Captain of the Rimeguard

Welcome to the Fifth night of Dice-ember where tonight we meed the captain of the Rimeguard – Lady Penelope Sungrave. Don’t take her age for granted as this half-elf is looks deceptively young when she already has many years on aspiring captains. So sit back, grab a seasonal beverage and let’s roll into the holiday season!

Captain of the Rimeguard

349SDiEm5

Captain Lady Penelope Sungrave – Created in Nightcafe.

The half-elf captain of the Rimeguard, Lady Penelope Sungrave is a strong, educated and imposing figurehead of the city guard. After being the second in command to Patrik Goloze for nearly a decade when he hung up his sword and shield to take a more peaceful life she was named as his successor which was supported by the city. She has seen many battles and led many offensive and defensive campaigns in Rimeglenn for the betterment of the city and its people.

Despite her generally helpful nature she is stuck between having to prove herself to the lord of the city and her peers due to her appearance. Her father was an elven dignitary and her mother was the daughter of a noble – their love was a secret. When she was born her mother had a decision to cast her out or be cast out herself, and so she decided to leave her life of luxury to raise her daughter.

But since she was born from nobility, her grandparents attempted to accept her and her mother back (to which they both refused) she was treated with favour despite her achievements. By joining the guard she found a place where she was treated as anyone else and by focusing on her training with the blade and her natural talents for tactics she quickly rose through the ranks. However now she has to prove to the lord and other well of nobility that she has their best interest at heart. Due to this she has had to make some quick judgments around the disappearance of property from the nobles homes which she did not believe herself.

However, to give her credit she did work tirelessly to prove the innocence of those who were framed by the mysterious mischief makers that plague the city yearly. She has invested much of her family’s fortune into the bounty to capture those who are responsible which earnt a lot of respect from her peers, soldiers and the nobility – but it never seems to be enough. So long as the mischief makers are around and people find their property stolen and replaced by others belongings she will never be truly accepted as the excellent captain that she is.


Penelope will have a centre role for this adventure so expect her to be fleshed out more in the coming weeks. Thanks for dropping by for another night of Dice-ember updates. Don’t forget that we will keep to expand every day so be sure to visit again tomorrow and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Beginning of Trouble in Rimeglenn

Welcome to the Fourth night of Dice-ember where we look at the beginning of trouble in Rimeglenn for the party. This is the official start of the adventure for the party and we could have two options on how to start it. But we will start wit the simplest and go from there. So sit back, grab a seasonal beverage and let’s roll into the holiday season!

The Beginning of Trouble in Rimeglenn

349SDiEm4

The party found that the city of Rimeglenn was bustling this time of year. As the merchants brought in goods to trade and looked to barter for the best value on their goods they reached out to the local taverns and guilds calling for caravan guards to transport the goods that they had arranged to be sold. Adventurers, guards and henchmen needed not look for work as it seemed to grow in Rimeguard.

As the colder winds blew from the north they brought ice with them it signalled the end of Autumn. The guards became more watchful on the walls and the number of guards patrolling the markets had reduced but those left on this duty were more alert and less likely to be kind to those breaking the law.

The party had come through looking for work and hearing that this time of the year was ripe for all types of odd jobs. The Rimeguard at the gate, the market place and nearly all that they spoke too recommended that they head to the Rusty Duck Inn. The owner looked at adventurers with favour and provided good value accommodation, food and drinks. It also happened to be the safest of all Inns in the city with the least reported thefts due to the owner, Patrik.

After finding the inn rather easily, as everyone knew where it was, the party looked around at the nearby shops which were all catered for adventurers. After a day of shopping and enquiring about work they made their way back to the Inn and settled in for the night in rooms made for Adventuring parties.

The next day they woke up after a blissful night’s sleep. The door had bolts and locks to ensure the party would be safe and even the windows had bars that locked from the inside to guarantee safety. Regardless of the precautions taken the party found that each one of them had a trinket, item or tool taken during the night and replaced by a wooden statue. The statue was well carved, painted poorly to look like a villager and about the size from palm to fingertip.

When they got downstairs they found Patrik already discussing similar thefts with other adventurers who had stayed here overnight. “Yes, you had something stolen?” he said to a halfling who looked to be the one who would normally be the one doing the stealing.

“Yes, my lucky enchanted dagger actually. Stolen from my bag.” the halfling exasperatedly said.

“And did you find anything unusual in its place?” Patrik the innkeeper asked as he leant against the bench. For a moment the halfling hesitated, the party could see that he was fidgeting and was nervous.

“No nothing. What an odd thing to ask.” the halfling said as he recovered his posture. “Well do tell me when you get my dagger back. It is worth a small fortune.” the halfling continued.

“I am sure it is.” Patrik said as the halfling walked out. “And what about you? Something to report stolen and, let me guess, nothing out of the ordinary?” he asked the party. When the party produced the little wooden dolls Patrik stood up from leaning over. “These were left in place of the items you lost, you say. Are you sure?” Patrik asked. When it was confirmed he beckoned over a young man who just entered the room. “Right on time Dyson. I need you to go the the Rimeguards quarters and tell Lady Penelope that the Season has begun.”

Dyson stood still for a moment before nodding once and dashing out of the room. “You lot don’t fancy having a drink with me over lunch? There may be a job, a large one, and you will be the first one offered it if you are keen.” Patrik said as he started to hurry about the room and fetching keyrings from draws. “Here,” he said as he handed a keyring to the party. “Under one of the beds will be a chest. Place any valuables you have in it and ensure it’s locked before you go to sleep. Bring the keys back to me and I can then give them back to you in the morning. You have come to Rimeglenn during the weirdest time of the year.”


And that’s it for tonight. The alternative beginning of this is where the party hear about the large bounty for the thieves and come to take the job – but that one isn’t as exciting. Thanks for dropping by for another night of Dice-ember updates. Don’t forget to come back daily for more holiday one-shot content and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Rusty Duck Inn

Welcome to the Third night of Dice-ember and tonight I invite you to visit the Rusty Duck Inn. This inn caters for adventurers down to the most minute of detail and that’s all because of its proprietor – Patrik Goloze. So sit back, grab a seasonal beverage and let’s roll into the holiday season!

The Rusty Duck Inn

348SDiEm3

The Rusty Duck Inn – Created in Nightcafe.

Whilst not the fanciest of places the Rusty Duck inn is quite famous in Rimeglenn. Home to Patrik Goloze who was the captain of the Rimeguard before retirement, it is famous for its focus on supporting adventurers and the folk that protect the city. Patrik is a benefactor of many potentials who come through the city looking for fame and fortune whilst adventuring.

Patrik Goloze – Created in ArtBreeder.

He has also, once or twice, donned his old suit of armour and defended the city from the hordes of gnolls and overly-ambitious orcs that have decided that they wanted to waste their life at the gates of Rimeglenn. 

Due to his nature, fame and rapport his inn happens to be the safest in the city with none daring to upset Patrik. The Rusty Duck inn serves decent, hearty food at a good price and boasts several rooms that have separate bedrooms. Patrik understands that adventuring doesn’t mean that the party sleeps in the same bed but there is an element of safety with your party that people may want to insist on. 

The inn also has attracted fine quality smiths, leather workers, fletchers and other merchants to set up shop nearby so they can cater to the adventurers and guild members who stay at the Rusty Duck Inn. These shops charge a fair price for the quality of goods and treat adventurers well. But a warning must be given that many of these merchants used to be adventurers once upon a time as well and they don’t take kindly to threats, extortion or thievery.


Thanks for dropping by for another night with Dice-ember content. Don’t forget to come back daily for more holiday one-shot content and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The City of Rimeglenn

Welcome to the second night of Dice-ember where we get our first glimpse at the city of Rimeglenn. Similar to last year with the images from Snowtown Rimeglenn is a cold place covered in snow. In Australia its rare that we get snow in most of the country in December but its different for half the year. But for me I picture Rimeglenn in the beginnings of the throws of winter – for one main reason as well which will be revealed in due time. But enough of that for now.

So sit back, grab a seasonal beverage and let’s roll into the holiday season!

The City of Rimeglenn

348SDiEm2

Rimeglenn – Created in Nightcafe.

Rimeglenn started off as a small logging town at the bottom of the Rimeteeth – a series of mountains that have dense forests around them. Because of their location, a freshwater river and bountiful resources nearby the town quickly became a hub for forestry and reaping the bounty of the land.

The people of Rimeglenn expanded and found that they didn’t have the resources or trades available to cater for their rate of expansion. To address this they expanded into mining, smithing and more trade and very soon the city expanded past their initial humble beginnings. This, however, drew the attention of the creatures of the area and soon raids, attacks and worse started to occur in the city. The city then had to quickly form a militia to defend against the near constant onslaught from gnolls, goblinoids and worse from the mountains.

However this need for defence spurred on the creation of the Rimeguard – a hardened unit of grizzled defenders who fought the worst of the creatures from the land. This elite guard quickly expanded and formed a backbone of the defence of the city. After a few years the city was walled and defended by a guard of a few hundred but content in staying within their borders and focusing on their trade.

Due to the position the city is warm in the Summer with cooling breezes and fresh water that runs from the mountains. The time of great harvest with the crops being ready after the spring showers and with the animals benefiting from this the most. Being able to fatten up their herd animals so that they can replenish their stores before winter.

During the Autumn months many of the trees would lose their leaves and the game in the land starts to move to other places. This causes the people of Rimeglenn to turn to the river where a migration of fish and other creatures that feed on the fish occurs. The animals that fattened from summer and spring are ready for slaughtering or sale now and so the city goes through a period of feast and festivals.

Winter sees creatures coming down from the mountains to plague the city and they begin to rely on trade and what they have stored up over Autumn and Summer.

Spring is the season where this is a lot of hard work. Once the grounds are not frozen over the people of the city sew crops and tend to their animals. Animals start to come back to the land as well to feast on the new grass, the abundance of prey and familiar grounds to have their babies.


Thanks for dropping by tonight to get a bit of a glimpse at the city of Rimeglenn. Tomorrow night I plan for a double event, two posts on one day, so make sure to come back for that and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Agents of Mischief

Welcome to the first night of Dice-ember, the December One-shot that I do here every year, and tonight I wanted to touch on the Agents of Mischief. Next week we will kick off the involvement from the adventurers, our party’s, and how they will be involved but this week I wanted to set the scene a bit.

So sit back, grab a seasonal beverage and let’s roll into the holiday season!

The Agents of Mischief

348SDiEm1

Emerali woke up with a start. She wondered if it was her parents that woke her up but her mother snored a few metres away and she could see the shape of her dad outlined in the light that was coming through the window and from the candles that burned slowly nearby. Taking a spare candle she lit it and attached it to the holder that enabled her to walk without getting her hands covered in hot wax.

Her father had spent most of an hour putting their precious things away in a chest that he had the key for since they had been targeted by the thieves this year. When they woke up yesterday morning they had found that each one of them had a single shoe taken and replaced by these little wooden toy people. Her Parents were furious but when they reported it the same thing had happened to the other people at the Rimeguard headquarters.

Walking to the kitchen and living space of the house she looked for the source of the noise. It was probably their cat hunting a mouse or looking for more food. But when she looked around she saw the cat was standing on the table looking intently at the chairs. As she approached she heard the scritch-scratching of something climbing the wooden chairs and so she stopped and waited. If it was a mouse or a rat she would try and keep it as a pet. Her parents never let her keep them but she found their twitchy noses just the best.

But what emerged from the other side of the chair was not a pink twitchy nose. A tiny wooden hand slowly emerged then several more before in a single movement the tiny wooden people pulled themselves up onto the chairs back and stood up balancing perfectly on the back of the chair. Emerali stood for a moment before she screamed. The toys were cursed, she was expecting a cute mouse or rat but instead she was not ready for the creepy toys that she had found this morning instead of her shoe.

As soon as Emerali screamed the toys went stiff as a board and fell back onto the ground. Her parents appeared moments after and found her staring at the toys but no matter how much she pleaded with them they wouldn’t believe her that they were moving and climbing the chair. Emerali was eventually coaxed back into bed and she had a fitful sleep filled with dreams of toys climbing up her legs.


And that’s the lot for tonight. Thanks for dropping by to follow along with this weeks content. Don’t forget that each day for the next few weeks is another day that we expand and grow this one-shot. So don’t forget to come back daily and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Season of Mischief

Welcome welcome to the end of year sessional one-shot that I have coined, Dice-ember with this years adventure focusing around the season of Mischief. If you can recall last year we had trouble in snow-town, the year before we had an adventure that was akin to heisting Santa’s sleigh and this year – we have something different once again. This adventure will be 25 days of content with, hopefully, my holiday gift to you being a complete Zine that is Christmas Themed. But before I get too ahead of my self tonight is the night before dice-ember and so, a prelude if you will.

So sit back, grab a seasonal beverage and let’s roll into the holiday season in style!

The Season of Mischief

348SDiEmPr

Dyson had just finished nailing the last of the notices on the notice boards at the Rusty Duck inn when the first of the cold winds blew down from the mountains. Dyson placed the hammer and nails back into the satchel he had slung around his shoulder and looked at the message he had just hammered to the wood.

Attention:

Several reports have come to the Rimeguard of late reporting the theft of items from citizens of Rimeglenn. All reports have indicated that in the same place the item was stolen from was left another item. Some have been handed into the Rimeguard already and we ask that if you are missing an item to come and see the guards.

Unfortunately this indicates that the season of mischief has begun. On the Authority of Lord Samite of Rimeglenn and Lady Penelope, the Rimeguard captain we are declaring this season active.

There is a large bounty to capture the offending parties as they commit these large amounts of theft but urge people to safeguard their own valuables. Lock away your items in a safe or hide them somewhere secure if possible. There is no guarantee that this will protect your items and the Rimeguard are unable to look into all of these incidents. As such we are calling for aid for all able bodies adventurers to help investigate the cases of mass theft during the season of Mischief.

– Sergeant Fiona Doleston of the Rimeguard.

Dyson had just finished nailing the last of the notices on the notice boards at the Rusty Duck inn when the first of the cold winds blew down from the mountains. Dyson placed the hammer and nails back into the satchel he had slung around his shoulder and looked at the message he had just hammered to the wood.

Dyson had himself already woken up with his bowls and plates missing and in their place small wooden figurines were left. He had reported it to the Rimeguard but his bowls and plates had not been turned in yet. So he left the figurines in with the guard so that if someone came looking for them that they may find them. However, this wasn’t the first year that this had happened. Every year for the last half-decade as soon as the weather got cold people would report that their belongings were being taken and exchanged with other residents of Rimeglenn.

At first people believed that it was a band of thieves stealing everything and when the guards started to investigate they arrested many people only to find that they had no idea how the stolen items ended up in their house or possession and that they too had their items stolen. The following years they attempted to catch the thieves but it was as if they didn’t exist.

And so the lord of the city, Lord Samite, declared a large bounty to anyone who could capture these thieves and put an end to the season of mischief. But so far the bounty had increased but no luck in successfully capturing the culprits.

Dyson sighed, it looked like he would have to find another way to eat his food without his bowls and plates until he either brought more or they were turned in.


Thanks for joining me for the prelude of this years Dice-ember adventure, the Annual December One-shot that I do for Brazen Wolfe Tabletop. Don’t forget that for the next 25 days I will be producing more updates and content that build up the full story for this one shot. So don’t forget to come back daily and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Adventure: The Snowman of Snowtown

Welcome to the last night of 2022 and the close of December. This year we looked at the adventure to Ryokughan and also the dice-ember adventure: The Snowman of Snowtown. It’s been a big year and I am happy to provide the first adventure booklet that I have worked on this past month. You can find the PDF of this Zine-style booklet attached and if you want to re-cap on the journey here you can read up on it all here.

As with all my adventures art is a mixture between Artbreeder, Inkarnate and now Nightcafe.studio. D&D stuff is tetra-cube, D&D Beyond and Kobold fight club.

Now that I have worked out the format for these documents I hope to be able to release a few of them in the coming year. I also hope to also encourage local Dungeon and Game Masters to pick them up and run these adventures with their parties.

Thanks for joining me tonight, this month and this year and, as always, thanks for your continual support.
The Brazen Wolfe

Folk Heroes

Tonight I wanted to look at two folk heroes that we can use in any game. Both were fundamentally just artwork I created* and their story, objectives and potential were inspired by the art. Both heroes are well known by their peers and enemies alike but chose to live a simply life instead of ruling or conquering – despite having the potential to do so. I think there is something truly noble in that and wanted the inspiration for today to really send a message that heroes are also born from nothing and don’t have to aspire to be the loudest or brightest in the room.


Folk Heroes

252TuFoHe

Folk Heroes – Randall Hensley

Folk Hero – Randall Hensley Created in nightcafe.studio

Randall was recruited into a mercenary company from a very young age. He learnt that to fight for his life and his meals whilst serving with his brothers when in the service to a king, a madman but powerful. As the renown of the company grew to greater heights so did his passion to improve his skill sets and so he searched for forgotten blades of Ikshar. These blades were forged by master smiths of their time and then blessed by the priests of a falling deity.

As such no ordinary warrior could wield them but Randall trained harder so that one day when he found them he would be worthy. When his boss, the company leader, brought him into the tent and provided him a map to the powerful blades Randall rushed off to find that they were guarded by a feeble old man. Seeing the pain and suffering that he was enduring Randall came to understand that the blades carried a curse. You would be unbeatable, unable to be bested by the blades of mortal men but… you would watch everyone and everything you lived or cared for die and wither away to nothing.

He swore and oath to ensure that no one would take these blades for greed or power. And the priest so convinced by his change of heart gave them to him. Over the next decade he did not grow old but he watched his family, the mercenary company slowly die one by one. He began to seek out death and eventually, he got his wish. He faked his own death and fled for a distant land to find peace where no one seeking the blades power could find them.

Randall now resides as a merchant selling bags, rope and other general goods to adventurers and who ever is in need. Content to live his life and to not take anything for granted. The blades curse still holds him tightly but he has only had to draw them once. To protect the village from an Orc slavers raid.

Folk Heroes – Anne Rivers

Anne Rivers: created in artbreeder

Not blessed by magical blades, a deity, spirit or Fae, Anne has spent her life sticking up for the small people. An orphan by any other name is still an orphan, however Anne rose above her sad start to become a guardian for all. Abandoned as her parents had no need for a seventh daughter she grew up with a woman who was just kind enough to feed and clothe her but not kind enough to love her. She learnt that a family isn’t just who you were born to, who you were raised by but who you chose to keep close and value above all else.

She started to look out for the other orphans and street urchins when she was little. In fact this trend continued well past her teens where she became more of a mother and leader figure to a rather well known street gang. This gang however didn’t rob, hustle or attack others but they carried messages and did odd jobs for the community. Something that Anne enforced with an iron fist. Soon Anne became well respected by the merchants and city folk in her district but others began to take note.

Now in each story there has to be some villain somewhere and ours lies with the city guard. Corrupt as they were numerous it was hard to sneeze in the city without the guard trying to extort money out of you. In fact the city guard tried that numerous times with Anne and her gang but she resisted heavily. When the Guard started to move in and try the same tricks with the people in her district they quickly found out why she rules the streets.

Several skirmishes and small fights later and the guard tried to take her out by force. The battle was bloody and the casualties many but Anne invoked the right of single combat with the captain of the guard. The stakes were high but Anne watched as the guard began to beat and riot through the shops even as she had invoked the right and her desire for justice was unquenchable. In a clutch moment, using the uneven terrain of the streets she lunged on the far better equipped captain and slew him. Her first kill.

The towns folk rallied to her and pushed back the guard. In fact that day the guard came to know that her little family of street gang members were not just urchins and messengers but they could in fact hold their own in a street fight. Their streets their rules.

The guard did not return to the district again and with Anne at the lead the other district soon stood up against the corruption. Anne’s name is still whispered when ever there is any unrest, the city folk believing that she will rally and rise up against any injustice and tyranny that threaten her extended family.


Thanks for dropping by tonight and reading about the ideas on these two folk heroes. Not all heroes wear capes, as the saying goes, and in this instance they also dont call themselves heroes. But they serve the people and fight for what’s right when they need to. So don’t forget this when you look to your next adventure and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Snowman of Snowtown

Welcome to the twenty fourth night of Dice-ember where tonight we look at the final plug for our adventure, The Snowman of Snowtown. As tomorrow is Christmas and next week I’ll look to wrap up the final product tonight will, more or less, be the final post for Dice-ember 2022. So sit back, enjoy a coffee and read on.


The Snowman of Snowtown

251SaDiEm24

A frigid breeze blasts down from the Gritch mountains and brings with it the deep rhythmic singing of the goliaths that call the mountains home. The town of Snowman sits amongst these large mountains, surrounded by wooded forest and it once was a bustling agricultural town that supplied stone and food to cities further south. That was before the accident that caused the quarry to close and now the town is on the brink of collapse with only the shipments of food and livestock keeping the town going.

But the shipments from Snowtown have stopped and rumours of the forests nearby being haunted by malevolent spirits have come instead. The one city that is unwavering in their support of Snowtown (and the animals and goods that the town supplies) has requested aid from local adventurers to go and check on Snowtown and see if they require assistance.

Meanwhile a young enchantress deals with the loss of her girlhood crush, the rejection and persecution by a narrowminded community and the offer to work for a madman. It must be the crazy season.


Thanks for joining me tonight. With the final parts of the Snowtown adventure coming together I want to thank those who have visited and who have supported this little endeavour of mine for this past year and a bit. Next year I will change things up again to bring more one-shot content and go back to what the true intention of this blog is. But before we get to that I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and holiday season. I hope you all get to spend some time relaxing and celebrating with those near and dear. And lastly don’t forget to roll with advantage, we never know when we may need it,
The Brazen Wolfe

Battle down the steps

The twenty third day of dice-ember brings the creature which give meaning to the battle down the steps. These two creatures could not be further apart. One forged by magic, the other an ambush predator found in caves. Both of them enriching to our encounter and the story overall. So sit back, grab a coffee and enjoy the creatures.


Battle down the steps

251FrDiEm23

Snow Piercer

A relatively unknown yet horrifying fact about creatures in this world is that they adjust to their environments. Perhaps one of the best examples of this is the piercer.

An ambush predator by trade it hangs onto cave roofs amongst stalactites and waits for creatures to walk underneath. Once the prey is there it releases its grip on the roof and plummets down to the prey. Its weaponry is tailored for such a fight, a large, thick hard tail that looks like a rock that it uses to impale its surprised prey before turning around to munch on it with its mandibles.

Now these creatures would not be very good in areas where there isn’t standard stalactites so these creatures have been found to adapt. The case in point is the snow or ice piercer. These creatures look like a frozen icicle, opaque yet still deadly. Other than their white-blue skin and wet appearance they act identically to other piercers found out in the wild.

Created in tetra-cube

Encounter

I would imagine between two and three per two party members will be plenty. These aren’t meant to kill or significantly delay the party but to throw in some tension on their way down the stairs. It also goes with the theme of Dice-ember. “False Appearance” which can create both apprehension and excitement for our parties.


Frostkeeper Construct

The Frostkeeper construct is a shell, a suite of magical amour that protects the broken form beneath. That’s what it was originally intended to be anyway. The Frostkeeper construct created by Aster Sepharin was to preserve what remained of Mark Kenderson’s body after her construct injured him. The idea behind the construct is to form an icy armour around the soft damaged human parts but what Aster got was much more.

This construct is tough, resilient and brutal. Able to rein significant punches and kicks with its enhanced strength as well as immune to many things that mages take for granted. However it is still weak to fire do to its tendency to defrost.

Created in tetra-cube

Encounter

In combat this thing will stalk its prey. Its not smart or cunning but it has its set of orders, “protect yourself until the human form can be restored”. Due to this if it senses any hostility towards itself it will attack – Aster found this out when she turned against her creation.

The creature will attack from the darkness and relentlessly lay into anything with exposed fire, knowing its weakness. If there is a mage that uses fire it will seek them out first and relentlessly beat them to a pulp.


Thanks for coming tonight to stop by and look at the creations for this weeks adventure. Don’t forget to come back this weekend for the end of it all, and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe