Thursday, August 25, 2016

Designing Evil: Transforming The Seedy Motel


You've heard about the motels in the worst part of town.  They may as well be in their own world, but they've been around for ages.  Everyone knows what happens in those rooms - drug use, prostitution, and worse - and it's not difficult to believe the rumors.  None of them seem quite right.  The paint might be dirty or the layout fifty years out of date, or they could be suspiciously plain and difficult to see from the road.  At any rate, efforts to spruce them up come off as tawdry and cheap.  Half the time, they appear empty.  You can't imagine why anyone would have a happy reason to stay there.

If there is one piece of advice I can give about developing "evil" settings, it's this: Don't treat them all like seedy motels.  Too often, we keep our descriptions of troublesome places brief, hollow, and ugly because the inhabitants are cruel or their way of life is despicable.  We hurry past them and try not to go back.  Perhaps we are subconsciously uncomfortable with the material.  Maybe we want to discourage player characters from wanting to stay there.  So we pass even more of a moral judgment on the area than we realize, and set ourselves back in a number of ways. 

Grown So Tired of the Same Old Thing

The first way we weaken the impact of troubled places is by making them too much alike, visually and story-wise.  When every lair looks like it belongs in Mordor, any sense of mystery is ruined.  If the environment is continually decaying and inhospitable, the players will wonder why anyone sticks around or lets it continue.  And if every creepy house hides a bloody abattoir, investigating will probably start to feel boring and repetitive.  This doesn't mean you can't have a game where the bad guys are stereotypical or that you're doing anything wrong.  The reverse will have similar effects. After all, if evil lands are full of nothing but shining white cities, that can become dull, too.

Mixing pleasant and unpleasant details in a setting adds nuance, a touch of realism, and a particular type of difficulty.  Simply put, the worst people and places do not always have to be color-coded for our convenience.  At times we need a GM to play with our expectations to gain a special kind of enjoyment.  And even if blurring the lines makes some interactions harder, that doesn't mean the players won't have fun.  Deciding what to do about a wicked kingdom that produces the most beautiful art in the world is a haunting choice to make.  It could also make for a truly memorable and epic campaign.  Regardless, a blend will make everything feel more real.

What's Missing?

So how do we make sure that our creations are not like a row of seedy motels?  First, we need to notice what is not there.  Absence is one of the persistent failures in the design of evil locations.  Sometimes a city seems too Disneyfied, even if it should have less safe areas and unscrupulous inhabitants.  Where are the dangerous stretches, or the places that sinners go to indulge their vices?  How might these areas appear to be benign?  Go ahead and create a variety of them and scatter them around.  Some dens will be bad news and look the part, along with the neighborhoods around them.  Other sites will be rumored to be unsafe but will be found in nice areas.  A few will be unsuspected of any wrongdoing but have horrific secrets in the midst of splendor.

The problem of absence might persist even when you ensure bad locations exist, however.  If we return to the example of the seedy motel, we'll see that it's designed for limited stays.  Most are outfitted with basic furnishings but living there for months or years would cause some struggles.  Similarly, some settings only seem to be made for people to do Bad StuffTM all the time, and don't have many considerations for operating in a larger sense. Even tyrannical nations engage in commerce, the production of goods, waste disposal, and other aspects of living.  It's part of your job to imagine how a bad place fits into the bigger picture and how people there get what they need.  If there is a significant shortage, then it pays to spend a few minutes considering how the locals make up for it.  

Why?  Because there should be multiple reasons for inhabitants to stay, even in the worst areas.  It's true that in awful conditions, people will linger because they have no reliable exit, or keep experiencing setbacks, or are in poor health.  They might be afraid of the unknown or attached to family and a sense of loyalty.  They could have enough power through guilds or gangs to keep them sated.  But a fetid swamp may offer freedom because no one else wants to live there.  There could be great natural beauty, fine local goods, or a guaranteed stipend for working in the mines.  There might be sweeping celebrations that make locals happy.  Not everyone is going to despise being in an unwholesome place, and not everyone is going to be content in a bastion of goodness. 

A few people will suffer, a few will leave, but others will find ways to make their situation bearable.  By filling in these details, both the setting and the characters become more believable and powerful.

What's Half-Done?

There could be more to fill out than you think.  Emptiness is another condition that corrupt locations often suffer from, and it can be quite subtle.  I'm not talking about sites that are deserted because of scary reputations or recent disasters.  There are bound to be places that have little to interact with because of how damaged they are.  There are also sites in wastelands or others stationed far from society.  Those are part of the larger picture.  But like the seedy motel that seems eternally vacant from the street, wicked scenes have a way of remaining less than fully developed.  There are many small ways that this comes across, in gaming books and at the table.

Sometimes unsavory places are given less coverage and depth during a session or in books.  It isn't a matter of saving time or trying to focus on more relevant aspects, either.  A city with a brighter feel or a more diverse reputation will more often have full histories, district-by-district details, and even block-by-block ideas about who lives there and what can be found.  If a city known for tyranny is painted in a few brief strokes, it could seem like its people do nothing but suffer and that it has little of value to do or see.  This might happen even with grim sites of great importance, power, and reach - especially if we aren't aware that we're holding back.  

The language used to describe an environment is also easy to ignore, but potent in its overall effect.  Relying heavily on terms related to scarcity, lack, silence, and so on can make populated zones seem abandoned.  Repeating the same basic information instead of adding new elements is another way to make a scene feel limited, with little for the player characters to do.  This is fine when it is part of a blended approach, but when evil locations are routinely described this way, the game loses a lot of opportunities.  Taking a moment to figure out what the bright and bustling spots are going to be like can leave the players with a more exciting and well-rounded impression.

Last but not least, words can be used to paint every bad place with the same coat of ugliness.  Focusing on descriptive terms that make every building seem bloated, dingy, or cramped will hamper attempts to make them unique.  Highlighting threatening qualities and ruling out other possibilities doesn't take much effort, but can come off as bland.  There are other ways to make players uncomfortable or to encourage their disapproval, if that's important to you.  Jarring sounds or smells, oddities that shouldn't be in the scene, and bad attitudes from NPCs can carry a lot of weight.  It could be more disturbing that a cut-throat merchant's private club is elegant, inviting, and safer than the outside world.

Transform The Seedy Motel

Variety and equality are the keys to improved setting design.  Examine what you've done so far and look for points where you can twist expectations and try something different.  Keep track of how you intersperse the appealing with the unappealing, and try not to get stuck in one mode for too long.  Perhaps most importantly, do as much work for the dark side of your game as you would for the light.  If you usually come up with notable locales, tempting plot hooks, and a few friendly faces for happier destinations, do the same for others.  If you have non-combat oriented maps for peaceful waystops, offer some general  maps for shadier ones.  If you plan to develop a whole book's worth of material on a neutral city with a storied reputation, consider doing the same for a city of a similar size with a malevolent streak a mile wide.

This does not mean you approve of what goes on everywhere.  This does not mean that the players will have to portray evil characters or live in the worst towns.  But it will open up the full gamut of stories and a rich experience for everyone.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

The Withered Rose Tavern of Eltabbar

Art by SnowSkadi

Not long ago in Eltabbar, the hidden temple of Samora was blessed with a great influx of gold.  Its high cleric, Azonia Valgon, decided to gift some of the surplus to her newly arrived cousin, Viktor, with the stipulation that he invest it in his new city of residence.  With somewhere around 1,000 gold pieces to spare, he sought a run-down tavern amidst the many in the district known as Wayfinder's End.  And when he found just the place, he bought it through proxies so no one would know that it was sponsored by a noble.

Why a seedy place, you ask?  Because Vik enjoys slumming, and besides, lower end real estate is still expensive in the capital city.  Why pick a business destined to be surrounded by the competition of other taverns and inns?  Because the hospitality district sees a great deal of movement, welcomes those within the city and from without - and Vik was planning on adding an additional feature to the menu.  Having taken over prostitution in facilities great and small with the help of his family in Tyraturos, he knew it could work in Eltabbar.

He had learned that a simple start would be best.  The basement is for storage and whatever hijinx the crew wants to get up to on their breaks.  The first floor, at street level, is the front of the poor tavern dubbed the Withered Rose.  It serves alcohol and not much more, but is staffed by the best drunken bar(d) tender, Reggia, formerly in the employ of House Gozal.  Anyone she hired on as help was fun but wily.  The premises are also guarded by a fit and handsome crew chosen by Kayzin Molvar, a prostitute's son raised among them and fiercely protective of them.

The second floor is outfitted with a collection of sparse rooms that would be servants' quarters elsewhere.  In this location, however, two of the rooms have single beds for pleasuring customers and the other two have bunk beds for the workers to sleep in, if they have nowhere else to stay.  The stable of prostitutes is not much more than a handful, but specially picked by Vik's concubine Yasheira, a diamond in the rough that he plucked from the rough and tumble whorehouses of Tyraturos.  They even receive some of the special training she has learned from her patron.

Eventually, Vik's fledgling business drew the interest of his cousin Ustarra, a former head of House Valgon in Tyraturos who fled with Vik's aid to Eltabbar.  Since he helped her to secure a place after she escaped a suicide mission her half-sister was sending her on, she offered to become a silent partner.  As in, she would sneak in and around, helping the venture thrive whenever she had time to spare, and no one would be the wiser.  Very fond of his drow-blooded "aunt," Vik accepted her offer.

The establishment is, in its own way, dedicated to Samora, the goddess of forbidden pleasures Vik serves.  It is named for one of her unholy symbols, a withered rose.  No one reports what is said there, even when drunkards rail against nobles or zulkirs.  No one judges the patrons who ask for whatever dirty little things their hearts desire.  Nobles have slummed as patrons (including its owner) and even as the entertainment (giving his cousin Azonia some real fun).  It is a pit of wicked fun in a city that is often too staid and suspicious for its own good - which may account for its success.


Behind the Screen

This location was pioneered by my partner in crime and supported by his fellow players.  It is one of several player-owned businesses in our Eltabbar campaign and can serve as an example of how such a thing can be run.  As a long-time fan of the Stronghold Builder's Guide, I was already using it for the other players' venues and upgrades.  I was also already using a customized version of the DMGII's rules for determining profits, so all I had to do was add personal touches for Viktor and his new acquisition.  Once everything was set up, it became automatic.  New month, new roll.  Add the modifiers that apply and go.  Pay the costs or reap the rewards, and invest in upgrades if desired.  So far, the Rose has remained as rough as it was on opening day.

Keep in mind that I run for adults who enjoy adult material and have a twisted sense of humor.  While nothing here is graphic, it is not exactly tame, but it is all fictional and meant in good fun.

Tavern Cost
adjusted from the Stronghold Builder's Guide  


Basement Level - Storage, basic: 250 gp
First Floor - Tavern, poor: 450 gp
Second Floor - Servant's quarters, basic 400 gp

Staffed via the Cult Leadership feat, it has few bells and whistles so monthly expenses are generally low.

Tavern Monthly Profit Check
adjusted from the Dungeon Master's Guide II

Primary skill: Bluff
Secondary skill: Diplomacy, Perform
Roll Bluff check DC 20

Modifiers (vary by month):
Owner has 5+ ranks in secondary skills +1
Owner spends 40+ hours a week at job +2
Owner gone from city -2
Located in a city +2 (will go to metropolis numbers after spending 16,000 gp)
Previous profit check failed (-1 per consecutive check failed)
A business partner successfully aids during the term (Ustarra) +2
A specialist is on staff (Reggia) +2

Difference in DC check *20 gp is profit or loss for month.

The following chart is to see if any unusual activity has happened.  Roll d%.

  • 1. Patient zero confirmed: Foul STD gets loose among patrons/employees. Pay 1D4*100 gold for healing, bribes.
  • 2. Kay and the boys go overboard: Beat customers too bad. Pay 1D4*100 gold healing, damages, bribes.
  • 3. Burning down the house: Major property damage (often fire-based). Lose 1D4*100 gold and/or items.
  • 4-5: He's dead, Jim: The wrong person dies in flagrante delicto and is tied to the tavern. Lose 50% profit.
  • 6-7: Only two sure things in this world: Unexpected taxes. Pay 1D4*25.
  • 8-9: Rolled and raging: Whores accused of stealing from customers. Lose 2D6*10 in gold for lost profit.
  • 10-11: Well, this sucks: Establishment robbed. Lose 2D4*10 in gold and/or items.
  • 12-13: Everyone's staying home: Unusually slow. Lose 50% profit.
  • 14-15: I drank what?!: That wasn't just a worm in that bottle. Fined 1D10*10 gold.
  • 16-17: La cucaracha!: Infestation of vermin. Pay 1D8+2*10 to be rid of the vermin.
  • 18-19: What did you call my mother?!: Tavern brawl gets out of hand. Pay 1D12*10 to fix damages.
  • 20-21: Reggia really lets 'em have it: Insult a roomful of customers. Lose 3D4*10 in gold.
  • 22-23: Bitches be trippin': Rumormongering and naysaying. Lose 1D12*10 gold.
  • 24-77: Nothing to see here: Normal business.
  • 78-79: Well-oiled machine: Served more brew, screwed more, too. Gain 50% profit.
  • 80-81: The dirty Szass Tam: Patrons appreciate what the whores are willing to do. Gain 1D4*25 in items or gold.
  • 82-83: The frat house special: Take on a private party. Earned additional 2D6*10 gold.
  • 84-85: Donkey show: A spectacle boosts business. Gain 2D4*10 gold in additional business.
  • 86-87: The bouncers are hot, too: Unusually busy. Gain 50% profit.
  • 88-89: Have to buy wings to talk to the Raisins girls: Devoted regular. Gain 1D10*10 gold.
  • 90-91: Bringing down the house: Solid performances bring in the customers.  Gain 1D8+2*10 gold.
  • 92-93: Tits for tat: Temporary business relationship. Gain additional 1D12*10 gold.
  • 94-95: Just passing through: Caravan is grateful. Gain additional 3D4*10 gold.
  • 96-97: Must've dropped it on the way home: Forgetful patrons leave trinkets behind. Gain 1D12*10 in items.
  • 98: Outdrink Reggia!: Well-advertised drinking competition. Gain 1D4*100 in gold and/or items.
  • 99: Nobles be slummin': Generous donor. Gain 1D4*2000 gp to invest directly back into the business.
  • 100: Samora's bounty: Anonymous donor leaves 3,000 gp of goods from the BoEF (or BoVD with permission)

Thursday, August 11, 2016

The Temple District of Eltabbar - a.k.a. "The Zoo" - and its Major Houses of Worship

Art by SnowSkadi

The temple district is not at the heart of Thay's opulent capital city, Eltabbar, just as religion is not at the center of most Thayans' lives - but there is a religious district, and everything about it is arranged with purposes that have nothing to do with faith.  

All official public places of worship must be registered with city officials and confined to a private island of their own.  It is always set off to one side, even when the various islands of the interior are magically shifted around Lake Thaylambar to allow for the city's growth.  And as usual, this arrangement is codified in law.

Some of the oldest codes in Thay are about religion and establish a few central tenants.  First, no religious entities can control the country's highest offices; zulkirs can only be wizards and cannot even possess a touch of divine magic.  This keeps the country from reverting to a theocracy like the one Thay won its independence from.  

Secondly,  worship of the gods of Mulhorand, Mystra, and Velsharoon is forbidden.  All other deities are allowed until they prove detrimental to Thay, and Mystra might be forgiven if her next incarnation proves worthier of her power.  (In practice, evil and neutral deities have buildings dedicated to them in the interior of the country; very few temples to good powers exist, and those that do are roundly ridiculed.)

Third, places of worship cannot be raised in any city's center, which is reserved for places vital to the operations of the country.  In some cities, temples are pushed to the outskirts, or they are scattered throughout and kept far away from one another.  But in Eltabbar, the first tharchion decided to round them up, "the better to keep an eye on the zoo."  And that is the common nickname for the district, except amongst the most devout.

Houses of worship in the capital are showcases for the wealth and victories of the upper crust more than anything else.  Noble houses vie with one another to donate more extravagant pieces that will also bear their names.  Minor temples might be smaller in size but can be just as rich in magical additions, artwork, trophies, and the like.  Major temples often perform functions for residents that require more space (and this is often the case elsewhere, since Thayans want their gods to prove useful in this life and not just the hereafter).

Any citizen or guest with permission to see the capital city can go to the zoo any time they should not be elsewhere.  Commoners tend to go before or after their work for the day since worship is not an acceptable excuse for being late or absent from one's duties.  Generally, the poorest citizens only dare to go late at night so their relative unsightliness can be hidden by the scheduled rain.  Nobles go when they want to be seen, if their house does not have its own private shrines, or if their god is not represented in their house.  

Slaves are not allowed to set foot on the island to worship, though they may be summoned as servants, sacrifices, and so on.  Their prayers must be in private or in tightly regulated groups within the slave quarter, which houses many makeshift shrines.  Slaves, like all within Thay, cannot be forced to serve a deity or kept from worshiping their gods at all.  But any who are found praying or making donations at the zoo are punished, their donations moved to the appropriate shrine in the slave's quarter, where such pitiful fare belongs.


Major Temples

At the center of the zoo is the temple of Kossuth, known as the Flaming Brazier*.  The giant basalt stepped pyramid is the flagship for the entire faith and a frequent stop for many when they visit the area.  Lit from within and without with fires both magical and mundane, its topmost layer erupts in fire, smoke, and even lava during high ceremonies.  Interior chambers glimmer with jeweled mosaics depicting Kossuth's salvation of Thay in the Salamander War and other victories, as well as his eternal rivalry with Istishia.  

Nearby, the looming, black marble edifice called the Black Hall stands tall as Bane's contemptuous fist in the sunshine of the city.  It is permanently limned in purple flames and encrusted with glowing purple runes imbued with various spells, both defensive and offensive in nature.  It not only runs a combat and torture training facility for the faithful but also receives prisoners for punishment from all levels of society.

If the jaded people of Thay believe in anything, they believe in bad luck, so it is no surprise that the Beshaba has a sprawling temple in Eltabbar called the House of Curses.  Many Thayans visit before important ventures and bring sacrifices to beg the Maid of Misfortune to look away from them for a while.  Others go to pray for curses on their enemies, and bribe the clerics to see that their will becomes Beshaba's.

The Shadowkeep is boasted to mimic Mask's own palace in the Plane of Shadow and is constantly obscured by a thick, dark mist except for its primary opening.  It is said that only the high cleric and the tharchioness know how many ways in and out of the structure there are, but which ones you are able to access depend on your powers and skills.  Entering by the main door is mocked, and entering without being noticed is always a goal, whether one is a rogue or not.  Many seek advice in the ways of trickery here.

Not only is Oghma's temple, the Abbey of Artifice, a favorite with bards, builders, and seafarers, but it is also popular with wizards dedicated to research and invention.  Visitors enter the central round lobby where high rituals are held.  To one side is a library wing for stories, schematics, and documented inventions deemed appropriate for other Thayans to know.  Such knowledge can be offered by anyone, including slaves.  The other wing is a workshop, training, and debating area strictly for the faithful.

The Hanging Garden of Siamorphe is a lush white palatial estate arranged in tiers.  It is beset with all manner of greenery from across Faerun (and, reputedly, the planes) and ringed with columns carved with images of zulkirs, other important nobles, and former versions of Siamorphe.  The exterior is decorated with the official symbols of all 90 recognized noble houses of Thay, arranged hierarchically according to their founding date.  It is open as a venue for all noble ceremonies, is the place to inquire about bloodlines, and houses the local records of House Delizan.

Waukeen's lavish Gilded Cathedral is a resplendent testament to Thay's adoration of wealth and has only grown in importance with the success of the enclaves.  Its sheer profusion of precious gems, metals, and fabrics is only saved from ugliness through expert designs.  The Hall of Bartering is open to the public for auctions of all kinds, including very special slaves and divorce rights (from which the church gets its cut).  Smaller rooms can be rented when seeking clergy to broker deals, which they will do regardless of who the parties are, so long as the fees are paid.  Although the church will also store items or currency, either before auction or for safekeeping, they are kept off-site in secret vaults hidden throughout the city.

* Given some detail in the novel Unclean by Richard Lee Byers.

Friday, August 5, 2016

My Author Bio Page

Art by Folkvangar

In her Batman persona known as Kismet Rose, Kismet writes articles and books for tabletop roleplaying games.  This is a special part of her life and hobby that she indulges whenever she can, since she is not a full-time writer.  She offers a large selection of material for free on her web sites, archives other free gaming web sites with permission, and has six published works for Pathfinder that are currently available for sale.  She usually switches between writing about D&D, Pathfinder, and World of Darkness games, though she hopes to add others to the list.


Gaming History

Kismet roleplayed naturally throughout her childhood without knowing what such games were called.  She played that way without rules or instruction because she lived on stories and imagination.  She began roleplaying in earnest in October 2nd 1995, with her first character Kismet Rose and her Storytelller and partner in crime, Nate (who has become her partner in crime and Storyteller once more, many years later).  

She started out with Vampire: the Masquerade, which she played one-on-one and in group games online (on AOL's chat rooms and via private messages).  She started her fan web site for Vampire circa 1999.  She stayed in the World of Darkness exclusively until around the year 2001, when she was introduced to D&D (second edition).  Not long later, she began to run her own games for the first time in D&D's 3rd edition (and started her fan web site for it in 2002).  She has been gaming fairly steadily - usually taking the DM's role - ever since.  

Over the years Kismet has tried some different tabletop games - Stargate SG-1 (which she made a small web site for, since so few existed), In Nomine, Pathfinder, Delta Green, and a few others - but hasn't tried for an exhaustive variety, and there's plenty that she has yet to play.  She isn't much of a LARPer, board gamer, wargamer, or a card player, though she supports those cousins to tabletop and has some familiarity with them.  She loves miniatures even if she doesn't use them very often and is absolutely enthralled by maps.  

She has gamed in stores and in other people's homes a bit but prefers to play in her own home, surrounded by her books.  The largest group she has been a part of had six people in it, including the DM; her normal group size is four people (usually with her three most favorite people in the whole world).  She has steadily written in play-by-post games since about 2010.  While she was able to run once a week for a number of years in college, in more recent years she's run about twice a month (and gotten to play twice a month; joy!).

Hobbies, Interests, and Degrees

Kismet has had a natural love of history, mythology, fairy tales, folk tales, fantasy art, writing, reading, the art of film, horror, the supernatural, the Gothic, cities (and Los Angeles in particular), fictional places, and so on for most of her life.  She studied a number of these interests in college while majoring in English literature, in which she obtained a Masters degree from California State University, Los Angeles.  She brings all of her background to bear when she writes, along with a sense of poetic rhythm.

She lives and loves in Southern California with her cat and her partner in everything, Nate.  They are all native fauna to the area and Kismet has never lived anywhere else.  She has a demanding job in higher education that she loves because it is always a challenge.  In whatever time she can spare she enjoys game design projects she might never finish, walking, swimming, the art of conversation, watching the many amazing shows that are on television, going to the movies (especially to support horror films), reading, building communities online, arranging big family-style dinners with people she enjoys, and a number of things she has probably forgotten that she does all the time.


Guiding Design and Writing Principles

There are a few key pillars Kismet maintains in all of her game writing, and in her roleplaying in general.  (She also looks for these qualities when she buys gaming books):

More Options, Fewer Mandates: She aims to give players and game masters more choices they can use as they wish, and to make it easier for them to tweak or discard what they don't like.  She might present strong themes and she has her own vision of how her materials can work, but she would rather her readers feel inspired instead of constricted, even if it means that readers only use her work in pieces or in other ways.  Ironclad dictates are not her cup of tea, particularly when it comes to telling game masters how to run or players how to play.  Each group is an organic assembly that has its own desires, experiences, and boundaries and she respects that.

Gameify It: She feels that it is very important for a gaming book's "fluff" to be reflected in and supported by the "crunch."  This means that the fiction and descriptions should be translated into game mechanics whenever possible so that gamers have ready access to how they can work.  She strongly feels that it is not enough to just describe something cool in a game supplement and leave it at that.  Part of what people are paying for when they invest in a gaming book is immediate usability, as well as strong examples (from which they can make their own adjustments, if they want to).  This is especially true for gamers who are strapped for time, of which there are many.  Gameifying what is written also showcases the game's system and helps everyone become more familiar with it.

Adults Making Games For Adults: Over the last two decades, she has covered a broad variety of grim, difficult, and complex situations in gaming, regardless of the system.  Having grown up with roleplaying, she believes that while some games should be aimed at children and others should be open to them, more adult concerns should be directly addressed and more mature options should be offered.  This does not mean that she writes graphic material; on the contrary, she believes that even the darkest subjects can be presented calmly and without gratuitous nastiness.  But her target audience has always been discerning adults.

Sacred Cows Aren't Sacred: She has no allegiance to "sacred cows" in any game and is willing to change or slay them outright, as needed.  This is not out of disrespect for the concepts, original creators, or fans, but to offer more options for those who want them.  Strictly speaking, D&D doesn't need to have dungeons, elves don't have to be modeled after Tolkien's version, and vampires can have sex if they want to.  Sometimes all it takes is a change to one aspect of a game that everyone takes for granted to open up a new world of fun.  Those who want to keep the old ways will, but those in search of novelty deserve support, too.


Awards and Accolades

She has been very glad and humbled to receive in-depth 4 and 5 star reviews on the products I've contributed to and written on my own.  She's used any feedback on things that could be improved to edit any PDF products that were still able to be updated.

She has also been deeply surprised and pleased to have Kismet's Dungeons and Dragons nominated for an ENnie award in 2016, in the "Fan's Favorite Publisher" category.  It is the only category for which you do not have to submit material yourself and can be nominated by others.  It was the least thing she expected to see when she went to vote, and she will always be touched by it.  It seemed completely appropriate since that site was what brought her to the attention of 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming, a little gaming company that gave her a chance to live her dream of writing for a gaming publisher.


Would You Like To Know More?

If you have questions, reactions, constructive feedback, or other concerns, you can always email me.  I have always enjoyed interacting with folks who happen across my sites and books, and although my days are rather full, if you have a writing proposition, I will certainly hear you out.

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Rumor #3: Shaved Heads for Citizens, Long Hair for Slaves

Art by fantasio

<Nuaros shakes his head, sweat and water flying from the ends of his black hair as the small boat he's on plies the waters of Lake Thaylambar. He and his crewmates are swapping stories as they work, because they're not just flinging and drawing in nets at boring intervals this time. Instead, they have to continually search the haul for a particular type of fish that supposedly comes up through the portals to other planes at the bottom of the water.

Any other fish are supposed to be tossed back over the side on the captain's orders, but Nuaros has already pocketed a few tasty beauties. Later, he and the others will collect their pay, leave the captain behind, and begin to bargain for the morsel they want for dinner. He's keeping a notable prize for Vosala, the most alluring of the women in the boat, in the hopes that he can trade it for a drink and some time with her. She's always toyed with him in the past, but this is the sort of fish they serve in that fancy restaurant with the hanging garden. She won't be able to just make a joke and walk away this time.

It's Vosala who's just brought up the next point of conversation. She visited Bezantur last tenday, the only city in Thay where foreigners are welcome, and noticed the tourists trying not to stare at her hair, which is only shaved along the sides and back. The rest of its length is pulled back into a pony tail with ties at intervals to keep the strands from getting free over the course of the day. The tail falls half way down her back and might not be a point of confusion or note in other lands - but this is Thay.>

They really are stupid, aren't they? Either that, or all the patrols and magic are working and keeping them out, since their rumors are a few hundred years out of date. Probably both.

They're idiots for a few reasons with this issue. First, they think all Red Wizards shave their heads and keep them that way so they can show off their tattoos. It's part of our 'ethnic folkways' or something like that, but Red Wizards supposedly keep it going, and then commoners do it to be more like them. It doesn't help that the Wizards who travel abroad do shave to mess with other people's heads and make an impression, even if they don't stay shaved at home.

We know damned well that if a Red Wizard wants to shave their head, they will, and if they don't feel like it, they won't. Nobody is forcing them to do anything except their superiors, and most of the higher-ups don't care if the novices burn their hair off. There are plenty of reasons why some of them keep their hair longer at home. Why show off their secret defenses if they don't have to? And if they get to stay in cushy positions, there's no risk. Some of them shave everything off in the old way, but most of them get over it after a few years. Maybe they'll do it if they have a dangerous assignment or they know they're going to be in an alchemy lab for a few months. But with magic to take it off and grow it back, it's not a big deal.

Yes, shaving all the hair on your head is an ancient custom, blah, blah, blah. But it was never for the common people; it was for the upper crust Mulan in Mulhorand, and that's it. If you go there now, you'll see it. Some of the nobles decorate their heads depending on which god they serve and which titles they have in their temple, because that way they can announce themselves just by walking into a room. Others wear those fancy wigs with different decorations that let you know who they serve.

Their commoners only shave to keep their hair out of their way, and their women rarely have the courage to do it because their beauty is in their hair or some such nonsense. Here in Thay, any citizen can shave without shame, or do it in sections, like our Vosala. We have some wicked styles, too. Our women know their worth isn't in their hair, and a few of them are more striking without it. It's a bigger deal in other lands because the people need all the help they can get to keep from looking ugly.

You've heard the rumor that our slaves can never cut their hair, just so we can tell who's a slave at a glance? That's Mulhorandi bullshit again. That's in their laws. They don't mind if their slaves are tripping all over themselves; everything is slower in Mulhorand, anyway. It's practically the land that time forgot. Hasn't changed much in thousands of years and they wonder why their empire is falling apart? But never mind that. Can you imagine if we did such a thing? We'd get some good laughs, sure, but the slaves would die even faster than they do now, catching on all kinds of things. 

We mark our slaves, but we have a few different ways of doing it. Some are branded on their necks, chests, arms, or hands in ways that can't be healed without some powerful magic. Others are pierced or bound with special jewelry they can't get off without tools and help. The slaves who do the dirtiest work in Thay on big projects, like the mines? They might have a pink finger or earlobe taken off. For the most part, they won't miss it. The gossip about how we mutilate our slaves all day long is for the pearl-clutchers in Silverymoon. Most masters won't do anything permanent that'll make a slave look disgusting or struggle to work. There are a few exceptions, of course, but some of us are necromancers who have very different ideas about beauty.

The rumors that our slaves run around half-naked are usually true, though. And why not? It doesn't get cold in most places, and it's hard to hide a weapon when you're in rags. Most of us aren't bothered by naked bodies, either. We all have the same bits and pieces. We wear the clothes we need to get a job done, or because we damned well feel like showing off, not because we're afraid of showing some skin.

When we do dress slaves up, they only get to wear light colors or white. That's right - man or woman, halfling or human, they get pastels, creams, or white. No one's going to waste rich dyes on slaves, and light shades make them stand out right away. (There's also the joke that they're walking dead anyway, so why not dress them as mourners?) We're not going to give them earthy tones that'll make it easier for them to hide or blend in with the commoners. We're also not going to load them up with jewels or the latest fashions. The most pampered slaves only get a few pieces of plain jewelry and simple cuts of cloth. And if they look dirty too quickly, that's on them.

It's not that hard to recognize a slave in Thay. You'll certainly never see a fat one, even among the dwarves. The humanoid patrols can tell the slaves from the citizens, and they aren't the brightest embers in Kossuth's brazier, if you know what I mean. The penalties for slaves being found with contraband are horrible enough to take care of most problems. The penalties for helping slaves disguise themselves take care of the rest.

But the rumors just show how gullible foreigners are. We fought a hell of a war to do it our way in Thay, so why would we keep blindly doing the same old thing? The nobles started changing it up right after we took our independence, and the Red Wizards did the same a few decades after they established their hold. Fashions come and go, and sometimes shaved looks are in, but we're not slaves to tradition or fashion. We are not slaves at all. We are free in ways other lands can only dream. We are Thayan.

<The atmosphere in the ship has become electric, and with a shared glance to confirm the need, the lot of them raise their fists and shout in unison, "Hail Thay!" Some follow it up with a hail to their deity, but some do not, and nobody cares who does or doesn't. And that is also very natural for most Thayan folk.

Nuaros notes a heartening gleam in Vosala's eye as she regards him. The evening could be worth the hard work of the day after all...>