First update in quite some time. The Tower of Adamant page has been slightly updated, more with information than with events that took place. It also brings up one of the primary changes to the game: Magic doesn't work like it used to.

When the Grand Duke announced that Amalthion wanted to reduce its dependence on magic, some people asked if this meant that magic users would be of less power. At the time, the answer was no. There was no change in actual magic, only in the social-political ramifications of its use.

Now however, magic itself has changed, and because of it, there are a few changes that players must keep in mind if they are going to be playing spellcasters in the upcoming Urlichen Island Pirate Adventure.

First of all, spellcasters will be forced make level checks as though attempting to overcome spell resistance each time they cast a spell. The DCs for such rolls will alter depending on certain factors. NPCs and enemies will also have to make these caster level checks, and so will any creatures who are able to use magic. When using a scroll, the scroll's caster level is the minimum level needed to make the scroll. Potions are exceptions -- they are unaffected and operate as normal.

Secondly, magical weapons will retain all of their bonuses and abilities, though they will be required to roll a will save (DC variable as above) each day. If they succeed, they operate normally, if they fail, they are reduced slightly. In most cases, this will simply be a reduction of the weapons enhancement bonus, but for weapons that do extra damage, I.E. from fire, shock or cold, it may mean that the extra magical damage is nullified.

Finally, divine spellcasters are under the same restrictions.

There won't be any other enourmous changes, though the fact that magic is no longer as powerful a force should be taken into consideration when creating a character.

This affects all spellcasting classes.

As usual, any questions, comments or criticisms can be directed to me, or to the Gamers' list.

The Amalthion Daily News has been updated for the first time in almost three months! Gosh golly.

Okay, the Tower of Adamant update is back up to date. Also, somebody remind me that Mike's character needs to take an additional d6 of STR damage from that poison needle...

Made a slight change to the style sheet for the Seasons of Change website. Previously, most browsers displayed text a size too small except for Internet Explorer. The font size has been corrected.

Also, the Tower of Adamant game is now in session. The next game, which will take place after the TOA game ends, will be the Urlichen Island Pirate Adventure, for which I already have three people signed on. Anyone who wishes to play in the Pirate Adventure should email me as soon as possible.

The Tower of Adamant adventure in the Seasons of Change campaign is about to start. This game takes place at the same time as the City of the Dead adventure, but in a different area of the world. The game is a dungeon crawl, the party's job to explore a tower, kill monsters and gather treasure. There will be plot, but it will be minimal.

I don't know how long this game is going to run, mainly because I don't want to cut it short as I did with the City of the Dead game. If more time is needed for the Tower game, I will allot it as necessary. I plan on running a six to eight week game, though if more time is needed, I will take it.

Once this adventure is completed, I will probably take a single week off in order to work on the Pirate Adventure which is to be run after the Tower game.

Any questions, comments or criticisms can be directed to me personally.

The City of the Dead adventure has concluded successfully. I'd like to thank everyone for playing. Court Jester Forrest, Count Steven, Archbishop Tim, Lord John, Lord Kevin and Lord Adam as well as Mrs. Harbour (Forrest's Mom) for allowing us to use her kitchen table when we were asked to leave the clubhouse at Edgewood Heights.

The Tower of Adamant adventure will begin, most likely on June 5th. Anyone wishing to play in the Tower of Adamant adventure is asked to email me. At the present time, I have heard from Lord Nigel (Mike) and Archbishop Tim who have both confirmed that they wish to play. I had heard from Daimyo John and Baron Von Bill, but have heard nothing back from them. If you are them, email me to confirm the desire to play in the Tower of Adamant.

I thank you all for playing and hope to see you in subsequent adventures!

The Seasons of Change sourcebook PDF has been updated to take into consideration new firearms rules. It can be viewed here. Careful, it's almost a megabyte in size! Curse those evil masterminds at Adobe...

~Marquis du Jarod

The April 17th update of the City of the Dead adventure is up. Careful though, this one is long and highly detailed.

The Amalthion Daily News, which has become less of a daily-thing and more of a whenever-the-editor-in-chief-feels-like-it-thing has been updated.

I would also like to reiterate that this site is for any gaming that's going on. All you have to do to get stuff posted is email me (the Marquis du Jarod and let me know what you want posted. I do not edit spelling or gramatical errors, though I will edit excessively violent or risque language if I feel that it might reflect badly on the site.

Updates from any game are fine. Most likely, a separate page (akin to the City of the Dead updates page) will be created for each game. Those pages will be linked to from this page and updates will be announced here.

The City of the Dead updates page has been updated.

For those of you who have been wondering what the Arcane Spellcasters' Guild in Amalthion looks like, I have attempted to apply my feeble skill with a pencil to approximate the Guild's appearance. It can be found here.

The City of the Dead updates page is now up. You can view it here.

There are currently 2 more Saturdays before the City of the Dead adventure begins. Once it starts, updates will be announced here, but written out in a separate page designed specifically for that adventure. Unless of course, it becomes troublesome to keep it up. Then I'll just add the updates here.

~Marquis du Jarod

I'm get weird when I'm bored: See?

After many days of flipping pages, checking and re-checking tables, rolling dice and banging my head against various lateral and medial surfaces, I can finally announce the completion of the writing stage of the City of the Dead adventure. My eyes burn and my fingers ache. Dice are spinning in my head, and I can almost recall entire blocks of text from the Dungeon Master's Guide.

But if it's 1/10th as much fun running it as it has been writing it, it's going to be a blast.

For further questions, comments and the such, email me (the Marquis du Jarod), and I'll attempt to answer your questions, reply to your comments and rebuke your criticisms with extreme prejudice.

Yes, I've changed the format a little. Okay, a lot. This page is laid out using a style sheet which theoretically will make it easier to add stuff. It also looks a little nicer. Let me know what you think. (Or if you find any broken links)

I'm working on a fancy title, but currently you need the Ruritania font in order to see the title bar displayed correctly. This is also the font I've used for the Seasons of Change page which you can link to from the bar on the right.

I welcome questions, comments and criticisms.

~Marquis du Jarod

The Marquis here again. Just writing to report that I've put up the Amalthion Daily News articles which should be also linkable from the little tag on the top of the menu to the left.

I've also added another few articles. I think I'll be more than ready to run the City of the Dead adventure in April. Any questions, comments can be sent to me here.

In the final update under Tim, the Archbishop wrote:

In the most recent episode, Semmaron and Melkor concluded that the Necromantic scroll from Krynn, once invoked, acted as a beacon, urging contact between all undead and the caster (in Krynn, this is done by touching the soulstream. Then the chosen undead are drawn along the stream to the caster). Since no soulstream exists in the realm, the distant call through the soulstream acted as a subconcious urgance, and the minions of decay headed for the source to await choosing. It was uncertain what could be done to stop them, and their march across the lands, but it certainly needed to stop. Perhaps completing the incantation (choosing an undead within range, and comleting the cast) would render the scroll inert. Only time would tell. Semmaron prepared himself for the coming incantation, as Melkor rested up for the possible necromantic battle.

Meanwhile, the rally was a disaster. The kindgoms people gathered outside the pallace to shout praise to their king. As the crowd began to chant, and shout, and cheer the unthinkable happenned. The pallace guards charged in, and began to slaughter the adoring masses! only 1/2 of those who went to the rally made it out alive. The king must be mad. As the wounded people returned to town, Renard spoke with the mayor. He convinced the mayor to gather his people, and evacuate the town before the royal millitia arrived to clean up. The people were tired, and afraid. Eventually, Sgt Benor took charge, and led the people back east, to the village that the party had freed from the bandits.

At the same time, Timus arrived to get Lang Twan's answer for Ritan. He was accompanied by 10 of Ritans personal guard. The party told Timus that something was wrong, and to be careful. They said that They had no idea where Twan had gone, but that he might be at the moastery grounds. Timus healed some of the local wounded, and then charged off toward the monastery. Renard and Seraphina followed not long behind.

At the monastery, Timus greeted Twan with a hug, and said that he was there for the answer. Ritan was eager to begin rebuilding. Lang Twan answered that he had decided to rebuild, but that he would not need the help of Ritan. It was to be a project for the new students. Timus smiled, and headed out to deliver the answer. From above ground, Timus made a startled sound, and shrieks were heard from a horse. One of the guards had turned into a large red demon, and tore the horse in two! Ritans guards were apparently oni, from the east, come to hunt down Twan.

As 2 of the oni entered the basement, Lang Twan led them into the series of monk testing grounds, and proceeding to make fools of them in a fatal skirmish. During this time, Semmaron experimented with his new spell, magic jar. As luck would have it, Semmaron kept possessing the bodies of the oni as Twan was landing a coup de grace. This will probably haunt Semmarons nightmares for weeks to come.

Up top, Renard and Seraphina arrived, just in time to aid Timus, who was busy with 8 oni of his own. The battle was hard fought, but in the end the party was victorious. The last of the oni was questioned, and told that they came for the "last of the Langs". They would never stop coming until he was dead. They felt he knew enough to be dangerous to them back home.

That evening, refugees from the nearby village gathered on the monastery grounds for protection. The wave of undead was near, and Sgt Benor had stayed behind to hold them as long as he could. By morning, walking corpses were seen emerging from the tree line from the east for as far as the eye could see. Melkor prepared a disentigrate spell, as Semmaron channeled the scrolls magics, and completed the casting. Each of the three spells on the scroll was cast. Each summoned a progressively larger monster from the masses ahead (which Renard was ready for, and promptly hacked them to peices). Each cast openned Semmarons soul to the soulstream of krynn, and tainted him further. At last the scroll was exhausted, Semmaron was "touched" by the soulstream, and most of the undead either collapsed, or wandered aimlessly. The view of the kingdom was sickening. Huge winged, one-eyed beasts circled the city, shrieking, and eating the zombies. The kingdom was all but consumed by the oni, and undead. The party decided to leave the area for a vacation.

The Marquis du Jarod here, just letting you know that I've moved all of 2003 into an archive (see here), and I've taken out all the Amalthion Daily News articles and am going to place them in their own spot (which will be linked from the "Latest ADN Update" link in the column to the left.)

For those of you who were having problems accessing the site, I'm not sure why. It may have been the excessive size of the background image that I had used (this has been corrected) or your ISP might have gremilns. I don't know. Hopefully, it will work better now.

Archbishop Tim claimed the following on his 1040:

Hiding out in a cave near the town of Vallenthia, party sold off some junk, upgraded their equipment, and spent time training up their skills. While Seraphina was preforming in the town center (along with 2 other bards, who frequented the spot), there was a young man in the back of the crowd giving a speach about the incompetence of the king, and the evil of those who sought to manipulate the royal family.

Before the crowd had a chance to get worked up, Ritan and his goons arrived. He told that it was true. The king was suffering great stress as of late, and that there were those who were attempting to manipulate him for their own gain. Ritan, however, claimed to be true to the throne, and sworn to protect it by any means-even his life. He invited the masses to join him on the following day to rally outside the pallace, and show support for the troubled king.

Ritan sent Timus with a message to Lang Twan. "There has been a terrible mistake. If you so desire, Lord Ritan will have the monastery rebuilt, with you as the master. It will there remain under the protection of the king."

After conversing with his master, Lang Twan was given his masters sash. Master Yossep blessed Lang Twan, and said that he had heard from Aargus about a lost island off of the west coast called Avalon. He would travel there, train new forces, and return to free the realm from Ritans tyranny.

Wanting to test his skills, Lang Twan recruited Semmaron, and Thadeus to join him. They traveled back to the site of the monastery, to clear out the basement. It was upon arrival that Semmaron saw the sign at the basement stair written in arcane lettering... "necromancy class in session"!

Immediately in the basement, the party was attacked by the skeleton of an adult red dragon! Lang Twan got a little tore up, but Semmaron was quick to respond with command undead. Boney had joined the party.

battling their way past the angry spirits of the monks who died here, and even the rebirth of the wizard that the party had defeated in the previous session (Squib, the party vampire, had lunched on the fallen wizard, and now it was his spawn). Eventually, the party reached the library, and saw Melkor, Semmarons guildmaster petting Fluffy. Rather than attacking (Lang Twans usual open against anything that moves under its own power), the party spoke with him about why he was here.

Since the return from Krynn, Semmaron had a necromantic scroll from that world. While being studied in the guild, unstable magics were unleashed. Undead began gathering at the guildhouse from all over the world!. Once there, they began swarming out into the streets, and spreading across the kingdom. No place was safe from them, and Melkor is convinced that Semmaron is the cause.

Semmaron accepted responsibility, and turned the himself and the scroll over to his master. The master forced Semmaron to join him studying the scroll to find a solution. Will the fix to the broken spell come too late? Will the Rally at the pallace help to strengthen the kingdom? Will Master Yossep be able to train an army in time? Only time will tell.

Archbishop Tim filed the following complaint with his Insurance Company:

After the [saturday] party began traveling west, in search of Minneapolis, they encountered a war party that was harassing someone in a cave.

The party, then did their good deed for the day, and slaughtered the war band. Calling into the cave, the group heard voices calling them in. Thinking better than to walk into a trap, a rock was tossed in (plink, plink, thunk?). Renard wandered in to find out what the rock had bounced off of. As he bent to pick it up, he looked up into the snarling mouth of a werewolf!

After regaining, his composure, he and Seraphina spoke to a slimy individual on the other side of a force wall, named Aargus.

After disintegrating the force wall, Aargus invited the party to dinner. Over dinner they learned that he was the leader of a group of mercineries called "the Pack" consisting of a vampiric halfling rogue, a seemingly human (though very unfriendly) human rogue, a werewolf rogue, a dark elf wizard, dark elf cleric, half bugbear barbarian, and Aargus himself (a wizard/alchemist).

Aargus determined through a series of questions that the group was not allied with Ritan (who has pursued the Pack for a decade), and offered them contracted positions in the Pack. Semmaron was the first to sign, while the others refused. Renard, sworn to defend Semmaron has no choice but to go along on his missions, and Lang Twan, the samurai offered his service with an oath (which has him honor-bound to the pack). The rest are just along for the ride.

That night, the pack traveled to the Monastery of Yossep (where Lang Twan was raised), to meet the master, their contact for work. Master Yossep warned that a new magical artifact that Ritan had obtained would allow the Pack to be tracked anywhere they went, and may even jeopardize the safety of the monastery.

Aargus sent the party to go into town, infiltrate the palace, and retrieve the magic sword from the royal treasury. Through a clever, though lucky, series of events the party retrieved the sword, and escaped town with the help of Ritan and his apprentice. The sword was placed in the monastery basement, where it would be safe.

The next week, Semmaron headed for the monastery library. He was directed to the basement. After being confused, and humiliated by a series of monk tests, he found the library. After a while of reading, he was distracted by strange noises, and green light deeper in the basement. While heading toward the light, he recognized the image of the sword they had retrieved, and barely made out the outline of a huge face... Fluffy, the pet terrasque.

Once dragged back to the surface, Semmaron "revived", changed robes, and joined the party for a trek east, to the "great library". At the library, Ritan met the party. His guard recognized Seraphina from the night of the theft, and the party was arrested. Fortunately, the pack sat in hiding, and broke them out in the middle of the night. Once back at the hideout cave, the group ran into the commander of the guards from the jail (an 18th level fighter!). On the command from Renard, Thadeus (the groups psion) stunned the commander, the vampiric halfling rogue hogtied him, Semmaron cursed him, and the party ran away.

The next time they would see him, he was no longer a commander in the royal millitia. He instead teamed up with old comrade, Renard. He told that Ritan knew the whereabouts of the sword, and that the monastery was as good as gone (as 2 units were sent to retrieve the item). The party once again donned the guise of heroes, and rushed to the aid of the monastery, but only too late. Ritan had retrieved the sword, and ordered the temple burned. The party arrived to a crater, and the 2 units of soldiers pillaging their hearts out. In a mere 3 rounds of combat, the enemy (13 level 1 soldiers, led by a level 10 wizard, and a level 16 rogue) lay defeated.

The sword is back in Ritans hands, and the party can now be tracked effortlessly, where ever they go. Yossep lives, but his monastery, and all his students are gone. Sgt. Benor, hero of the "Left Hand", is left an outlaw. Timus, the young cleric who has helped the party from time to time, has seen his master commit an act of treason, and plans to tell the king... if Ritan will permit it. The whole world is falling apart around the party, and every moment that they rest, they will have to look over their shoulders. Next week... things getting even tougher.