The Beginning

Dominic Matte

The dragons, to their great shock, had been defeated. Soundly. Overwhelmingly. The dragons had been nearly exterminated.

The vermin - the lesser races - had called it the Great Betrayal. None of the dragons thought of it that way - none who mattered. They were reclaiming their birthright, one they had long given up in the name of peace and prosperity. The dragons were reminded of the way things used to be, before they agreed to share with and protect the weaker races. Cooperation bringing prosperity? Nonsense! A dragon had its home and its hoard within the empire, but in the old days, a dragon was an empire. Dragons took what they wanted and cared not for the pathetic two-legged beasts who scurried around on the ground, save only for what the vermin could provide to the dragon. If a dragon protected a city, it was not out of generosity or fellowship, but as a means to an end. In the old days, dragons were power. Kings trembled at their wingbeat and armies shattered at their whim. That was as it should be - the dragons had suffered alliances with the three empires for far too long. Acting as one, they razed the capitals to craters of ash in a firestorm of draconic rage the likes of which had never been seen. After centuries, the dragon lords were vindicated, and all was as it should be.

Or so Hydrargea had been told. Perched on the tip of a rocky spire among the remainder of dragonkind, she flexed her shining wings, the light playing over the damaged membranes like liquid metal. She had her doubts about all this. The dragons were all here, perched on the highest peak on the continent, ignorant of the freezing cold and piercing wind. Some were the most powerful of dragonkind: ancient, powerful dragons with the knowledge and experience a thousand years or more, triumphant over legions of dragonslayers. Others were young, weaker, less experienced; having survived the purge with cunning, luck, or stealth (which some called cowardice).

One short year ago, there had been thousands of dragons. Here, now, in an assembly of the entire continent's dragons, there were only a few dozen.

Horizon Black IV: The Finale

Last time, on The Long Game, Alvyn, Tong, and Kalgar had infiltrated, stormed really, the gates of the secret superweapon base known as Horizon Black. The Shockrosia had been destroyed, and Kalgar's crew had fought their way through, and acquired, two new ships. The rest of Kalgar's fleet, fighting near the outskirts of the shoals, was being threatened with destruction by the giant death beam emanating from the base.

The stakes have never been higher, so let's get into it!

Dallas Kasaboski

Horizon Black III

Welcome back to The Long Game! Last time, Alvyn, Tong, Kalgar and his small fleet had made their way to the ultra-secret base Horizon Black, the likely place of development for Aes' superweapon program. Now, the fun begins... 

Dallas Kasaboski

Horizon Black: Part II

When last we left our heroes, Alvyn, Tong, and Kalgar had questioned the odd book of knowledge in Tong's possession. This book, created through an arcane, Aesian ritual, was able to answer any question, given at least 10 people currently alive knew the answer. 

Our heroes have been traveling for years, learning more of the threats which face the world continent of Cyfandir. Through that time, they have made many enemies, and as our party neared Horizon Black, a deep-dark over-the-top secret base purportedly the stronghold of Aes' superweapons program, Alvyn, Tong, and Kalgar knew the real test had only begun.

Dallas Kasaboski

On the Way to Horizon Black

Welcome back to The Long Game! If you're new to the adventure, a short summary can be found here! If you're fairly familiar with our tale, you can check out the medium recap, here.

When last we left our heroes, they had just investigated the western outpost known as Deep Watch Bay. Officially, the outpost's purpose is to guard and warn the rest of the nation of Aes of the terrifying creatures coming from the deep ocean. However, our party, Alvyn, Tong, and Kalgar, learned that it was a superweapon development complex. After exploring it, finding plenty of information about superweapons, they ended up fighting one! A super-psionic security force, capable of projecting harmful illusions, guarded the outpost.

As our heroes defeated him, they learned of an even more dangerous and secret base located farther west, known as Horizon Black. Rumoured to be the main superweapon facility, our party set sail!

Dallas Kasaboski

Deep Watch Bay: Part IV

Tong, Alvyn, and Kalgar had found Deep Watch Bay. They thought it abandoned but inside, they found illusory archers, soldiers, and structures. Moving past the illusions, and dropping to a lower level, they found a hidden floor, the base of the volcano. Will they finally get some answers, or just more questions in Deep Way Bay?

Dallas Kasaboski

Secret Backstories and Mysterious Characters

A well-developed backstory is often a critical part of creating a role-playing character. By no means necessary, a backstory can provide a foundation, some core tenets, for your character and allows you to ground yourself in his/her motives and behaviour. It allows you to understand how that character may make decisions and evolve as the story unfolds.

We have discussed character-making before, but today I'd like to discuss a specific type of character backstory, the secret one.

Dallas Kasaboski