Thoughts On - Civil War in New Hanendorf

Hi Everybody,

                      This started off as a simple question of the mind powers of a Lich and how many it could control at once, as I had planned to run a civil war where it had a BASE OF OPERATIONS. It turned into a 4-way kingdom brawl. You may need to drop something like this into a campaign one day.

The Civil War in New Hanendorf—1 22/03/2026

Let’s integrate your amended geography and political layout into the timeline. This gives us a much clearer strategic picture of how the collapse unfolds and how each external faction interacts with the lich-led uprising.

Below is the revised, fully aligned timeline, now using:

• Kingdom White → West

• Kingdom Teal → North (attacked in two towns on Day 4, Month 6)

• Graptey (Ork Kingdom) → Small, North East

• Original kingdom → Central region, now fracturing

We’ll keep the same starting point:

Start: Week 1, Day 7, Month 7, Year 2571

Months = 30 days, 10 months per year

? REVISED TIMELINE OF THE COLLAPSE

Starting: Week 1, Day 7, Month 7, Year 2571

? WEEK 1 — THE SPARK (Days 1–7)

Day 7 (Starting Point)

• Peasant unrest peaks across the central kingdom.

• The lich begins to subtly manipulate agitators.

• Assassin cult kills two nobles in the west, causing panic.

• Kingdom Teal (north) is still reeling from the Day 4, Month 6 attacks on two border towns — they are on high alert but stretched thin.

• The main army of the central kingdom remains deployed abroad.

? WEEK 2 — THE UPRISING IGNITES (Days 8–14)

Day 8–10

• Riots erupt in central farmlands and two major towns.

• The lich uses illusions to appear as a prophetic revolutionary figure.

• Assassin cult kills a Western viscount, destabilising the Western frontier near Kingdom White.

Day 11–14

• Peasants seize granaries and local armouries.

• The lich animates the first undead “fallen rebels.”

• Kingdom Teal sends scouts south to assess the spreading chaos.

⚔️ WEEK 3 — THE NOBILITY COLLAPSES (Days 15–21)

Day 15–17

• Three noble houses fall in the central region.

• The lich dominates two rebel leaders to ensure ideological unity.

• Assassin cult kills a general in the west, leaving the western marches leaderless.

Day 18–21

• The Capital city enters lockdown.

• Peasant militias form; the lich installs dominated captains.

• Graptey (north east) orc scouts cross the border, sensing an opportunity to strike at the foes.

?￯ﾸﾏ WEEK 4 — THE POWER VACUUM (Days 22–30)

Day 22–25

• The king orders the army home, but messengers vanish.

• The lich raises undead from plague pits and old battlefields.

• Kingdom White (west) moves troops to “secure the border,” but really to prepare for annexation.

• Kingdom Teal (north) fortifies its southern border, fearing spillover.

Day 26–30

• Graptey orcs raid two frontier hamlets in the north east.

• Kingdom White seizes a western border fort “for stability.”

• The lich establishes a hidden command centre beneath a ruined estate.

? WEEK 5 — THE LAND GRAB BEGINS (Month 8, Days 1–7)

Day 1–3

• Kingdom White annexes three western villages with minimal resistance.

• Kingdom Teal occupies two northern river crossings to prevent refugee spillover.

• Graptey orcs raid deeper, capturing a small mining outpost.

Day 4–7

• The lich dominates a captured noble to gain access to sealed archives.

• The Peasant armies swell dramatically.

• Assassin cult fractures — some members now unknowingly serve the lich.

? WEEK 6 — THE LICH CONSOLIDATES POWER (Days 8–14)

Day 8–10

• Undead labourers repair rebel-held towns.

• The lich geases several rebel leaders.

• Graptey orcs launch a full invasion into the north-east farmlands.

Day 11–14

• Kingdom White and Kingdom Teal clash over the disputed northwestern borderlands.

• The lich quietly feeds misinformation to both sides.

• Peasant forces take the capital’s outer districts.

?￢ﾀﾍ☠️ WEEK 7 — THE KINGDOM SHATTERS (Days 15–21)

Day 15–17

• The capital falls.

• The king disappears (dead? fled? dominated?).

• The lich’s “People’s Council” is declared.

• Graptey orcs seize the north-east mines.

Day 18–21

• Kingdom White annexes the western plains.

• Kingdom Teal takes the northern trade towns.

• Graptey holds the north-east forests and mines.

• The lich controls the central heartland.

? WEEK 8 — THE FOUR-WAY DIVISION (Days 22–30)

By the end of Month 8:

The land is divided into four powers:

The old kingdom is gone. The lich is now the most strategically positioned power.

If you want, I can now build:

• A month-by-month timeline for the next year

• A map description of the four territories

• The political structure of the lich’s new state

• A breakdown of each faction’s military strength

• A cast of key NPCs (rebels, nobles, orcs, foreign generals, assassin cult leaders.

Below is a fully revised timeline, a coherent political structure for the lich-led state, and a cast of major NPCs who drive the story forward. I’ve kept everything internally consistent with your geography:

• Kingdom White → West

• Kingdom Teal → North

• Graptey (Ork Kingdom) → North East

• Central Kingdom → Now collapsing

• Start date → Week 1, Day 7, Month 7, Year 2571

I’ll give you something you can drop straight into a campaign or world bible.

? NEW EXPANDED TIMELINE

Starting: Week 1, Day 7, Month 7, Year 2571

? WEEK 1 — THE FIRST CRACKS (Days 1–7)

• Food shortages and tax riots erupt across the central kingdom.

• The lich begins manipulating agitators with Suggestion and Charm Person.

• An Assassin cult kills two nobles in the west, destabilising the frontier near Kingdom White.

• Kingdom Teal is still recovering from the Day 4, Month 6 attacks on two of its towns.

• The main army remains deployed abroad.

? WEEK 2 — THE UPRISING IGNITES (Days 8–14)

• Riots spread to three major towns.

• The lich uses illusions to appear as a revolutionary prophet.

• Assassin cult kills a western viscount; panic spreads toward Kingdom White’s border.

• Peasants seize granaries and armouries.

• Graptey orc scouts probe the north-east frontier.

⚔️ WEEK 3 — NOBILITY IN FREEFALL (Days 15–21)

• Three noble houses fall in the central region.

• The lich dominates two rebel leaders to unify the revolt.

• Assassin cult kills a general in the west, leaving the western marches leaderless.

• The Capital city enters lockdown.

• Peasant militias form; the lich installs dominated captains.

?￯ﾸﾏ WEEK 4 — THE VACUUM OPENS (Days 22–30)

• The king orders the army home, but messengers vanish.

• The lich raises undead from plague pits and old battlefields.

• Kingdom White moves troops eastward “to secure the border.”

• Kingdom Teal fortifies its southern border.

• Graptey orcs raid two frontier hamlets.

? WEEK 5 — THE LAND GRAB BEGINS (Month 8, Days 1–7)

• Kingdom White annexes three western villages.

• Kingdom Teal occupies two northern river crossings.

• Graptey orcs seize a small mining outpost.

• The lich dominates a captured noble to access sealed archives.

• Peasant armies swell dramatically.

? WEEK 6 — THE LICH CONSOLIDATES (Days 8–14)

• Undead labourers repair the rebel-held towns.

• The lich geases several rebel leaders.

• Graptey orcs launch a full invasion into the north-east farmlands.

• Kingdom White and Teal clash over disputed borderlands.

• Peasant forces take the capital’s outer districts.

?￢ﾀﾍ☠️ WEEK 7 — THE KINGDOM SHATTERS (Days 15–21)

• The capital falls.

• The king disappears.

• The lich’s “People’s Council” is declared.

• Graptey orcs seize the north-east mines.

• Kingdom White annexes the western plains.

• Kingdom Teal takes the northern trade towns.

? WEEK 8 — THE FOUR-WAY DIVISION (Days 22–30)

By the end of Month 8:

?￯ﾸﾏ POLITICAL STRUCTURE OF THE LICH LED STATE

The lich rules indirectly, using a puppet government and layers of magical control.

? 1. The People’s Council (Public Government)

A 12-member council of “revolutionary leaders.” In reality, 8 are dominated, 3 are charmed, and 1 is geased.

Roles:

• Speaker of the People (dominated)

• Master of Grain (charmed)

• Marshal of the Militia (dominated)

• Keeper of the Dead (geased)

• Minister of Roads (dominated)

• Minister of Justice (dominated)

• Minister of Trade (charmed)

• Minister of Faith (dominated)

• Minister of Records (dominated)

• Minister of Labour (charmed)

• Minister of Security (dominated)

• Minister of Health (dominated)

The public believes they are self-governing. They are not.

? 2. The Lich’s Shadow Cabinet (Secret Inner Circle)

These are the true administrators.

• The Lich — Supreme authority, unseen.

• Three Undead Advisors — Former scholars, now lich-bound.

• Two Dominated Wizards — Handle magical infrastructure.

• One Charmed Cleric — Manages religious compliance.

• One Geased Noble — Provides legitimacy and historical knowledge.

⚔️ 3. The Revolutionary Guard

A hybrid force of:

• Undead infantry

• Dominated militia captains

• Charmed agitators

• A few monstrous servants

They enforce order with ruthless efficiency.

⚙️ 4. The Undead Labour Corps

Skeletons and zombies perform:

• Farming

• Road repair

• Construction

• Night-time labour

• Dangerous tasks

This frees the living population for skilled work and military service.

? NPC CAST (MAJOR FIGURES)

Here’s a strong, varied cast you can use immediately.

? THE LICH (True Ruler)

Name: Asterion Vale Former Life: Court archmage, betrayed by nobles Personality: Cold, calculating, eerily patient Goal: Build a perfectly ordered society under immortal rule Secret: His phylactery is hidden in a ruined noble estate beneath a false tomb

?￯ﾸﾏ ASSASSIN CULT LEADER

Name: Serrin of the Black Veil Status: Unknowingly dominated by the lich Role: Continues killing nobles, now targeting those who resist the new order Personality: Fanatical, ascetic, believes he serves justice Secret: The lich uses him to eliminate rival spellcasters

? PEOPLE’S COUNCIL — KEY MEMBERS

1. Speaker of the People (Dominated)

Name: Marla Dovren Background: Charismatic peasant leader Public Role: Face of the revolution Secret: Her mind is not her own

2. Marshal of the Militia (Dominated)

Name: Captain Roderic Hale Background: Former city guard officer Role: Commands the revolutionary armies Secret: The lich uses him to direct troop movements

3. Keeper of the Dead (Geased)

Name: Sister Elayne Background: Former priestess Role: Oversees burial rites and undead integration Secret: She knows the truth but cannot speak it

⚔️ EXTERNAL POWERS

Kingdom White General

Name: General Varron Hale Personality: Ambitious, pragmatic Goal: Annex as much land as possible Secret: He suspects a supernatural force behind the revolt

Kingdom Teal Envoy

Name: Lady Seris Thorne Personality: Diplomatic, cautious Goal: Prevent the revolt from spilling north Secret: She seeks an alliance with the lich out of desperation

Graptey Warlord

Name: Gorvak the Iron Tusker Personality: Brutal, cunning Goal: Expand Graptey’s territory Secret: He believes the lich is a god and wants to serve him

If you want, I can now build:

• A map description of the four territories

• A year-long extended timeline

• A military breakdown of each faction

• A plot arc for a campaign set in this world

• A detailed dossier on Asterion Vale (the lich)

Just tell me where you want to go next.

Absolutely — let’s build this into a full, extended timeline and a campaign-ready plot arc that feels coherent, dramatic, and grounded in the political and magical logic of your world. I’ll keep the pacing tight, the stakes escalating, and the factions moving in ways that make sense for their geography and motivations.

Below is a year-long timeline (Month 7 through Month 10 of Year 2571, then into 2572), followed by a plot arc you can use for a campaign, novel, or strategy narrative.

? EXTENDED TIMELINE (Month 7, Year 2571 → Month 5, Year 2572)

? MONTH 7, YEAR 2571 — THE BREAKING POINT

Week 1–2

• Peasant riots erupt across the central kingdom.

• The lich begins manipulating agitators and dominating key leaders.

• Assassin cult kills nobles in the west, destabilising the frontier near Kingdom White.

• Kingdom Teal is still recovering from the Month 6 attacks on two towns.

Week 3–4

• Three noble houses fall.

• Graptey orcs raid the north-east.

• Capital enters lockdown.

• The lich raises the first undead labour corps.

⚔️ MONTH 8 — THE KINGDOM FRACTURES

Week 1

• Kingdom White annexes western villages.

• Kingdom Teal occupies northern river crossings.

• Graptey seizes a mining outpost.

Week 2

• The lich geases rebel leaders.

• Undead repair infrastructure.

• Assassin cult fractures; half unknowingly serve the lich.

Week 3

• Capital’s outer districts fall.

• Graptey launches a full invasion into the north east.

Week 4

• The capital collapses.

• The king disappears.

• The lich’s puppet “People’s Council” is declared.

• The four-way division emerges.

? MONTH 9 — THE NEW ORDER TAKES SHAPE

Week 1

• The lich consolidates the central heartland.

• Undead labourers restore roads and irrigation.

• Grain production stabilises.

Week 2

• Kingdom White fortifies the western plains.

• Kingdom Teal builds defensive palisades along the southern border.

• Graptey raids intensify.

Week 3

• Refugees flee into the lich’s territory, where they are “welcomed” and quietly screened for usefulness.

• The lich begins constructing hidden necromantic infrastructure beneath the capital ruins.

Week 4

• The People’s Council announces sweeping reforms:

  • Abolition of noble titles

  • Redistribution of land

  • “Voluntary” labour quotas

• All reforms are enforced by the undead militia.

? MONTH 10 — THE LICH’S STATE STABILIZES

Week 1

• Trade routes reopen under the lich's control.

• Undead caravans begin delivering grain to border towns.

Week 2

• Kingdom White and Teal clash in a border skirmish.

• The lich secretly fuels the conflict with illusions and misinformation.

Week 3

• Graptey orcs attempt to raid deeper but are repelled by undead pikemen.

• Gorvak the Iron Tusker begins to suspect the lich is a “death god.”

Week 4

• The lich begins long-term projects:

• A necromantic academy

• A census of the living

• A network of underground ossuaries

• A secret phylactery vault

? YEAR 2572 — THE AGE OF FOUR POWERS

? MONTHS 1–2 — THE LICH’S GOLDEN QUARTER

• The central region becomes the most stable territory:

  • No famine

  • No banditry

  • No corruption

  • No noble oppression

• Undead labour makes the economy efficient.

• Living citizens enjoy unprecedented safety — at the cost of freedom.

⚔️ MONTHS 3–4 — BORDER TENSIONS RISE

Kingdom White

• Expands military presence along the western frontier.

• Begins conscripting refugees.

Kingdom Teal

• Forms a defensive alliance with two northern city-states.

• Sends envoys to the lich’s council.

Graptey

• Gathers warbands for a spring offensive.

• Gorvak sends emissaries to the lich, seeking “divine favour.”

Lich Led State

• Begins quietly, infiltrating both White and Teal with dominated agents.

• Constructs a massive underground ossuary beneath the capital.

? MONTH 5 — THE NEXT CRISIS BREWS

• A mysterious plague appears in Kingdom White’s border towns.

• Kingdom White blames the lich.

• Kingdom Teal suspects Graptey.

• Graptey blames everyone.

The lich knows the truth: It wasn’t him — something else is moving.

This sets the stage for the plot arc.

? PLOT ARC: “THE FOUR SHADOWS OF 2572”

This arc is designed to be flexible — it works for a campaign, a novel, or a strategic narrative.

ACT I — THE REVOLUTION’S AFTERMATH

• The lich-led state stabilises.

• Refugees pour in.

• The People’s Council becomes increasingly authoritarian.

• PCs or protagonists uncover hints that the council is magically controlled.

• Rumours spread that the king is alive — or undead.

ACT II — THE SHADOW WAR

Three external powers manoeuvre:

Kingdom White

• Plans a crusade to “liberate” the central lands.

• PCs may uncover evidence of White’s war preparations.

Kingdom Teal

• Seeks a diplomatic solution.

• PCs may be sent as envoys or spies.

Graptey

• Prepares a massive raid.

• PCs may infiltrate or negotiate with orc warbands.

Meanwhile, the lich:

• Expands undead forces

• Builds secret necromantic infrastructure

• Hunts for a rival necromancer or plague bearer

ACT III — THE PLAGUE OF MONTH 5

A new plague emerges in Kingdom White.

Key beats:

• It spreads too fast to be natural.

• It ignores undead.

• It mutates.

• It destabilises the western quarter.

PCs discover:

• The plague is engineered

• Not by the lich

• But by a third-party necromancer, cult, or ancient entity

This becomes the new antagonist.

ACT IV — THE THREE-WAY CONFLICT

The plague forces unlikely alliances.

Possible alliances:

• Lich + Teal vs White

• Lich + White vs Graptey

• Teal + Graptey vs Lich

• Or a chaotic four-way conflict

The lich may:

• Offer a cure

• Weaponise the plague

• Attempt to dominate the other rulers

• Reveal the true enemy

ACT V — THE TRUE ENEMY EMERGES

The plague’s creator reveals themselves:

• A rival lich

• A forgotten archmage

• A demon prince

• A cursed artefact

• A divine punishment

• A rogue faction of the assassin cult

The four powers must decide:

• Unite

• Or be consumed

The lich may:

• Become an uneasy ally

• Attempt to seize total control

• Betray everyone

• Or be betrayed

ACT VI — THE FINAL RECKONING

The climax depends on your tone:

Heroic Ending

The four powers unite to defeat the plague maker. The lich is destroyed or exiled. A new order rises.

Dark Ending

The lich triumphs. The other powers fall. The central state becomes an undead empire.

Bittersweet Ending

The plague is defeated, but:

• White forces collapse under the strain and treachery being done against its operators.

• Teal retreats its army to protect what is left of them and the homeland.

• Graptey burns under civil war and strife.

• The lich remains in control of New Hannendorf.

• The world has changed forever, and the lich enjoys the chaos it has created.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Microsoft Copilot (C) 2026 Microsoft was used in the making of this post. 

PLEASE NOTE: I do not use Copilot very often in my RPG life, as it uses a great deal of electricity and water;  as you may know, I am trying to help save the planet with my Red Alert Blog, posted here.

I did notice that there are a lot of grammatical mistakes in Copilot's output. I have just eliminated 115 errors in this document, using Grammarly (C).

Regards all, 

Ivor Cogdell

 Graptey Country Name (C) 2026. Ivor Cogdell.

Exploring Kal-Arath - Episode 6 - New passageways - Updated 27 May 2026

Hi Everybody,

Exploring Kal-Arath - Episode 6 - New passageways

 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. 

15 days' rations in a sack.Tarnak Berries R=1 (Sc=3), Waterskin. Tinder and flint.   

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

Burvin's Journal. Eggshell cooking bowl. 2 Torches unlit, 1 just lit.

In pouch - 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.

                                 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 = 0

.

Equipment

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

Dagger. Silver Coins in pouch = 15. 

 Burvin Charank - Str = 1, Tou = 1, Agi = -1, Int = 2, Presence = 1.

Male Human. Age =31. Blue eyes, Black hair.  5'6" tall.  Necklace from the Deity Wars.

Hp.  = 6 out of 6. Xp=0. Dagger. Hiking gear. Rations =3, Tarnak Berries, R=4. Silver Coins =6.

Ref Sodrav, Tan Muen and Cazen Goorte

Day Three - Weather - A storm is blowing in.

(D6: 1-3 Stay, 4-6 Go)= 4 Go.)

 After a cold meal of beef jerky, Rev, Tan and Calzen decide to make an early start on their descent of the mountain. "What are your plans now?" asks Mal.

Calzen explains their hopes, "We may find an old battle barge and restore it, or if there are none to be had, join up with a crew that has already found one," replies Cazen.

"May Dorgan the Mighty. watch over you on your travels. I hope that we may see you along the path again."

"May it be so and your fire always be welcoming as it was last night," seconded Ref, as they turned to go downhill with a cheery wave.

"And what of your plans, Burvin? Are you going to be risking the storm today, too?" asks Yamil.

(D6: 1-3 Stay, 4-6 Go)= 2 Stay.)

Burvin speaks up, "Normally, I would have gone with the three warriors there, since I, too, would like to see a battle barge and learn of its adventures. But I am interested in seeing what is in the mine, if you will allow it? I noticed you did not mention it to them."

"Well, to be fair", admits Mal, "You did find it first, and you might understand things in there that we might miss. As to them, an old proverb states, 'What once has been said cannot be unsaid later, much as you might wish it."

Yamil added, "We do not know their character; although I am a fair judge in those matters, mostly anyway, they seem of good stock, but the chance of wealth can tempt anyone, especially the young."

Mal confirmed, "It tempted me to leave home, and here I am, on a mountainside, with two stout companions, with the unknown in front of us."

 They have breakfast, fill the waterskins from a nearby stream and then Mal and Yamil forage for torch materials and extra food.

(d12: = 9 torches, 30 stumps, Mal 5 rations, Yamil 3 rations.)

Burvin chops some logs up for tonight's fire and stashes them inside the entrance to keep the expected rain off them, as well as putting their camp things slightly further inside. The storm finally arrives, at first with a few spots and splashes bouncing off the leaves, then with increasing force. 

The threesome moves into the mine entrance, assembles the torches and then eats their lunch. 

Yamil sniffs the air, "It seems much healthier in here today than yesterday."

Mal nods, "True, but the torches will burn quicker in the good air, and at least we will not have to search along the passages for loose rocks and stuff until we get to a new section. These birchbark stumps will work better when we are in a static situation."

Burvin suggests, "If we take all nine torches in with us, then drop four of them at the furthest crossroads, we have less to carry afterwards, one lit and two spares unlit each and can easily come back for more, keeping one there for emergencies."

He swings on his mostly empty pack, checks that the dagger at his belt is handy.

Once they entered the first chamber, they moved the wood from the right wall to the left wall so they could get from one tunnel to the other without tripping on anything, relying on following the right wall if all the torches were extinguished. They find a couple of sacks, wedged high up in a crack where rodents could not get at them.

Yamil mused, "They are not in very good condition, but they can be washed and used for something."

Marching order - Yamil with torch and staff, Mal with sword and two unlit torches, Burvin with two unlit torches.

Still being wary of creatures possibly living in there, they advanced to the second junction, with the air shaft corridor on the left. They propped a couple of torches against the side wall and started in the tunnel opposite their entrance. This bent to the right and went for about 40 feet.

          When Yamel entered the next opening, he heard a scraping noise coming from the left wall. Getting slowly to its feet was a skeleton warrior with a small shield and a sword. 

Yamil alerts the others, "Skeleton", and moves towards the undead horror, allowing the others to move behind him to the right and attack afterwards.

(?D: foe table.) Skeleton Warrior S=0, Agi=0. Hp=11, Leather Armour 1, Slash and pierce done at disadvantage.

It speaks, "Who is the master?" and points to a symbol that had been carved into the mine wall. It depicts a circle, within it, a bird being shot with an arrow.

(?d: Does Yamil know? 1= No) 

"Kelbos?", he guesses.

Burvin announces just too late, "Melek-Kesh!"

"Unbeliever." It advances towards him with its sword ready.

Round 1

Yamil rolls 1+-1 Agi =0 for Initiative. Failed. 

The skeleton tries to attack Yamil with its sword, but due to its long inactivity, it fails miserably, and it slips out of its hand.

 (? > 1+1=2 Critical Miss = Drops it's sword.)

Yamil attacks one- handed with his staff to the head. 

(?> 3+2+1 str =6 Miss).

"I'll attack the left side, you attack on its right side, less chance of us getting in each other's way."

Mal attacks with his sword on the skeleton's leg bone. 

( ?> 5+3+1str =8 Hit > 5 damage-1 armour - Hp now 7.)    

Burvin drops the unlit torches at the entrances and moves to  Yamil's left, "Give me the torch."

Yamil does so, then he repositions his grip on the staff to give himself a better blow next time.

Round 2

The Skeleton has to pick up its sword. It makes a weak attack against Burvin.

 (?4+1 > Miss).

Yamil swings his staff and hits its ribcage as it is coming back up. 

(1+5+1 Str +1 Attack of opportunity, no defence = 8 Hit > Roll 2 damage -1 Armour=1damage. HP=6.)

Mal aims for its neck, but hits its armour.

(3+3+1 Str +1 Attack of opportunity, no defence = 8 Hit > Roll 2 as well, damage -1 Armour=1damage. HP=5.)

 Burvin wonders whether to try to set fire to its leather armour with the torch, but decides not to risk their only source of light. He did get his dagger out so he could block sword blows, though.

                                                                     Round 3

The Skeleton tries a different tactic and lunges at Mal (2, 2 = Miss)

Mal has to parry the blow, so he cannot attack.

Yamil hits again on its unprotected side. 

(2+5+1 str, +1 AO=9 Hit. > Roll 3 Damage - 1 armour=-2 Hp=3.)

Burvin shouts encouragement, "It's getting slower. You're winning."

                                                                     Round 4

The skeleton switches its attack to Burvin again.

(5+5=10, possible hit. Burvin opposed dodge roll 6+3-1 Agi = 8, so it scores a Hit > Damage > Exploding 6 + 6 = 12.

Burvins' Hp = -6. (Burvin got a 7 on the wounds table, but 12 damage all in one go with no armour sounds pretty nasty to me.)

Burvin tries to deflect the strike with the dagger, but is not used to two-handed fighting and gets stabbed in the side, drops the torch and collapses backwards with a scream, "Ahh.."

Yavin yells a war cry and aims at its skull with a vicious swing of his staff.

The skeleton tries to raise its shield to block the blow.

(6+3+1str +1 AO=11, skeleton block 3+3=6= failed. A Hit > Damage > Exploding 6+1 -1 leather = 6 damage Hp=-3 Dead). 

With its skull decapitated, it crumbles to dust, leaving its armour, shield and sword behind. 

Mal rushes to Burvin, asking, "How bad is it?"

But he gets no reply or response of any kind. He picks up the torch to get a better view, and that is when they see the bloody rock where his head hit it.

He bends over him and realises he is not breathing.

Mal said, "He is with the Goddess now. All of his questions will be answered."

"Yes, 'tis true."

"The first one would be who put that skeleton guardian there, and who is Melek-Kesh?"

"We may find out, but not today."

"No, not today. You take the torch and one spare; we can leave the rest here. I will have the honour of carrying him."

"No, I shall carry him; it is my fault that he is dead. I blurted out the wrong answer instead of giving him the chance to get it right."

"That is not for you to say."

"Tis' what I believe."

"As you wish, then."

They carefully make their way through the passages to the fresh air.

"We will set him to rest in the meadow where he first camped; he must have liked the place to stop there."

"Yes, that is a good choice."

They dig the grave facing the morning sun and lay him to rest with his Deity necklace in one hand, his quill in his other hand, and his ink bottle at his side.

"I will take his journal to Thraz, so they can add his final journey to it, then it can be placed in the archives, to be read and studied by scholars from all over the Heartlands," said Mal.

Yamil affirmed,"I will take his dagger, so I can carve his name wherever I go in this world, so that his name will be remembered forever."

Just as they are placing the last few stones on his grave, they are interrupted by a shrill voice from behind them.

"You there, what are you doing in my meadow!"

They turn around to see a tall, long brown haired, scruffy vagabond waving a staff in their direction.

(?d: 5 on encounter roll = Hermit.)

Mal asked, " Your meadow?"

"Yes, my meadow. I live here, it's my mountain, so it's MY meadow."

"We are just putting a fellow traveller to rest."

"Oh, I see. "

He suddenly stopped approaching them.

"Twas nothing dangerous to others they died of, was it? Not one of them evil curses from those mad folks, was it now?"

 "Who are those mad folk you speak of?"

"Well, let me just think back, yes, the tale goes that they were refugees from some big opulent palace somewhere that got attacked by a battle barge, and the place was looted. The royal family there was killed defending it, so they say. "he paused, gathering his thoughts.

"Ever since that time, they had been trying to bring their royals back to life, with something they know about, or once knew about, the stories differ accordingly depending on who is telling it. They camped up here for a few years, then moved on, to where I could not say. But after they had abandoned the place, there were ghouls and all sorts of things here on the mountain. They either attracted them or made them, I dunno, but they are here now. I stick to my side of the mountain where it's safe, and you'd better do the same, unless you want to be juicy monster food for something nasty!"

"Yes, some travellers had come upon one of those Ghoul things; it killed three of their number, the others barely escaped."

"We have seen one of the monsters roaming about yesterday ourselves, an Eukarrya. A very tall one, red, with a yellow striped back."

"Oh, yes, that would be my Jazz. I found a  Eukarrya hatchling once and kept it as company, but it got too big as they do around here, so I freed it. I would not say it is exactly tame, but so long as you leave it alone, you might survive. But get too close or bother it in any way, and you two are its next lunch. You have been warned!"

With that parting message, he turned about and vanished back into the forest.

Yamil stated, "Well, they say Many a mountain has a hermit. Now we have met this one." he laughed, "We could track him in the snow easily enough."

"No, we will respect his privacy. We are just visitors after all, and who knows what other strange pets he might have with him? At least we have a starting point as to what went on here in the past and led to Burvin's passing."

(Yamil +1 Xp. Leg no better.. Mal =-2 Rations.)

"Let's eat and drink to our fallen comrade in arms. We have only water, but that will do! To Burvin Charank,"

"To Burvin Charank, a delver into secrets."

(EDIT 27 May 2026 - Added healing roll).

(?D Yamil's healing roll - 2  Failed)

(D: Night encounter = 0 Nothing.)

End Of Part 6.

c 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, after being cleaned and adjusted.

15 days' rations in a sack.Tarnak Berries R=1 (Sc=3), Waterskin. Tinder and flint.   

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

Burvin's Journal. Eggshell cooking bowl. 2 Torches unlit, 1 just lit.

In pouch - 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) Burvin Charank 6) Hermit, 7) Mad Folk, 

8) Melek-Kesh, 

                                 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 (After being cleaned in the stream.

                                                                          Mine Map 2

Episodes 7 and 8 await you.

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. 

Diary Info - WMMS - Alumwell 2026 cancelled.

 Hi all,

           7th March -  I just did a search for Alumwell, thinking that it was this weekend and found this note from the organisers.

                                                         WMMS 2026 CANCELLED                                                               

We at the Alumwell Wargames Society regretfully announce that we have had to cancel
The West Midlands Military Show 2026, due to circumstances beyond our control.

We also wish to thank all who have supported us and the show for the past fifty years.
Thank You!

That's a shame, I was very partial to that one, especially 

when I could walk to and from Wolverhampton station along

 the canal, enjoying the fresh air and the wildlife.

Happy memories.

  29th - 31st May   UK Games Expo        NEC        Birmingham

Barrage at Stafford is pencilled in for early July 2026.

Regards all,

Ivor Cogdell

Thoughts On - Stranger Things Series 1 Updated 04/04/2026.

 Hi one and all,

                       A very warm welcome to my second follower on here, Richard B. Get well soon Kitty, his other half.

I have just got Netflix on my TV package, and I am cherry-picking the shows on there that suit my taste. As you can imagine, if you have already seen the show, Stranger Things is just up my alley. Not all fantasy stuff does, I could not get into His Dark Materials last time around, but I may try that series again at some point.

                      Stranger Things actually has the Dungeons and Dragons game as a part of the core storyline, helping to explain to the audience what is going on. I do not know if this is an adaptation from a book, but it would help in that situation, too.

                       The actors, especially the youngsters, give an outstanding performance in each and every episode. The plot is spine-chilling; it keeps building and building suspense and problems against a background of a sleepy little backwater township. The flashbacks enrich the story, instead of bombarding you with technical jargon all at once, feeding you with clues of how one of the heroines got to do what she can do.

                       The wardrobe and special effects teams get a round of applause, as they did their job perfectly; the sets and atmospherics are not overplayed, but hit the nail on the head.

Overall, a great first series, and I am just about to dive into season 2. They filmed season 2 about 9 months after the first season finished filming. (See below). It's a pity I could not say the same for Star Trek Academy. (See my review).

Stranger Things Rating: *****

Another titbit for you and me, there seems to be some info regarding a Firefly reboot coming soon, probably in animated format, very interesting indeed. Nathan and some of the cast are doing micro teasers on YouTube. We are just waiting for a proper announcement, if they do one, that is. If there is anything to it, it will take about a year or more to reach our screens.

Regards all,

Ivor Cogdell

Stranger Things (C) Copyright 2026 Netflix.

P.S. Season 2 looks just as good as the first one. I am on part four already. 

back 

Call of Cthulhu 1920's RPG Episode 4 - A Stormy Nightmare - part 2. (Spoilers, 15 Rating). Updated. 19 April 2026.

Hi Everybody, 

A Call of Cthulhu 1920's RPG Episode 4. - A Stormy Nightmare - part 2 - 27 Feb 2026.

Hank talks Ferb into driving back to the Doctor's house again, hoping there might be some more information to discover, as there is still a mystery about what the blue thing is and how to destroy it, and what happened to the two bodies.

Ferb shakes his head, "I don't think it is a good move hanging around there, but I trust you, so I'll go back. Keep your wits about you. "

"Thanks, Ferb. I trust you too".

Once there, we grab some supplies and food and load them in the car boot in case they have to make a quick getaway from there. We continue our investigation by going down into the gloomy basement, just lit by two bulbs dangling from cords. On a long work table, we find new electrical and mechanical equipment, along with grisly dissected human body parts in long fermentation jars, that may have been used to test the equipment or even keep that blue sparky thing alive.

Also, Hank finds a printed receipt from Innsmouth Fisheries – From The Greenwood Sanatorium, to collect body parts and stuff and deliver them here. "That was the same company that was at the Hotel the other day. It proves that there is a wider conspiracy about this matter. We had better keep this."

We see the two bodies on the floor in the lounge. The Doctor had been shot, and the other body had been partly burned. The shotgun was lying between the two bodies.  "May the Mighty Angra Mazda judge them well when they come before Him." he pauses, adding, "And us too."

We took the shotgun and a few more cartridges, as we might need them for self-defence, not that it did that pair much good. Ferb puts his barber's tools in a case with a silver lining, which was described in the journal. We also take the wax and the coating stick. We search the car in the garage and find a spare set of keys for it.

Hank hides the shotgun under the seat. They take both cars and drive back to the diner, hiding the old car in the woods close by. Hank climbs back in their car, and they finish their journey, wondering what state of mind everybody will be in.

As we pull into the car park, we see a figure by the diner loo, huddled up, moaning and sobbing, "Teddy, where are you, Teddy, Teddy". That would be Ethel. (The blue plasma got him in the last episode.)

The power is off in the diner, and some candles have been lit and stuck onto plates, casting a dim glow about the room. Ferb can hear a muffled argument going on.

Suddenly, the young chap from earlier, Billy Esterhouse, emerges out of the woods, pointing behind him and dashes past Ethel; not far behind him, about four feet off the floor, is some manifestation of blue-toned ball lightning. It changes course, going towards Ethel, now that she is the nearest and easiest target. She holds a crucifix out in front of her and whispers. “Begone, foul beast! Begone.”

Ferb loses 1 sanity point as he hears this.

Blue lightning tentacles come out from the ball and rip the widow to bits. Ferb shoots at it and misses, and Hank misses his shot shortly afterwards. It hovers over her shredded form and consumes her, just leaving ash and the crucefix, while we flee before it again.

Both of us lose 1 sanity point after witnessing this horrific sight.

We dash into the diner and slam the doors behind us. The wind blows one of the candles out.

Who is in the diner? 

Behind the bar is Mary, and Emilia is in front of the bar. She is looking into the innards of the phone on the bar counter with the radio and someone has made a jury-rigged something, carefully sticking pins into it.

"Where are the others?" demands Ferb.

"They are in the garage, trying to get the truck to start with a new air filter or something," replies Mary, timidly, as she relights the candle from one further away from the door, then goes back to sticking pins into the phone and radio jury-rig on the tabletop.

Billy and Emilia are arguing, "Why did you have to come out in this storm?"

Suddenly, the radio emits sparks and bursts into flames. Mary gets a shock. Billy gets a shock, too. Mary tries to douse the fire with water, which is on the counter and shocks everybody again. Ferb comes to the rescue by pulling the plug from the socket, then angrily threatens everybody. 

"Calm down now or else you will all kill yourselves, Mary, come round this side of the counter where we can see what you are up to"!

Mary came round, and Hank tied her up with electrical wire. Ferb questions her about the phone call she made earlier, "Why did you have a conversation on a phone that was not working?"

"I heard some static and hoped someone could hear us, even though I could not hear them. It was worth a try". she replied.

"Well, now you have destroyed our only means of communication out of here."

"Why did you not recognise Emilia earlier, when she only lives up the road?"

"Well, she was all wet, with her hair all over the place, and that must be a new dress; I had not seen her wear it before tonight," she explained.

Ferb is not convinced. "What about you, Billy?"

Billy tells everybody about the blue light chasing him, which killed Martin Greaves, her boyfriend, at the doctor's cabin.

Hank ties up Emilia next, not trusting her either.

While Ferb is concentrating on Emilia, Mary tries to charm us with a spell, Ferb succumbs to it, but Hank tries to bring him out of it by slapping his face, "Don't disgrace your Deity like this." 

Hearing this, Ferb snaps out of the trance, shudders and he swung the shotgun around.blasts her with the shotgun, he was trying to wound her in the leg,, but his aim was off and he killed her instantly.

(Ferb is shooting at point-blank range, scoring a critical hit with "Exploding Dice", doing 24 points of damage) =  killing her instantly. 

4 points of sanity are lost by both of us.

Hank gains 7 points of mythos understanding. (That is bad news - the higher you get, the closer to madness you are.)

Hank can now see Mary's spectral form leaving her body and begin crawling towards him. This triggers his germophobia. He screams, "I've got Mary splashed all over me, and she is coming to get mee!. I've got to get her off me, got to get her off, off, off."

Hank dashes into the back workroom to throw up and wash the splashes of fresh, warm blood off his hands. and shirt

Emelia rolls a 42 on a Sanity check and does not know what is going on. 

(She rolls under her 50 Sanity roll. That is good, as what she does not understand cannot send her mad. It might kill her though. :-(  ).

Meanwhile,  the blood splattered Ferb blesses the assembled company with his razor.“Begone, spectre of Mary”.

A BONUS SCENE that was added later.

Hank screams again, "Ahh.. Nooo..", as he sees Mary's fuzzy form coming through the wall towards him on her hands, dragging her useless legs behind her, leaving a trail of ectoplasmic blood behind her. He backs up until he is flush with the drawer top, eyes fixed on her hideous form approaching him, leaving a trail of black, ectoplasmic blood. "Keep back spirit, keep back. This was not my fault", he pleads. 

Looking around for a weapon, he picks up an earthenware jar and throws it at her head. It goes straight through, of course, and smashes on the floor. She grabs his leg and starts to pull herself upwards. He tries to bat her away, "Begone, shadow, begone.", and gradually, to his great relief, the image fades from his sight. 

(The Vision faded because he was with a friend, technically.) 

He cleans himself as much as he can; his hands are visibly shaking, grumbling, "This will have to do for now," and opens a bottle of whisky that was on the shelf and takes a large slug of its contents. 

He looks down at his lucky rabbit's foot. "Protect me, Granny, protect me," he whispers.

He takes a few deep breaths to steady himself. Herb takes another belt of the clear liquid and then puts the bottle back, thinking, "I don't want a drunken Ferb, too; he is the only one of us that is holding it together". Which just goes to show how badly his judgment has been affected.

End of bonus material.

Just as he staggers out of the back room, Herb sees through the Diner's rain-swept windows the blue lightning apparition attacking the lorry driver as he tries to get into his cab."Oh Noo, not again, it's attacking the driver", moans Hank, pointing at the event with a shudder. 

Sam runs away from the ball of lightning. Emelia has another fit, and when it is over, she looks slightly stronger than before, as she had the other time when we first saw her on the road.

Hank is emotionally drained by all of this; he collapses into a chair, rubbing his hands with a towel from the back room, constantly scanning the windows for the ball entity's return.

Ferb takes no notice of Hank's distressed condition at the moment. He walks up to Billy, saying, "You have had a terrible night. Let me make it a bit better for you. Would you like a haircut? Free of charge?"

Billy just nods a few times, still in shock, going along with the situation. Ferb would have probably cut it in any case. Hank hopes it will calm Ferb, too, by doing something he is so familiar with. Ferb leaves the shotgun by Hank, then gets the box from the car, along with the journals and the wax on top, the applicator stuck in his pocket. He puts these on the counter and proceeds to cut Billy's hair and gives him an expert shave with a perfectly steady hand; the light glints off the blade as he cleans it with a cloth.

"There, you look much better now."

Turning round, he asks, "Anyone else, Hank?"

"In the morning, will do, thanks Ferb".

Regards all,

Ivor Cogdell

P.S.  7th March 2026 - Due to an unforeseen illness in the family, the next episode of this campaign is postponed until further notice. Ivor.

19 th April 2026 - I gave it a bit of a reworking while we wait for the next episode. In the meantime, you can read my adventures of Kal-Arath.

Call of Cthulhu 1920's - Episode 3 - A Stormy Nightmare - Part 1

Call of Cthulhu 1924. 

Episode 3 – A Stormy Nightmare Part 1. (Spoilers)

It begins one night after our other episodes had concluded. We are making our escape and find a woman in a red dress on the road, she had a ghostly outline for a second. She collapses. We picked her up on the road. We arrived at the Orchard Gas Station, Jack selling pies of uncertain origin, Mary, Ethel and Teddy. Teddy eats a pie and gets ill, goes to the loo and is fried by a blue light, leaving only his wedding ring. The waitress pretends to use the phone, but it is not working. She and Jack are now suspects in all of this, whatever THIS is.

The radio reported that we are now wanted for the murders at the hotel. But they did not mention the mutations of Zeke or the thing in the corner room. Maybe it was just an illusion or something. We forgot to scrub our names from the hotel register. Did they not find Charlotte there?

Who was the person I saw being tied to the rock? Martin?

Emilia Webb is her name. She has a fit while we are about to take her to her dad, at exactly the same time the blue light was happening in the loo to Teddy. Possibly, she is controlled by something, or she is in control of something.

She comes round asking for her grandad. We tell her to wait in the diner.

Ferb drives us to the doctor's farm, where Hank looks through the window, sees one, possibly 2 dead bodies that could have been electricuited, the first two victims of Emilia?

Hank sees male bootprints on the floor, with a crowbar outside. Hank gets the crowbar.

We decide to leave the house and get out of here. We see a chap with a partly burned face with a blue energy field coming after him. We tell him that Emilia is at the diner and to go there. We try to flee the blue thing, it chases us. Hank throws the crowbar at it, but it just turns it to ash. It tries to swipe at Ferb but misses, and we outpace it, but a telegraph is struck by lightning and blocks our path.

We go back to the house and search it, and Ferb finds two large tomes of rambling arcana, plus some diagrams from Mr Tesla about some electrical experiments Emilia was doing. I wash my hands in the kitchen and give them a good scrubbing.

(May be slightly out of sync there).

***********************************

Hank's thoughts on the way back to the diner, where we can read those tomes in peace.

1. Did something go wrong, and she was somehow charged with some electrical power?

2. Is this Mr Tesla involved in this strange weather we are having, or is it something else to do with the night's events?

3. How does Billy, the chap on the road, know Emilia?

4. He does not seem frightened of her. Does he not know she has been altered somehow?

5. Did the blue thing kill the two people in the house?

6. What was in the basement?

Hopefully, some of the answers will be in the two tomes.

    After reading these two journals when parked up somewhere,-

Hank speaks his mind, "If I had read these documents a few days ago, I would have thought them utter drivel, a story outl ine for a comic, but after what we have seen and experienced over the last few days, I can only suppose the doctor had been to some far-off land and in his wanderings had come across someone purveying the 'Black Arts' or Devilishness.". He was obviously performing some sort of rituals on his patients to get rid of unwanted pregnancies."

      He continued, "Mr. Teslas diagrams do make a bit more sense, in the way of some of the parts, but as to what the outcome would be when you assembled them, I would be at a loss to guess. It seems that some sort of curative or enhancement field or ray could be generated. How long that may last would depend on the power source."

     " Possibly the effect he hoped it would have on the human body was incorrect, and something else was manifested in Emilia. Could that have been the wispy thing surrounding Emilia, or that chased the chap and us? Was a ghostly manifestation given a gateway to the human plane of existence? Whatever it was, it consumes bodies, just leaving ash behind".

        Can Emilia control it? Very doubtful, I think, but we cannot let her roam loose and just keep turning folk to ash?"

      He gripped his lucky rabbit's foot,

 " The question is, what to do about it? We cannot keep murdering folk all over the place. They think we killed three people already. At this rate, we are going to be strung up for mass murder! I have never been much of a churchgoer, but this sort of stuff might change my mind. If only Granny were here."

      He looked up at Ferb, "This is more of your territory than mine, since you are a God-fearing man. What do you think, Ferb?"

"Do we stand any chance of stopping it? Now that we know about the equipment, should we go back and see what is in the basement?"

Regards all,

Ivor Cogdell