u/CT_Phipps-Author

My PCs like to make their own fun.

In this case, in a low as I prepared the next adventure, they decided to take advantage of their renegade Lyrander airship (one of the PCs is its pilot) and proceed to raid a warlord of Dargunn's slave community to slaughter all of the guards, the warlord himself, and rescue the slave population within. It was an adventure on the fly but it was one that I felt they could pull off and wasn't about to punish them for being innovative.

But as one of my player characters said, "Consequences are a witch and so am I."

The slaves the PCs rescued were a bunch of Brelish and Cyreans leftover from the Last War where they were either POWs or villages that had been in Darguun before the Goblin consequests. Part of that 6% human population of the 800,000 in the country. The PCs managed to take them to New Cyre with some supplies and making several trips across the border.

They also...called the press and offered to pay for their lightning rail tickets.

(The PCs are in the words of Abney Park, "A crew of drunken pirates. They're the only airship pirates.")

Which they assumed would be some cheap good publicity while they're on the run from House Lyrander.

I'm now thinking of ways for this to spiral out of control or at least lead to new adventures.

I thought I'd share this for ya'll from my campaign notes.

1.    While traveling on an airship, the PCs find themselves under attack by a renegade Lyrander corsair that has been corrupted by the Dragon Below.

2.    See #1. The PCs find that the airship has a Lyrander apprentice who is happy to pilot the second vessel for them as he's terrified of going "home" given what he did under his unwilling boss.

3.    A traveling sideshow salesman has a massive dragonshard with the head of a prehistoric Warforge inside it. He wants the PCs to guard him as he transports it to a buyer.

4.    See #3, the object is real and from Xen'drik, which terrifies the owner. 

5.    See #3, the object is a fake but a very well made one that was created by a warforged trying to create a pre-war history for his kind.

6.    See #3, the object's buyer is Merrix D'Cannith who wants to revive the warforged head for its secrets. 

7.    The PCs are hired to investigate a nationalist militia that has been specifically targeting veterans of the Last War.

8.    See #7, it is a recruiting place for the Emerald Claw that uses charm spells and nonmagical conditioning to create the goons that they use in all of their missions. The washouts are killed and made into undead.

9.    See #7, it is a recruiting place for the Swords of Liberty who are preying upon the disaffection of veterans in hopes of creating disruption that they can take advantage on a national scale.  

10.    See #7, their employers are Dark Lanterns who suspect one of their former members is the one responsible for this.

11.    A House Valdis outpost has gone dark and the PCs are hired by their discretion to investigate it. It turns out that it was a magebred facility that has been corrupted by Daelkyr cultists. The PCs will be paid extra if they destroy all the evidence, including the survivors.

12.    A fire giant from Xen'drik has escaped a traveling circus and set himself up in a nearby farm where he's eating the local livestock. The PCs don't have to slay him but he doesn't speak the local language and was not taken to Khorvaire voluntarily. He very much would like to go home but that may be impossible.

13.    The PCs are hired by House Cannith to recover a strange mechanical part. The part is a Creation Forge part that could be used to repair one of the destroyed ones. It is in the hands of a group of warforged renegades.

14.    A family of shifters claims that a fanatical Thrane knight wants to slaughter them and has been harassing them for weeks.

15.    See #14, they're a family of lycanthropes and the paladin wants to confirm it before slaying them.

16.    See #15, they are in fact lycanthropes but are Lawful Good werebears.

17.    See #16, this doesn't impact the paladin's plans to slaughter them as diseased monsters.

18.    The PCs are contracted to serve as couriers in a secret set of negotiations with Prince Oargev and King Boranel. They're supposed to do this at a ball and relay letters as well as messages while no one is the wiser. Dancing, food deliveries, and other oddities are afoot.

19.    See #18, the negotiations are Prince Oargev being offered to be made Duke of New Cyre but giving up his claim to Galifar's throne. Which multiple parties would rather Oargev die than happen.

20.    See #19, King Boranel actually wants to fund New Cyre settlers in Xen'drik or Q'barra or "elsewhere" with the profits of this all for New Cyre but meant to keep their numbers in Breland low.

21.    See #20, it is a marriage contract to one of his daughters (or sons). Which would tie them intristically together.

22.    A dying Dark Lantern agent has discovered the identity of the murderer of King Boranel's wife. The PCs have the encrypted message but the people trying to kill the agent are Dark Lanterns themselves (or appear to be at least).

23.    Once a year, Pontifex Jaela is allowed a day off and the PCs are asked to provide security lest the church see her doing things that are fun like riding dinosaurs or watching clowns. The Cardinal simultaneously considers this a massive state secret and vital for her spiritual health.

24.    A riot has broken out in Thaliost over the murder of a citizen by the Church's Templars. Possibly. Who was killed and why seems to constantly change based on who is doing the telling. If the flames (no pun intended) are not put out soon, it may turn into a full-fledged uprising.

25.    See #24, the riot was organized by the spirit of the Overlords and designed to merely cause as much misery and horror as possible. 

26.    See #24, the riot was done by a Aundair Duke who plans to "restore" order and claim the city for Aundair once more despite how likely this is to reignite the Last War or at least a Thrane-Aundair war.

27.    See #24, the riot is just a naturally occurring one but Cardinal Krozen is letting it play out because he wishes to justify a violent suppression followed by property confiscations to replace Aundair-loyal citizens with Thranish ones.Surely that will work out fine.

28.    A mysterious tablet is recovered from an archaelogical site in Droaam. It is then stolen by the Emerald Claw in full Indiana Jones villain glory. A beautiful Morgrave University researcher needs the PCs help to recover it! According to her research, the tablet is legendary magic that can bestow a WISH.

29.    See #28. The archaeologist is Emerald Claw herself and working directly for Lady Illmarrow. The WISH tablet is the only way she might be restored to her living status and give her back her Dragon Mark. The Emerald Claw renegades worry she will betray her undead followers then.

30.    The PCs end up drugged and wake up enslaved on a massive dreamlily plantation by an obsese member of the Aurum with the aid of his Inspired allies. They are on the borders of Droaam and have been slaving both humans and monsters both to create as much of the drug as possible. They also play the two groups of slaves against one another to keep then in line.

31.    See #30, the Daughters of Sora Kell know about this atrocity but are bribed into letting it happen. They will just blame human evil if it is discovered after all and have even been selling some of their dissidents to it.

32.    A Cyrean Avenger attempts to recruit the PCs to kill a Valenar warlord visiting their location. The Avenger claims that the warlord massacred thousands of Cyrean refugees fleeing the Mourning. Whether the PCs agree or not, he ends up dead and the Avenger both in unrelated murders that trigger a massive dust up between the Cyrean locals and the visiting Valenar delegation. 

33.    See #32, it is actually a member of House Lyrander who arranged this. The warlord wanting the Lyrander to no longer administrate their lands in Valenar or, worse, pay higher tribute.

34.    An insanely rich and well-respected Lyrander noblewoman has been working with House Cannith for decades on the ultimate airship variant: a void ship that she intends to reach the moons with. This "Spelljammer" is something that is about to launch and she wants the PCs to help guard it against sabotage.

35.    The PCs are approached with an offer by House Sivis to buy the rights to their adventures. If the PCs agree, they soon find a large number of printed stories across the continent with incredibly inaccurate (bordering on exploitation) versions of their adventures with sleazy covers. It does massively improve their reputations in...some ways.

36.    The Bloodsail fleet successfully surrounds Dreadhold, seizes control over the location, and threatens to release the worst prisoners unless Saeria the Lich is returned to them. Which confuses a bunch of people as they were under the impression they were in Dreadhold.

37.    A Cyrean refugee claims a Lightning Rail is transporting a huge amount of stolen goods from the Mournlands to their Aurum buyers. It's time for a train robbery!

38.    See #37, the people guarding the train are adventurers who recovered the loot themselves and consider it finders keepers.

39.    See #37, the loot is actually on its way to Prince Oargev and the "refugee" who wants to steal it back is the man supposed to recover it but tired of living in desperate poverty.

40.    A patriarch of House Kundarak has died and his goods are needing to be recovered from his trap-filled dungeon vault since he left no heirs. The PCs are thus hired to recover it with the House neglecting to mention they'd hired a second team of evil adventurers who have decided to keep the contents for themselves.

41.    House Cannith and House Phiarlan have created a device called the "Magical Moving Lantern" that can store illusionary recordings of performances in dragonshards. The financial benefits from this are beyond imagination. But someone has stolen the prototype!

42.    See #41, it's a member of House Thuranni who are tweaking their sister house's nose.

43.    See #41, it's a member of House Phiarlan who believes this will ruin the market for live shows.

44.    See #41, it's the inventor who knows it doesn't work because the dragonshard is rapidly used up. 

45.    See #41, it's all of them in a comedy of errors.

46.    The Emerald Claw is seeking to unleash a biological plague that can turn people into zombies via a bite and are demanding a king's ransom not to do it. House Jorasco are willing to pay the PCs a vast sum to assault their fortress and destroy all samples. 

47.    See #46 because House Jorasco was the group that created the plague and the fortress is their secret lab.

48.    It's the Race of Eight Winds time again and the PCs are asked to serve as their jockey's bodyguards as this one is going to be particularly nationalist. Mobsters, spies, and more will be all attempting to influence the race.

49.    See #48, Prince Oargev is also planning to fix the race to win a vast amount of money that he'll use to help the people of New Cyre...or so he says.

50.    See #48, if one of the PCs is a skilled rider, they must take the place of their patron when they're discovered to have been poisoned before they even became their bodyguard. 

51.    Gadzooks! Strange unidentified flying objects are circling around farmlands, leaving mysterious circles, and kidnapping locals! Is it Illtihids? Githyanki? Aboleths?  

52.    See #51, it's a bunch of fairies having fun.

53.    See #51, it's actually a group of gnome illusionists covering up an illegal dragonshard mine and kidnapping locals to serve as slaves. They plan to bury everyone alive once they've cleared out the vein.

54.    Two dinosaur barons in the Talenta planes are feuding over grazing patches for their thunder lizards. They've escalated to everything short of murder and the townsfolk want the PCs to meditate the issue. A war between them would destroy the economy.

55.    A non-Cannith artificer has figured out a way to used spent dragonshard powder, charcoal, saltpeter, and a long metal tube to allow non-magic users to create a very cheap wand of magic missles or staff of eldritch blast. The only downsides are you have to aim it. He'd like the PCs to be angel investors in his possibly terrifying weapon of war.

56.    A gnoll warlord in Droaam claims he has a new dragonmark and is the founder of a new House. Hehas begun gathering an army around himself while the Twelve declare him an Abberant.

57.    See #56, he is actually a reincarnated Deneith mercenary who has come to love the people who he identifies with now. This is his misguided plan to get them some more respect.

58.    The Swords of Liberty are employing a renegade Sivis scribe to print pamplets across the kingdoms that are full of horrific libel. They're designed to exploit existing divisions and rouse the populace into violent lynch mobs as well as riots. King Boronal is not interested in fighting words with words and offers the PCs a sum to find their print shop as well as writers before slaying them.

59.    See #58, the actual reason for this is that one of their insane theories is actually correct but which one?

60.    The Boromar clan of Sharn has invited the PCs to the wedding of one of their daughters. This actually isn't a trap or some weird way to make a job offer, the daughter is just a huge fan of the PCs adventures. Then, of course, House Daask decides to kidnap her.

61.    House Tarkanan has had multiple members of their clan murdered and dissected in horrible ways. They believe the Twelve are hunting them. Others attribute it to a deranged serial killer.

62.    See #61, it is a deranged copper dragon wanting to study the abberant marks.

63.    See #61, it is a Cult of the Dragon Below who is attempting to harness their power.

64.    See #61, it is a member of House Tarkanan attempting to seize power by blaming the Twelve while he eliminates his rivals.

65.    The Galifar Aquila is a dragonshard relic of incredible value to the Royal Family and has been lost for centuries. A series of murders and thefts put the object in the hands of the PCs with a House Daask troll, a beautiful elven femme fatale, and a weasally halfling all after it. But does it belong in a museum or, perhaps, a particular royal family?

66.    Morgrave University is showing a display of orcish native art at a gala when it is attacked by a bunch of drow warriors to recover them. Weirdly, they're interrupted by another group of orcs who fights them. Both groups claim one of the relics in the collection is a prison for a powerful demon while the other is trying to free it.

67.    See #66, both are lying and the relic contains a map that leads to a House Tharashk payroll transport the orcish mercenaries robbed before turning on one another. The fact they can't find it is a sign its magically warded or something has gone catastrophically wrong.

68.    See #66, that's because the idol IS a prison for a demon and he's promised the prize to whoever frees him.

69.    One of King Kaius' brides is making a legal challenge on vampire persondom in the Brelish court systems. She knows his true nature but is hiding it even as many individuals want vampires to remain legally dead. The PCs can side with or against her.

70.    An Eldeen Reach village wants to hire the PCs to hire them to proetct them against a group of a few dozen bandits. The PCs would be accompanied by a few other oddball characters.

71.    See #70, the bandits are actually the mercenaries the villagers hired to clean out a nearby forest of monsters before cheating them. 

72.    See #70, the village is a bunch of Dragon Below cultists and the "monsters" were Gatekeepers. They hope to have more slaughter so they can awamen the creature in the now-unprotected forest.

73.    The PCs are sent into the Mournlands to recover the Crown Jewels of Cyre from Metrol, only to find an apocalypse cult of cannibals devoted to the Devourer and other survivors engaged in a low grade civil war. They can side with any of the factions they want or none of them to get in and out. 

74.    See #73, there's a mad artificer from House Cannith who claims he can reveal the secret of the Mourning if the PCs rescue him.

75.    A changeling claims to have had the PCs baby from a short relationship or one night stand. If the PC is dragonmarked, they have the dragonmark despite being a changeling. The changeling is very nervous about the safety of their child and will die if they leave the PCs sight for more than a day.

76.    A radical group of Kalashtar want to sabotage trade negotiations between Karnath and Reidra. They reveal the whole Dreaming Dark conspiracy.

77.    See #76, King Kaius knows about the Dreaming Dark but Reidra offers the chance to gain food independence from Aundair. This year will be a particularly harsh winter too.

78.    Mordain the Fleshweaver removed the brain of a particularly annoying psionicist into a self-sustaining jar. It has since gone on to become a powerful crime lord, escaping with its newly enhanced powers. "The Brain" of Sharn is believed just to be a metaphor but he's gradually dominating more and more to his cause with the ability to maintain simultaneous control over ever greater numbers of people.

79.    Of all things, the PCs inherit a hotel with an airship dock from one of their admirers. It is a perfect base for their activities but they soon find out House Ghallanda drove the previous owner to ruin before he was mysteriously assassinated.

80.    See #79, the Ghallandra who did this wasn't doing it for the House but because there was a hidden treasure inside the hotel when they were adventurers.

81.    House Sivis and House Kundarak are going to work together to do real-time trades on ventures at a former stockyard (nickname the Stocks). Almost every other house thinks this is a fantastically bad idea.

82.    A group of vampire hunters have successfully killed a powerful Karnath Lord and looted his castle. His daughter is now seeking revenge as a paladin of the Blood of Vol. She is notably not undead herself but possesses some vampiric abilities. 

83.    An dwarvish artificer is terrified of House Orien coming after him and claims he has an invention that they will stop at nothing to acquire. The invention being a weird black goop that makes roads very smooth and thus much more practical for House Orien vehicles.

84.    See #83, the easiest way to resolve this is just make a mutually beneficial contract.

85.    A young woman is running away with her half-orc boyfriend despite the fact that she is astoundingly beautiful and does not seem to care that much for him. They offer a shockingly large amount of money for their safe passage. Soon, monsters will start hounding the PCs as she attempts to flirt with any interested. She is a granddaughter of Sora Kell and on the run from her mother who wants to marry her to Gorodan Ashlord.

86.    A religious heretec claims that he derives his power from the "Vestige" of Siberys and that will enough believers in him, the Dragon God can be resurrected.

87.    See #86, It's a Radiant Idol that has a particularly effective scam going on.

88.    See #86, It's a Gold Dragon who sincerely believes this will work.
89.    See #86, It will work...after a mass sacrifice of the faithful.

90.    A local village is haunted. Literally. Dozens of horrible ghosts are wandering around the area, tormented and harrassing the living. Some of them look famous individuals who suffered suspicious deaths.

91.    See #90, it is a manifest zone to Dolurrh that used to be bound by Blood of Vol cultists who kept the spirits appeased with candy and costumes. This tradition was banned the previous year by the local Sovereign Hosters.

92.    See #90, a necromancer has grabbed an assassin who used a keeper's fang to kill their lover and are torturing both killer as well as the artifact to try to bring back their spirit from the Keeper's Vault.

93.    See #91, this is an ASTOUNDINGLY bad idea and creating a Manifest Zone to Khyber below.

94.    There's a gang war going on in a famous "party" town between House Phiarlan courtesans, a group of half-vampire prostitutes, and a changeling brothel that pretends to be a Silver Flame nunnery (the Thranish government was not amused). It used to be peace between the groups but the local ordinances have stated only one can remain open.

95.    This is actually a plot by House Ghallanda to replace the town with their own inns and "cheaper" entertainment.

96.    Queen Diani of Thrane is getting married and entertaining a variety of suitors including one of Boranel's children, Prince Oargev, an Aundair lord, and a Lhazaar Pirate Prince. 

97.    See #96. This is part of an attempt to gain support for her restoration of the monarchy and Krozen has hired an assassin to do her in

98.    See #97...or so someone wants the public to think. Diani wants the PCs to thwart the threat so she can force the High Cardinal into disgrace.

99.    See #98, the Cardinal knows this and has substituted a real assassin. He'll just blame Aundair.

100.    See #96, Diani actually wants one of the PCs to marry her (or at least be engaged to her) as a popular hero would be better for forcing the public sentiment against the Church versus a foreign invader.

101.    A Dhakaani ruin has been seized by several goblin clans that have claimed it in the name of the revived empire. The Dhakaani do not recognize these individuals as their brethren and are sending a group of troops to slaughter them. The local authorities sees this as a self-solving problem.

Hey folks,

I'm returning to Eberron after a prolonged absence and was going to revive a campaign the players were involved in awhile back and one of the elements of that was the discovery that Metrol was still alive at the "eye" of the Mourning. I never got to follow up on that particular event but I thought it was an interesting concept to explore with them having been living the Immorten Joe/Mad Max life this entire time.

Alternatively, I might also simply start the game in Dread Metrol (I love that supplement) and the protagonists manage to trigger a Conjunction (Ravenloft 2nd Edition Explanation: Kill the Dark Lord, land slides back to its home plane) and suddenly these poor bastards are discovering the war has ended and they're the symbol of peace when they are quite of the mind the war is still ongoing.

This is still very much an idea to play around with and I thought I'd share my initial thoughts about how it might go and ask for potential plots or events we might explore in the campaign as a result.

Ideas I have with this:

• Prince Oargev wants to either connect with Metrol again to either evacuate the population or try to see if it can be a functioning society. This means either regular airship travel or somehow getting a post-apocalypse lightning rail connected to it. Both of which require money that he doesn't really have as well as a safe route there.
• The people of Metrol don't necessarily recognize their prince's authority anymore or particularly share the joyous reaction that many Mourners have to their survival. As far as they're concerned, the Mourners got off lucky.
• Metrol surviving means that there's an inverted scenario for a lot of nations in that it is very cash rich and resource wise but very poor in supplies. Reasonably some people might want to trade this but more likely people will want to rob or price gouge the Metrols of their legendary art and gold. Or, hell, Oargev take all that money to help his other subjects.
• House Cannith, as well, is quite of the mind that a lot of their former loot is there and that includes Creation Forges. The three branches of the House all have claim to it and so do the warforged who now have enough influence to press their claim their destruction is dubious.
• Queen Dannel being responsible for the Mourning (she was playing with a giant artifact that merged Cyre with Mabar in my games) would utterly fuck with Cyrean national identity and possibly doom any remaining sympathy for them. Covering that up may be a PC goal or thing to stop, depending on their sympathies.
• Obviously, it could be a good base for a warforged nation as well if its biologicals could be removed but, well, it probably has a substantial warforged population as is that identify as Cyreans first (which would screw with the LOB's plans).

So what are your thoughts? What would you emphasize and play around with?

Hey folks,

I'm only now getting back into Eberron from 3rd Edition when I was buying the original books. My players want to get into the campaign world now and have a lot more interest in the 5th Edition and online kanon that I am only now becoming familiar with. Is there a source where I can find out what some of the biggest differences from Keith Baker's envisioned Eberron versus what WOTC has as its current state?

I'd love to know about the differences and where to find out more.

Big, small, whatever.

What the title says.

Little funny anecdotes from your campaigns and adventures.

• A funny thing in our Eberron game was two members of House Lyrander in the party started dating and we went to rescue their fathers from Dreadhold. The DM thought it would be funny to reveal their fathers were brothers, hence making them cousins. The players were not amused.
• One of the PCs has a magical Message Envelope and a typewriter-esque magical item that they use to send the PCs adventures to a publisher in order to turn into mass produced cheap fiction. The DM has stated they are the Edgar Rice Burroughs of the setting. It also has been used by the Emerald Claw to track them (albeit they have an airship so that's not as useful as it might be).
• The search for the prettiest dress possible for a female presenting Warforge attending the ball of King Boranal was the subject of two sessions.

My audiobook narrator for Tales of Shub-Niggurath asked how to pronounce the name. He was was very nervous and making several odd jokes.

I was confused. I didn't get it. I've been playing Call of Cthulhu since I was twelve. The characters names have always been as normal as any other fantasy monster.

Finally, he just asked me straight up, "How do you want me to pronounce this?"

I went, "The folks at HPLHS pronounce it Shub nee-GOO-roth which I quite like."

Then he said, "Oh good. I don't have to say it like a slur."

Only then did I get it. To which I went, "Perhaps I should make a pronunciation guide."

He became annoyed I didn't want it pronounced Chew-Thoo-Lou. 🎯

My audiobook narrator for Tales of Shub-Niggurath asked how to pronounce the name. He was was very nervous and making several odd jokes.

I was confused. I didn't get it. I've been playing Call of Cthulhu since I was twelve. The characters names have always been as normal as any other fantasy monster.

Finally, he just asked me straight up, "How do you want me to pronounce this?"

I went, "The folks at HPLHS pronounce it Shub nee-GOO-roth which I quite like."

Then he said, "Oh good. I don't have to say it like a slur."

Only then did I get it.

In the grim dark future, there is only black comedy. The word grimdark is a portmanteau created created by 4chan to make fun of the opening crawl of Warhammer 40K‘s text i.e. “In the grim dark future there is only war.” This is due to the fact Warhammer 40K was originally created as a parody setting of countless over-the-top dark science fiction elements blended together with what was, essentially, a really dark campaign of Warhammer. Which was, itself, a really dark campaign of Dungeons and Dragons.

Eventually, the rise of George R.R. Martin resulted in grimdark being primarily applied as a term to doorstopper “realistic” fantasy stories in the same vein. The connection to Warhammer 40K was de-emphasized and there were actually questions whether dark science fiction qualified as grimdark at all. I strongly disagree with that, part of the reason I created Lucifer’s Star, and will now share one of my favorite series from the Warhammer 40K universe. I speak, of course, of Ciaphas Cain, HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!

The premise for the books is a Colonel Commissar Ciaphas Cain has recently died of natural causes and his occasional lover, Inquisitor Amberly Vail, has decided to assemble his deathbed “confession”/memoirs into historical documents for the Inquisition’s archives. The fact we know Ciaphas Cain manages to survive to a ripe old age despite living in the ultimate hellish universe and die as a beloved hero should suck all tension from the book–but doesn’t, because the whole point of the series is analyzing what it means to be the One Sane ManTM in a universe driven by blind fanaticism.

Ciaphas Cain, you see, died as a legendary war hero but believes himself to be a secret coward and fool who survived myriad encounters with Chaos, Orks, Tyranids, as well Tau (one of these is not like the others) due to an inappropriate desire not to get himself killed in the line of duty. To facilitate this heretical idea, he also has the idea of keeping his fellow soldiers alive to serve as human shields against the enemies trying to kill him. The fiend!

Much of the book is a deconstruction of typical ideas found in fantasy (light or dark) where zeal replaces good tactics as well as prudence. Death is always around Commissar Cain so he does his absolute best to be prepared before things go utterly poing shaped (as he’s fond of saying) as they inevitably do. Despite this, this isn’t a source of pride to the Commissar but an actual source of shame as the body count inevitably includes friends as well as loved ones but he manages to escape to another day.

Cain is ostensibly based on Harry Flashman, at least the George MacDonald Fraser version but actually reminds me a good deal more of the WW1 incarnation of Edmund Blackadder. He is, much like said character, trapped in a situation destined to kill him (or not in Cain’s case) so all of his deeds are designed around surviving that inevitable fate. Also, his resigned jibes contrast against the blind stupidity of those around him.

I’m actually as fond of the supporting as I am of Cain himself. Colonel Kasteen is a wonderful supporting cast member, serving as Cain’s platonic life partner. A wonderful snarky scarlet-haired soldier who would have made an excellent protagonist in her own series. I actually was disappointed the author didn’t have them hook up despite that being the embodiment of cliche as well as against regulations. Note: Cain, amusingly, has a quite active love-life despite the fact his primary lover could have the planet he’s on bombarded.

Cain’s Valhallan unit from a Nordic-Russo Ice world is a dark and hilarious gang of killers who are more upset about the fact they have different dining habits than they’re all going to die horrifyingly in their next engagement (probably). The fact it’s made of two single-sex regiments smashed together is also a source of some intentional hilarity in the early parts of the series.

Fans of grimdark may think this isn’t a qualifier because Commissar Cain is hilarious. His dry observations, wit, and ability to out-think his enemies aren’t very grim. However, the world is still portrayed as a horror show of tyranny, fascism, and various monsters out to eat humanity at every time. The fact it’s presented in a jokey off-hand fashion just makes it more fun like how “The Wheels on the Bus” now includes lines about running over heretics in kindergarten.

Weirdly, the enemies are also made more terrifying by this approach as the Orks go from being soccer hooligans and working class Londoners to being an implacable force of destruction. Similarly, the Necrons are a mindless unkillable army of Terminators than the somewhat pathetic slaves of their masters which gamers know them to be. Even the Tyranids show themselves to be clever and dangerous conquerors than “mere” animals.

The books are annotated, it should be noted, by Inquisitor Vail as she adds a near endless amount of funny details to the story. Commissar Cain is trying to be self-deprecating, after all, while she’s more interested in the truth both good and bad. Cain is also a raging egomaniac even when trying not to be so he only talks about events which pertained to him and often misses the larger context–that the annotator corrects. It must have been murder on the Black Library editors to do the books this way but I think it’s one of the series’ best parts.

The first omnibus puts the protagonist against Tau, Tyranids, and Necrons in stories which I completely approve of. If you are a newcomer to Warhammer 40K or a long time fan, I recommend this collection. I note also recommending the collection since Black Library still refuses to release their books on Kindle so it’s better to just get the larger volume than try to collect all the smaller ones.

In the grim dark future, there is only black comedy. The word grimdark is a portmanteau created created by 4chan to make fun of the opening crawl of Warhammer 40K‘s text i.e. “In the grim dark future there is only war.” This is due to the fact Warhammer 40K was originally created as a parody setting of countless over-the-top dark science fiction elements blended together with what was, essentially, a really dark campaign of Warhammer. Which was, itself, a really dark campaign of Dungeons and Dragons.

Eventually, the rise of George R.R. Martin resulted in grimdark being primarily applied as a term to doorstopper “realistic” fantasy stories in the same vein. The connection to Warhammer 40K was de-emphasized and there were actually questions whether dark science fiction qualified as grimdark at all. I strongly disagree with that, part of the reason I created Lucifer’s Star, and will now share one of my favorite series from the Warhammer 40K universe. I speak, of course, of Ciaphas Cain, HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!

The premise for the books is a Colonel Commissar Ciaphas Cain has recently died of natural causes and his occasional lover, Inquisitor Amberly Vail, has decided to assemble his deathbed “confession”/memoirs into historical documents for the Inquisition’s archives. The fact we know Ciaphas Cain manages to survive to a ripe old age despite living in the ultimate hellish universe and die as a beloved hero should suck all tension from the book–but doesn’t, because the whole point of the series is analyzing what it means to be the One Sane ManTM in a universe driven by blind fanaticism.

Ciaphas Cain, you see, died as a legendary war hero but believes himself to be a secret coward and fool who survived myriad encounters with Chaos, Orks, Tyranids, as well Tau (one of these is not like the others) due to an inappropriate desire not to get himself killed in the line of duty. To facilitate this heretical idea, he also has the idea of keeping his fellow soldiers alive to serve as human shields against the enemies trying to kill him. The fiend!

Much of the book is a deconstruction of typical ideas found in fantasy (light or dark) where zeal replaces good tactics as well as prudence. Death is always around Commissar Cain so he does his absolute best to be prepared before things go utterly poing shaped (as he’s fond of saying) as they inevitably do. Despite this, this isn’t a source of pride to the Commissar but an actual source of shame as the body count inevitably includes friends as well as loved ones but he manages to escape to another day.

Cain is ostensibly based on Harry Flashman, at least the George MacDonald Fraser version but actually reminds me a good deal more of the WW1 incarnation of Edmund Blackadder. He is, much like said character, trapped in a situation destined to kill him (or not in Cain’s case) so all of his deeds are designed around surviving that inevitable fate. Also, his resigned jibes contrast against the blind stupidity of those around him.

I’m actually as fond of the supporting as I am of Cain himself. Colonel Kasteen is a wonderful supporting cast member, serving as Cain’s platonic life partner. A wonderful snarky scarlet-haired soldier who would have made an excellent protagonist in her own series. I actually was disappointed the author didn’t have them hook up despite that being the embodiment of cliche as well as against regulations. Note: Cain, amusingly, has a quite active love-life despite the fact his primary lover could have the planet he’s on bombarded.

Cain’s Valhallan unit from a Nordic-Russo Ice world is a dark and hilarious gang of killers who are more upset about the fact they have different dining habits than they’re all going to die horrifyingly in their next engagement (probably). The fact it’s made of two single-sex regiments smashed together is also a source of some intentional hilarity in the early parts of the series.

Fans of grimdark may think this isn’t a qualifier because Commissar Cain is hilarious. His dry observations, wit, and ability to out-think his enemies aren’t very grim. However, the world is still portrayed as a horror show of tyranny, fascism, and various monsters out to eat humanity at every time. The fact it’s presented in a jokey off-hand fashion just makes it more fun like how “The Wheels on the Bus” now includes lines about running over heretics in kindergarten.

Weirdly, the enemies are also made more terrifying by this approach as the Orks go from being soccer hooligans and working class Londoners to being an implacable force of destruction. Similarly, the Necrons are a mindless unkillable army of Terminators than the somewhat pathetic slaves of their masters which gamers know them to be. Even the Tyranids show themselves to be clever and dangerous conquerors than “mere” animals.

The books are annotated, it should be noted, by Inquisitor Vail as she adds a near endless amount of funny details to the story. Commissar Cain is trying to be self-deprecating, after all, while she’s more interested in the truth both good and bad. Cain is also a raging egomaniac even when trying not to be so he only talks about events which pertained to him and often misses the larger context–that the annotator corrects. It must have been murder on the Black Library editors to do the books this way but I think it’s one of the series’ best parts.

The first omnibus puts the protagonist against Tau, Tyranids, and Necrons in stories which I completely approve of. If you are a newcomer to Warhammer 40K or a long time fan, I recommend this collection. I note also recommending the collection since Black Library still refuses to release their books on Kindle so it’s better to just get the larger volume than try to collect all the smaller ones.

A MURDER MOST FUNGAL is a story about a chef of the Fungal people from the planet Hoppon. He is a well-beloved individual by the military governor, Duncan MacArthur, but despised by a huge chunk of the population as a collaborator. It is not a continuation of the original book in the series, MUSHROOM BLUES, but is set in the same setting a few months after the events of the original novel.

A primer for those unfamiliar with the original novel: Hoppon is a Asian-themed society of human-like aliens who have a symbiotic relationship with a local fungus. They may even be humans. For reasons that remain unclear, a massive war broke out between them and baseline humanity who have since occupied the planet. Human hatred for the fungus folk is barely restrained during the occupation and shortages are many. It reminds me a lot of Bajor in Deep Space Nine even if the leadership is trying to put on a decent face for their annexation.

Our hero, Pocho, finds himself grabbed by criminal forces that immediately begin threatening his sister unless he starts working as a spy for him against MacArthur. As someone who has very little family left, Pocho folds like a deck of cards but their demands are not limited to merely spying on the occupation. No, instead, they want him to be part of a suicidal assassination plot.

Pocho is a well-written character who just wants to get along after the dramatic invasion of his country as well as subsequent subjugation. He wants to look after his kitchen staff and the fact that he’s managed to get the patronage of a rich offworlder has made things easier. Unfortunately, that just makes things worse as the genuinely ungrateful people around him take his help while spitting on him without.

The is perhaps my only issue with the book: everyone but Pocho is a complete scumbag whether the racist colonialists occupying the world or the people who treat Pocho like garbage. I really wanted Pocho to stand up for himself and even his decision to work against the occupation is undermined by the fact the so-called resistance is so repulsive. This is definitely a book with no good guys.

Adrian M. Gibson does a fantastic job realizing the culture of the Hopponese. The mushroom people are definitely Asian coded but unique in their own ways. We also get some more insight into the war that resulted in their horrific defeat as well as hints that something triggered the disproportionate human response. Was it an accident or a deliberate attack? We’ll never know (at least in this book). It does, however, provide a fascinating series of flashbacks.

Food is a huge focus in this book and the various dishes created for the story are a major part of the books appeal. It’s about as far from the cop mysteries of the original book as possible and is more like a family drama. Adrian M. Gibson did an amazing job realizing the various flavors and ingredients that make Pocho’s particular craft into art.

In conclusion, this is a good book that continues to expand upon the Hoffman Report’s world and encourages me to check out the anthology that is set in the world. Clearly, the conflict between the humans and Hopponese has a lot of legs to tell interesting stories of alienation during a afterwar situation.

It's what I use to say is the sci-fi Game of Thrones. It was dark, mature, and managed to coherently create a political framework that regular audiences could understand without easily making one group into the bad guys or not. Okay, Protogen was pure set of bad guys but cyberpunk megacorps don't have to be morally gray. Even the underdogs in the Belters/OPA had a dark side that remembered just because you were oppressed didn't magically make you a virtuous hero and usually did quite the opposite. It made them mean and vengeful.

I'll be "that guy" and say that a huge chunk of what made the series fantastic was also the relative fidelity to the books. I say relative fidelity because there were some huge changes, some necessary by events (Havelock's actor doing Magnum PI) and others artistic choices (like lowering down the casualties of Earth's deaths at Marcos' hands). But it was still pretty damn faithful.

Great cast too.

What about you? Where does the Expanse rank for you in the past twenty or so years of scifi.

What the title says.

The black comedy of the verse is something that has been built on many, many occasions. Perhaps its because it's British humor or perhaps its just evolved organically but from the Imperium starting as an atheist secular tyranny becoming a theocracy to the fact that the most Biblically accurate writings of the Emperor's will are probably the Rogue Trader warrants.

For me: If you want to break Guilliman's brain, reveal the reason Lorgar's holy book is the religion of the Empire is because he ordered the Dreadnought who revised it to be spared after the Battle of Caith. The Anchorite is his doing, converting back to the Emperor's worship because of RG.

So what are your ironies that you like/love?

What the title says. What are the books that you loved enough to give a second read or even more?

• The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher: This is a series I absolutely love despite my awareness of its flaws and I've re-read Dead Beat, Blood Rites, Changes, and Proven Guilty multiple timees. I admit, I also re-read Storm Front and Grave Peril twice too but feel I didn't benefit from those books that way. I'm not counting Storm Front's comic version too.
• Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs: I've read the books a couple of times, read the comic adaptation of Moon Called, and have also listened to the audioplay version of her stories. Mercy is just the best urban fantasy heroine and I love her relationship with Adam. Do I wish there was one female character she gets along with? Yes. But it's still a great series.
• The Expanse by James SA Corey: I read the books as soon as I watched the first season of the show then I listened to the audiobook versions. Sometimes I still go back to the books to read specific scenes because they stick in my head so much.
• Eisenhorn by Dan Abnett: My favorite of the Warhammer 40K series, even more than Ciaphas Cain and I think has a kind of depth of worldbuilding lacking even from other Dan Abnett novels. There's just so much implied in terms of the massiveness of the Imperium, its ancient history, and the characters. He constantly drops references to new saints, worlds, and conflicts that expands the narrative. Also, Eisenhorn tip skips are often centuries at a time.

I really enjoyed the Dark Imperium books so I'd like to read more starring or guest starring him.

And yes, the misspelling was deliberate.

Hey folks,

I just noticed this really enjoyable book is free from Bookbub that I did a review of awhile back on. It's a really solid book that follows a washed up corporate mascot (RANGER M) Moss Foote (no wonder he went by a stage name) as he rescues a young woman from tech-slavery on a space station only to find out she has knowledge that she shouldn't have.

In the future, transhumans keep all natural born humans as serfs and the only place they can live free is the frontier where pirates are a constant threat as well as other disasters. Moss, his AI, and their new companion soon run afoul of all of these.

It's a funny book but not a comedy per se. Well worth the read.

PARIAH by Dan Abnett is the first book of the Bequin trilogy, which is the sequel to both the Eisenhorn and Ravenor series. If you’re not familiar with those, you don’t need to read them in order to appreciate the books but they strongly enhance the experience. The premise for the books is they are in the Warhammer 40K universe and follow the adventures of Inquisitor teams as they attempt to root out heresy in the grimdark future.

The premise is that Beta Bequin, who may or may not be related to Alizabeth Bequin from the Eisnehorn trilogy, is being trained as an inquisitor in the crumbling Hive City of Queen Mab. A female perspective is fairly rare in Warhammer 40K and Beta is a fascinating character that has both a mature and immature set of qualities. In many ways, she’s an intelligent and old soul but in others she’s painfully naive as well as judgemental. There’s a kind of 19th Victorian noblewoman quality to her that works surprisingly well in the Imperium.

Beta quickly finds things may not be as they appear because the school she attends is raided by what appears to be law enforcement despite the Inquisition being above such petty concerns. Beta is forced onto the streets of Queen Mab and doesn’t know who she can trust (hint: no one) or who is telling the truth (hint: no one). What follows is a coming of age story as she slowly develops the skills she needs to navigate the complicated politics and intrigues around her.

Dan Abnett does a wonderful job of establishing the character with a unique voice and unique attitude compared to all of his many burly men, sneaky Inquisitors, as well as noble officers. He gets to reintroduce most of his older characters from the previous two trilogies as well as show them utterly flabbergasted by a woman they continue to underestimate (including the women on the team).

The setting of Queen Mab is a delightfully original one that feels like it takes place in the future, past, and present simultaneously. There’s a Victorian air to the place but also a sense that the Hive World is crumbling at an extraordinarily slow pace. It gives you a sense of the Imperium’s immense age as well as how the fact it is a civilization on the decline. The world-building is tremendous.

The supporting cast of the book is tremendous. I love the character of Lightburn, who is a heretic that has been branded with “cursedom” that leaves him socially ostracized but in a unique position to serve as a mercenary to criminally minded citizens. I also appreciate the handling of the Ecclesiarchy in the setting, which is the Catholic Church equivalent of the Imperium.

In conclusion, Pariah is a fantastic book. It’s a great place to begin Warhammer 40K even though it is the 7th book in a series technically. Beta Bequin is a fantastic character and the city of Queen Mab is a fantastic character. We get to see a variety of weird and fantastic characters in a society that is full of decadent nobles, drugged-up artists, as well as impoverished peasants. Fun for the whole family.