progenitor of an entirely new race of demons – or something worse.
• Leprechaun: The monster version will be quite cruel and mischievous. There will also be a PC version, the Lurighan (see above).
• Leucrotta: An exotic mount for villains or exceptional riders.
• Lizard Man: Not an uncommon sight in civilization. Will also be a PC race. Reference the white Blue-Tongued Skink.
• Locathah: Occasional allies of humanity. Trade relations. Beautiful and exotic in appearance. Brightly-colored and elaborately-patterned locathah regulate much of the shipping and fishing trade. Can be engineered to breathe air for extended periods of time, but lose some ability to breathe water in the process. Any locathah PC will be of the engineered type.
• Lycanthrope, Weretiger (Saigu): Have formed a distinct race of tiger-featured humans. Controlled shifting. Society of castes. Retain copper-hued skin with striped markings in human form. Eyes do not change and are always catlike. They have a ruler called Lord or Lady Tiger (possibly similar to the Cat Lord). Summer Tiger (orange-and-black) and Winter Tiger (white-and-black).
• Marrow & Morrow: Pair of construct assassins. Marrow possesses a biological nanovirus attack while Morrow has limited time jumping ability.
• Merfolk, A’amuk: The only species in the setting has the traits of sharks, not fish. They are savage and deadly. Sort of a mer-sahuagin crossing.
• Morkoth:
• Moryga: General group name for the Viles, Horrors, Terrors, Dreads, Banes, and Dooms.
• Moss, Corpse: Grows like hair on dead bodies. Able to animate and control the corpse.
• Mournolith: Terrible creature of immense size and power. The result of a cursed artifact never meant for this world. The creature is actually an enormous suit of construct armor with someone attached to the core. The construct spends long periods of time recharging after a frenzy of activity. The victim inside struggles for control. Started out as a normal-size suit of armor that grew as the wearer vanquished foes.
• Myconid: Influential drug-lords that dominate some aspects of seedy “underground” culture in the city through their domestication and employment of certain fungoid creatures. Also known as the only reliable source for certain pharmaceuticals, toxins, and antidotes that are often in demand. Hold positions of wealth and influence by operating within, and at the fringes of, the law. Most of their homes and businesses are located quite literally underground. Myconids of the city have no king, but there are a number of “bosses.”
• Naga: Clergy of the Nine, and their heralds.
• Nightmare: Personal steeds of the Nine, and their chosen.
• Nymph: Quite a few Fae Ladies are Nymphs.
• Oozes: Ruled by the Underlord. Realm of Middenmarch. There will be domesticated oozes – some with specific purposes.
• Otter, Giant: May serve as mounts for brief periods. Killing one will anger the Fae (especially Nymphs).
• Owlgryph: Particularly savage owl-snow leopard gryphon that is difficult to train and control. Striking appearance, and mostly white.
• Peryton: Possible alternate type with the hindquarters of a stag – in the fashion of a hippogriff. Perygriff? Normal version may be known as the vulture-stag.
• Plagues: Humanoid creatures shrouded in tattered robes. There are only four. Blight: Wears algae-stained rags of olive green. Brings disease and destructive insects such as locusts. Decay: Wears rust-colored rags smeared with filth. Brings rot and frogs to reduce all to a primordial ooze. Dust: Wears rags of pale gray smudged with ash. Brings drought and spores to destroy water tables and hoard moisture. Fever: Wears yellow-tinged rags splotched with black. Brings bacteria with rats and mosquitoes to spread disease to all. Ancient writings claim the four Plagues will eventually converge upon a single site if they continue their patterns of wandering. When this happens, the world will end.
• Pseudo-Dragon:
• Quasit: Agents of Chaos. Possibly trying to ascend to true demonhood.
• Salamander: Infernal shock troops.
• Satyr:
• Sea Lion: Mane like kelp? Aquatic lycanthrope?

• Sins, Deadly: Small group of individuals that exist to serve as living prisons for various demons. Tend to inherit the role from an elder member of the family. Display supernatural traits, abilities and moods. One is accidentally murdered in a mugging – releasing the demon within. A specialist in bizarre murders is called in to investigate the killing. The victim of the mugger is shot right in the head and falls to the ground – only to get back up while the mugger is looting the body. The victim then proceeds to torture and then kill the mugger in a particularly hideous fashion. The demon is now free, but remains in the dead body until it is no longer usable – then it finds another body. In the meantime, it seeks out its fellow prisoners trapped in other bodies in an attempt to free them or destroy them. One of the other seven will be called in to assist the investigator – with hints along the way that he or she is not entirely normal or human either. The adventure has options for a resolution that leaves the outcome ambiguous and to leave room for the demon to be been defeated – or has ended up in one of the PCs. There are seven demons – one for each of the Seven Deadly Sins: Luxuria (Lust) - Asmodeus, Gula (Gluttony) - Beelzebub, Avaritia (Avarice) - Mammon, Socordia (Sloth) - Belphegor, Ira (Wrath) - Amon, Invidia (Envy) - Leviathan, and Superbia (Pride) - Lucifer. The mortal containing each demon exemplifies the Holy Virtue that is the Sin’s opposite: Chastity, Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Patience, Kindness, and Humility. Lilith could be mother to them all (Lil or Lilis).

• Slithering Tracker: Fanatical assassins in service to Juiblex?
• Spectre: Major domo for an Infernal Lord? Elite herald?
• Splinterjack: Like a massive, fractured scarecrow with multiple jack-o-lantern heads. Makes horrible creaking sounds when it moves. Every melee strike threatens oversized splinters.
• Sporehound: Using the Akata (PF Bestiary 2) as a template, this monster will see some slight rework and share an ecology with the vegepygmy. Becoming a fungus creature, the Akata (Sporehound) will spread Russet Mold instead of Void Death, thus prompting the spread of Vegepygmys.
• Sylph(id): Comprise most of the remaining Fae Ladies (other than Nymphs). Fewer and rarer. Qualities of moths. Dislike touching the ground. Natural levitation, able to maneuver with wings. Often drawn to the breath of certain exceptional individuals as singers, poets, orators, or magicians. Some go dark and crave the dying breaths of those individuals. Almost impossible to surprise as they sense the slightest disturbance of the air. Have a high chance to notice invisible creatures nearby. Able to discorporate and become gaseous. Gust of Wind when angry or desperate.
• Terrors: Strange and sudden, appearing unexpectedly. Chattering Terror, Howling Terror, Shrieking Terror, Silent Terror, Weeping Terror, Whispering Terror, Whistling Terror. One of the moryga.
• Toad, Ice: Small groups found atop snow-capped mountains. Average intelligence and “have their own weird language.”
• Treant: Some are Fae spies, found in towns and cities. Can disguise themselves as specific trees.
• Umber Hulk: Related to the ankheg. Possibly a warrior-type of the same species, and the ankheg is a worker. Ankheg warrior.

·         Vampire, Absinthe: Unlike the green liquor common in more mundane spheres, one form of absinthe really does come from faeries. This tantalizing and dangerous drink is known as blood absinthe or noble absinthe. It is with this substance that the following is concerned. There is a rare form of absinthe distilled by the fae and generally kept out of the fumbling hands of mortalkind – though absinthe vampires form a hedonistic and opulent subculture in civilized regions. This glamer-infused liquor, imbibed by the fae as a particularly potent beverage, tends to have an entirely sinister effect on those mortals that foolishly partake of it. Those who succumb to the effects of undiluted blood absinthe almost always die in the process, and those who survive will become absinthe vampires, or grendels. A grendel is a wretched, undying thing created most often by a ritual process in which one or more participants quaffs a carefully measured infusion of blood absinthe, baneberry juice, and amber honey poured through a portion of white shademoss. There are two results of this process: death or death-and-restoration. Those who rise again become vampire-like immortals enslaved by the lure of faerie glamer. Grendel is a corrupted form of the antiquated term “green devil,” a name by which these creatures were once known. Such a creature craves and thrives on noble absinthe, and is immortal as long as the liquor is available. Once the grendel stops imbibing noble absinthe, the powers and traits gained by the transformation begin to fade and the years denied for so long will rush to overtake the unfortunate creature at the end. The mark of the grendel is one physical feature that permanently turns green. Sometimes, an individual will acquire more than one green feature. The most common marks are green lips and/or tongue, green eyes, green nails, or green hair. The green hue is always one that closely resembles the color of noble absinthe and is nearly impossible to dye or cover with cosmetics. Even an individual that possessed green eyes before the transformation will acquire an otherworldly green tint that could not possibly be mistaken for normal. A development list of potential grendel attributes, for future consideration.

1.       Ageless: The grendel no longer ages and is immune to aging effects. When denied noble absinthe for a suitable period of time, the creature begins to age at a rate proportionate to the number of years denied by the transformation.

2.       Anosmic: A grendel has no sense of smell or taste.

3.       Blood: The grendel has noble absinthe for blood. This renders the creature immune to effects that rely on blood for a catalyst. This also makes bite attacks problematic for the biting creature.

4.       Charm: The grendel may attempt to charm victims of its delirium touch. The creature is also especially vulnerable to most faerie charm attempts.

5.       Delirium: The touch of the grendel may confuse and weaken a victim. The target is usually disoriented and nearly helpless.

6.       Glamer: The grendel feeds on faerie glamer and is able to enhance its own abilities this way. While noble absinthe is the ideal source of glamer for a grendel, the creature may absorb glamer from other sources, but this energy will not serve to keep it vital for long.

7.       Gossamer: The grendel may assume a nearly weightless and translucent form, similar in many ways to the effects of a gaseous form spell. The creature does not lose its own shape, but is mostly insubstantial and able to drift about, almost as if flying. Alternately, the creature may manifest gossamer wings that permit true flight.

8.       Green: Able to enter the demiplane known as The Green. May also traverse The Gloom.

9.       Immunity: The grendel is immune to poison and cannot be affected by potions.

10.   Iron: Cold iron inflicts normal damage to a grendel, even in gossamer form, that cannot be regenerated.

11.   Regeneration: The grendel regenerates hit points lost to most forms of damage, but not in direct sunlight.

12.   Sight: The grendel gains fae sight.

13.   Sunlight: Direct sunlight burns the absinthe from a grendel’s body, but does not harm the creature itself. This form of dehydration usually renders the grendel powerless and dangerously close to remission.

14.   Undying: The grendel has the Undying type and is not undead. The creature is a creation of fae alchemy, not of necromantic energies.

• Vampire, Minyades: Possible vampire origin story. Cursed by Dionysus to become bats.
• Viles: The least of the moryga, the viles are of general human size and form. They prefer darkness and pursue their goals through trickery and deception, but will quickly resort to murder if things don’t go their way. Named for their preferred environment? Cave, Cellar, Sewer, Well.
• Wasp, Mirrorwing: Creates displacement or duplication effects in flight.
• Were, Urban Gamin: Child lycanthropes adapted to the city. Cat, crow, dog, rat, and others.
• Zygom: The pale blue “milk” is refined by servants of the myconid drug-lords into alcohogenic beverage enjoyed by humans and a few other races in “milk bars.”

Magic, Items & Materials

• Black Hemlock: 33-197 feet tall. Gray or reddish-brown bark (tannic acid in bark). Baskets woven from bark. Flat needles (needle tea – not poisonous). Needle oil in perfumes. Small cones. Black bears shelter in hollow trees. Wood for building and furniture. Wool dye extracts. 400-800 year lifespan. Found near water – cool and damp.  
• Briarrose Flail: Chain fashioned to resemble thorny vines with head like a metal rose in bloom.
• Couture: Applies to some armor and magical garments. Symbols of status. Affects social standing and image.
• Dust of Magic Detection
• Familiar spirit that can duplicate the effects of certain low-level spells. Can glow with Light. Knows a number of languages. Can mimic voices. Has two or three base forms of small size.
• Familiar, Ancestral: Appears as a fetish object or keepsake. Communicate with the dead.
• Familiar, Nature: Always resembles a small animal, but with magical features. Available to “hedge wizards.” Can “possess” spellcaster to allow druid-like shapechange into animal or “bestial” form.
• Hats: Magical hats of all kinds. A top hat that becomes a small cannon, for example.
• Heirloom Items: Items of enchantment that function only for those of a specific bloodline. Some items will function for any qualified user, but have additional powers that function only for those of the bloodline.
• Honeytrap Grenade: Bursts into sticky strawberry honey that holds the victim(s) and tempts those nearby to taste.
• Illusion Duel: Street magic practice with an audience to determine the talent and creativity of the contestants. The loser is obligated to supply the winner with an original illusion spell.
• Items inhabited by spirits.
• Jotunium: Always cold and very difficult to heat, with an exceedingly high melting point. Has a “frosty” surface finish. Found in glacial settings.
• Magical oils, ointments, ropes, chains, whips, flails.
• Magical shield, usable by magic-user, that can be made to become a Floating Disc.
• Myrmidon Armor: Made from treated giant ant carapace. Worn by Blackbirds as part of their standard uniform.
• One form of recreation is to ride along within the mind of a creature as it hunts, flies, swims, or mates. Humanity has become more and more decadent, seeking new distractions and pleasures.
• Opalwood: A major building material for the city of Veriscine.
• Poisons, drugs, diseases, intoxicants, and madnesses.
• Powder: Pale skin is in fashion and the effect is often achieved with powder. Some is made with sugar, to be licked off. Some is made with cocaine, to be snorted off. Some is made with both.
• Practice of summoning/contacting entities to aid in ritual magic.
• Pyrotechnic Pistol: A breechloading firearm that uses special cartridges.
• Scroll, Invocation: Calls upon a specific entity to perform a service. Usable by anyone.
• Spellcasting through dance.
• Spells: A magic-user generally knows the process of working magic, but is unsure of the actual source or nature of those energies. A high Intelligence score allows for the control of lower level spells, but it requires special components or rituals to produce spells of higher than 3rd level. Int 13-15 for 1st level spells, Int 16-17 for 2nd level spells, and Int 18 for 3rd level spells.
• Sword with a spiked hilt. Wielder takes damage each round that translates to magical bonuses to hit and damage for the sword.
• Tantric ritual magic.

·         Weeping Window:

• Worm Star: Meteorite that looks like coral – made up of hundreds of worm-like creatures from space.

Notations

• Antipathy: Character name. Annie, for short.

·         Bellhollow: Creepy “Halloween” town that appears on a “black moon,” usually at a crossroads. Town built around a central belltower on a small hill that tolls the hour. Residents and Puppets.

• Bonuses to relevant checks based on appearance, scent, movement, etc.

·         Candelabrum as a fantasy urban setting for stories. Built upon a conjunction of ley lines, a river was diverted and the landscape was altered to accommodate the city as the site was not originally suited quite so well for its presence. A showcase for the Arcanaflow system of magic. The City of Myriad Towers. Research possible similarities to Eberron’s city of Sharn to avoid unnecessary overlap.

·         Card Duels: Ritualized and sometimes complex contests with serious consequences. Duels are typically arranged in much the same way as duels of swords or pistols, but with ornate and somewhat oversized playing cards. Between the two duelists will usually be a small, folding table. The players hurl their cards to the table. The practice started with a game much like War, but has spawned a number of variants.

• Carillon (Caril): Character name.
• Catacombs and Chimerae: Tabletop miniature role-playing wargame popularized by the idle rich to recreate the historic dungeon delves of olden times.

The opening line of the story was, "You find yourself on the other side of the Moonwidow Gate, ready to undertake your quest." That was the first of many lies. Never was I ready, and...I may never find myself.

• Cavortium
• Character dies during an adventure and wakes up in Hell, not realizing they’re no longer among the living. The day starts badly and steadily becomes the worst day of the character’s life. Then the next day starts as badly as the previous day ended. Goal is to break the cycle and get free.
• Clangor: Character name.
• Combined setting with RedStaff? Immurcie to the south.
• Dragons: Assume human form, often posing as ambassadors and minor nobility from foreign lands. Thrive upon the machinations and opulence of modern civilization.
• Drimble: Character name.
• Fortuneseller
• Glass: Windowpane art as signs. Lots of glass and enclosures of glass.
• Gravely: Character name.
• Heartbroker
• Encourage role-playing and non-combat resolutions. Combat may be more of a swashbuckling affair. Attitude, deceit, and wit will be valuable traits to cultivate. Rhetoric, satire, and innuendo become dangerous weapons.
• Fae are wealthy visitors to human society and no party or gala is truly complete without their attendance. Beautiful, ruthless, and magically adept. The fae are too tempting for most mortals to resist for long.
• For, while the two dead men lay locked in desperate strangling grips which would require forcible removal with surgical tools, the corpse of the unfortunate captain was as fresh as though he’d breathed his last mere hours before – while the remains of the man who was his killer showed the decay of many months!
• Gloaming Seat, The:
• Gutbag: Character name.
• He was a man with friends in hard-to-reach places.

·         Her eyes were an acrid and volatile shade of envy that I found difficult to ignore.

·         I found myself sinking into the bed while the ceiling receded away from me. Soon, I realized I was sinking apart from my body, which remained upon the bed above. I could see my body aloft, and I could see the ceiling as well. The ceiling became as vast as the sky and a part of it tore slowly away to reveal black void beyond. From the edge of the hole came a hand, but the fingers were like the legs of a scorpion, or a spider - or maybe both. What the hand might be attached to, I had no idea, but somehow knew that I was leaving my body behind as a kind of sacrifice so I might survive - whatever I was then. Just as an immense shape seemed about to lean into view from above the hole, I think I drifted off to sleep.

·         I wanted to get her some flowers appropriate to the occasion but poisonous, weeping, black roses were damn hard to come by this time of year. In the end I settled on a nice bunch of nightshade and foxglove.

·         "I was there when the lightning struck the flower and the butterfly rejoiced."
"...What in the Shining Golden Hell are you smoking?"

·         "I wish I had your eyes."
"Have you considered corrective enchantment? It did wonders for me."
"No, I mean, I don't have quite that shade of blue in my collection."

·         If you render a person whose cells are no longer growing down to their essential elements, then consume them, you gain however much natural lifespan they had left added to your own.

·         Immortality: True immortality transforms the recipient so that they can no longer properly interact with the physical world. They become something of a ghost in the mortal world and have the urge to “ascend” to the plane just above this one – thus becoming something on the lesser order of gods. Then, they begin to forget and to fade unless anchored somehow to the mortal world. Yes – the gods are little more than very elaborate and vigorous spirits.

·         It may be difficult to see in the dark but too much light can blind you permanently.

·         "It's what's inside that counts."

“Sadly, my possessing demon agrees.”

• Janglene: Character name.
• Knight of the Pen (or Quill): Ink-dipped lance.
• Ladies’ Garden Clubs: Societal niche wherein women of substance and influence maneuver for control and position while waging secret wars in the shadows.
• Lament (or LaMent): Character name.
• Lampblack: Surname.
• Licious: Dee and Ma.
• Lieutenant Baker: Leader of an elite band of twelve soldiers. Baker’s Dozen.
• Lords Eponymous, Sonorous, and Vicarious.

·         “My eyes feel like frozen marbles, cracking and dissolving ever so slowly in a light and fizzy acid.”

• Mettle fatigue: Colorful term for "cowardice."
• Misters Ladder and Tidings.
• Mushrooms growing in statue’s nostrils and/or mouth.

·         Necropits of Shavan-Vaul

·         "No, I do not want you dead."

"Really?"

"I like my food to struggle."

·         Realm of Want: Common name for one of the Hells.

·         Red Market

·         Requiem: Character name.

·         Runic: Character name.

·         Screamstress:

·         Series of murders where each victim has a similar diabolic tattoo - with ink made from devil’s blood.

·         She stopped. She turned. She smiled. The light from the lanterns gleamed from her perfect white fangs. I was aroused. It made running for my life difficult.

• She was a gorgon. I was a poet. My friends said it would never work between us. My mother wept. My father ranted. My sister…well, my sister had run off with a centaur last summer. I should say ‘astride’ a centaur, in all honesty. Some could blame a troubled home life but I knew better. I brought my love bouquets of asphodel. Somewhere I’d read the flowers were a balm for snakebite. She found them pretty and delighted in the fragrance. I left it at that. Some said that she used to turn her lovers to stone in the very midst of the act. It was the only way she could keep them…attentive enough to reach her own threshold. I guess I didn’t have that problem.
• Sleepless: Character name.

·         “Some people claim I have no heart. To those slanderous naysayers I offer as proof contrary my sizable cabinet of carefully harvested and preserved cardiac organs, each in its own clearly-labeled jar.”

·         “Sometimes I think the sky was made a delightful blue on purpose, in an effort to keep us all calm. It failed, of course.”

·         The disturbingly sweet burnt cotton candy smell of damnation.

·         There is a hole in the sky and the night comes pouring through.

• Thresher: Character name.

·         Tidings Manor. Lord Tiding.

·         Towns with patron wizards, represented by statues in the town square. Each statue fashioned to hold a staff.

·         Vampire's ghost manifests at the place of its destruction every night, bursting into flame at sunrise. Has started to lure living victims to the spot,  embracing them at sunrise to share its fiery doom.

·         Velvet Blade, The:

• We had arranged to go hunting together, she and I. On the night of the “hunter’s moon,” as he called it. It was the new moon. A time where the advantage goes to those with the best night vision. Definitely not the prey, in this case.

·         “What I thought was the first snow of the season turned out to be the gleaming white ash of a thousand burning angels.”

• Whims: Alchemically-crafted slave caste. Serving Whims, Pleasure Whims, Guardian Whims, Labor Whims, etc. Often customized to the buyers preferences.

·         "Why kill me? I am no threat to you."

"You would give me over to those who are."

"No, I swear --"

"They will threaten, then torment, and you will forget how much more dangerous I am than they."

·         “Would you describe this friend of yours as housebroken?”

“Well, he breaks into houses – but I doubt that’s what you mean.”

·         “You must have been born under an angry star.”

·         “You’re going to drink my blood and make me one of you?” Her voice was heavy with dismay, but colored just a little with desperate hope.

The impossibly pale woman replied with a soft, cultured chuckle. The other figures that kept to the shadows erupted in far less polite laughter.

“My dear,” said the woman, “we are not vampires. Your blood shall stay in your veins where it belongs.”

Her agreeable smile brought a similar one to the girl’s ashen face.

The laughter from the surrounding gloom came to a sudden and heart-stopping end. The air was suddenly saturated with a musky stench, tainted by the odor of decay.

“But-” started the girl, and then found she could not continue.

“But we are ghouls,” stated the elegant woman, her face stretching in an impossibly huge grin filled with jagged teeth and glistening drool.

The multitudes surrounding the pair leaned into the wan light and displayed similar predatory smiles.

“And we are going to eat you,” the woman concluded in a voice filled with joyous expectation.

The girl began to sob. The sobbing degenerated into a choking retch. Finally, she launched into a scream.