3 moons ago the Queen’s recruiting sergeants marched through town.
They spoke of duty, freedom and coin. You packed your bag and set out under blazing banners.
Now those same banners lie tattered, strewn upon an aether scorched battlefield by the merciless advance of an ascendant Orcish empire.
For 10 days you’ve headed North, a vanishing sense of honour keeping you in the rear guard of a column of refugees. Hunger gnaws at your stomach as the first icy fingers of winter curl thems elves around the land.
Before you the imposing mountains loom, marking the border of Kithern where a keep guards a narrow mountain pass and the way to safety.
Behind you the hunting horns sound in the morning mist…
We’re playing Shadowdark!
Setting Brief
The Battle of Erinfeld
10 days ago the army of Queen Ite suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Orcish Dominion of Serik. Survivors of the battle and refugees cut off from their lines of retreat have marched North to seek shelter in the Fief of Kithern.
Kithern
Founded over two hundred years ago by an expedition led by the Kith clan, Kithern is a land where the wild things of the world still stake their claim. Though the Western parts of the region are relatively civilised, bards tell tales of fey creatures, evil spirits and tombs filled with gold in the Eastern wilderness.
The Halflings of Lake Eld
In the harsh early winters of Kithern it was only thanks to the hospitality of the Halfling folk that lived on the banks of Lake Eld that the Kith clan were saved from famine. Legendary even today for their ale, mighty feasts and welcoming hearths they are held in high regard by the humans of Kithern.
The Ascension
An age ago the Elvish folk claimed much of the world, working great miracles of magic and building monuments to the Gods. As a reward for this devotion they were offered ascension. Not all accepted or perhaps were permitted to undertake this journey and centuries later some Elves still remain on the mortal plane, tending to whatever passion or calling their forebears viewed as greater than their now forgotten Gods.
Tziikin
Across the sea from Kithern is the vast Dwarven hold of Tziikin, itself only a gateway to a grand underground empire. The tunnels beneath the mountain provide the Dwarves shelter from the Worms that stalk the desert wastes to the South.
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Shadowdark Campaign 26-Oct-2026
osr rpgs shadowdark
3 moons ago the Queen’s recruiting sergeants marched through town.
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Mothership Modules 21-Jul-2026
mothership rpgs review
Its been a while since I’ve written a blog post and since I’m sat here staring at a pile of modules that I’ve played recently I thought I’d do a single post and try and cover of some of my thoughts on a few at once, as well as an update on my review of Mothership.
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Halo Flashpoint 02-Feb-2026
halo wargaming review
Halo Flashpoint is a miniature skirmish game set in the Halo universe designed by Mantic Games. I’ve had my eye on it for a while now but due to missing the initial hype wasn’t able to find a copy of the Spartan edition in stock anywhere. I finally decided to just bite the bullet and get the smaller Recon edition of the game, only to then find a copy of the Spartan Edition available at Dark Star Games.
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40k House Rules 27-Dec-2025
40k wargaming journal
Recently I’ve started playing 40k again, partly because pushing minis around is fun but also because it’s a good excuse to get a regular in person social event in the calendar.
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~500 Minutes Standing On My Hands 24-Dec-2025
fitness
This year has been a bit of a mixed bag for physical fitness improvement. Life is always a balance between different goals and I’ve certainly tipped the scales towards family and career over the past 12 months.