The Civil War:

City's Poorest Children Preyed Upon by Unknown Sadist   A youth of not more than eleven years of age was found by Constable Riley Glick in the alley behind Moore's Dry Goods on Thursday night in a shocking and deplorable state. Gentle readers should read no further. The boy's eyes had been removed, but the stitches that remained were finely done. Constable Glick reported that this was not an isolated incident, but rather the third such mutilation this month. The other victims, all youths of similar age, had been altered physically in some unnatural way, including the removal of one tongue. (more...)

New Adventure: In Residence

Spendo presents: The V.A.D (Value-Appraising Drudgebot) 1,550 princes   Anybody who's shopped at Spendo-Brand before will recognize the Spendo-Brand drudgebots we have long used to run our stores. Today, however, we are bringing a new Spendo-Brand drudgebot to stores near you: for you to purchase. The Value-Appraising Drudgebot, or V.A.D. as we like to call him, is a cute little copper fuse box capable of figuring out the exact market value of an item. (more...)

  BombRats attack the EMA Lousy Louse By Petty Officer-3rd Class D'ARCY DICKINSON The Evangless Military BiWeekly   SOUTH OF DALVOZZEAN BORDER - The EMA Lousy Louse, a merchantile vessel carrying fabrics from Daion to Aldamiir, was shot down on Saturday afternoon after entering Evanglessian airspace. The Lousy Louse's wreckage was found the next evening, with the chef and first mate, Kyle Alders Hemsworth, as the lone survivor. According to Hemsworth, the Louse was attacked by airship pirates identifying themselves as the BombRats. (more...)

The Birth of Tailemy As told by Professor Dorothea Armistad of the Evanglessian Historical Institute at the request of Vicar Heffran in Galantria   The year is 333 in the revolutionary era. The Haudi Empire has taken much of the known world. The Laquai Empire in the Quist is the only other major force to stand against the Hauds. People still treat gnomes like mythical fey, and the ayodin are just rumors spread among drunken sailors. The research into creating satyrs hasn't even been thought up yet. If you are born a human, you are either born a powerful member of the Haudi Empire or a slave. There is nothing in between. (more...)

No adventure is complete without destroying a few buildings, burning an airship to a crisp, and blasting your way through a couple doors. In fact, with the proper application of explosives, what can’t you do? (more...)

Before they were Heroes: Playing Characters below First Level   I ran a really unique, really fun game the other night at our weekly opening Tephra gaming night at Dragon's Lair in Austin, TX. I took a handful of players and told them, "You are playing characters of 1/3rd level. You get one specialty each. You need to work together as a team and choose your specialties well, because I'll be throwing at you some pretty legitimate adversaries." What came from that was the best three-person, three-specialty team I could imagine. They combined Turret Crafting with Seeker with Fuse Box Builder (and building a fuse box with Belt Feeder) to make a small turret that could fire every turn with a +4 to accuracy and a 15 damage class. They fought 9 first level characters (in quick seccession) and stayed alive the entire time, at worst suffering a wound when an enemy swashbuckler took their gunner's ear off. They then fought a higher-level character inside a well-armored clanker with a super-heavy firearm and defeated him handily.   (more...)

The Albatross: top-notch messenger sphere   Designed with security in mind, the Albatross professional delivery sphere guarantees safe delivery of your most precious valuables. With 5 built-in locks, each requiring a different key, two emergency parachute gliders, and both light- and sound-based detection systems for locating the Albatross during the night and in inclement weather, this baby will never fail to reach its destination! The Albatross can carry almost anything up to 100 pounds and can never be broken by wayward thieves or pirates. The Albatross: guiding your package to a better tomorrow!   (more...)

Straight from the Lab: The Alarm Box Readers, commentors, and critics alike, I welcome you to the Lab, where I work restlessly to provide concepts of the Tephra crafting system for your entertainment and possible inspiration. The creation for today's topic is a lovely little trinket called the Alarm Box (See page 255 in the Player Guide). Now, at first glance, this trinket seems like it has a pretty straight-forward purpose and design: it's a box that makes loud noises. But what kind of noises? And who says it has to be a box? The sound and appearance are entirely up to you. This is where a trinket can become not only dynamic but very personalized and a lot of fun to design. See, the alarm box can really be anything you want: a pocket watch, top hat, indistinguishable widget, et cetera. Now, what about the sound? Does it sound like an air-raid? Possibly an alarm-clock ring? Why not a baboon screaming? A unique sound and function will add to the richness of your adventure.   (more...)