Camelot Unchained

Bean Sidhe

The Banshees There was an old saying “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” After the Veilstorms, folk instead say “That which does not kill us, may transform us...” In the time of the Piercing of the Veil, there was a dancer called Badhbh. She dwelt in a small village on the…

Cait Sith

“Younglings, gather round, for I shall relate another tale of our people and of clan Kellas.” The grey-furred Cait Sith stretched and shook her tail, then settled back into her comfortable armchair. The fuzzy youngsters paid little attention, more interested in their games. The grey one looked annoyed. “There will be plenty of time to…

Dvergar Part I

Outside, the frost had stilled all but the rush of the wind, and deep drifts of snow had buried the meadow, leaving white mounds over the tops of the standing stones. On such a frozen winter night, even the stoic Dvergar were glad of thick walls and roaring fires. Glancing out the window of the…

Dvergar Part II

Deep underground, where the Dvergar took refuge, a place called the Inner World flourished. It was a wondrous place, full of strange creatures, twisting tunnels, and dark mysteries. One of the children of the Inner World was called Thyra. For the little orphan girl, the Dripping Hall, the Hall of Earth’s Gift, and the Hall…

Fir Bog

The Caretakers It was the time of Shadow’s Delight, the blackest part of the night. There were no moons out. It was dark as a secret within the tall cluster of stones that marked the sacred circle of Eagla Portach, the eagle bog, where the caretakers known as the Fir Bog hold council. They felt…

Gargoyles Part I

The old stones of the ruin seemed to crack and change shape in the shifting, orange light of sunset, as if crumbling in the wind. Angry clouds, bent on destruction, gathered above the tumbled walls and hanging archways. However, they had stood this way for many years. If the ruin survived the storm, it would…

Gargoyles Part II

It was a long time before the villagers felt that pressure in the air again, the weight of deadly magic pressing them down. The second Malevolence ripped the air apart with its fury, shrieking through the sky. When it hit the village, the force of its thunder burst houses apart, and the stones of the…

Golems Part I

The Kiln-Born Part I The wind whispered through the silent village, echoing in the streets and corners. The buildings were clay and stone, brown and sun-baked. Here and there among the smooth cobblestones, dandelions poked their yellow faces up at the blue sky. There was a fragrant scent of smoke in the air, which smelled…

Golems Part II

The Kiln-Born Part II The nights passed in toil and heat. Every now and then, architects came by and berated the overseer of the Kiln for the missing tablets. They never suspected the Golem in the room; for without a name, and death on her forehead, she was nothing. However, one night the overseer of…

Golems Part III

The Kiln-Born Part III When the meal was over, Yosef waved his massive hand at the little Golems that ran about his adobe house, shooing them outside. They laughed at him in a shower of sparks, while the smallest twined herself into her mother’s clothing, staring shyly at the human guest, although she was nearly…

Hamadryads

The first breeze. The first whisper of power from the Veilstorms. It was quiet, a zephyr lost in the mountains and drifting through the plains. With the first trickles of anger leaking from the broken Veil, a hush fell over the world. The winds shifted, and hints of magic filled the electric air. The world…

HelBound

Somewhere deep within the bowels of a dormant volcano, a cavernous room slowly filled with young Vikings dressed in the black and red robes of a HelBound initiate. As they took their places before a statue of Hel, the smells of ash, death, power, and a rich cocktail of pheromones washed over them. They could…

Jötnar Part I

The Frost Giants Part I Fear. Fear and pain and darkness. These are the children of winter. Now I will tell you how we came to be known as Winter’s Children, the Frost Giants of the mountain peaks. Now I will tell you of the three winters that ended our world, so that we might…

Jötnar Part II

The Frost Giants Part II He could just barely hear the weeping. In one corner of the room there was a row of strange little boxes built of massive stones and chunks of ice; the weeping came from within. The three children from the village were inside, blue-lipped and shivering. They stared at him, wordless.…

Luchorpán

The Leprechauns The craggy-faced little man blew puffs of smoke into the heavy-scented air of the forest. His dark eyes slid around the dimly-lit clearing, taking in the eager faces all around. The young folk appeared to be attentive to their elder, and he almost nodded approvingly. But then he grew suspicious. They were too…

Picts Part I

Brude and the Picts Part I Gathered in a hollow below a hill, deep in the forests of a land known by many names, a group of Pictish men and women were practicing the various arts that their people were known for throughout the Realms. These men and women, human by all outward appearances, were…

Picts Part II

Brude and the Picts Part II After the ceremony of tattoos, images, and discussion with the tribe had ended, when the Picts, Goblins, and other friends beneath the hill had filed out of the meeting place, Brude remained behind in the stone circle. As the glow of the shapes on the stones slowly faded, he…

Picts Part III

Brude and the Picts Part III Brude watched the woman in the moonlight. Her eyes darted about, never still, even as the light itself moved, leaves and branches overhead swaying in the wind and rain. She was like a creature of the land itself, he thought distractedly, moving the same way the moonlight moves in…

Silverhands

“Your early trials have gone well, young one,” said the grizzled instructor to the male Silverhand. “Your training has been the best that I’ve seen in many decades. Be proud of yourself.” The trainee smiled broadly at this hard-won praise, for such a compliment was rarely given. “But not too proud,” cautioned the instructor, “For…

Silverhands Part I

The tale of Nuada Part I “Your early Trials have gone well, young one,” said the grizzled instructor, wiping the sweat from his face with his glittering silver hand. “For the training you have, you’re the best I’ve seen in many decades. Be proud of yourself.” The trainee smiled broadly at this hard-won praise, and…

Silverhands Part II

The tale of Nuada Part II The proud Nuada found himself forced to take any occupation that came his way, simply in order to make ends meet. Wherever he went, he asked after The Depths, seeking knowledge that might help him. At long last, while guarding a caravan on its journey to a tiny village,…

Silverhands Part III

The Tale of Nuada Part III Nuada led the Delvers swiftly away from the Chamber of Lost Souls. The stone pathway led down through a tunnel and toward a large intersection. As the group walked on, the path began to change, the worn stones giving way to an uneven surface. John glanced down and choked,…

Silverhands Part IV

The tale of Nuada Part 4 It was a strangely quiet time for Nuada, waiting for the being called the Merchant to finish his work. It seemed to take days, but the passage of the sun had no meaning at all here in the endless darkness and strange shadows of The Depths. The evil place…

Silverhands Part V

The tale of Nuada Part 5 The city was empty, devoid of life. Not even vermin crawled through the streets or ruined houses. The vaunted watchtowers stood silent and empty, as their watchers had abandoned them. Once, that had been a crime punishable by exile or death in the harsh code of the Tuatha Dé…

Silverhands Part VI

The tale of Nuada Part 6 Deep within a green hill, surrounded by bog and foul, rotting odors, there stood another black monolith. Dark sentinel of the passage to another place, the living Depths of horror and madness. As Nuada stood before it, he noticed the black stone was so dark that not even his…

Silverhands Part VII

The tale of Nuada Part 7 The outer skin of the Merchant’s tentacles was thick and rubbery, holding Nuada fast as he struggled. Twisting round, the former king of the Tuatha Dé Danann swept his blade through the horrors that surrounded him and the Merchant as they wrestled. The things reached out fearlessly with their…

Stormriders

The Tale of Lancelot Part I The old soldier by the fire rarely spoke, but when he did, they all listened. For his stories of the old wars and the great betrayal, the innkeeper silenced the patrons at the bar. He even slid some cloths under nearby mugs to stop their clinks from making listeners…

Úlfhéðnar

The Berzerkers Attend me now, young Úlfhéðnar, and hear the doom to which you were born. You will learn many things. You will learn of the pain and suffering that mothered us, and the bloodlust that fathered us. You will learn of the Great Wyrm and its subtle poison. You will learn how your power…

Valkyrie Part I

“Gather round, my children, and hear the Fornaldarsaga of the Valkyries, the story of our race’s birth,” said the aged Valkyrie as she fluttered her wings. After many long years of flying, they had begun to show signs of decay, but they were still strong, and kicked up a swirl of snow in the courtyard.…

Valkyrie Part II

The madness had gone on for over a week when a fierce Malevolence descended upon the village. Undaunted, the invaders simply carried out their atrocities indoors, letting the storm rage outside. One night, the leader of the warriors came into the pen where Brynhildr had been kept. He wore a satisfied smirk as he went…

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