Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 9145521" data-attributes="member: 27780">Polyhedron Issue 147: July 2001part 4/6Talking the Tree Tongue: The druidic themed material continues with a mostly system free primer on Ogham. A written alphabet obviously designed to be carved on stone, wood or other hard materials, each letter is just 1-5 slashes against a stave line, with angle and whether it’s above or below the line multiplying the number of letters out to 20. It’s missing the familiar J, K, P, W, X & Y; F & V are the same thing, (which means stereotypical celts speaking english would mix them up in the same way asian ones do their r’s & l’s) but has a letter just for the NG sound. Each letter also corresponds to a type of tree, which I’m sure can be used for symbolism in some interesting way. If you want to give a bit more real world historical accuracy to your druids (to a certain degree, since some sects were against the whole concept of writing) this is an easy way to do it. As is often the case with a real world subject, there are whole books on it, and they include a bibliography so those that want to delve a lot deeper can. (although the website links have already rotted, like many we’ve seen in the internet 101 column) A decent enough article of the sort that could have appeared in any edition, or even a magazine that’s not about gaming at all. Elminster's Everwinking Eye: Having done the general overview of the Owlhold last time, Ed now zooms in on a bunch of specific locations within it that you might stay. The Griffon Aflame, a cozy place with excellent wine cellars and stories to tell, only marred a bit by fungi growing where they shouldn’t. The communal campsite of Fallenfalcon, where there’s a stream & plenty of berries to gather nearby and a half-elven family who’ll provide cooked meals as long as the group isn’t too large and unexpected. Trollshead Bridge, which is as close to a post office as you’ll get in these largely ungoverned lands. Tampering with anyone else’s mail is a quick way to become persona non grata, because even without formal laws, some customs are held pretty strongly. Hathlock’s House, a spartan place that mainly serves as a meeting place for hunters & trappers, so watch out for snares in the woods nearby. The Wolf Belt, another campsite where the booze is brewed strong and flows freely, resulting in plenty of drunken brawls. Sabroar’s Hold, owned by priests of Silvanus and serving as the main trading place for all the artisans who spend most of their year at home making stuff. Sounds like a pretty idyllic life, only having to interact with people a few times a year. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue    :p"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":p" /> Finally and most interestingly, Jester’s Hollow, once owned by a sorceress with an obsession for recording sound in gems. If you can find her archive and get past any defences you have not just an immensely valuable collection of precious stones, but a priceless one of recorded music & podcasts in a world where they still can’t mass-produce those. Who knows what lore from centuries past can be found in the voices of people who were actually there. Apart from that last one, this entry is unusually low on adventure hooks, making it distinctly subpar in actual play usability. The cosy worldbuilding is getting a bit out of hand and he could do with a slightly stricter editorial rein to keep him focussed again.</blockquote>

Verification