Mellion

One of the bravest in the group.

Evolution of a Character: Miss Adventure

Looking at her, Miss Adventure seems very much unchanged since she entered Wall. Unlike most of her companions, she hasn't spent much on the latest fashions or armor. She has squirrled away most of her money. Her only weakness seems to be fine cheeses.
Most of her equipment is watch she started with except for her very "un-halfling" like boots. Where most of her kin go barefoot, she has kept the very special boots she found in the dark depths. Indeed, she has collected many of the overlooked, seemingly useless items, that turn out priceless.

Evolution of a Character: Gildrid

Gildrid at 2nd Level.

Alabazium's Tale

They came in the night. Henchmen of their ilk rarely conduct their sort of business in the light of the day.
Alabazium had known on some level they would come. He'd known since he came to Wall. He thought his first foray into the adventuring life would pay off his debts. But that expedition had brought little gold, and many nightmares of cannibals in the dark.
Since then, he had wandered about Wall, trying odd jobs. His magical abilities barred him from most honest work, and attracted the wrong sorts wanting him for dishonest work.
A terrible winter spent on the streets of Wall, had lowered his standards. It's amazing what an empty stomach will make you capable of.
It was a simple job. All Alabazium had to do was loosen a few magical wards on a merchant's shop. The others would do the actual snatch and grab. In and out.
It all went remarkably well. His share would get him a food for a week and small room out of the cold. It even had a view of the wall.
It was on the third night, in his tiny room above the inn that they came. The boot to the head woke him. The room spinning, he tried to focus on the bearded man holding him firmly to the floor.
"Where's the money, Az?", he said grinding his heel further into the back of the magician's neck.
Alabazium managed a croaking, "In the bag. It's all I have."
There was shuffling noise as the tall one rummaged through Alabazium's bag.
"That ain't gonna even cover our expenses from the Border Kingdoms. By the way, nice trick joining those circus folks. Six weeks was it? You'd think they'd have more loyalty. They gave you up for two Crowns."
No doubt, Alabazium thought, they were still a bit mad over his incident with the lion. "I have an amulet. It's worth a king's ransom!"
"A king's ransom, huh?" The bearded one said."Judging by the rags your wearing, I doubt it. Let me see it anyway".
Alabaium felt the weight release from his back. He got up. A quick glance around showed four large men, filling his tiny room. The normally chilly room was warm with 5 men crammed in it. Two had crossbows trained on him.
"No funny stuff, or you'll get two in the chest. You may be worth more alive to Lurtz, but dead'll still pay us handsomely."
The skinny magician crawled over to his simple bed. Reaching under his pillow, he found the amulet. The crossbowmen were aiming at his head. Clutching the cold necklace in his hand, bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.
"Terrazahh!"
There was a flash of light. Alabazium went from the warm, musky room to freezing air of the Wall. The teleportation amulet had worked! He almost laughed, then he realized he was scant yards from his room. He was standing on the Wall, almost eye level with his window. About the time he realized this, so did the thugs.
Glass shattered as two crossbow bolts whizzed past Alabazium's head. He turned and ran down the length of the Wall, into the night.

Sidenote: One of our gaming crew has left us to return home to the magical land of Ohio. Alabazium was his PC. I thought it on;y fitting we send him out with a story...

Gnolls

Gnolls. Those hyena-like hunters of the fringe. Many see them as scavengers and cowards.
Gnolls have often been lumped in with many of the other humanoids that prowl the wastes Beyond the Wall. This would be a mistake. Unlike the goblinoid races, which spend much of their time in inter-clan warfare, gnolls packs are highly cooperative. They are are experts at the ambush. Combine this with pack hunting tactics, and you have a highly effective hit and run force. This is often see by civilized races as cowardly, but gnolls just see it as wearing down your opponent for later.
Most of the tactics are used to accumulate slaves. Gnolls are consummate slavers. Those that are not judged strong enough to trade with other packs, or sell to the goblinoids or evil humans, are, of course, eaten. But, this is a last resort, as gnolls are a particularly greedy bunch. It is rumored that demi-human slaves can fetch a high price from the black ships of the Broken Coast.
Beware ye, those forlorn places. Indeed, for many an adventurer the last thing they hear is the eery laughter of the gnoll pack, before they pounce.

Meanwhile, in the "Real" world

I was the perfect age when D&D hit the big time. For my 11th birthday I received the AD&D boxed set and a little something called the Official Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Coloring Book. I loved this box like a fat kid loves cake. I stayed up at night looking at it over and over. I didn't even have the guts to color in it, I didn't wan to mess it up.
Over 30 years later, there are still images in my head. A Bullette bursting through the ground, the party before the adventure. It has shaped how my D&D world is in my head.
Somewhere over the years through moves, etc it was lost to me.
But now, a wonderful gentleman over at Monster Brains has lovingly scanned in every page. I can print it off as many times as I want. My kids can color it. I can color it (now with photoshop).
At last, the internet was good for something.

aforementioned Bullette

Ogres of the Black Mountains

Ogres, those largest of "black bloods" are not, in fact, related to other goblinoid races. They have a distinct language and culture, for lack of a better word.
Many of these solitary creatures live Beyond the Wall, in a small branch of the Widowfangs known as the Black Mountains for its ash covered peaks.
Ogres have a strange place in Imperial history. Befriended early by the tribes that would someday form the Empire, ogres helped shape early Imperial history. Ogres were used as shocktroops and even bodyguards. But, once imperial society had become more "civilized", Ogres became more and more marginalized.
The ogres that haunt the black Mountains now, are descendants of those former Imperial troops forced to settle north of the Empire.
They have become more brutal and barbaric than their ancestors, preying on any passerby, and even their own kind. But, rumor has spread south, of a larger, more powerful force, organizing these brutes into a cohesive force. Ogres may march once again. But this time against the Empire.