fragments of a blue ruin
Beyond the canted slopes of the Rusthollow Hills, three days’ ride past the abandoned Freekeep of Lyre, across the dust-scrawled ghost of a river that died so many ages ago that none recall its name, you will find a chapel sacred to those who ruled this land when our ancestor’s ancestors were not yet born. … Continue reading CHAPEL OF THE VOID SAINTS
I recently ran a full playthrough of 'The Crimson Countess', a scenario I'm planning to include with the core rules of Bloodheist, my upcoming vampire heist game. I designed the scenario to be reasonably straightforward to run, without too many locations or named characters. The set-up is that the party are deposited in Mountberg, a… Continue reading Bloodheist: Playtest I
Gnomon is the gaudy jewel of Vaarn’s southern badlands, the city of a thousand shaded bazaars; a thirsty, bustling morass of dusty courtyards and guild halls and artisans’ workshops. If there’s something to be sold in Vaarn, then Gnomon is the place to buy it. Everything within the crumbling blue walls of the city has… Continue reading DISTRICTS OF GNOMON
Quick post to update on the current progress of various projects. Vaults of Vaarn #2 is typed up and is being copyedited as we speak. I'm now working on illustrations. Projected release date will be early January 2021. The issue provides details on Gnomon, a playable trading city for Vaarn. You will get seven main… Continue reading DECEMBER UPDATE
Once again, it's been a while since we did one of these. I've only played intermittently over the last month, due to life getting in the way and technical challenges. However the story of Vaarn has advanced slightly. In the last episode, our cast of scoundrels intervened in a tense standoff between Hegemony soldiers and… Continue reading VAARN ACTUAL PLAY: EPISODES 17 & 18
Just a quick update to make readers aware of two awesome fan projects relating to the blue ruins of Vaarn. Firstly, Leeds-based musician Out On Our Own has recorded an instrumental album based around our ongoing campaign, which you can listen to free on bandcamp! I posted this earlier in the year, but there are… Continue reading VAARN FAN CONTENT
We are back for a few updates on Bloodheist. The ruleset posted yesterday was not entirely complete, as it lacked specifics on Follies and Dooms. Fear not, because this post has you covered. FOLLIES A Folly is triggered whenever a character reaches 3 on their Doom track. They represent the negative effects of gathering Doom… Continue reading Bloodheist: Folly and Doom
It is the 131st year in the reign of the Red Emperor, May He Live Ten Thousand Lifetimes. From smog-bound London to the furthest reaches of the Undying Empire, humanity lives and dies at the pleasure of the Vampire Houses. They rule not from the shadows but openly and proudly, and they are served by… Continue reading Bloodheist: Intro
"Others still travel to Gnomon seeking wisdom, for the city is not only home to a thousand shaded markets, but also to a thousand philosopher’s guilds and esoteric colleges. The study of the lost wisdom of the ancients is feverishly pursued. Tech-priests, petty gurus, science mystics, and alchemists compete for patrons, prestige, and precious glimpses… Continue reading PHILOSOPHER’S GUILDS OF GNOMON
When a traveller is adrift in the silent blue dunes of Vaarn’s desert, he dreams of a city. When the camel’s hump sways beneath him he dreams of a cushioned alcove in a tavern, with learned conversation and hookah smoke coiling languidly in the air; when Vaarn’s red sun beats upon his head he dreams… Continue reading GNOMON
