Bread & Circuses - Postcards From Aviladad, Something Wretched This Way Comes , & An Encounter With 'Dr. Theophilus' Traveling Show' - Session Report

 “The stuff of nightmare is their plain bread. They butter it with pain. They set their clocks by deathwatch beetles, and thrive the centuries. They were the men with the leather-ribbon whips who sweated up the Pyramids seasoning it with other people's salt and other people's cracked hearts. They coursed Europe on the White Horses of the Plague. They whispered to Caesar that he was mortal, then sold daggers at half-price in the grand March sale. Some must have been lazing clowns, foot props for emperors, princes, and epileptic popes. Then out on the road, Gypsies in time, their populations grew as the world grew, spread, and there was more delicious variety of pain to thrive on. The train put wheels under them and here they run down the log road out of the Gothic and baroque; look at their wagons and coaches, the carving like medieval shrines, all of it stuff once drawn by horses, mules, or, maybe, men.”
― Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes

Confession time, I'm fascinated with dark circuses, murder circuses  & supernatural circuses going back to my childhood. Last year or was it a couple of years ago I used an old friend's murder circus this coming Wednesday I'm going to do it again. David Bay Miller's OSR Libary blog has hosted 'Dr. Theophilus' Traveling Show' for years now.  
And it's been a staple of my OSR game campaigns for years now. And each & everytime it's played at my table it's escaped the PC's. And since the latter part of September the PC's in a few games have heard rumors that 'Dr. Theophilus' Traveling Show' has been near where the 'Black Guard' have been. 

Dr. Alphonsus Theophilus, has found a piece of arcane  machinery to fix his gate device allowing him to move freely between time & place. And for his circus to cause even more mayhem across the planes Prime. He's not sure where or when he aquired the mechanism but it's allowed his circus to traverse the time space continuum with easy. What  Dr. Alphonsus Theophilus, doesn't know is that his planar device is a piece of the machinery of  the 'Device of Lum The Mad' which has moved across the multiverse ages ago. He has no idea how or when he repaired the gate device but he suspects that 'Boppo The Clown King' had something to do with it. 

And the circus has continued it's murderous rampage across the cosmos & this brings Magda Cordalena the Mistress of the Knives, who has even grown more disenchanted with the murder circus & it's ways. As more murder & mayhem has become the norm  Magda increasingly finds herself in way over her head. While Magda is thrilled with the locations she has visited. She finds the casual violence & occult means far more then she signed up for.   She has had contact with the Blackguard in the past and small romantic entanglement with one of our PC's. This has only made Magda's plight even more complicated. 

     The Cirque Diabolique from the Wretchedverse stands as a rival for  'Dr. Theophilus' Traveling Show' & the two encountered each other very briefly in the far future deserts outside of Avalidad. The malevolent presence of Boppo The Clown King caused these two institutions of evil to go their separate ways. Neither propeitor willing to risk a full on wizard's duel that could damage their acts. 

Zonesec is not quite aware of the immense danger both of these vistors from outside of time and space are. The Blackguard adventurers & mercenaries in tonight's game used their leverage with both circuses to gain a powerful artifact from the clutches of Jessup The Archer. 

The Blackguard were able to put distance between themselves & Jessup by putting a fake artifact in the Archer's path. But then lost the artifact to one of the assassin/prostitutes  working for the Cirque Diabolique. One of our PC's was killed by a mutant freak working with the prostitute assassin twins. So the Blackguard approached Dr. Alphonsus Theophilus, about the recovery of some valuables in Avalidad itself. He was more then happy to employ them if they could a recover the jewels in question. And b. grab an ebon Fey from among the mutant population as a replacement act among the slums of Aviladad. 

 The Cirque Diabolique wasn't done with the party however as the NPC medium began searching for the Blackguard. He didn't count on the Blackguard's own psychic however who successfully hid our party. 

The party had a running battle with six or seven knife wielding undead maniacs that belonged to the ringmaster of Cirque Diabolique. Two of our adventurers were wounded by these monsters & our necromancer had to use a scroll of protection from evil just to save the party. The player was pissed to say the least. The Cirque Diabolique vanished leaving behind a rather nasty calling card. The head of the Blackguard's contact within the mutant ghetto of Avilidad. 
The Blackguard were more then happy to deal with an entity of the Beyond to get a bead on the Cirque Diabolique's next otherworldly destination someplace near the Pleatis system.  So now the Blackguard are calling in favors to book passage on an interstellar frieghter bound for this system for next week's game. 

Gods of Hell & Murder - Thoughts on the Ecology Of The Devil King Thasaidon 'ruler of the Seven Hells' & 'Lord of All Turpitudes' Updated

 "Thasaidon, lord of seven hells

Wherein the single Serpent dwells,
With volumes drawn from pit to pit
Through fire and darkness infinite —
Thasaidon, sun of nether skies,
Thine ancient evil never dies,
For aye thy somber fulgors flame
On sunken worlds that have no name,
Man's heart enthrones thee, still supreme,
Though the false sorcerers blaspheme.
-- The Song of Xeethra"
'The Dark Eidolon' (1935) by Clark Ashton Smith


Persia Parade shield sipar

Deep within the forsaken deserts of Zothique lay abandoned cities & half forgotten temple complexes to Thasaidon one of the last devil kings of Hell. The bloated red sun of Earth holds sway over all Zothique,  Thasaidon holds court with the souls of black magicians & wizards from Aramoan to  Zul-Bha-Sair. But where did this devil king come from?! The cold Outer Blackness or is he something far more sinister & familiar. He figures most prominently in 'The Dark Eidolon' (1935) by Clark Ashton Smith. Thasaidon is a devil king  of business & black magick. He's in the business of the souls of mankind especially magicians & on Zothique business is very good. In  'The Dark Eidolon' we are given the internal view point between Namirrha Thasidon's pet arch wizard & the Devil King;

"Before the black-armored image there hung seven silver lamps, wrought in the form of horses' skulls, with flames issuing changeably in blue and purple and crimson from their eye-sockets. Wild and lurid was their light, and the face of the demon, peering from under his crested helmet, was filled with malign, equivocal shadows that shifted and changed eternally. And sitting in his serpent-carven chair, Namirrha regarded the statue grimly, with a deep-furrowed frown between his eyes: for he had asked a certain thing of Thasaidon, and the fiend, replying through the statue, had refused him. And rebellion was in the heart of Namirrha, grown mad with pride, and deeming himself the lord of all sorcerers and a ruler by his own right among the princes of devildom. So, after long pondering, he repeated his request in a bold and haughty voice, like one who addresses an equal rather than the all-formidable suzerain to whom he had sworn a fatal fealty.

"I have helped you heretofore in all things," said the image, with stony and sonorous accents that were echoed metallically in the seven silver lamps. "Yea, the undying worms of fire and darkness have come forth like an army at your summons, and the wings of nether genii have risen to occlude the sun when you called them. But, verily, I will not aid you in this vengeance you have planned: for the emperor Zotulla has done me no wrong and has served me well though unwittingly; and the people of Xylac, by reason of their turpitudes, are not the least of my terrestial worshippers. Therefore, Namirrha, it were well for you to live in peace with Zotulla, and well to forget this olden wrong that was done to the beggar-boy Narthos. For the ways of destiny are strange, and the workings of its laws sometimes hidden; and truly, if the hooves of Zotulla's palfrey had not spurned you and trodden you under, your life had been otherwise, and the name and renown of Namirrha had still slept in oblivion as a dream undreamed. Yea, you would tarry still as a beggar in Ummaos, content with a beggar's guerdon, and would never have fared forth to become the pupil of the wise and learned Ouphaloc; and I, Thasaidon, would have lost the lordliest of all necromancers who have accepted my service and my bond. Think well, Namirrha, and ponder these matters: for both of us, it would seem, are indebted to Zotulla in all gratitude for the trampling he gave you.""

Let's look at the ramifications of this conversation for a moment. Thasaidon is considered the 'Lord of All Turpitudes' among his royal titles of Hell. He's telling one of the most powerful black magicians of his generation  to give up his revenge against the king  Zotulla. One of the most powerful lawful evil devil kings is telling his summoner to give up this fool's errand. That's the gravity of the situation in  'The Dark Eidolon' . But who is Thasaidon himself? His identity is tied up in his titles Thasaidon is the 'ruler of the Seven Hells' & 'Lord of All Turpitudes'
Terpitudes is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary; 

"The word is often heard in the phrase "moral turpitude," an expression used in law to designate an act or behavior that gravely violates the sentiment or accepted standard of the community. A criminal offense that involves "moral turpitude" is considered wrong or evil by moral standards. "
In Dungeons & Dragons there are the Nine Hells but sometime millions of years in the far future world of Zothique two of those planes are destroyed. Asmodeus is not only defeated but absorbed by Thasaidon. He emerges from the Chaos of this war to take his rightful place as one of the patron gods of Zothique. 

How do I know this because Thasaidon is the 'Prince of All Moral Turpitude' & ruler of the Seven Hells. These are the planes of Hell  that emerge at the end of Revelation & after the Horsemen have been released on Earth. 

"Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

— Revelation 6:1-2 New American Standard Bible (NASB)"

One by one the armies of Hell consume themselves & each other after the Fall of Man. Two of the planes of Hell burn away into the Outer Darkness. Asmodeus is the last to fall in battle & from his ashes will emerge Thasaidon. Each of Hell's sins is taken over by Thasaidon & he literally takes on the titles & reignments of Hell. 


This war makes the Blood War look like 'Sunny Brook' farm & the struggle is epic. The souls of all mankind across the planes are at stake. And what's left is a very different landscape of Hell. The devil king of Zothique is a very different beast from Asmodeus & after the reforging of Asmodeus's ruby staff into the iron mace Hell becomes a very different place. This has happened many times in the past & the cycle will continue. The cults of  Thasaidon have begun to spread among the outer fringes of the world today because of the prophecies that have been revealed among certain esoteric seers. These cults are violent & very dangerous. They should only be tackled by the most experienced of adventurers. There cliques of these cults that have emerged on Hyperborea as well but many consider these to be ancient relics of a bygone age today. 

Toothsome Delights - - Lamentations of the Flame Princess & White Box : Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game by Seattle Hill Games - OSR Ghoulish Campaign Commentary

 

"The madness and monstrosity lay in the figures in the foreground- for Pickman's morbid art was pre-eminently one of demoniac portraiture. These figures were seldom completely human, but often approached humanity in varying degree. Most of the bodies, while roughly bipedal, had a forward slumping, and a vaguely canine cast. The texture of the majority was a kind of unpleasant rubberiness." Pickman's model H.P. Lovecraft

Alright let's pick up right from here on the blog. This blog entry picks right up from where we last left off including the idea that Lovecraftian ghouls are not only a viable PC & NPC race but that they have impact within a LoFP campaign. And this brought back the reality of Vacant Assembly Ritual issue #1. 

And VAT issue#1 has ton of great stuff for using Lovecraftian ghouls with, 'The Ghoul Market: Beneath a defiled chapel, the scavengers of the dead emerge from their tunnels to barter with the living and the damned. PCs bold enough to do business here can emerge with powerful magic, but what will they leave behind?'
Our own PC's left behind the bodies of a rival group of NPC adventurers. But it was the use of the skinsmiths that are at the market that offer resurrections that have some very unexpected consquences. 
And this goes back to Vespero the Antiquarian who sells his wears and backs the Ghoul market himself. 

And if you'll recall last blog entry we went deep into Gregorius21778: Beneath Unhallowed Ground which is part of the Ghoul Market's source material. And Beneath Unhallowed Ground is great to connect with Raggi's Death, Frost, Doom. 

Could the undead within DFD actually be suffering from 'ghoul fever' & transistioning from human remains into feral ghouls?! The answer to this is yes and then some Vacant Assembly Ritual issue #1 also has Greycandle Manor & this adventure location can be reworked into DFD with a deeper connection through it's occult inhabitant in the basement. 

Ghouls within White Box Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game have many of the traditional D&D ghoul traits with some familar tropes: "Armor Class: 6 [13] Hit Dice: 2 Attacks: Claw Special: See below Move: 9 HDE/XP: 3/60 Ghouls are pack-hunting undead, corpse eaters. They are immune, like most undead, to charms and sleep spells. The most dangerous feature of these horrid, cunning creatures is their paralyzing touch: any hit from a ghoul requires a saving throw or the victim becomes paralyzed for 3d6 turns." These ghouls have that Elven connection with Elves being immune to their paralyzing touch. So this follows the old school way that Ghouls are depicted but how they can be used in your games is up to you.  In my own games LoFP Lovecraftian ghouls follow Three Toad Stool The Vagrant PC class. 

Review & Commentary on Advanced Dungeons & Dragons - 'The REF4 The Book of Lairs II (1e)' For Your Old School Campaigns

 "This is the second in a series of groundbreaking AD&D® accessories. Within these pages are nearly 70 fully developed adventures that can be inserted into any campaign. They are ready-to-play challenges for all levels of characters. DMs need not spend long hours creating diversions for their players—we've done it for you."

"If you have The Book of Lairs, you already know what you'll find herein. These mini-adventures are arranged by terrain type (city, desert, hills, mountains, forest, etc.), with monsters in alphabetical order for easy access. At the back of the book is a combined monsters statistics table, showing all the necessary figures at a glance."

"These are familiar monsters (like the gnome, brownie, and ettin) and not-so-familiar ones (like the bakemono and tengu), from both original AD&D sources and the Oriental Adventures book. Some of these mini-adventures are mere diversions; others can turn into minor campaigns! In any case, DMs and players alike are sure to be pleased with The Book of Lairs II."

So let's pick this up   'The REF4 The Book of Lairs II (1e)' after this blog entry here?!   'The REF4 The Book of Lairs II (1e)' was a second release at  in  (1986) & is the fourth AD&D REFerence and the secound of the Lairs books of short adventures. It was published in April 1987. And 'The REF4 The Book of Lairs II (1e)' is a very heavy adventure anthology with some incredibly iconic & mythological monsters of Advanced Dungeons & Dungeons first edition or Advanced Dungeons & Dragon 2nd edition. 

'The REF4 The Book of Lairs II (1e)'  takes the adventure anthology outlook & brings in one hit point monsters all of the way up too iron golem. Why because this book takes the adventure anthology of encounters formula and brings it into shape for both editions of the grand game. It does this by using displacer beasts, fungi, beholders, and mind flayers as the encounter fodder for adventure groups. 

This makes 'The REF4 The Book of Lairs II (1e)' a perfect fit for OSR retroclones such as OSRIC or for Gold & Glory. 

Each of the encounters within 'The REF4 The Book of Lairs II (1e)' can be tailored to your old school campaigns circumstances call for. And this makes 'The REF4 The Book of Lairs II (1e)' perfect for bringing into Greyhawk or other old school campaigns. 

'The REF4 The Book of Lairs II (1e)' adventure encounters can be tailored from gritty to full on high fantasy. And with a bit of effort could be brought into a Sword & Sorcery game such as Hyperborea rpg third edition as one off displaced entities or monsters. Not so with Greyhawk where each & everyone of these encounters feels at home. 

'The REF4 The Book of Lairs II (1e)' takes the adventure encounter anthology format and brings it up a notch because of its diverse cast of authors. Authors that were quartinated by one of classic TSR's best. According to the Drivethrurpg entry; "Project coordinators Bruce Heard and Karen S. Martin herded twenty different contributors, some TSR staff and some freelancers: Anne Brown, Scott Bennie, Deborah Christian, David Cook, Jane Cooper, Ed Greenwood, Jennell Jaquays, Robin Jenkins, David E. Martin, Karen S. Martin, Anne Gray McCready, Bruce Nesmith, Jeff O'Hare, Steve Perrin, Jon Pickens, Michael Price, Rick Swan, Gary Thomas, William Tracy, and Allen Varney." This showcases some incredible talent across such a sprawling & wide range of areas from classic TSR. So is  'The REF4 The Book of Lairs II (1e)' a part of the lists of underrated classics?! In my humble opinion?! Yes! 

OSR Combination Mini Campaign Zero Session - Bloat Games Scorched rpg & Wretched Space Combined

 So let's pick this right up from this blog entry here. Bloat Games Scorched rpg set's the tone for a post apocalpytic Science Fiction verse. Lazarus three hosts the PC's in tonight's zero session rpg but as we went over Scorched rpg options mixed with Wretched Space rpg. 

Tonight's zero session saw the players asking lots & lots of questions about Scorched's Lazarus three. There were questions about various regions of the planet, factions, bandit nations, and the state of space flight. What happened to FTL travel ?! 
Is this universe tied into our other campaigns?!And if not is there more going with the Scorched setting or is Wretched Space going to be the driving engine?! 
Already the players started up with tons of Cha'alt references. And they began throwing my way the fact that they'd be taking jobs to get their PC's back to Cha'alt. 
We haven't discussed Cha'alt existing within this universe. And out the window when we were discussing grabbing a space craft.There's the fact that the party just starting out. 

Scorched has more resources to throw at the player's PC's. Scorched has these resources for planetary bound adventures in spades on Lazarus Three. It's a long way between  Lazarus Three & Cha'alt but there's more then this up my sleeve. And then there's  the Black Dragon Fighting Society. The  Black Dragon Fighting Society comes straight outta of Venger's Save Yourselves From Hell. 

Remember the Wretched Flesh/Space crossover campaign with Bloat Games Ninja Beatdown?! It would be very easy to work the 'The Black Dragon Society' into having a connection to the ninja of 'Ninja Beatdown'. 

So instead of being a parody 'Save Yourself From Hell' becomes a straight up mega event that ties into some of the background of the Red Room's Wretched Space. 

This is all speculation one my part for the moment the players are stuck on Lazarus Three & we're still stuck in zero session. Things are moving along very nicely and the PC's are moving into getting together sooner rarther then later. More next week. 

The Norse God of Law From Adventurer, Conqeuror, King Rpg - Thoughts on Kuntz & Ward's Original Dungeons & Dragons's Gods, Demi Gods, & Heroes - Updated

 When it comes to Kuntz & Ward's "Supplement IV" Gods, Demi-Gods and Heroes the Norse mythology certainly gets the lion share of coverage in the book. But why does this make things interesting for an Adventurer,Conqueror, King rpg? This blog entry will pick up from this blog entry here. 

We know that Odin in Kuntz & Ward's "Supplement IV" Gods, Demi-Gods and Heroes is gearing up for war. But what god is he going to turn to when it comes such a war against chaos?! That god isn't Thor who get's the royal treatment in the additional material in  'Supplement IV' instead its Tyr whose an aboslute beast; "Tyr: Armor Class: 2 Magic Spell Ability: None Move: 12" Fighter Ability: 19th Level Hit Points: 250 Psionic Ability: Class 6 This one-armed God of War was overshadowed by Thor muchly and had very little to do with Norse Mythology. Tyr though is the only God capable of approaching the Fenris wolf with any success. He inspires a berserker type fighting (similar to Odin, but with only 50% effectiveness) in his followers rage. His dwelling place is not mentioned nor are his sons. He does occupy a seat amongst the twelve at Asgard and it is assumed that he dwells there most of the time."  Why would Odin turn to Tyr?! Because Tyr is actually the Germanic & Norse god of war & Law! This aspect of the god has Greco Roman connections; "These deities are generally understood by scholars to refer to *Wōđanaz (known widely today as Odin), *Þunraz (known today widely as Thor), and *Tīwaz, respectively. The identity of the "Isis" of the Suebi remains a topics of debate among scholars.^[18] Later in Germania, Tacitus also mentions a deity referred to as regnator omnium deus venerated by the Semnones in a grove of fetters, a sacred grove. Some scholars propose that this deity is in fact *Tīwaz.^[19]

A votive altar has been discovered during excavations at Housesteads Roman Fort at Hadrian's Wall in England that had been erected at the behest of Frisian legionaries. The altar dates from the 3rd century CE and bears the Latin inscription Deo Marti Thingso Et Duabus Alaisiagis Bede Et Fimmilene. In this instance, the epithet Thingsus is a Latin rendering of Proto-Germanic theonym *Þingsaz. This deity is generally interpreted by scholars to refer to Týr. The goddesses referred to as Beda and Fimmilene are otherwise unknown, but their names may refer to Old Frisian legal terms.^[20]

In the sixth century, the Roman historian Jordanes writes in his De origine actibusque Getarum that the Goths, an east Germanic people, saw the same "Mars" as an ancestral figure:

Moreover so highly were the Getae praised that Mars, whom the fables of poets call the god of war, was reputed to have been born among them. Hence Vergil says:

"Father Gradivus rules the Getic fields"

Týr equated with Mars in an 18th-century manuscript (ÍB 299 4to)

While Thor gets all of the press Tyr has many connections with Law & is going to be the natural enemy of giant kind & many of the Chaotic humanoid races. And his actions prove this especially his mention within 

the  Sigrdrífumál; " the valkyrie Sigrdrífa imparts in the hero Sigurd knowledge of various runic charms. One charm invokes the god Týr:

'You must know victory-runes

if you want to know victory. Carve them

into your sword's hilt, on the blade guards

and the blades, invoking Tyr's name twice.'

Jeramy Dodds translation^[23]

In Lokasenna, the gods hold a feast. Loki bursts in and engages in flyting, a contest of insults, with the gods. The prose introduction to the poem mentions that "Tyr was in attendance, even though he had only one hand because the wolf Fenrir had recently ripped off the other while the wolf was being bound."^[24] Loki exchanges insults with each of the gods. After Loki insults the god Freyr, Týr comes to Freyr's defense. Loki says that "you can't be the right hand of justice among the people" because his right hand was torn off by Fenrir, elsewhere described as Loki's child. Týr says that although he misses his hand, Loki misses Fenrir, who is now bound and will remain so until the events of Ragnarök.
When it comes to Law Odin is going to have a shaky relationship at
best but Tyr is going to be his right hand man literally; "

The Prose Edda sections Gylfaginning and Skáldskaparmál reference Týr several times. The god is introduced in part 25 of the Gylfaginning section of the book:

High said: 'There is also an As called Tyr. He is the bravest and most valiant, and he has great power over victory in battles. It is good for men of action to pray to him. There is a saying that a man is ty-valiant who surpasses other men and does not hesitate. He was so clever that a man who is clever is said to be ty-wise. It is one proof of his bravery that the Æsir were luring Fenriswolf so as to get the fetter Gleipnir on him, he did not trust them that they would let him go until they placed Tyr's hand in the wolf's mouth as a pledge. And when the Æsir refused to let him go then he bit off the hand at the place that is now called the wolf-joint [wrist], and he is one-handed and he is not considered a promoter of settlements between people.

A. Faulkes translations (notes are by Faulkes)

^[26] This tale receives further treatment in section 34 of Gylfaginning ("The Æsir brought up the wolf at home, and it was only Tyr who had the courage to approach the wolf and give it food.").^[27] Later still in Gylfaginning, High discusses Týr's foreseen death during the events of Ragnarök:

Then will also have got free the dog Garm, which is bound in front of Gnipahellir. This is the most evil creature. He will have a battle with Tyr and they will each be the death of each other." 

A. Faulkes translation

Tyr is literally straddling the bows of Chaos of the Norse gods & the high points of Law. He's the god with elements in both camps. He will have scouted out & taken down giants within Jötunheimr behind enemy lines. 
PC's in our games over the years who were involved with Tyr did so with some darksides to their relationships with the god. From 

'The OSR Grimoire' Blog comes this little tid bit; "Paul Karlsson Johnstone discusses berserkers in his excellent article "Origins of the Norse Pantheon" in The Dragon #29 (September, 1979)" And its this dark beserker aspect that can get the PC's killed and while they fill the ranks of Odin's army of the dead & Valhalla. Our party was often left with out our best fighters & thieves. 
Another aspect of Tyr is the fact that the god is a master psionic & this could be how he deals with the powers of Chaos in very unexpected ways. Able to read minds, implant suggestions, and create opportunities for his worshipers. 

How does this relate to the  Adventurer, Conqeuror, King rpg?! Think about where Tyr sits within the patheons of the Norse. A god of war, Law, and justice is going to on the front lines of a war between Law & Chaos. Because giant warlords crossing from Jötunheimr into Midgard is a real possibility with vast armies of humanoids & smaller giant kind such as ogres & the like. This is the time when kingdoms can be won in battle but warriors should remember the fact there is a ton of crossover material potential here. Crossover potential with both Conan's Hyboria supplemental material & Elric's supplemental material within Gods, Demigods, & Heroes. In the flickering candle light of when the oceans drank Atlantis & the rise of the Norse gods,Crom has his hands full with the Celtic gods & mythology.  These competing gods are going to war among themselves as well as the forces of Chaos. There's plenty of room for the players to get caught up in such affairs. See Michael Moorcock's mythos for the type of disasters that can happen when dealing in the affairs of the gods. 

An American Werewolf in London (1981) Converted To Sword of Cepheus & Cepheus Modern - Updated

  Hailing from the north of Yorkshire's moors, the curse of the werewolf was a horrific curse that was passed down from one victim of the werewolf's to another. The victim of such an attack will recover at an exceptional rate about a third of the time from seemingly mortal wounds. The victim has until the next full moon until they turn into one of the more animalistic proto werewolves to walk the Earth. 

The victim during his or her recovery will be plauged by horrific visions & dreams of former victims of the curse woven now into their own. 

Werewolf of Yorkshire 
100kg Beast (Chaser), forest walker, AAA1B4 #App: 1D Treasure: None Athleticcs-2, Melee Combat-2, Recon-1, Survival-1, Tactics-1 Attacks on 6+; flees on 3- Bite (2D); armor 2; speed 20m/action ; Chaotic, Morale DM+0
Special Supernatural Qualities - Cursed & Regeneration as a Troll See Sword of Cepheus 





The victims of the werewolves attacks & violence will be bound to the werewolf as disembodied undead ghosts. Those  who are doomed to walk the Earth in the shadow of the werwolf. These victims exist in a sort of weird twilight caught between life & death. These ghosts often continue to torture the werewolf urging him or her to commit suicide to end their pain. They bare the horrific wounds from the were wolf's attack & murder. Oddly they continue to decay in real time with the actions of the werewolf. Many become Choatic with the resentment of having their lives cut short by the murderous actions  of the werewolf.


Ghosts of the Curse  
0kg Undead, urban flyer, CAK0A0 #App: 1 Treasure: Small Athletics-0, Melee-0, Recon-3, Stealth-3, Tactics-1 Attacks all living beings Special attack; armor 0; flying speed 10m/action Chaotic; Morale DM+4

These ghosts often appear to warn others of the werewolf curse's evil attacks & murders. But these ghosts only have a tenous thread to life appearing as only a twilight vision. Some of the more evil victims may attack the living out of sheer evil. 

Unlike  other lycanthroptic species the Yorkshire werewolves are affected by ordinary guns & bullets. The damage from such weapons must overcome the werewolf's phyical qualities or the supernatural regeneration qualities of the beast will kick in. 

OSR Review & Commentary On Opus Magi: Anima Machinae by Mark Janselewitz For The Opus Magi Rpg

 ""Students of folklore and mythology all know the stories in which humans and animals were created in a myriad of ways.  The gods themselves came about through strange processes, and in Japanese Shinto our islands were said to arise from the foam of the sea."

"Of course, stories of magic and the old gods and goddesses are not to be taken seriously.  Yet, it was our ancestors who first had the idea of the creation of the “robot,” or “a human who was not a human,” but a conscious creature made in humanity’s own image."

The following pages will introduce the student to a variety of golems, automata, and other crafted creatures as they come to us from tales of magic, world mythologies, anthropological research, and even urban legend."

- Professor Akito Takeda, Ph.D., June, 2022"

Opus Magi: Anima Machinae by  Mark Janselewitz is possibly one of the most primary focused books that appears in the Opus Magi rpg cannon. This book completely focuses on one set of rules for the game & that's crafting golems, homunculi, androids, and the like, based on the Cepheus Engine's rules. The explainations for these works in Opus Magi is based around the 2d6 rules found within Cepheus Engine but it expands upon these greatly. 

Opus Magi: Anima Machinae by  Mark Janselewitz For The Opus Magi Rpg talks about many of these rules as an in house universe discussion. And it does it with style and vigor. Opus Magi: Anima Machinae  is a perfect supplement for Halloween where the DM needs a Frankenstein or evil android for their Opus Magi rpg campaign. 

So how does Opus Magi: Anima Machinae by  Mark Janselewitz compare to say Artificial: Robots in Clement Sector?! It doesn't because these are two different animals.Opus Magi: Anima Machinae  is a monster book for creating familars, golems, and other one off creatures while Artificial: Robots In The Clement sector is for actually creating full on A.I. creatures for your games. Opus Magi: Anima Machinae isn't that supplement. This is a book about works of the Art or in this case magick. 

Opus Magi: Anima Machinae by  Mark Janselewitz presents a very consistent and well thoughout supplement perfect for those will workers who want to be able to create golems, androids, automata, and more. It presents a coheriant and well thoughtout series of rules for doing exactly that. At forty two pages Opus Magi: Anima Machinae by  Mark Janselewitz is a nice & solidly done 2d6 supplement to add to the Opus Magi rpg line. 

Opus Magi: Anima Machinae by  Mark Janselewitz For The Opus Magi Rpg Is Available Right Over Here.