tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754170279177021419.post8533830150944643504..comments2024-03-25T19:47:36.154-07:00Comments on Goblin Punch: The Monstrous Lady MantlewrayArnold Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603155377769597516noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754170279177021419.post-8631366262544633222019-04-03T10:30:57.940-07:002019-04-03T10:30:57.940-07:00I saw the Blogs Worth Reading post as well. It occ...I saw the Blogs Worth Reading post as well. It occasionally turns up as a google hit.Pity Crithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07888455956188882829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754170279177021419.post-78433526490138257962019-04-03T06:40:49.373-07:002019-04-03T06:40:49.373-07:00Okay, like this a lot. Can we come up with more w...Okay, like this a lot. Can we come up with more ways for PCs to become aware of / interact with her? [cracks knuckles] Let's see.<br /><br />1) Wizards. Lady Mantlewray killed all of them. The (quietly murmured) assumption was that it was because a wizard might be able to harm her somehow. On the other hand, no wizard has been able to come up with anything, so maybe not. It's also possible that she's become hypersensitive to that sort of interference with the laws of Nature. Or maybe she just had a grudge.<br /><br />Anyway, since wizards attract her attention and annoy her, wizards have been banned from the city. If you keep your head down and don't cast any spells, then upon discovery you'll just be quickly and quietly escorted out of town. This is not because the authorities are kindly or liberal. ha ha, no. It's because wizards are jackasses, and some fraction of them will interpret a "kill all wizards" policy as a challenge, and that's sure to end badly for everyone. So the default response is firm but very polite deportation. That said, if you raise a fuss and start throwing fireballs or whatever, the response will be overwhelming force.<br /><br />2) Known fact: as a biomancer, she can create autonomous creatures out of her flesh. Most of these are crude things. They can be quite powerful and dangerous, but they're rudely shaped and obviously unnatural. They have an existence of their own, and are not under her direct control, but are as loyal as worker bees. <br /><br />She used to do this more often. She doesn't much bother these days. Still, a number of her old creations are still out there, slithering and flapping around.<br /><br />3) Less known fact: if she takes her time, she can craft *much* more convincing creatures, including ones that look and act human (or whatever). Very close examination will show mental and physical anomalies (the internal organs, in particular, are drastically wrong) but her humanoid creations will pass casual inspection. They may or may not have additional powers or defensive abilities. Like the monsters, they are autonomous (and so have souls, all seven of them) but are created utterly loyal to her.<br /><br />She doesn't do this very often because it's a delicate finicky job that takes a lot of attention and bandwidth. For the time and effort it requires to make one convincing human, she could crank out a dozen crude but powerful battlemonsters. But servants that can pass have their uses, so she did make some, and a few are still around. Generally they're optimized for (1) collecting information, and (2) being very hard to kill (since they're a PITA to replace). They're all still loyal to her, though over time their definition of "loyal" may have drifted in some odd directions.<br /><br />4) She can hand out new bodies. How this works: she swallows you. Then you spend a very unpleasant few days in an internal chamber while your body is dissolved by enzymes and replaced by new flesh, carefully secreted. (The enzymes leave your central nervous system alone. The good news is, your identity will be continuous. The less good news is, unless she deliberately decides to anesthetize you, you'll be conscious through the process.)<br /><br />Your new body is basically whatever she wants it to be -- gorgeous, monstrous, incredibly powerful, twisted mockery, whatever. As a default, the new bodies are immortal, so there's that. She used to do this to reward loyal servants and allies and to punish enemies and yadda yadda. She doesn't much bother any more. But, again, some of her earlier works are still out there. That giant wormlike creature with a human face and arms? One of her former Prime Ministers.<br /><br /><br />Doug M.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06161616129731344946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754170279177021419.post-20620084386636938872019-04-03T04:11:58.020-07:002019-04-03T04:11:58.020-07:00Thanks for the tip.
I saw it in the blogrolls of ...Thanks for the tip.<br /><br />I saw it in the blogrolls of whoever has you in their blogroll. Probably a blogger malfunction, this site is a demon.semiurgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10613841869525544649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754170279177021419.post-61233080670633888022019-04-02T21:44:51.876-07:002019-04-02T21:44:51.876-07:00One thing I've been trying to consciously do i...One thing I've been trying to consciously do in my writing:<br /><br />You know how stories have a certain sequence to them? They have an introduction, a problem/mystery, a quest, a resolution, usually in that order? You can apply the same dramatic arc to encyclopedia entries.<br /><br />Mysteries are introduced in the beginning, conflicts are discovered and resolved. You don't have to do it in chronological order, either. I definitely remember doing that for the Land of Flowers.<br /><br />How did you see the Blogs Worth Reading post? I didn't think I ever published it. Arnold Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12603155377769597516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754170279177021419.post-10155091035551380092019-04-02T15:45:34.985-07:002019-04-02T15:45:34.985-07:00Your posts remain the gold standard in prose world...Your posts remain the gold standard in prose worldbuilding. What I especially like is your ability to create a distinct sense of place between all these, well, places: the Great Rot, Charcorra, the Island of Butterflies, and so on and so on. Have you got any advice for bringing that out?<br /><br />Gotta say though I'm gonna miss clicking on that "Blogs Worth Reading" post and getting that "sorry, there's nothing here" message. Good bit.semiurgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10613841869525544649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754170279177021419.post-90222229246148669042019-04-02T08:20:56.079-07:002019-04-02T08:20:56.079-07:00I want to combine this with https://lizardmandiari...I want to combine this with https://lizardmandiaries.blogspot.com/2018/08/. All the drugs in New York couldn't stop this pain.Handy Haversackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00786906798254907957noreply@blogger.com