Exploring Kal-Arath - Episode 11 - The Revenant

Hi everyone,

Exploring Kal-Arath -Episode 11 - The Revenant

Mal-Shui (PC) - Str = 1, Tou = 2, Agi = 1, Int = -1, Presence = 1. Fate Point =1.

Male Human. Age = 24. Brown eyes and hair, 6'1" tall. 

Personality: Friendly, Moody,  HP = 7 out of 7. Xp=1.1.

Equipment

Longsword (Att +1, Dam +1),  Staff, Dagger. Leather Armour

14 days' rations in a sack.Waterskin and strap. Flint.   

 Rough blue tunic, an animal fur cloak. Terradon Tooth necklace with Tribal Totem carving.

Burvin's Journal in a water-resistant pouch. Speckled Eggshell serving bowl. 

In pouch around neck - Gold Coins = 1. Silver Coins = 13.

Threads

 1) Scaleel or Goritan Village Member, 2) Wizard - Jis-Kel, 3)  Khainar Yak Folk, 

4) Ref Sodrav, Tan Muen and Cazen Goorte.5) Hermit,  6).Mad Folk, 

7) Melek-Kesh symbol 

                                 Yamil-Torl  - Str = 1, Tou = 1, Agi = -1, Int = 2, Presence = 1.Fate Point =1.

Male Human. Age =34. Green eyes, Black hair.  5'11" tall.

 Personality: Independent, Opinionated. 

Goal: Wants to visit the jungle. Hp. = 4 out of 6. Xp = 1.1.

.

Equipment

Sling, Staff, Club, (Att+0, Damage d6 / disadvantage).Rough clothes. Bronze helmet. 

Hand Axe. Dagger. Silver Coins in pouch = 17! sack.

Rations = 7 in a sack, including Burvin's supplies. Tarnak Berries/ 1 Ration.

Sword and Shield (Design of the Cultists).

   Deramask and the Hunters Str = 1, Tou = 1, Agi = 1, Int = 2, Presence = 1.Fate Point = Used.

Male Human. Age = 18. Green eyes, Black hair.  5'11" tall.

 Personality: Independent, Willing to listen. 

Goal: Wants to keep his tribe safe.

                        Hp. = 6 of 6.         Xp = 0.2.  

Scouts Boki      Hp = 3 of  3.         Xp = 0.1.   

             Kudu    Hp. = 1.of 1.         Xp = 0.2.   

          Shemba     Hp = 6 of 6.          Xp = 0.1.     

Equipment

Sling, Spear, Hand Axe, Dagger (Att+0, Damage d6/disadvantage).Rough clothes.

Tinder and flint in a pouch. Waterskin, clay bowl. 1 Food sack. Tribal necklace. Hammock 

and sheet. Bedroll, Rations = 7 in a sack. Banners Carriers x 2. Swords & shields X2

Day Five Continues -  Our adventurers have just entered another chamber and met a grisly sight. A corpse was laid out on a table.

After Mal had flicked the head away from the body, the temperature got colder, and a smell of decay permeated the room. And a thin, wispy form appeared above the skeleton. It spoke like the wind through the trees.

"Who disturbs the rest of Aglar Krent. Speak!"

"I am Mal-Sui, formerly of the village of Scaleel." he said defiantly.

"Wait, I sense no malice in you; you are not like those evil ones who put me to death here. 

"We have been calling them the Mad Cult."

"So they are. I was told they called themselves The Beloved of Lotross. I was to be another guardian to their royalty. As you can see, it only partially worked."

"We found their resting place back there."

"Their shaman had managed to stave off their corruption, but nothing else. I can sense their presence."

"How can we grant you peace?

"Burying my body may stop my wandering, but as to my release, I do not know."

"That we can do for you." 

He picked up Aglar's skull where it lay on the floor and placed it back with the rest of the body.

"We shall return soon once we have finished our searches".

Hearing this, Aglar faded away.

He exits through the other hole. The others nod to the spirit as they pass the table and follow Mal.

Kudu, last in line, pauses in front of the table and whispers, "Watch over me, gentle spirit, if you can."

Aglar said nothing, but the smell of decay had lessened. He took that to be a good sign.

(? D6 Will Aglar try? True / False =5 True)

Mal remembers where he is and waits for Yamil to catch up with the torch, shuddering at what misfortune a wrong foot might mean. The tunnel curves back towards the banner room and soon they can see the glittering reflections of the torchlight again.

Yamil said quietly, "I am not sure how we will get him out of there, Mal."

"There was a pot I saw under the other table. That would do if we find nothing else."  

"There is just this tunnel to check now," said Deramask. We can use that old robe as a makeshift torch for later."

Deramask was going to bend down, but Yamil stopped him. " Always be suspicious in here." He prodded it with a staff and flicked it to one side.

(?D6 anything there? 4 = Yes, but)

Under the robe was a coiled snake, Dead, but to make sure, Yamil pounded its skull into pieces. He lifted the robe with the staff and gave it a shake; nothing came out. "That's better."

They entered the final tunnel in the usual manner, tapping away, noting that it angled downwards after fifteen feet. The torch flickered slightly more than usual; there must be a slight breeze.  After thirty feet, the way struck water, a small rivulet running in front of them.

"Be careful, the rocks will be slippery, but they should be rough enough to stop a fall."

A few feet further on.

"Ah, they have put a groove in again."

The water turned to the left of the tunnel floor.

 After another ten feet, it began to get steeper, but not too dangerous to proceed.  The water went faster. Yamil slowed his pace, watching the white rock shining in the wall tilting downward. Another few feet revealed a hole in the floor which the water ran into. 

"I think we have come as far as we can for now."

He did not want to get too close to the edge, as there was no protection against falling into this hole.

They retraced their steps to the banner room and then back to the torture room, placed the remains of Aglar into the pot, Kubu carried his skull. Boki and Shemba carried the banner pole. They went through the larger exit and made their way to the meadow where Burvin Charank was buried. They dug a shallow hole, placed his remains in and then covered them with rocks and stones, leaving a small mound. Yamil scratched Amil's name on a flat stone and placed it on top.

Mal quietly spoke, "Now you will not be alone, Burvin. Aglar, May Burvin and The Great Mother give you the peace that you deserve."

End of Part Eleven

 Mal-Shui (PC) - Str = 1, Tou = 2, Agi = 1, Int = -1, Presence = 1. Fate Point =1.

Male Human. Age = 24. Brown eyes and hair, 6'1" tall. 

Personality: Friendly, Moody,  HP = 7 out of 7. Xp=1.3.

Equipment

Longsword (Att +1, Dam +1),  Staff, Dagger. Leather Armour

14 days' rations in a sack.Waterskin and strap. Flint.   

 Rough blue tunic, an animal fur cloak. Terradon Tooth necklace with Tribal Totem carving.

Burvin's Journal in a water-resistant pouch. Speckled Eggshell serving bowl. 

In pouch around neck - Gold Coins = 1. Silver Coins = 13.

Threads

 1) Scaleel or Goritan Village Member, 2) Wizard - Jis-Kel, 3)  Khainar Yak Folk, 

4) Ref Sodrav, Tan Muen and Cazen Goorte.5) Hermit,  6).Mad Folk, 

7) Melek-Kesh symbol 

                                 Yamil-Torl  - Str = 1, Tou = 1, Agi = -1, Int = 2, Presence = 1.Fate Point =1.

Male Human. Age =34. Green eyes, Black hair.  5'11" tall.

 Personality: Independent, Opinionated. 

Goal: Wants to visit the jungle. Hp. = 4 out of 6. Xp = 1.2

.

Equipment

Sling, Staff, Club (Att+0, Damage d6 / disadvantage).Rough clothes. Bronze helmet. 

Hand Axe. Dagger. Silver Coins in pouch = 17! sack.

Rations = 7 in a sack, including Burvin's supplies. Tarnak Berries/ 1 Ration.

Sword and Shield (Design of the Cultists).

   Deramask and the Hunters Str = 1, Tou = 1, Agi = 1, Int = 2, Presence = 1.Fate Point = Used.

Male Human. Age = 18. Green eyes, Black hair.  5'11" tall.

 Personality: Independent, Willing to listen. 

Goal: Wants to keep his tribe safe.

                        Hp. = 6 of 6.         Xp = 0.4.  

Scouts Boki      Hp = 3 of  3.         Xp = 0.2.   

                                                  Kudu    Hp. = 1.of 1.         Xp = 1 (Deeply affected by his      

                                                  experience. He has gained a Spirit Guide.  He may become a Shaman)   

          Shemba     Hp = 6 of 6.          Xp = 0.2.     

Equipment

Sling, Spear, Hand Axe, Dagger (Att+0, Damage d6/disadvantage).Rough clothes.

Tinder and flint in a pouch. Waterskin, clay bowl. 1 Food sack. Tribal necklace. Hammock 

and sheet. Bedroll, Rations = 7 in a sack. Banners Carriers x 2. Swords & shields X2

Regards all,

Ivor Cogdell

Kal-Arath (C) Copyright 2023 Castle Grief. Permission to copy for personal use.

Exploring Kal-Arath (C) Copyright 2026 Ivor Cogdell.

Map 1a and Mine Maps 1 and 2 Artwork (C) Copyright 2026 Ivor Cogdell.

I am using "Wilderness Encounters" from drivethruRPG.com. No copyright visible.

100 Items Found In An Abandoned Mine From (C) Copyright: the GM Mastery list.

P.S. If you have problems with my choice of colours, email me at ivorcogdell52 "at" gmail.com, and I will send you a plain text version. 

#SaveStargate has Reached Times Square

 Hi Everyone,

                     Gateworld.net has announced that they have taken over Times Square to publicise their campaign to save the StargateSG1 series, originally proposed by MGM Amazon, from oblivion.

                https://www.gateworld.net/news/2026/06/campaign-revive-stargate-times-square/

This is the latest event to promote the large fan base's wishes to be heard by the suits at Amazon, who are currently saying nothing regarding the matter, hoping that it will all blow over and the fans will go back to sleep, like they usually do. 

But the fans of Stargate: SG1 are made of sterner stuff, like those of Star Trek, when they refuse to put up with drivel and demand a quality product for their series. In this case, that is exactly what was on offer, as it had many creators and producers of the original series involved, the writing team had been working for two years, and then it was just snuffed out for a corporate whim. 

Keep the protest going until they are forced to restore SG1 to the active pile again.

Regards all,

Ivor Cogdell

Thoughts On - Google is now liable for the errors of AI.

Transcript of the ruling

 Thoughts On - Google is now liable for the errors of AI.

Hi everybody,

                    I thought this was worth spreading around when I saw this YouTube post. Google has been sued for inaccuracies that its AI produced regarding two companies, giving false information about them. 

Implications of the ruling are discussed in this YouTube podcast by the TECH REPORT - Interviewing Paris Mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85VBfnJRJH4&t=1370s

Google states that 91% of the AI statements are true. Millions of statements are generated every day, so that is a lot of errors. Google replied that it is the user's job to fact-check any information that they are given.  But most will not do so.

If you have to search for a source, what is the point of using AI in the first place?

Data Centers are being built all over the world to help generate the AI boom. They use massive amounts of electricity that is usually generated using fossil fuel gas turbines and consume massive amounts of drinking water for cooling.

Quote:  A medium-sized data centre can consume up to roughly 110 million gallons of water per year for cooling purposes, equivalent to the annual water usage of approximately 1,000 households. Larger data centres can each “drink” up to 5 million gallons per day, or about 1.8 billion annually, usage equivalent to a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people. Together, the nation’s 5,426 data centers consume billions of gallons of water annually. One report estimated that U.S. data centres consume 449 million gallons of water per day and 163.7 billion gallons annually (as of 2021). A 2016 report found that fewer than one-third of data centre operators track water consumption. Water consumption is expected to continue increasing as data centres grow in number, size, and complexity.

According to scientists at the University of California, Riverside, each 100-word AI prompt is estimated to use roughly one bottle of water (or 519 millilitres). This may not sound like much, but billions of AI users worldwide enter prompts into systems like ChatGPT every minute. Large language models require many energy-intensive calculations, necessitating liquid cooling systems.

 SOURCE: THE Environmental And Energy Study Institute

There are 11,426 data centres active now, 

• There are currently 11,426 data centres globally located in 179 countries.
• Demand for data centres is predicted to nearly triple by 2030.
• Between now and 2030, companies worldwide are expected to invest nearly $7 trillion in building and upgrading data centres.
• Global data center power usage is expected to increase to 219 GW over the next five years, enough to power roughly 180 million US homes.
• On average, data centres cover 100,000 square feet, but hyperscale data centres are as large as 10 million square feet.

SOURCE: Programs.com

https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/data-centers-and-water-consumption

All of this, just to generate errors.  AI information is gained by scrolling the internet and taking it all in, not caring about other people's copyright or any errors that may have been inadvertently made. Some articles will have bias against other religions or teachings.

True or false in the classroom

Fact-checking - Where do you go? The local library is usually underfunded and not to the standard you need. "Sorry, that book is on loan, come back in a month". Does Wikipedia provide a better answer? Teachers were against its early use in the classroom, but were won over by its strong reviewing process that evolved at a slow pace.

SOURCE: Tutorful - https://tutorful.co.uk/blog/wikipedia-in-education

Perhaps Google should look at going back to the drawing board, looking at what has been learned with this debacle and retrain its AI on better information, with built-in verification. That would cost money and time, something the board of directors don't like to entertain.

I hope you learned something from this article. I certainly did while researching it (I found a new browser too). It was not on my usual topics, but it did make a green  an environmental point in there that we should be aware of.

This article was generated using the sources provided by https://vivaldi.com/ an AI-free browser. This is my first use of it, and so far I like it. 

Regards to all, and keep digging for those facts.

Ivor Cogdell

https://shows.acast.com/the-tech-report

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Marx

Exploring Kal-Arath Episode 10 - Revelations

 

Hi everybody,

Exploring Kal-Arath - Episode 10 - Revelations

Mal-Shui (PC) - Str = 1, Tou = 2, Agi = 1, Int = -1, Pre = 1. Fate Point =1.

Male Human. Age = 24. Brown eyes and hair, 6'1" tall. 

Personality: Friendly, Moody,  Hp = 7 out of 7. Xp=1.

Equipment

Longsword, (Att +1, Dam +1),  Staff, Dagger. Leather Armour

14 days' rations in a sack.Waterskin and strap. Flint.   

 Rough blue tunic, an animal fur cloak. Terradon Tooth necklace with Tribal Totem carving.

Burvin's Journal in a water-resistant pouch. Speckled Eggshell serving bowl. 

In pouch around neck - Gold Coins = 1. Silver Coins = 13.

Threads

 1) Scaleel or Goritan Village Member, 2) Wizard - Jis-Kel, 3)  Khainar Yak Folk, 

4) Ref Sodrav, Tan Muen and Cazen Goorte.5) Hermit,  6).Mad Folk, 

7) Melek-Kesh symbol 

                                 Yamil-Torl  - Str = 1, Tou = 1, Agi = -1, Int = 2, Presence = 1.Fate Point =1.

Male Human. Age =34. Green eyes, Black hair.  5'11" tall.

 Personality: Independent, Opinionated. 

Goal: Wants to visit the jungle. Hp. = 4 out of 6. Xp = 1

.

Equipment

Sling, Staff, Club, (Att+0, Damage d6 / disadvantage).Rough clothes. Bronze helmet. 

Hand Axe. Dagger. Silver Coins in pouch = 17! sack.

Rations = 7 in a sack, including Burvins supplies. Tarnak Berries/ 1 Ration.

Sword and Shield (Design of the Cultists).

         Deramask and the Hunters Str = 1, Tou = 1, Agi = -1, Int = 2, Presence = 1.Fate Point =1.

Male Human. Age = 18. Green eyes, Black hair.  5'11" tall.

 Personality: Independent, Willing to listen. 

Goal: Wants to keep his tribe safe. Hp. = 6 out of 6. Xp = 0

.

Equipment

Sling, Spear, Hand Axe, Dagger, (Att+0, Damage d6/disadvantage).Rough clothes.

Tinder and flint in a pouch. Waterskin, clay bowl. 1 Food sack. Tribal necklace. Hammock and sheet.

 Bedroll, Rations = 7 in a sack.

The Morning of day five, in the Mine - Yamil peeked around the left corner into the latest chamber, "There's a central pillar, probably from the mining, and I can make out something else as well."

He shuddered.

"What is it? What can you see?" asked Mal.

"Glowing pikes are coming from the left wall, and there is a haunted altar."

He thrust the torch farther in to look for any imminent danger. "Wait, they are not spikes, they are crystals of some sort."

They checked the immediate area for traps.

(?Q Traps? d6 > 2 =no traps).

They stepped farther into the chamber and looked to the left at the crystals, which had formed in a hollow in the rock. There were three lead-lined boxes in there, each with carvings on it. One had a royal arm bracelet depiction, the other had the symbol for Mother Nature of Fertility, and the small one had the Spear of the Royal line upon it. Resting on each was a glowing blue crystal. The light was reflected off the faces of the other crystals, giving the chambers a faint ethereal blue radiance. This was reflecting off the altar, giving it a faint glow. Yamil made the sign of warding off evil spirits. "May Dorgan the Mighty protect us."

"Always," replied the others.

"The miners must have hit this growth of crystals as they were coming this way. The cultists have taken advantage of it to honour their royal family. Those blue crystal things may be protecting them in some fashion. I, for one, will not be disturbing their slumber. We have already found out what their powerful mage could do."

"Yes indeed, they were clearly worshipping them or were performing some sort of rituals here."

 The wooden altar was stained with a dark substance that was probably blood. The Melek-Kesh symbol was carved into the top of the altar. Above it, there were metal hooks hammered into the high roof, with the remains of rope dangling from them.

Looking farther behind the large columns of rock, we saw old remnants of two crossed, sloping banner poles with tattered banners dangling from them, along with swords and shields mounted on the walls, all bearing the same design as the shield Yamil was carrying now. 

There were crudely made benches in the central area facing the altar..

"I will change the design on here as soon as possible, even if it is the brown of plain dirt. They clearly had power at one time, and it seems they did not use it for good".

"That is the way of great power, it always seeks more."

(? D6 Loot?  6 Yes, And information).

Deramask looked at the ragged banners and stated, "We will repurpose them to the glory of our tribe."

Not wanting to argue with their new acquaintance and having no need of them, they both agreed. "Take the weapons too, but check for traps first," he advised.

They carefully examined them, or so they thought.

(? D6 Is there a trap?  5 Yes).

(? D6 Look for trap, 5 Yes, Locate Trap?  1 No.)

 TARGET = Deramask, Boki, Shemba and Kudu 1-4 = 4.

Kudu states, "The wood of this banner looks fine." He picks it off the mounting hooks. There is a slight ping, and a sword mounted above it comes falling towards him.

(? d6 Do Mal or Yamil see the blade falling? Mal = 6+1=7. Y 3+1=4)

Mal shouts, "Above you!"

Yamil shouts slightly later, "The sword!"

(?D2 Dodge or Parry with banner? 2 + Dodge attempt. 6= fail). He slips on some gravel.

Daramask, who is next to Kudu, will burn his Fate Point and Strength to push Kudu out of the way, and he falls to the side, the banner still gripped in his hands.

  2d6+2 = 4,2+2 =8) Can Daramask twist out of the blade's path?  11 Yes, 

Using the skills honed in evading charging boars, he dodges the lethal blade as it clatters to the floor and collides with the benches, landing on top of them, his pack cushioning his fall.

Mal and Yamil are horrified at the sight, remembering what happened to Burvin.

Shemba asks, "Are you hurt, Kudu? Kudu?"

There was no reply.

Shemba rushes to his side. "Kudu!"

Kudu's eyes slowly blink open. "Are you hurt, Kudu?"

"No, but I would have been if it had not been for Daramask." He slowly climbs to his feet and claps Daramask's arm in appreciation.

They found a braided hair connecting the base of the banners to one of the sword hilts on the wall, balanced so it would fall if anyone lifted the banner base off the ground.

Daramask looks at the other banner, "I think just one banner will do. We can leave it here for the time being."

Shemba noticed that Kudu was hurt."Kembu, you are bleeding."

"It's only a scratch."

"Sit on the bench while I fix it."

Shemba bound some healing leaves around it.

(Not worth losing a HP over.)

Mal looked around at the exits, wondering which one to take next.  The left one began just beyond the crystal chamber. The central one was wider than the other two. The other exit was to the right of the banners.

(?d6 Left, Middle, Right  1 Left tunnel).

"Let's go down the left tunnel. The torch should be good for a while." 

He prods around the entrance with the staff to check if it is safe.

"All clear, I hope."

He asks Yamil, "Do you want me to go first?"

"No, I am fine."

The tunnel was mostly straight, and then it curved to the right after a stubby dead end. After about  60 feet, it opened into another roughly circular chamber 30 feet wide with an exit in the right wall.

There was a central table with a humanoid skeleton chained to the top, and a far table with a Ghoul's head hanging from a beam above it.

Mal adopted a defensive posture. He approached the table and flicked the skull off the body onto the floor. He looked around nervously.

Nothing happened.

He drew a sigh of relief.

The others came into the room.

Suddenly, the temperature got colder, and a smell of decay permeated the room. And a thin, wispy form appeared above the skeleton. It spoke like the wind through the trees.

"Who disturbs the rest of Aglar Krent. Speak!"

End of Episode 10.

Mal-Shui (PC) - Str = 1, Tou = 2, Agi = 1, Int = -1, Presence = 1. Fate Point =1.

Male Human. Age = 24. Brown eyes and hair, 6'1" tall. 

Personality: Friendly, Moody,  Hp = 7 out of 7. Xp=1.1.

Equipment

Longsword, (Att +1, Dam +1),  Staff, Dagger. Leather Armour

14 days' rations in a sack.Waterskin and strap. Flint.   

 Rough blue tunic, an animal fur cloak. Terradon Tooth necklace with Tribal Totem carving.

Burvin's Journal in a water-resistant pouch. Speckled Eggshell serving bowl. 

In pouch around neck - Gold Coins = 1. Silver Coins = 13.

Threads

 1) Scaleel or Goritan Village Member, 2) Wizard - Jis-Kel, 3)  Khainar Yak Folk, 

4) Ref Sodrav, Tan Muen and Cazen Goorte.5) Hermit,  6).Mad Folk, 

7) Melek-Kesh symbol 

                                 Yamil-Torl  - Str = 1, Tou = 1, Agi = -1, Int = 2, Presence = 1.Fate Point =1.

Male Human. Age =34. Green eyes, Black hair.  5'11" tall.

 Personality: Independent, Opinionated. 

Goal: Wants to visit the jungle. Hp. = 4 out of 6. Xp = 1.1.

.

Equipment

Sling, Staff, Club, (Att+0, Damage d6 / disadvantage).Rough clothes. Bronze helmet. 

Hand Axe. Dagger. Silver Coins in pouch = 17! sack.

Rations = 7 in a sack, including Burvin's supplies. Tarnak Berries/ 1 Ration.

Sword and Shield (Design of the Cultists).

   Deramask and the Hunters Str = 1, Tou = 1, Agi = 1, Int = 2, Presence = 1.Fate Point = Used.

Male Human. Age = 18. Green eyes, Black hair.  5'11" tall.

 Personality: Independent, Willing to listen. 

Goal: Wants to keep his tribe safe.

                        Hp. = 6 of 6.         Xp = 0.2.  

Scouts Boki      Hp = 3 of  3.         Xp = 0.1.   

             Kudu    Hp. = 1.of 1.         Xp = 0.2.   

          Shemba     Hp = 6 of 6.          Xp = 0.1.     

Equipment

Sling, Spear, Hand Axe, Dagger, (Att+0, Damage d6/disadvantage).Rough clothes.

Tinder and flint in a pouch. Waterskin, clay bowl. 1 Food sack. Tribal necklace. Hammock 

and sheet. Bedroll, Rations = 7 in a sack. Banners Carriers x 2. Swords & shields X2

Regards all,

Ivor Cogdell

Kal-Arath (C) Copyright 2023 Castle Grief. Permission to copy for personal use.

Exploring Kal-Arath (C) Copyright 2026 Ivor Cogdell.

Map 1a and Mine Maps 1 and 2 Artwork (C) Copyright 2026 Ivor Cogdell.

I am using "Wilderness Encounters" from drivethruRPG.com. No copyright visible.

100 Items Found In An Abandoned Mine From (C) Copyright: the GM Mastery list.

P.S. If you have problems with my choice of colours, email me at ivorcogdell52 "at" gmail.com, and I will send you a plain text version.