Sparrows.dev

Making an Insomnia Reminder timer in NixOS and home-manager

2025-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

I have always struggled with insomnia, and lately Factorio: Space Age has made the midnight hours fly past way too quickly. Looking up and finding it's 3 AM already has happened too many times, so I figured that making a little script to remind me to sign out would be a neat little project. Now it's going to be a write-up, tracing through how I solved the problem and pointing out some dead-ends along the way.

Calendar

2025-03-03T00:00:00+00:00

4 seasons, with three months of thirty days each. The solstices, equinoxes, and new years eve are known as the Turnings, and are considered to be outside of the normal calendar.

Crafting

2025-03-03T00:00:00+00:00

Jacks wield the best gear they can scrounge, buy, or make. Something custom is often the best fit for the job.

Eulogy

2025-03-03T00:00:00+00:00

If a dead Player Character's body is brought back to town, and given funeral rites, the player may start their next character at half their prior level.

Holds and Towns

2025-03-03T00:00:00+00:00

The influence of the neighboring Brellish Empire has driven profound divisions into Wold society and culture.

Grimmswold Sessions 1-4

2025-01-12T00:00:00+00:00

Grimmswold is my survival horror sandbox setting, and I've started running it regularly again, despite it being under heavy redevelopment. I might as well get in the habit of summarizing sessions here as well.

Blog The Third: Nix and Zola

2024-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

Repeatedly switching Site Generators is something that happens to everyone, right?

Beasts And Their Contents

2022-03-29T00:00:00+00:00

Blows dust off the old blog

It's been a bit. I've done a number of RPG related things, and will continue to do more. Whether I'll return to publishing regularly is another matter. I'd personally love to, but the time and headspace required can be hard to find. All that aside, I have a prompt to answer.

Anouncing Scurvy

2021-05-21T00:00:00+00:00

I made a character generator for Knave, availible here!</a>

Wallflower Session 8: Down To The Dirt

2021-05-17T00:00:00+00:00

Following the assault on the Stable Reactor Complex, Thunderbird Squadron had noticed a further decrease in opfor activity. During a routine patrol out to the grey towns, they discovered a subsidence in the ground, a large section of hillside that had slid downwards, opening a two meter high, and forty meter long slot in the hillside.
Over The Threshold</h2>
After a small mudslide revealed the ground to be somewhat unstable, Pilots Krell and Sen remained mounted, while Pilot Lyndale advanced to the edge of the gap on foot. not seeing any signs of hostility, the mounted pilots advanced cautiously to the edge of the gap. Pilot Lyndale found that the gap held a metal platform running along it, with swivel up emplacements for (missing) mounted guns. She also found a staircase along one wall and began to descend. The platform behind her was supported by an inclined plane, following the slope of the hill.
At this point Thunderbird Squadron believed they had confirmed the structure to be an ancient Union fortification. The structure ahead was split in three, with the central corridor heading approximately East. All corridors maintained the massive proportions of the door, and seemed designed to accomodate large vehicles.
Moving backwards, into the shadow of the door, Pilot Lyndale encountered a long line of deceased egregorians, rendered into husks by the passage of time. All the carapace were marked with a large amount of DEW scarring, with some kinetics.
Also present was a large amount of subaltern footprints in the dust, leading from the central corridor, up the stairs, and out of the bunker. These were theorized to belong to the opfor and their virus-compromised subalterns. Pilot Krell advised caution and stealth, but as scans showed near-nil activity, Pilot Lyndale continued to explore along the left hand corridor.
A Shot In The Dark</h2>
The northeast corridor terminated rapidly in a warehouse complex, drifts of torn shrinkwrap and empty shelves, interspersed with a palette of vaguely still edible ancient rations. The place had been emptied abruptly and systematically. While exploring some of the side rooms, Pilot Lyndale's hardsuit picked up an active electronic signature. Something was in a minimally powered state, in what appeared to be the administrator's office.
Forwarding this information as she approached, she heard a barked warning from a synthesized voice, and then a single gunshot. A few moments later, while Pilot Lyndale was seeking cover, the bunkers systems came rapidly online, with the sudden illumination disorienting her.
Outside, the bunker door abruptly resumed it's retraction, sinking downwards at a forty degree angle into the earth, and leaving the soil and mechs of Thunderbird Squadron unsupported. The collapse caused Walking Under Fire, Remember Why You Are Here, and Conquest Of The Mind to fall into the bunker, along with many of the large fungal tree-analogs.
Later analysis of sensor logs revealed that the comms array of the bunker had sent a brief, encrypted broadcast to an unknown recipient during these events, but it was not noticed in the confusion.
All Systems O. K.</h2>
While all Pilots attempted to recover, the bunker's mainframe completed its boot up sequence, and began to hail the pilots on an antique protocol.
Hesitantly, Pilot Lyndale replied with their Union credentials, which the base accepted. Careful questioning while maintaining system separation revealed that the base compcon, although in control of the bases systems, was more or less totalled. It would cheerfully respond to almost every query with "My systems are all O. K."
During this time, Pilot Lyndale returned to Thunderbird Squadron, retrieved her mech from where it had wandered down the central passageway while it's onboard NHP tried to comply with its new context.
Following this, the pilots then proceeded down the southeast branch, and found an ancient Union barracks complex, empty and mostly untouched. In the corridor on the approach, a Châu Maze subaltern was found.
It had suffered multiple kinetic strikes, both to the front and back. Further in, the pilots found the command center, guarded by two ancient subalterns, both powered down.
Investigating the command center, they found the core of the compcon, confirmed that the compcon systems were totalled. They also found that the guard post for the subalterns outside was powered down, but the ammo rack had recently had one magazine removed.
Concerning Discoveries</h2>
Having cleared the right hand path, the pilots returned en masse to the left hand path. In the room Pilot Lyndale had left, they found a Serenity subaltern, whose closer to human appearance made its integration with the administrative console all the more viscerally upsetting.
The subaltern had it's lower half removed, and a large section of the synthskin covering the chest, in order to patch in a bewildering array of cables that terminated in patched connections to the console.
The subaltern had a small sidearm, recently discharged, and a presumably self inflicted wound, which had utterly destroyed its central memory bank. No reconstruction would be possible.
Completing their sweep, Thunderbird entered the central section, and found a repair bay off the central corridor, with blueprints still pulled up on the screens for a frame marked HA Enkidu. A brief attempt to salvage the data was made, with no success for the moment.
Further progress revealed an even more chilling site. Two hangars of empty combat subaltern frames. All weapons and field equipment are also missing. Rough count showed there were around eight hundred missing warmachines.
Conclusions</h2>
The pilots theorized the following order of events. The bunker was discovered by the opfor, and they sent an infected subaltern in. This subaltern was targeted by the base security, and destroyed. This was based on the ammo rack. A second expedition installed the Serenity subaltern, and used the non-traditional access to hack the compcon and gut most of its functionality, before infecting and stealing the garrison and supplies. The security subalterns were left for an unknown reason.
When Pilot Lyndale approached the subaltern, it self-destructed to prevent analysis, which in turn caused the base to reboot, during which the door opened and dropped the pilots abruptly.
Nervous and on edge, the pilot returned to their previous mission.
End Session Eight</h1>

Wallflower Session 7: Giant Slayer

2021-05-16T00:00:00+00:00

Having dispatched the majority of the opfor at Stable 2, Thunderbird Squadron only faced two remaining frames. Anthill, a drone deploying mech, who was dealing inexorable damage to critical reactor components, and Talos, a demolition frame that so far had gone untouched in the rush to bring down more obviously aggressive opponents.
The threat priority changed significantly when Talos drew level with the reactors exposed components, and brought them to a third of their integrity with a single swing. Prioritizing Talos over Anthill, Thunderbird closed in. Unexpectedly, Pilot Sen in Remember Why You Are Here managed to cripple Talos' demolition hammer, its only designated weapons system. With Talos somewhat de-fanged, Pilot Krell kept it engaged and prevented it from manually damaging Stable-2. Pilots Lyndale and Sen changed their focus to Anthill, forcing it into a retreat shortly thereafter. Pilot Lyndale attempted pursuit, hoping to capture the pilot or disable the frame, but was effective in neither goal.
Walking Under Fire, now completely outgunning the massive Talos, managed to bring it down with sustained fire with it's Heavy Machine Gun and Prototype Weapon, Talos' redundant systems finally giving out. Pilot Lyndale returned to Stable-2 shortly thereafter.
Aftermath</h2>
Opening a comms channel to Commander Hadura, Thunderbird Squadron learned that the colonial militia had managed to rout the enemy there too, but had sustained heavy losses. The militia's additional training under Pilot Krell had paid off, holding firm in the face of an armored engagement. Brava privately confided she half-wished the militia had broken, so that the death toll might not be so high.
Pilot Krell offered what comfort he could under the circumstances, while Pilot Lyndale investigated the opfor's wrecks. Finding a gravely wounded survivor in the remains of Talos, Thunderbird Squadron attempted medical assistance, and stabilized the pilot for transport. This decision was met with some initial hostility by other militia members in transit, with them feeling extremely disinclined to help any member of the opfor in the aftermath of this engagement. Pilot Krell rebuffed this with a reminder of Rules of Engagement, and the potential intelligence value of the now-prisoner pilot.
Debrief</h2>
leaving the prisoner in the surgical team's hands, and after getting checked out, Thunderbird Squadron reported to Patience. They encountered the NHP conversing with a messenger from the grey towns. They gave their after-action report, noting that Talos' pilot also had the distinctive forehead markings observed on prior opfor pilots. Asking after the messengers' errand, Thunderbird Squadron learned that almost half of the mechanized workforce of the grey towns had left due to the virus. With much arguing, Patience agreed to provide some aid to the grey towns, almost entirely due to the lobbying of the Pilots. The messenger left, and Patience informed the pilots that they'd been authorized to grant new License Contracts to the Pilots, on behalf of Landmark Colonial, then dismissed them.
Familiar Face</h2>
Later that evening, while the pilots were discussing team composition and upgrade plans, Pilot Sen received an unexpected Ommni-net call. Answering in private, she found her mentor from her time in Academy, Commander Akachukwu Seiki on the line, and looking appropriately older for their respective amounts of time-dilation. The two spoke of their past together, Commander Akachukwu stressing the strong backing of the academy in whatever Pilot Sen did, and finally getting around to the reason for his call. Commander Akachukwu believes that Pilot Sen would be a good fit for an experimental SSC frame project, at present heavily classified. Pilot Sen was very overwhelmed by this recommendation, and Commander Akachukwu praised their work in the academy, and asked polite questions about their career and present deployment. Shortly after finishing the call, Pilot Sen received and completed an application for enrollment as a test pilot. Forty five minutes later, they were accepted into the Mourning Cloak program.
Rebound</h2>
In joint celebration of the successful defense, their promotion, and Pilot Sen's new status (what she could share of it under NDA at least), Thunderbird Squadron held a revel at The Bottom Of The Well, with many militia members joining in. The tone started out shell-shocked and dour, but settled down to a strained enthusiasm.
Notably:

Pilot Krell ran up something of a bar tab, trying to keep morale high, and exhausted Mir Bahadur's good favor.</li>
Pilot Lyndale, inebriated, wound up in Pilot Krell's bed, fast asleep. Krell slept on the common area couch.</li>
Pilot Sen brought down the mood accidentally with an unintentionally somber toast. Nevertheless, she awoke the next morning with an Omni-net address written out on her forearm.</li> </ul>
Further Work</h2>
In the following days, Pilots Lyndale and Sen honed their predictive model, and derived two predictions of note. The opfor had lost the bulk of its forces in the preceding engagements. If it was larger than this predicted threshold, it would be inconsistent with prior patterns of behavior. Also, the opfor had more tech, and varied, than what could reasonably be salvaged. They had a supply line of some form.
End Session Seven</h2>

Wallflower Session 6: Enemy At The Gates

2021-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

Wakeup Call</h3>
After a week of day to day patrols, Thunderbird Squadron had not managed to pin the sniper down. However, the rate of attacks had dropped significantly, leading to improved morale amongst the work crews. This state of affairs was interrupted at 03:00 by an attack on the southern gate of Evergreen.
Scrambling on foot from their rooms in the Bottom Of The Well, the pilots reached their mechs, mounted, and engaged the enemy. Time to deployment was noted as unacceptably high. Militia forces had managed to hold back the opfor, but had suffered significant losses, and extensive damage to the gates fortifications.
Thunderbird Squadron did not do favorably in the initial engagement, with pilots Krell and Sen taking major structural damage in the opening moves of the engagement.
All opfor frames had the biological chitin armoring, and there was a more aggressive variant of the Anvil escort pattern-group present, tagged as Valor. Also present was a long-range artillery frame, tagged Thunder, the source of most of the damage to Evergreens fortifications.
Thunderbird Squadron rallied, adjusting for the threat level. After deploying long cycle batteries and adapting their tactics, the opfor was driven back.
During the fighting pullback, three opfor mechs were splashed, with the enemy pilots assumed KIA.
The surviving Militia present at the gate cheered for the pilots and their victory. The lengths to which the pilots pushed their mechs and themselves was visible to the militia, and served as a short-lived cause for celebration.
Fakeout</h3>
Patience informed the pilots that they had detected an incursion at the Stable Reactor complex, and believed the assault on the gates to be a diversion.
With their frames in critical condition, the pilots prepared to run for the Stable Reactors and face the enemy while in dire condition.
Chief Engineer Castor Fielding made his presence known with a "flying garage", of commandeered cargo trucks, converted in mobile repair stations. Onboard the trucks,the engineering crew attempted what repairs they could while en route. Engineers Mandalay and Minch required medical attention after falling from the bed in the confusion.
Commander Hadura noted that the Stable Reactor complex had two main reactors, and that both were being targeted. She and the bulk of militia forces peeled off to defend Stable 1, while the pilots advanced on Stable 2.
Thunderbird Squadron deployed from the trucks, and engaged further chitin-armored frames inside the perimeter defense of Stable Reactor 2. Further novel pattern groups were encountered, along with infantry support:

Anthill: drone deployment frame, with extensive area denial capabilities</li>
Scalpel: Melee specialized frame, highly precise and aggressive.</li>
Talos: Demolition specialist, equipped with half ton hammer and redundant systems, leader of this assault group.</li>
An infantry squad, with individual chitin carapace armor, and a field portable DEW</li> </ul>
During the combat, Scalpel was quickly neutralized after an aggressive advance. The infantry's Directed Energy Weapon damaged Conquest Of The Mind, but a retaliatory strike from pilot Lyndales howitzer and Walking Under Fire's prototype weapon rapidly depleted their numbers.
Anthill deployed a drone swarm directly onto key reactor components, while the lumbering Talos advanced steadily, directing other combatants.
End Session Six</h3>

The notes for this session were written well after the fact, and are scarce on details, so it's a shorter entry. </blockquote>

Wallflower Session 5: Ghosts On The Wind

2021-05-14T00:00:00+00:00

Touching Base</h2>
Returning to Evergreen, Thunderbird Squadron met with Patience for a debrief on the situation in the grey towns. Patience heard the pilots interpretations and fears that the enemy had elected to use greater force with the pilot's presence.
Patience in turn reported that the op-for pilot whose remains had been recovered did not match any genetic stocklines known to Patience. They do not share ancestry with anyone in Evergreen or the grey towns.
The henna-analogous design eluded deeper understanding, but structural analysis implies that there is a semantic payload of some sort. The design is meaningful.
Patience also accepted the remains of the compromised comp-con from the Châus farm. They will establish a forensic partition and carry out what analysis they can of the shattered drives.
Dropping off their mechs to be repaired by the ever-enthusiastic Kyle, Thunderbird Squadron departed to The Bottom Of The Well for some much needed rest after the hectic extended deployment.
Preparations</h2>
Pilot Sen spent some time in the militia training gym, finding it peaceful, and her status as a pilot granting her a degree of aloofness.
Afterwards, Pilots Sen and Lyndale met and worked to improve their model of the sniper-teams motions, so it could ideally be used in a predictive role. After the majority of the day, they'd pushed it as far as they could for the day, and needed higher level data access from Patience.
Wiki-walk</h2>
During the evening and night, Pilots Lyndale and Sen carried out ommni-net research on the history of Hercynia and the Egregorians. Most of the returned data validated Patience's account of the Egregorians being a large, anthropoidal eusocial species, with limited tool-use through rote mimicry.
They were rendered extinct by Union under the Second Committee, as part of colonization efforts.
New information included that Egregorians constructed large Hive Stacks, nests comparable to termite mounds, accounting for the relative size of an Egregorian and a termite.
Several Hive Stacks are marked on the regional scale map, and although records indicate no exploratory mission was ordered, mapping data for the interior of one the hive stacks exists on the local net.
Some questions to Patience later, and an interview with Nim Hadura, perpetrator of the mapping, was arranged.
Talk With Nim</h2>
Nim was friendly, and he explained that he explored the Hive Stack on a dare, and produced video proof of him exploring the darkened internal tunnels on foot.
Notable is a large (2.5 meter) pattern in one of the main tunnels. It was on a defined disk, and bore great similarity to the design found on the pilots head and face.
After Nim had departed, the pilots decided that it would be prudent to investigate the Hive Stacks, however, the tunnels shown in the footage seemed purpose-built for ambush.
After much deliberation, the pilots decided to approach in mechs to about a kilometer out, and then deploy the one-shot stealth drone that Kyle had managed to fit into their print-time budget. Additionally, a 'routine patrol' of Militia will be on a conveniently close sweep should infantry support be necessary.
Exploring The Stack</h2>
The first Hive Stack's overall structure is toroidal, with a central spire. The passageways that riddled its outer walls were labyrinthine, and varied in size. Some would permit mechs, but most would not. The passages did not have any concept of floors, and changed slope arbitrarily. Lower levels, including the floor of the central 'courtyard' were flooded.
The internal tower contained circular, lobed rooms in a radial pattern. These rooms had drilled hardpoints for apparently retrofitted weaponry, suspected to be from Union forces.
Finally, evidence of recent habitation was discovered, including several burned out campfires, and what is suspected to be a grave with faded funeral offerings. This was attributed to the op-for, and added to the predictive model of their movements.
The Second Stack</h2>
The pilots proceeded to a second nearby Hive Stack, and found this one to be in comparative ruins. The central tower and a large section of the outer wall were levelled, with the debris patterns suggesting a massive explosion.
Finding a hot radiation signature, the drone investigated an area in the courtyard, in the penumbra of the blast. The wrecks of several mechs were present, with cold-cores in an active state. Poses and layout suggest these mechs were engaging in combat, and were wrecked by the explosion.
Further silhouette analysis indicated that with sufficient reverse engineering work, a viable set of blueprints for these frames could be achieved, but the drone had reached the end of its lifetime, and fell beside the ancient wrecks.
End Session Five</h3>

Wallflower Session 4: Chasing Smoke

2021-03-17T00:00:00+00:00

A Brief Aside.</h2>
The official campaign, No Room For A Wallflower</a> is out. I'm reading through my copy and adapting the content to work with the canon I've established. So far, I'm finding the official version fixes most of the gaps in drafts I've worked around.
Aftermath</h3>
Unable to abandon the engineering team to a potential counter-attack, the pilots listened to what information was availible about the attacks on the grey towns, and examined the op-for mechs they had splashed.
The frames were unquestionably mechanical at the core, but had trellis-like frameworks through which the biological chitin had grown. It slowly bled a pale green fluid when pierced.
The pilot of Anvil Gamma was human, with an unfamiliar style of clothing and a intricate henna-analogous design on the forehead and upper face. The design looked somewhere between a cross section of an MRI and calligraphy. 
As the engineers finished up, the pilots loaded the mechs onto the flatbeds for transport to Evergreen and further analysis, then set out with all haste to answer the mayday from Serenity.
Pitstop</h3>
On their way back to Evergreen, a message from Colonial Atache Edena Ji asked them to rendevouz briefly well outside of town. Atache Ji met them there, and took commands of the wrecks. She ordered her subaltern guards to tear away more of the chitin, and fully reveal the mechanical systems of the frames.
She justified these actions as a way to unmask the enemy; they are not Egregorian in nature. She dismissed the pilots to proceed to Liu Maize, while she herself escorted the engineering team and the flatbeds cargo home to Evergreen.
Scorched Earth</h3>
Arriving in Liu Maize, Thunderbird Squadron found it to be in chaos. The distributed outridings of Liu Maize had undergone attacks in the night. Many were dead or dying and several farms had been leveled. Thunderbird Squadron works through the night and well into the next day, escorting refugees, recording footage and collating reports. 19 civilians were confirmed dead, with more missing or injured.
After analysis, they believed groups of five or six combat frames rampaged through this community. They didn't wear the chitin armor, and the pilots wondered if Evergreen gaining mech-scale defenders had prompted them to drop the Egregorian pretense. Worryingly, the attackers have been using deliberately undershielded reactors. Many of the survivors require extensive anti-radiation treatment. 
Strange Attractors</h3>
Late afternoon the day after the attack, Thunderbird recieved a new mayday from the Châu Maize outriding, sent from a personal slate.

Hello? Is anybody there? This is Albert Châu, out at Châu Miaze. We're completely surrounded by subalterns- Sssh, honey, be quiet.- They're not letting us leave. Please help us. There's hundreds of them. </blockquote>
The pilots hurried to the confirmed coordinates, and found a slowly revolving gyre of subalterns and drones. The ones on the periphery shuffled in circles, looking for a way deeper in, while the ones at the core were locked in place by the press of those behind. 
The Châus had barricaded themselves into the farmhouse, and weren't visible to the pilots initially. Pilot Lyndale surveyed the local frequencies, and found there was a transmitter inside the farmhouse that seemed to be drawing the subaltern swarm.
Further probing revealed it to be the Châus' comp-con unit, which had an aberrant account on it, taking up all it's computational and communicative resources. Pilot Lyndale made an attempt to override the anomaly, but made little progress other than retrieving the account id, Beggar1</code>. Meanwhile, pilots Sen and Krell managed to force their way into the passive swarm of subalterns, and started to extract the Châus.
Pilot Lyndale recieved a stream of threatening and incoherent chatter from Beggar1</code>, demanding that the pilots disengage, surrender or evacuate, threatening airstrikes, and claiming to represent Union.
///Notice::: THROW DOWN YOUR WEAPONS. IT IS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD. I AM UNION I AM PEACE. HELP IS ON THE WAY. </blockquote> Finally, shortly after the last of the Châus were carried out, the comp-con unit went silent, and a moment later overvolted its powercells and detonated explosively. The subalterns began to disperse, slowly meandering eastward and ignoring all commands to halt. The remains of the comp-con were recovered, and the Châus escorted to Liu Maize. The pilots worried this was a diversion, and resolved to return to Evergreen post haste. End Session Four</h3>
Wallflower Session 3: First Contact 2021-03-09T00:00:00+00:00 Rise And Shine</h3> The next morning, our pilots gather and check in. Pilot Lyn's analysis program of the attacks and back-projected movements are consistent with a single sniper team. Pilot Krell reflects about how steady the new recruits are with some satisfaction, even as they prep to pick up the final two mechs, and discuss the upcoming mission with Castor Fielding. New Mech Smells</h3> They finish breakfast, and depart for the Governors Farm and Kyle at the printshop. Kyle looks a little haggard, probably watched the mechs print all night. Remember Why You Are Here, pilot Hannah Sen, is understated, geometric and sleek. It looks like a stealth bomber, moves like a mantis, and when idle, shows little sign of its internal armory. Dark, matte metal and small amounts of silver trim. </blockquote> Conquest Of The Mind, pilot Jenna Lyndale, deploys with a dorsal mount howitzer, and several hive nexi for deployment of sparrow sized micro drones. The lack of weapons that need brachial appendages make the human-scale manipulators the only visible arms, leading to a mildly comedic appearance. The puce paint job, and overrall rounded appearance add to the effect. </blockquote> Popping the hatches and clearing that New Mech Scent, the squad runs diagnostics and then depart for a rendezvous with Chief Engineer Fielding. The engineer has a large crew and several flatbed trucks loaded and waiting for the mech escorts. He hopes to get the Landing Bowls pumps installed, as flooding could damage them severely, but the distance and size of the pumps made the mission too risky without mech scale backup. The engineering team greet the pilots with good cheer, and the colonial militia outriders mount up. The convoy forms up and rolls out, the multi-legged cargo trucks well suited for the underused road, and they arrive at Bowls without incident. Landing Bowls are where medium or larger Orbit To Surface ships can land, and not tear into the ground and spread pollutants. They allow repeated landing within a short distance of Evergreen. </blockquote> The engineers setup, and the pilots establish a perimeter. Forty five minutes into the mission, Pilot Krell reports first contact. Contact</h3> Olive black carapaces and antiquated drumfed kinetic weapons, bipedal forms. Some have the underlying metal and traditional armor visible, others seem entirely covered in biological material. The five visible enemies split into two groups, one charging down into the bowl to engage the pilots. Initial shots on both sides fly wide, with Walking Under Fire failing a shot with its mortar, and being pinned down by heavy fire from an enemy designated Spearfish-Alpha. Conquest Of The Mind gets a scan off to establish combat capabilities of Spearfish, as first wave closes in on the pilots. One of the enemies on the bowl lip, designated Argus, spies Remember Why You Are Here attempting a covert flank and tags the mech with a phosphorous round. Grenades continue to fly from the forerunners, punishing pilots Lyn and Krell for digging their heels in. Trying to take the pressure off, pilot Sen charges forward and engages with Spearfish in melee. Surprisingly, the bogey designated Anvil-Alpha interposed itself, and took the hit instead. It's biological armor bleeds, and pilot Sen changes target. A follow up with a heavy charged blade in a forearm mount cuts through Anvils armor, and it falls. Conquest Of The Mind deploys its drone swarm and forces Spearfish to stop suppressing pilot Krell, who capitalizes by returning fire with a railgun, coring Spearfish. The pilots advance, the charge of the enemy force broken. Anvil-Beta, (tagged such by similarity in silhouette and capabilities) moves up to the wreck of Spearfish, and provides covering fire for Crunch-Gammas approach. Squatting down, Crunch-Gamma assists the pilot of Spearfish-Alpha up from the wreck. Torch: Try to take him alive! </blockquote> Zephyr: Permission to fire? </blockquote> Torch: Just fire it! </blockquote> Torch gave the order for Zephyr to fire on the tight cluster surrounding the wreck, but the round missed, and the op-for completed their fighting withdrawal. Unwilling to leave the engineering team unguarded, the pilots did not pursue, and re-established their perimeter. About thirty minutes later, the pilots receives a broadcast message from Serenity. This is Serenity of Merricktown, to all listening. I am receiving reports of a large scale attack on Liu Maize outridings, bend of the river and eastward. Eight confirmed casualties, five injured, two farms torched. This message will repeat. This is Serenity of Merricktown </blockquote> End Session Three</h3> Wallflower Session 2: Lasers In The Jungle 2021-03-05T00:00:00+00:00 Breakfast And A Conversation</h2> Waking up, our three pilots meet Commander Hadura over breakfast. She spoke more about the sniper campaign, and Zephyr started to collate the data that Commander Hadura and Patience could provide, in an attempt to model the movements of the sniper. She also explained about the grey towns, the wildcat settlements formed from those who walked away from Patience's guidance to strike out on their own. Officially, they are cut off, but unofficially there a thriving barter economy, Evergreen residents trading printer favors, and the grey towns providing non-staple foods. Jacob Merrick is a leader amongst these settlements. As the Union Peacekeepers, the pilots duties are to do the most good for as many as possible. They were summoned by Patience, but their objective is to remedy the situation holistically. </blockquote> Splinter groups such as Jacob Merrick's are interesting to the pilots and they plan to head out to speak with Merrick that afternoon. First though, Patience has scheduled them to meet with Chief Engineer Castor Fielding, who provides them an update on what the colony has done to protect it's workers and infrastructure, without letting the the raiders drive them entirely behind the walls and miss the late spring harvests. Armor plating on crucial vehicles and drones, shielded canopies to protect workers in the field, and a network of surveillance cameras to attempt to provide warning. Castor mentions that a lot of maintenance of infrastructure has been left undone, especially of systems out of sight of the walls of Evergreen. He's looking forward to having some backup solid enough to deal with the backlog. Going Calling</h2> Heading to the Governors farm, they picked up the first mech to finish printing, Pilot Krell's Walking Under Fire. Walking Under Fire is not a subtle frame. The acid green paint, spiked armor plates red lights and rollbars give it an eccentric air. The large array of weapons, all of them extensively modified, one or two even scratch built make it clear it's serous nature. Field repair and modifications only intensify this contrast later on. </blockquote> Requisitioning a pair of ATVs for the unmounted pilots, they depart for Merricktown. About forty five minutes of traversing the eerily quiet fungal tower and vine greenery, they encounter the outskirts of a town. A militia member waiting by the side of the road waves them in, and gives them a subaltern to guide them in. Subaltern is the catch-all term for a humanoid-ish robot in LANCER. In my campaign, I've run with Subalterns being the term for anything meant to approach it's work like a human would, with hands and on foot versus drone for anything shaped for a specific task. </blockquote> The subaltern appears to be a representative of Serenity, a smaller scale but otherwise similar NHP to Patience in Evergreen. The pilots are somewhat surprised by this arrangement, but meet Jacob Merrick before they can ask more questions. Meet The Neighbors</h2> Merrick explains he's the leader of Merricktown. He and the couple dozen families that follow him wanted something more free than life under Patience in Evergreen. His grandfather had spent most of his cargo allotment on an NHP casket, and was on the original crew. Merrick has carried on the vision. He reckons that the pilots and Patience aren't going to get along. "Patience is made of rules and schedules. You, you're here to fix things, but sooner or later you'll be the biggest disruption to their plans." </blockquote> he also says that the raiders have hit the grey towns, and that Patience probably didn't mention that, and appeals to the pilots code; are they fighting for everyone, or just for Evergreen? A Polite Request</h2> Finally, he states that the raiders took out the main generator for Merricktown, and they have been limping along. However, it would be easy for Thunderbird to slip him a coldcore reactor from a mech, marked as expended in the line of duty, or maybe honestly given. Patience wouldn't dare turn them down for a replacement. The pilots decline after conversing amongst themselves. Merrick makes good points, but he feels sketchy, and they don't even have all their mechs yet. They simply can't afford to give up key parts right now. The most benefit for all is keeping the coldcore with the pilots. CSI: Hercynia</h2> Jacob took the turn down graciously, and asked if there was anything else he could do for the pilots. They asked to inspect the sites the raiders have attacked. Investigating the machine shop, which recently had two rounds put through the large ag-drone being repaired from the last time it had been shot up, Thunderbird Squadron carries out some rough ballistic analysis, and traces the the mech-scale sniper weapon to forests edge. Some hurried investigation later, two shells were discovered. Vintage union manufacture, and a keen eye revealed that both shells had the same unique serial number. This prompted speculation about hacked printers, and how the raiders are supplied. Thanking Merrick, they left town and returned to Evergreen without incident. Patience made no overt comment on their errand. Rockstars</h2> That evening, the second mech finishes printing, and they attend a small concert held by local band "Broken Filters", at the Bottom Of The Well. Hannah enjoys the concert to her surprise, as do Dreyvus and Jenna. End Session Two</h3> No Room For A Wallflower: A LANCER campaign 2021-03-02T00:00:00+00:00 No Room For A Wallflower</h2> The first official campaign for LANCER was a big part of what drew me to the system. I loved the story, as incomplete as the first drafts were, and knew I was going to run it someday. Post-graduation, I decided that time was now, and got together a small group of friends, trying to avoid my "everyone invited!" habits, and see what a smaller, more focused playergroup would be like. I am posting this shortly before No Room For A Wallflowers official release, and have been running the game from playtest drafts. These logs are also summarized from player notes, and so are mostly from the players perspective. All the same, there will be spoilers. Please note that LANCER in general, and Wallflower specifically deal with heavy themes. This is the warning I gave to my players. The module I am intending to run is not a light one. I don't intend it to be grimdark, I have no doubts there will be moments of levity. There also will be heavy choices, questioned allegiances, and "we survived." being the best thing that can be said about the situation. </blockquote> No Room For A Wallflower treats specifically on themes of: War, both out of necessity, and pointless. Colonialism/Imperialism, both blatant and subtle. Trauma, both personal, and inter-generational. </blockquote> Thunderbird Squadron</h2> Union Auxiliary Peacekeepers, Thunderbird squadron is a three person pilot team. They have gone through extensive training, but this is their first fully deployment. They pilot mechanized cavalry frames, and are on a two year subjective time patrol. Hannah "Dead Air" Sen, pilot of "Remember Why You Are Here"</h3> Pilot Sen grew up on a core world, a relative utopia overseen by Smith Shimano Corpro. Earmarked for combat training from a young age, she graduated with solid marks, and a reputation for sometimes unsettling thoroughness. At her Academy mentors suggestion, she enlisted with Union, and took to the stars. Jenna "Zephyr" Lyndale, Pilot of "Conquest Of The Mind"</h3> Pilot Lyndale joined the Union Auxiliary to support her family back home in a non-core system only recently entered into Union administration. There may have been a sticky situation enlisting got her out of, or not. If it is true, it likely involved hacking, and demonstrated her talent enough to single her out. She doesn't talk much about it, though overall maintains a sunny disposition. Drevyvus "Torch" Krell, Pilot of "Walking Under Fire"</h3> Pilot Krell has lived the majority of his life in the Union Auxiliary, initially as a civilian dependent on capital ships, later working as mechanic. His eccentric try anything approach to engineering has left with with a lot of experience, and an unfortunate accident left burn scars over half his body. He refers to it as his 'How Not To Do Things' reminder. Officially in-charge of the squadron, he tends to let the new recruits take point. A Distress Call</h2> Thunderbird squadron, aboard civilian freighter Comfort are forwarded a distress call from Patience, an NHP (Non-Human Person, effectively a sapient hyper object filtered into a human-relevant subjectivity) in charge of Evergreen, a colony on the planet Hercynia. Patience reports that the colony has been undergoing raids by an unknown force, and long-term defense of the colony may be non-viable. Welcoming Committee</h3> Touching down on scarred but verdant Hercynia, Thunderbird Squadron is greeted by Militia Commander Brava Hadura, and a small detachment of colonial militia. The militia are jumpy, unused to combat stimulants or discipline. Only a few months back they were farmers and mechanics, and have had to learn quickly. They mutter to themselves about Bugs in the jungle, about 'the damn egs'. Brava talks with the players, about the frequent sniper attacks, mostly targeting infrastructure, and the toll the lack of peace has enacted on the colony. Arriving in Evergreen, the players find it to be a strange mix of rustic and colonial, and forward facing. Buildings wait shrinkwrapped for the population to meet it's growth quotas, and printed modern tech sits side by side with rough hewn wood and salvaged ship plating. The pilots stand out against these familiar face, but are met with smiles. The cavalry is here now, help is at hand. Meeting Patience</h3> Patience meet the squad in the Governors Farm, a walled compound serving as the administrative heart of the colony. Patience welcomes them, and debriefs them on the situation. The raiders have been using biological armor, attempting psychological warfare. A eusocial insect species native to Hercynia doomed a prior colony five centuries, and required a large military intervention to be brought under control, the signs of which still dot the landscape. Fear of the return of these 'Egregorians' has spread like wildfire through the colony, despite Patience's best efforts, and limited video footage disproving it. " I fear death for my people, I fear total colony collapse, I fear a failure of my mission. Most pressing, I fear the spread of this hysteria. People are willing to believe the most fantastic things so long as it renders them special in their misfortune, instead of yet one more colony under an attack by an-all-too-familiar enemy." </blockquote> The colony is outmatched by the mech-scale weaponry the raiders use, and do not have the resources to flush out the hit-and-run combatants. Although lower than expected, the death toll rises steadily. This is where the pilot's expertise can hopefully turn the day. After some more Q&A, the pilot head to colony's printshop, and meet Kyle, who fanboys excessively over getting to print Actual Honest-To-Goodness Lancer Frames. They manage to confirm he won't test-drive the mechs, and confirm their print orders. The colony has a single schedule-2 3d-printer, capable of printing whole trucks at a time, fueled up and ready to go. The Comfort did not have the ability to store nor shuttle mechs, so our pilots are printing them locally. </blockquote> Heading to their accommodations, a set of rooms above the local bar named The Bottom Of The Well. They meet Nim Bahadur, the proprietor, and chat for bit before eating and retiring Before falling asleep, Jenna receives an omninet message from a certain Jacob Merrick, requesting to meet. He says it would be mutually beneficial, but only gave directions to a meeting place outside of Evergreen, and no details. End Of Session One</h3>
Blog The Second: Moving to Cryogen on Github Pages

2021-02-17T00:00:00+00:00

Reignition</h2>
I hadn't touched this blog in a long time, but needing some projects to keep my skills up, I've decided to resurrect it. However, I didn't want to go back to the standard GitHub Pages Jekyll workflow. I found my relative inability to tinker constraining, as I didn't know the underlying language, namely Ruby. Jekyll is a fine project, but I'm principally a Clojure dev, and I want to feel like I own my blog, and that means the code that powers it.
Enter Cryogen</h2>
Looking through the static site generators for Clojure, Cryogen</a> and Perun</a> seemed to be the major players for simple sites. I'd gotten my feet wet with simple projects in both, but never published anything. I like the idea of perun, but its lack of maintainership and needing to learn boot to fully work it, plus incomplete documentation made the decision for me.
When I started in Jekyll, I noted that it should be easy enough to transfer the blog over to a different system. It's just Markdown after all. I was both right and wrong, and thought writing up a post on how I did the transfer would be good notes for myself in future, and of interest to anyone else seeking to leave Jekyll, or run Cryogen through GitHub Pages.
01: Setting Up Cryogen</h3>
I ran the usual lein new cryogen unwarysage.github.io</code> and started tinkering with the config, following Cryogens documentation. Picked out a theme for the moment, tried :previews</code> on and off, and made :posts-output</code> simply :posts</code>, but by and large I ran with the defaults.
02: Migration from Jekyll</h3> Copying over the markdown files into a transitional folder, I went through and converted them by hand, needing only to do eight or so pages. I could have scripted any of these steps, but it wasn't worth it for eight repititions. First I converted the YAML frontmatter into the Clojure map literal expected by Cryogen. I dropped the date entry, as I don't think I need super precise timestamps, and I'm already dating based on the filename. Other than changing categories</code> to :tags</code>, that was all I needed to make the blog compile. For example, going from this. --- layout: post title: Terrayiel, Factions and Power date: 2018-09-05 15:08:55 -0500 categories: rpg worldbuilding fantasy terrayiel --- </code></pre> to this. {:layout :post :title "Terrayiel, Factions and Power" :tags ["rpg" "worldbuilding" "fantasy" "terrayiel"]} </code></pre> Following that, I needed to make the links work. Cryogen provides a stricter separation of Markdown and template, so I didn't have to deal with templating logic, just ordinary markdown links, which is a nice change. For example, Jekyll has this, [Previous: Souls and Magic]({{site.baseurl }}{% post_url 2018-08-22-terrayiel-souls-and-magic %})</code> versus Cryogens version here. [Previous: Souls and Magic](/posts/2018-08-22-terrayiel-souls-and-magic)</code> Not caring for my history with Jekyll, I simply set my local git repositories upstream to point at GitHub with git remote add origin https://github.com/unwarysage/unwarysage.github.io</code>, and then force-pushed. This killed the prior blog, but kept the repository and it's settings. 03: Wiring up GitHub Actions</h3> I read a chunk of the GitHub Pages and Actions documentation, but this next bit took some fumbling, which I will summarize the overrall result, and not delve into the blow-by-blow. Create .nojekyll</code> in the repository root. this tells Github to stop thinking this is a Jekyll project.</li> Ensure that your :blog-prefix</code> in Cryogens config.edn</code> is set to the empty string. This is so that you could run a Cryogen blog alongside something else and not have the URI clash, but GitHub Pages expect to be flat, with no prefixing.</li> Create .github/workflows/publish.yml</code>. If you are using Cryogen, you can just use mine, but you'll need some tweaking otherwise.</li> next, go to your repository on GitHub, and under Settings, enable github pages, set to the root of gh-pages</code> branch.</li> Push your changes to master</code> and watch the Action run on Github, then go to https://your-github-username-here.github.io</code> and bask in the glory.</li> </ol> The GitHub Action in detail</h4> # .github/workflows/publish.yml name: publish on: push: branches: - master workflow_dispatch: jobs: build: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: # checks out a copy of the repository on the runners machine - name: Checkout repository uses: actions/checkout@master # Install Java - name: Prepare Java uses: actions/setup-java@v1 with: java-version: 1.8 # Setup leiningen - name: Setup Leiningen uses: DeLaGuardo/setup-clojure@master with: lein: 2.9.1 # Setup NPM - name: Setup NPM run: sudo apt install nodejs -y & nodejs -v & sudo apt install npm & npm -v # Setup Sass - name: Setup Sass run: sudo npm install sass -g # Fetch Lein Deps - name: Fetch deps run: lein deps # cache Clojure(java) dependencies - name: Cache Java modules uses: actions/cache@v2 env: cache-name: cache-java-modules with: # npm cache files are stored in `~/.m2` on Linux/macOS path: ~/.m2 key: ${{ runner.os }}-build-${{ env.cache-name }}-${{ hashFiles('**/package-lock.json') }} restore-keys: | ${{ runner.os }}-build-${{ env.cache-name }}- ${{ runner.os }}-build- ${{ runner.os }}- # Build the blog - name: Build Blog run: lein run # Deploy to GH-pages - name: Deploy Blog uses: peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v3 with: github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }} publish_dir: ./public/ </code></pre> This tells GitHub to run this everytime master</code> is pushed to, or by manual request. The action will checkout the repository on the runner, install java, install lein</code> (and Clojure), run apt</code> to get nodejs</code> and npm</code>, then uses npm</code> to install the sass</code> command. Whatever you do to provide Sass, it needs to be reachable at the path specified in :sass-path</code> in config.edn</code>. It will then ask lein</code> to pull in it's dependencies, and build the blog. Then it will cache the leiningen dependencies, for faster rebuilds. This needs to come after the step where the dependencies are pulled in, so that the initial cache is a populated folder. Cryogen puts the built blog in /public/</code>. Finally, the workflow uses another preconfigured action to move the files from there to the gh-pages</code> branch, creating it if neccesary. Conclusion</h2> It's the little details in Software, and getting them exactly right. Deploying to GitHub Pages just makes the feedback loop clunkier, requiring a full commit and push to test, despite wanting to only push good code. However, I do think the project is working quite well. I'm blogging once more, and excited to start tweaking this site to no end, especially now I have reduced the amount of black-box code to just be GitHub Pages deployment system. It's a good feeling. Edits: Added information on caching, fixed typoes.
Lonely Kingdom, The Unsought Deeps Log 2 2018-10-01T00:00:00+00:00 Previously</h1> The party was united for better or worse, and sent along to the Dwarrow capitol, placed under the observation of the Scholar Veidrie. The previous session in full.</a> Forge-Gaurd Master Akthas</h1> Veidrie let a female dwarrow into the room, who had insignia of pretty significant rank, and told them that she was in charge of their classification. She was rather strict with, not putting up with much messing around. However, she mentioned she had heard rumors as to the location of the pin, and was willing to let the party retrieve it, as long as they did something for her. Akthas: "I want you to take two chimes from the tomb of my grandmother." </blockquote> The party accepts, as Akthas made it quite clear that there would be a hefty or else, and it seemed to align with their goals anyway. They were given a day or so of rest, as Akthas arranged the necessary travel details. Veidrie kept observing them, and proved to have little concept of personal property. Departure and Arrival</h1> Akthas and a large party of military dwarrow extracted the party from Veidries house and brought them to a station. They left behind as collateral, or hostages, Ilde and Therabad. (We wish Ilde patience, between Veidrie's inquisitions, and Therabads boredom.) To everyone's gratitude, the crash couches in the cannister had been adjusted for their heights, but their escort peeled off, and only Akthas journeyed with them as they were flung from the capitol. They arrived at a somewhat smaller outpost, and Akthas told them a little of the history of the tomb. It is the only Dwarrow tomb, all other Dwarrow either lost or "Returned to the Forge."</li> It houses the remains of the heretics, who turned their backs on the Forge. This has only occurred once.</li> (implied) Akthas' grandmother, also known as Akthas, was a heretic.</li> They are to retrieve two crystalline devices, much like the ones every dwarrow seems to bear, from the tomb.</li> Akthas cannot vouch as to the state of the tomb, nor its security.</li> </ul> After the hike concludes, the PCs and Akthas arrived at the tombs antechamber, and Akthas unlocked the door. Upon scenting the air, she declared the tomb breached. With the promise she would open the door every hour, the PCs entered the tomb, as the heavy door closed behind them. Inside the Tomb</h1> Entering the Tomb, Varis thought he heard a voice call for the rats to shut up. However, this central room seemed abandoned. Four staircases lead from the room, all descending at different rates, and marked with runes above the door. In the room however, the far end of it seemed to be a shrine to the Forge, with an area set aside for prayer and contemplation before it. Signs of the breach, in terms of a noticeable amount of dirt tracked up one of the staircases, abounded. However, the most direct sign was a campfires remains, seemingly several decades old. Deciding to investigate the breach, to prevent anything sneaking up on them, they descend the filthy stairs. Turn back, there is nothing good in remembrance of wrong. Turn to the forge. Inscription on every descending stairwell. </blockquote> They find a long hall of alphabetized sepulchers, each evidently to house one dwarrow. One of them has its door stove in, and at the far end appears to be a relatively recent tunnel into the tomb complex. Investigating the breached tomb (Belonging to one Tlok-Veth), the party found it to be missing its coffin, have all its funereal goods trashed, and to have a life sized statue of a kneeling dwarrow. The statue looked eerily half melted, and in its face was the clear impression of a large fist. Inscribed on the wall of the tomb, evidently by hand, long ago was the following words. For the elders, I do not weep. I do not mourn for the children. The coals of my heart are dark. As surely as the Forge has cast us out, We have accepted broader blessings. Blessed be the six, who guided us. But most blessed still is one. That stills the heart and soul, That grants surcease and end, That bears dominion over substance, And of which instrument I shall be. For the elders, I do not weep. I do not mourn for the children. The ashes of my soul are quickened. </blockquote> A wonderful perception check on Raggs behalf revealed that the fist impression bore a ring, whose sigil was familiar to Ragg. The ring belongs to their... patron, the minotaur prophet Umulthud. In the midst of this discovery, a great shuffling was heard. The Eye In The Dark</h1> Descending the staircase in judgmental solemnity came a troop of undead dwarrow, flesh dessicated and eyes unseeing. The party moved to bottleneck them in the stairwell, and through an inferno of magic and roasting flesh, they could hear a high, cracked voice. The voice alternately applauded their efforts, and insulted them, in a childlike manner. Some glimpsed a green eye, the size of a bowling ball floating in the darkness at the head of the stairs. "No... not a beholder. It can't be." "Remember, it did clap." "Telekinesis ray?!" </blockquote> The dwarrow seemed not to notice the eye, and so the party could not engage before dealing with the dead. Pursuing it up the stairs and across the central area, they could not get a proper look at it. It taunted them a last time, before fleeing down an unexplored staircase. End Session Two</h1> Thanks for reading! Next time: "Explosives, Traps, Rats and Your Objective: Things you find in tombs."w Lonely Kingdom, Dramatis Personae 2018-09-29T00:00:00+00:00 Preamble</h1> Sorry for the silence, starting the semester blew a hole in a lot of my well laid plans. To recommence posting, I'm going to start putting my RPG groups (mis)adventure logs up on here. However, the campaign is a long form one, and so a lot of history has happened already. Let's start with the characters. Lonely Kingdom, The Unsought Deeps Log 1 2018-09-29T00:00:00+00:00 The Story So Far</h1> Having been subcontracted into the fulfilling prophecies business, our intrepid heroes</a> had dabbled with dragons, dealt with demons, disappointed an angel, met a god, two kings, a prince and arrested one of them. They are seeking parts of the Omulkur, an artifact that has an almost ominous lack of legends associated with it. They have secured one piece, in its shrine in the center of a labyrinth, and have in their possession a second piece: a pin, of grey-black stone, that utterly cancels and nullifies magic. They seek its matching counterpart in the Underdark, based on the dying words of a burning halfling. Terrayiel, Factions and Powers 2018-09-05T00:00:00+00:00 The factions that define the high-level powerstructures and organization of the world. Terrayiel, Gods And The Church 2018-08-22T00:00:00+00:00 Previous: Overview</a>|Next: Souls And Magic</a> Gods of the Twain Church</h1> The Church in Terrayiel follows a dualistic religion, and though it does not have a monopoly of faith, they are a state religion for most of the central kingdoms. Following the Dusk War and the Churchs ascension, they became a lot more intolerant, declaring themselves the true faith and defenders of humanity. All other faiths became fronts for Mhal in the eyes of the Church, at best a distraction for the faithful. The Church has as its symbol a circle, with two smaller arcs cut from its bottom half. Cohlirye</h2> A maternal goddess, bearing the domains of protection, motherhood, the home, and justice. She is primarily a goddess of protection, but as Dusk War continued, she took up more martial aspects in the eyes of the faithful. She became the patron of the crusaders, those who would march and die for the hearth she protects. Common names for her include: The Bright Mother or the Hearthkeeper. Her symbols include a palm bearing a flame, or two cupped hands. Lathril</h2> The god of invention, law, peace, and knowledge. Credited with advancements in science and technology, he is sometimes called the Father of Civilization. He oversees the poet and the sculptor, and grants them their inspiration. He toils alongside the tinker, working to protect the faithful through knowledge and progress. He has orders of archivists and spies dedicated to his name. His symbol is the quill. Mhal and the Beginning</h1> When we stepped from the heavens, my siblings looked upon the world, and saw it's potential. They divided it amongst themselves, with Cohlirye and Lathril uniting to push all others away from their chosen ones. We could not stand against their belligerence, and we were forced to the forest deep, the mountain dark, and the ocean vast. Their aggressions were writ upon their progeny, their precious humanity. ~ The Betrayals, Third Chapter </blockquote> Mhal maintains that all the gods came upon the land while it was still forming from the light of the stars, and that all the gods set about shaping the world as they saw fit, until Cohlirye and Lathril drove the other gods off. Many gods fled to the forest, and there they created the elves, to hide the beauty they made together from the jealous. Other gods fled to the sea, and have escaped mans history. They are likely still out there, given that no ship has managed to cross any of the oceans. Mhal holds that they created the dwarves, and gave them greed and pride, so that they would outshine mankind. However, Mhals story continues, that Cohlirye and Lathril could not bear to have equals, and so they invited Mhal to a banquet, and there betrayed them, locking them away for all of history. Without Mhals guidance, the dwarves fell short of their potential, and grew to fear no gods. From their prison Mhal schemed, and created all those that would vex mankind, the vampires bite, the werewolfs curse. But they were puny, and man drove them back. So Mhal set them to work, worrrying away at the ties that bound them, until at last they were freed. Upon their return, they started to shape the world to suit their children, and began their war for a homeland, and an equal footing amongst the gods. Church Doctrine</h2> However, according to Church doctrine, Mhal was a jealous, covetous god that could only mar, and was driven back into the shadows by the faithful. Mhals resurgence is an act of spite and aggression, nothing more. The faithful know that Cohlirye and Lathril saw their struggles when the world was young, and came to guide them. Humanity had neither the strength of the dwarves, nor the agelessness of the elves. But with Lathrils guidance, they harnessed the level and wrote their history, and so grew to be their equal through invention. Cohlirye guided them in mercy and humility, and gave them agriculture and herding. With the guidance of the Twain, humanity achieved prosperity unrivaled. Thanks for reading</h1> This was more writing than I thought, and I haven't gotten to souls and magic yet. Those will be in the next section. Copyleft</h1> Terrayiel and the text of blog posts discussing it are licensed as Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International</a> Terrayiel, Souls And Magic 2018-08-22T00:00:00+00:00 |Previous: Gods And The Church</a>|Next: Factions and Power</a>| Souls</h1> Souls in Terrayiel are not whisked away into some ethereal afterlife. Instead, they reside in the body after death, a pearlescent vaporous fluid that gathers along nerves, and in the skull. With burial or burning, the soul can be safely dispersed. Left to rot inside the body, all too often a soul will become curdled, a grey-white oil that will give rise to haunts, and bubbles forth from the eyes and ears of a corpse. The Compact</h1> The priests of the Twain Church will perform last rites for the dead, during which a copper bowl is placed upon the corpse, and the soul coaxed to flow into it. The soul is then taken to the church, and there fates diverge. Those judged to be pious will be offered up directly unto the embrace of Cohlirye and Lathril. Those guilty of grave crimes are burned, offering them no chance at an afterlife or redemption. Those judged to be of good faith, but insufficient deeds will have their souls be made penitent, sealed in round copper wrapped beads. Penitents</h1> These penitents are the source of much of the Church's power. Lathril has granted them many discoveries, and the penitent beads fuel many relics, which in turn are used to guard and preserve the faithful. Expended beads still retain an essence of a soul, dim and greyed but still there. These beads are offered up to the gods, their penitence complete, and faith proved. The plate of the Church's knights gains its incredible strength from a penitent bead at the collar. Monks of Lathrils Hand fuel their invocations with many necklaces of penitent beads. How long penitent beads last is up to you, from having them be expended like ammunition, to having a quest after several adventures to have any divine players return their beads, and receive a new set. </blockquote> Unsanctioned Magic</h1> There exists magic outside of the Church, in the hands of those brazen or desperate enough to grasp it. It is believed to be the souls of living things outside of the faith. Mages practice their workings in this energy, using strange techniques. The Church considers their trappings and paraphernalia to be a sign of their unnatural nature. Mages would retort that the Church's ease and success is due to souls already understanding much of the compact from their time amidst the living. The Church has not yet deemed arcane magic to be an unholy act. Wielding spirits outside of a compact agreed to in life is bad enough, but to do so when the practitioner cannot grant them passage unto the gods is cruel and abusive. Many trails have been held against open mages. Very few have not been condemned by such a trial, of those usually war heroes whose deeds could not be ignored. These few have sparked tragic ballads, which the Church has had little luck suppressing. Those who practice arcane magic had best do so in secret, if they wish to remain in good standing with the Church. Druidic or psionic magic system would fall under this. The first being the collective souls of nature, and the second allowing mental command over the souls imbuing the world, as opposed to a ritualized one. </blockquote> Thanks for reading</h1> Next up are the factions at play in Terrayiel, so more info on dwarves, elves, werewolves and vampires. Copyleft</h1> Terrayiel and the text of blog posts discussing it are licensed as Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International</a> Terrayiel, A Dark Fantasy World 2018-08-20T00:00:00+00:00 Terrayiel</h1> "Like candles do the cities of man gutter in the dark, their light barely reaching their fellows, their own substance consumed in their defense against the shadows. It will not be long now." </blockquote> ~Kaeylor, of the Iron Keep Features</h2> A gothic horror world, struggling through its end times.</li> Soulpowered mechanisms and weapons.</li> Intrigue and plots.</li> Written in a rules agnostic style.</li> </ul> Hello World! 2018-08-02T00:00:00+00:00 Hello</h2> I'm about average height, I have shoulder length brown hair, eyes I'm told are hazel, a thin build and flat feet. On average, I'll be in a green t-shirt, jeans and maybe a flannel, probably rather rumpled. I go by They/Them/Their, and answer to Charlot.

Sparrows.dev

Making an Insomnia Reminder timer in NixOS and home-manager

Calendar

Crafting

Eulogy

Holds and Towns

Grimmswold Sessions 1-4

Blog The Third: Nix and Zola

Beasts And Their Contents

Anouncing Scurvy

Wallflower Session 8: Down To The Dirt

End Session Eight</h1>

Wallflower Session 7: Giant Slayer

End Session Seven</h2>

Wallflower Session 6: Enemy At The Gates

End Session Six</h3> The notes for this session were written well after the fact, and are scarce on details, so it's a shorter entry.</p> </blockquote>

Wallflower Session 5: Ghosts On The Wind

End Session Five</h3>

Wallflower Session 4: Chasing Smoke

End Session Four</h3>

Wallflower Session 3: First Contact

End Session Three</h3>

Wallflower Session 2: Lasers In The Jungle

Rockstars</h2> That evening, the second mech finishes printing, and they attend a small concert held by local band "Broken Filters", at the Bottom Of The Well. Hannah enjoys the concert to her surprise, as do Dreyvus and Jenna. </p>

End Session Two</h3>

No Room For A Wallflower: A LANCER campaign

Thunderbird Squadron</h2> Union Auxiliary Peacekeepers, Thunderbird squadron is a three person pilot team. They have gone through extensive training, but this is their first fully deployment. They pilot mechanized cavalry frames, and are on a two year subjective time patrol.</p>

End Of Session One</h3>

Blog The Second: Moving to Cryogen on Github Pages

Lonely Kingdom, The Unsought Deeps Log 2

End Session Two</h1> Thanks for reading!</p> Next time: "Explosives, Traps, Rats and Your Objective: Things you find in tombs."w</p>

Lonely Kingdom, Dramatis Personae

Lonely Kingdom, The Unsought Deeps Log 1

Terrayiel, Factions and Powers

Terrayiel, Gods And The Church

Thanks for reading</h1> This was more writing than I thought, and I haven't gotten to souls and magic yet. Those will be in the next section.</p>

Terrayiel, Souls And Magic

Thanks for reading</h1> Next up are the factions at play in Terrayiel, so more info on dwarves, elves, werewolves and vampires.</p>

Terrayiel, A Dark Fantasy World

Features</h2> A gothic horror world, struggling through its end times.</li> Soulpowered mechanisms and weapons.</li> Intrigue and plots.</li> Written in a rules agnostic style.</li> </ul>

Hello World!

Hello</h2> I'm about average height, I have shoulder length brown hair, eyes I'm told are hazel, a thin build and flat feet. On average, I'll be in a green t-shirt, jeans and maybe a flannel, probably rather rumpled. I go by They/Them/Their, and answer to Charlot.</p>

End Session Six</h3>

The notes for this session were written well after the fact, and are scarce on details, so it's a shorter entry.</p> </blockquote>

Rockstars</h2>
That evening, the second mech finishes printing, and they attend a small concert held by local band "Broken Filters", at the Bottom Of The Well. Hannah enjoys the concert to her surprise, as do Dreyvus and Jenna. </p>

Thunderbird Squadron</h2>
Union Auxiliary Peacekeepers, Thunderbird squadron is a three person pilot team. They have gone through extensive training, but this is their first fully deployment. They pilot mechanized cavalry frames, and are on a two year subjective time patrol.</p>

End Session Two</h1>
Thanks for reading!</p>
Next time: "Explosives, Traps, Rats and Your Objective: Things you find in tombs."w</p>

Thanks for reading</h1>
This was more writing than I thought, and I haven't gotten to souls and magic yet. Those will be in the next section.</p>

Thanks for reading</h1>
Next up are the factions at play in Terrayiel, so more info on dwarves, elves, werewolves and vampires.</p>

Features</h2>

A gothic horror world, struggling through its end times.</li>
Soulpowered mechanisms and weapons.</li>
Intrigue and plots.</li>
Written in a rules agnostic style.</li> </ul>

Hello</h2>
I'm about average height, I have shoulder length brown hair, eyes I'm told are hazel, a thin build and flat feet. On average, I'll be in a green t-shirt, jeans and maybe a flannel, probably rather rumpled. I go by They/Them/Their, and answer to Charlot.</p>