Lore Du Jour: The Folklore of Realms

They say the land of Alluvium is but one of many.  Each one formed with a purpose eons ago, a purpose misplaced before any chronicle was written.  It is known for certain that the Shade Realm does exist, and access to it can be controlled by keys.  But what it is for is a mystery.  

What is unknown is the location and veracity of these other realms.  Over the next few weeks we will discuss each of these rumored realms, the theories about what they are and if they indeed have ever been chronicled by any reputable source.    

The realms we will discuss are:

The Nether Realm

The Shade Realm

The Astral Realm 

The Divine Realm

The Infernal Realm 

and Alluvium itself.  

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Bardic Chestnuts: Victor Van Tuyl

Victor Van Tuyl has often been seen as the more soft spoken Van Tuyl.  Some view him as the brains of the operation.  Others think him to be the brawn behind Aert’s maniacal plans.  Victor however sees himself as a loyal cousin to Aert and friend of Coronado.  Less concerned with the politics of the land, Victor spends his time working on the ship as Quartermaster.  The origin of Victor is even more shrouded than that of Aert.  The Chronicler’s have very little record of his past.  Something Victor seems to have no problem with.

Victor seems to have formal training as a privateer.  His knowledge of sailing is matched only by the most prolific seamen.  His silence on the matter indicates a dark past of which he is not proud.  Of course that may be part of the plan of a complicated mind.   Victor’s skills as a seaman include use of all armaments aboard the ship and hand to hand combat.  He is a very skilled combatant, surpassing most of the Vandals.  However, Victor is not quick to fight - preferring to outthink his enemies.  

As the leader of the Triad Marines under Coronado for some time, Victor was responsible for training the rank and file troops in the ways of the halberd line.  To this day he will hop across the lines to bring his troops an encouraging leader when needed.  Victor, once provoked, is a merciless opponent.  It is best not to get on the wrong side of this dutch warrior.    

It is his dark side that is to be feared, he suffered a disease while on the Mangled Hand back before he Arrived that no one can explain.  At night he will sometimes kill his own crewman, and drain their blood. 

When he came to Alluvium, Aert’s continued trips to the Shade Realm certainly brought out something darker in Victor.   When the Shade Realm is near, he will often call himself ‘Vince the Thrasher’, and some of his crewmen have said that it is then that the ‘demon’ within Victor unleashed.  The stories tell of hell freezing down upon the waters as “Vince” tears through ally and enemy alike to get his way.  When this occurs only the foolish will stand in his way.  

Proving Grounds: Specialty Shots

Cannons often use specialized shots to maximize damage to enemies or other ships.  While not limited to cannons,  these shots are most commonly foundwith cannon or mortars.   These shots, like all ballistics, require the appropriate technique to use effectively.  Some engineers have been said to have even scaled these down to use in handguns, but no evidence of this has ever been found.

Chain shot:  Two large half cannon balls are are chained together and fired at ships or enemies.  

3d6 STR, + AGILITYroll to STR, double damage to sails, masts and similar.

Grapeshot:  A form of canister shot designed to assault at short range with a cone of widespread metal balls.  

6d6 STR - 1 STR for every two feet away from the cannon.

Bar Shot: Two canon balls joined by a solid bar.  

3d6 STR, + AGILITYroll to STR, double damage to wooden hulls and similar.

Explosive Shot: A canister shot designed to explode and deal great amounts of damage over a template area. 

1 to 6d6 STR, damaging over a 1 to 6 inch template.  The damage is determined by the size of the canister, each 1d6 of STR = 1” diameter template.

Ramon's Travels: Azathoth

 Deep in the mountains of Malone, far from the the civilization of western Tor, one may find the city of Azathoth. Here the people of the mountain city struggle daily to live in the harsh environment, plagued by bears, wolves and nature itself.         

The city is built on ruins of a once magnificent site.   The ruined areas often blend into new construction where the people make their homes.  It is not uncommon to see a house with a wall that appears to be a temple yet the rest of the building is less grand.           

Amid the ruins is the legendary Sanctum of Azathoth, a place that is protected from outsiders by all of the city.  What exactly is within the Sanctum is unknown, but there are many who believe that the rumored “Dark Ones of the North” that the Valeerians speak about may live within the Sanctum and may even control the people of Azathoth. 

From the Principalities:

Something rotten in the Kaylinn Swamps is nothing new, the wasteland is well known for being a home to degenerates, bandits and often even Shade Realm undead.   However something much darker has risen to show it's face in the darkness of the swamps.  

Reports that some 600 builders and workers have been taken by flying monsters certainly does not sit well with the region's inhabitants.  Furthermore, the claim that two dragons were slain in the area by the famous Tanaka the Dragon Slayer and Paladin Phillip Stephenson makes many fear just exactly what sort of events are happening in this cursed landscape.

Off the Table: Social Melee Media

So this week we will take a break from the standard On the Field and On the Table discussion to talk about the various Meleeworld platforms in social media, and what you would like to see more of.

Our standard social links include of course Facebook, Pintrest and Twitter.  

Have you seen the videos on Youtube?  Back in the day we had quite a few Melee Jackass videos. We would do everyone a disservice to not mention the lost Squire footage.  At one time Thomas MacLeod was going to choose his first squire by a series of challenges formatted like a reality show.  So far, only a few segments of the strange foods challenge have been recovered, but we are looking to find the rest of them and get them available for you.

Also, be sure to check out The Evil of Dr. Schwergwerfer, Melee's first long form movie featuring all sorts of intentional and not-so-intentional campiness.    

Where are you visiting today?  Where would you like to see more Melee?  

Lore Du Jour: The Chapel of the Saints

There exists a village to the West, close to a forest, a group of people who have known peace for two generations. Their town flourishes and the people there want for nothing. They credit this to the the granite chapel in the center of town. Entering the chapel it becomes evident that there are several stained glass windows all of which feature a saint. Saint William, patron saint of adopted children. Saint Eric, patron saint of Sweden. Saint Raymond, patron saint of expectant mothers. Saint Jerome, patron saint of librarians, and Saint Adam, patron saint of gardeners. There are to friars that over see the chapel, Friar Derek and Friar David. 

Stories tell of powerful artifacts here as well.  On the chapel grounds there is a well that provides healing water to the sick. Should a sinister or cursed soul drink from the well the creature will die within 24 hours, upon their Return they will find themselves in their homeland and free of any sinister urges or cursed states. This well also keeps all magical items and Shade Realm abilities from working within the town.   It is truly a blessed place.

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Bardic Chestnuts: Simon Keldor

Simon Keldor came to the Talbot some time ago as a student and quickly proved to have great potential.  Rising in ranks faster than any of his class was not Keldor’s sole goal, he wanted to learn more and discover new things, beyond the mundane.   Simon’s meteoric rise caught the eye of his superiors. Proving himself quite capable on many missions with Tau Delta Sigma, Keldor was promoted to lead the pyramid’s research and development wing.  Given an expansive laboratory manse high in the Mesker Mountains atop Cobra’s Peak, Keldor has continued to develop new and exciting rituals as well as practical methods for improving and combining existing methods to brilliant new applications.

Cobra’s Peak is a daunting place to attempt to visit, and Simon’s defenses added to the natural landscape make it as close to impregnable as can be.  Simon is very reclusive, although far from a hermit, he speaks only to those whom he wishes and casts away others with a piercing glare.  As intimidating as he is, Simon is very respected by others in the House.   

Rumors abound, however, as to the exact nature of Keldor’s activities.  Some tell tales that Keldor is actually a demon worshiper and his applications are infernal evils.  Dark rumors tell of inhuman experiments to create a master race in his peak.  Some inquisitive apprentices suggest that Keldor is actually a representative of the fourth watchtower, the Sorcerers, and Cobra’s Peak houses a secret Shade Realm portal that allows Simon to access powerful magick.  The strangest rumor is that Simon is actually some sort of construct created from the essences of the most evil and powerful men of history.