Hairy Larry Rocks
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A squire rushed in to the great hall.
"Someone," he shouted, "has taken the sword from the stone!"
The assembled knights halted their dinner.
"At last, a king?"
"Who?"
"Someone," he shouted, "has taken the sword from the stone!"
The assembled knights halted their dinner.
"At last, a king?"
"Who?"
Conjured from the Rubble
by Marissa Lingen in Issue Sixteen, July 2024
After the quake, the air smelled like dust and blood and the ozone of lightning spells. The students were all on a mountain retreat with the chancellor, so there was no one to do the heavy work of cleaning up the university but the faculty and staff.
The quad had been hit hard. Most of the statues of glorious wizards of yore had sustained damage, including Head Wizard Barra's, which had plummeted from its pedestal, separating head from body. I didn't even understand where all the stones and debris had come from, but a lot of it would have to be removed through pure backbreaking labor.
Most of my fellow faculty were what my aunt would have described as "never did a hard day's work in their lives." She was wrong, of course, very wrong—a day of magic could be absolutely grueling—but a lot of the others didn't think of themselves as laborers. That was what students were for.
Turns out we weren't the only ones missing the students.
by Marissa Lingen in Issue Sixteen, July 2024
After the quake, the air smelled like dust and blood and the ozone of lightning spells. The students were all on a mountain retreat with the chancellor, so there was no one to do the heavy work of cleaning up the university but the faculty and staff.
The quad had been hit hard. Most of the statues of glorious wizards of yore had sustained damage, including Head Wizard Barra's, which had plummeted from its pedestal, separating head from body. I didn't even understand where all the stones and debris had come from, but a lot of it would have to be removed through pure backbreaking labor.
Most of my fellow faculty were what my aunt would have described as "never did a hard day's work in their lives." She was wrong, of course, very wrong—a day of magic could be absolutely grueling—but a lot of the others didn't think of themselves as laborers. That was what students were for.
Turns out we weren't the only ones missing the students.
“How’s the renovation going?”
“Ugh. Totally stalled. Builder says there’s a twelve week wait to get an excavator in to dig the pool”
“Wow, how come?”
“Ugh. Totally stalled. Builder says there’s a twelve week wait to get an excavator in to dig the pool”
“Wow, how come?”
The debate on how old is too old to lead a government settled on a figure that (remarkably!) all sides agreed was reasonable.
Problem solved, gerontocrats out at mandatory retirement age.
Problem solved, gerontocrats out at mandatory retirement age.
BANG BANG BAN-
“Wharrrr. Why are you pounding on my door it’s five ayem dammit”
“Officer of the court. You are hereby arrested for transport to a corrective institution for a term of five years”
“Wharrrr. Why are you pounding on my door it’s five ayem dammit”
“Officer of the court. You are hereby arrested for transport to a corrective institution for a term of five years”
"I spent several years as a swan," said the tall, graceful visiting prince, "You?"
The slightly shorter prince, broader and more rugged ran a shy hand through his red, braided hair, "If it wasn't for my sister, I'd probably still be a bear..."
The slightly shorter prince, broader and more rugged ran a shy hand through his red, braided hair, "If it wasn't for my sister, I'd probably still be a bear..."
"More trees than buildings... Wild trees, taller than the solar-snare windmills!" said the ranger.
Greenery was not a foreign concept to the children; most buildings had bushy roofs, every block had a community garden, and shady trees, never too tall, sheltered and fed the populace along most roads and paths.
Greenery was not a foreign concept to the children; most buildings had bushy roofs, every block had a community garden, and shady trees, never too tall, sheltered and fed the populace along most roads and paths.
The cat stepped through the doorway, the one humans can't see, appearing between the witch's ankles. She purred as the witch stumbled and swore, clutching at his spell ingredients.
The Wizard and the Djinn
by Larry Heyl - CC BY
Setup
The party wakes up in the morning next to a clear running creek. There is a slight chill in the air so they stir up the fire and make hot tea. They eat fruit and biscuits with their tea as they trade stories around the fire.
(DM hint: time permitting go around the table with the stories allowing the PCs to fill in their backstory and add items to their character sheet.)
They hear a noise in the woods and they all look to see what it is. When they look back there is a striking figure wearing a pointed hat and holding a staff standing next to the fire. The wizard addresses the party saying “I’m Randolph the Red and I need your help with a quest. There is a famous Djinn, Coriandor, who has disappeared. He had a spell book I need called The Pink Omnibus. He also had gold and jewels. I don’t need the treasure, you can keep that. But I need the spell book and if we find his lamp I want that too. Grab your packs and fill your water bags. You’ll need water where we’re going.”
by Larry Heyl - CC BY
Setup
The party wakes up in the morning next to a clear running creek. There is a slight chill in the air so they stir up the fire and make hot tea. They eat fruit and biscuits with their tea as they trade stories around the fire.
(DM hint: time permitting go around the table with the stories allowing the PCs to fill in their backstory and add items to their character sheet.)
They hear a noise in the woods and they all look to see what it is. When they look back there is a striking figure wearing a pointed hat and holding a staff standing next to the fire. The wizard addresses the party saying “I’m Randolph the Red and I need your help with a quest. There is a famous Djinn, Coriandor, who has disappeared. He had a spell book I need called The Pink Omnibus. He also had gold and jewels. I don’t need the treasure, you can keep that. But I need the spell book and if we find his lamp I want that too. Grab your packs and fill your water bags. You’ll need water where we’re going.”
Hot Java Blues
by Larry Heyl
licensed CC BY
Joe could dig some hot java to loosen up his teeth. He’d been too long on this rig and even if he was a whole lot closer than he was just a little while ago he was still worried. If he could just get back to Europa with this rock in tow everything would be all right. More than all right. He’d be alive.
When he saw the rock he let himself get greedy. Sure it was at the upper edge of the possible but look at that ore! And just look at the size of it! He let himself talk himself into it. And that was just his first mistake.
He filled the basket and hit the side of the percolator with his wrench until it started bubbling. Joe was still worried. He couldn’t get over woulda this and coulda that with his 20 20 hindsight.
He felt better with a hot cup in his hands. Still worried but better. The coffee soothed him but it reminded him of his problem at the same time. Sure he got the rock. Sure he turned it around. He’d be at Europa in a week. Maybe eight days. But he was still worried.
He still had at least a week to go on this bucket and he only had a three day supply of coffee left.
by Larry Heyl
licensed CC BY
Joe could dig some hot java to loosen up his teeth. He’d been too long on this rig and even if he was a whole lot closer than he was just a little while ago he was still worried. If he could just get back to Europa with this rock in tow everything would be all right. More than all right. He’d be alive.
When he saw the rock he let himself get greedy. Sure it was at the upper edge of the possible but look at that ore! And just look at the size of it! He let himself talk himself into it. And that was just his first mistake.
He filled the basket and hit the side of the percolator with his wrench until it started bubbling. Joe was still worried. He couldn’t get over woulda this and coulda that with his 20 20 hindsight.
He felt better with a hot cup in his hands. Still worried but better. The coffee soothed him but it reminded him of his problem at the same time. Sure he got the rock. Sure he turned it around. He’d be at Europa in a week. Maybe eight days. But he was still worried.
He still had at least a week to go on this bucket and he only had a three day supply of coffee left.