Places of Note in Yanth

Apiaria: The Hive City of the Bee Folk and center of the domain of their Queen, Melitta XLI. Relations between the humans of Yanth and the bee folk have been pleasant but formal for some time. Wealthy Rivertown folk imbue an antiaging tonic made from bee folk royal jelly.

Castle Machina: Just outside of Rivertown, an old castle is the workshop-palace of the Clockwork Princess Viola I of Yanth. The barracks, sheds, and small laboratories around it are known as "Mechanicstown" and house the tinker gnomes and others that assist the Princess.

The Enchanted Wood: An ancient and dense forest north of Rivertown where the plant and animal life encountered is very often capable of speech. It is said to be the domain of an old and eccentric druid.

The Great Standing Stone Sages: A circle of eight monolithic stone heads in which reside the intellects of great sages of a past age. Their names and their scholarly specialties are: Whindbog the Historian, Blathrur the Astronomer, Pomphus the Philologist, Laangvynd the Geographer, Eggedd the Scientist, Baombast the Physician, Drohninon the Mathematician, and Nowhitaul the Theologian. These learned minds may be consulted by touching their respective stone, allowing telepathic communication as long as the contact is maintained. They will answer questions put to them, though they tend to do so with a degree of irritation and condescension.

Horologopolis: A subkingdom in the Country of Yanth where many aspects of the lives of its citizenry are predetermined at birth by extensive application of the astrological and numerologic sciences. Horoscopes are prepared and zealously tracked and rechecked through a citizen’s lifetime by the great tabulating engines controlled by the Master Time Keeper, a giant, many-armed construct with a head like a clock face. Those who stray from their appointed role or seek to alter their fate in significant ways are corrected by his agents, the more humanoid, but likewise clockfaced, Watchmen.

Rivertown: Largest city in Yanth, at the confluence of the Yellow and Flint Rivers. It's a center for trade and home of an infamous, waterborne, red-light district called (appropriately) "The Floating World."

Wednesday Comics: Princess Aura in Her Underwear

...and Flash, Ming, and Thun, too--but they don't make for the click-grabbing headline.

I picked up IDW's Definitive Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim Volume 1 last week with a bit of hesitation has I already had Checker's and Titan's first Flash Gordon volumes, but the full Sunday pages size (actually slightly larger) and colors( that are a good compromise between Checker's glossy ones and Titan's too muted ones) are worth it. Though at a little larger than 16 x 12, it isn't exactly portable.

Another interesting thing about these full reprints is that they reproduce the paper dolls that Raymond did along with the strip.

As promised, here's Princess Aura from 1934:

Her papa, Ming:

Lura "Vultan's favorite":

Flash Gordon:

And last, but not least, Prince Thun the Lion Man:

Planning for 5e: Classes

My group is meeting this next weekend for character creation for inaugural 5e D&D Land of Azurth session. Just like with the races, some of the classes require some explanation and/or tweaking for the setting:

The "fighting man" classes of Barbarians, Fighters, Paladins, and Rangers are all okay. Rogues and Bards work as-is, too.

Hierophant of the Church of Azulina

Clerics: I discussed primary deities and clerical domains in a post last week.

Druids: Probably more common in the Country of Virid, but they would will be present in Yanth where the campaign will begin.

Monks: I haven't figured out where the the Way of the Shadow and Way of the Four Elements orders might fit it.The Monks of the Way of the Open Hand will come from isolated mountain monasteries.

Sorcerers: No draconic bloodlines, but otherwise okay.

Warlocks like their pointy hats.

Warlocks: No Great Old One patrons for now. The archfey represent the relatives of Azulina in Elphame. Also, the fae lords of the Sun and Moon. Warlocks with fiendish patrons will be the most common. Witch hats and mantled coats will be a commonly seen "uniform" among Warlocks, perhaps inspired by the traditional clothing of the Witches of Ix.

Wizards: Okay as written.

A Land of Adventure...

...That's California.

Or at least all the places California gets to be in the movies. The above is a 1927 Paramount Films map of potential shooting locations in Southern California. This next one is locations within the Alabama Hills were films were actually shot:

Now, I'm not sure exactly how one might use this information to make a setting from the terrain of Southern California, but I'm sure it's possible.

Of Azurth and the Gods

The folk of Azurth seem less troubled by gods than the people of other lands. Or perhaps it's merely religion they are less troubled with. The small shrines and occasional monastery were sufficient for them, until the Wizard decided his new revelation called for a more elaborate priesthood and administration for the state church.

Azulina: The blue Faerie Queen is the center of reverence in Azulinism, the preeminent religion of the Land. The myths say she requested (and got) special dispensation from the gods of the outer world for her own subcreation: Azurth and its environs. Once it was done, Azulina and her sister-handmaidens entered the little world and brought life to the things that were there. The royal family of Azurth were held to be of the family of Azulina by magical adoption. The four handmaidens and companions of Azulina have monastic orders and shrines dedicated to each of them:
Iolanthe: Lady of Knowledge and Communication. Her color is purple. [Domain: Knowledge]
Cerise: Lady of Love. Her color is rose. [Domain: Life]
Pyrrha: Lady of Battle. Her color is vermilion. [Domain: War]
Melaina: Lady of Souls. Her color is indigo. [Domain: Death]

Gob: Beneath the Cave Land of Subazurth at the center of the world, there dwells a giant, crystalline gnome, and his name is Gob. It was Gob, master artificer, who did most of the heavy work in the creation of Azurth, all for the love of Azulina. Gob is seldom directly worshiped, but he is frequently named in oaths and exclamations by Azurthites.

Machine Mysteries: There are minor (and somewhat disreputable cults) in Yanth (in the main) based around itinerant, tent show performances whose primary attractions are automata called "god machines". Adherents believe god machines differ from other clockwork, electrical, or steam-powered contrivances by being imbued by "divine motive power." Side shows of clockwork tableaux vivants or magic lanterns revealing central myths may be free, but the god machine can only be viewed by initiates--i.e., those that have paid the admission price. Performances of machine mysteries are often accompanied by ecstatic (even orgiastic) rites, contributing to their reputation--and popularity.

Outer Gods: Some of the true gods of the outer world, greater than fae godlings of Azurth, are known in myth and legend: Urania, Queen of Heaven, who gave Azulina her blessing in Azurth's creation; Pan, whose piping is heard by the druids in the ancient forests of Virid; and the greatest of all, the Slumbering God with many names, who created all the gods, and now sleeps, his work done. There is an ascetic order in Azurth that venerates this last, but they hold that all the world was created (and exists only) within the great god's dreams and will fade when he wakes.

Wednesday Comics: Prophet

In a first for my Wednesday comic book meditations, I'm featuring a comic I haven't even read yet--primarily because it is just being released today. Prophet: Strikefile #1 (borrowing the "strikefiles" title from 90s Image) is a who's who (and what's what) of various important characters, aliens, and world's in the Prophet Universe (which is the Extreme Comics Universe in the far future).It also gives a history of the Earth Empire:

See?

Anyway, I assume most of my readers are at least familiar with the Prophet revival series by writer Brandon Graham and several artists. If not, here's a brief  rundown: John Prophet (the Extreme Comics character from the 90s) awakens from cryosleep on an Earth dominated by strange alien species in the far future. He must trek across this exotic landscape to find the ancient tower where he can complete his mission. There, he sends a signal to revive the Earth Empire from it's slumber. That signal awakens the Empire's most implacable foe, too--who just happens to be another clone of John Prophet. 

This is all is collected in one volume. Subsequent volumes detail Old Man Prophet (the rebel) gathering allies (including a few familiar names from 90s Extreme, if not familiar faces) while the Earth Empire likewise consolidates its forces and it's power. It may be that both sides will have to join forces against an even greater menace.

Prophet is probably most comparable to science fantasy comics like Metabarons and the Incal, but has its own voice and feel. No guys in rubber masks here; the aliens of Prophets universe are most often somewhat arthropodian and always alien. Even the human cultures have an exoticness to them too, like you'd see in far future literary science fiction.

The density of the concepts and world-building may not be to everyone's taste, but if any of this sounds appealing, you should check it out.

Different Dwarves for 5e

The Tolkien-inspired, Nordic-derived dwarves of standard D&D aren't the only dwarven subraces out there. There is another dwarvish tradition: a more folklore and fairytale one. The dwarves of the Country of Yanth in the Land of Azurth are that sort of dwarf.

Compared to the average D&D dwarf, they tend to be more social and affable. They are fond of good food and drink and are renowned brewers. While they may be miners or metalworkers, they are not as oriented toward these tasks as others of their race, and are just as likely to loggers, woodworkers, or farmers.They have no more love or precious metals or jewels than humans.

Unless otherwise noted, the folkloric dwarf subrace has the traits of the standard dwarf.

Art by Jerad S. Marantz

Ability Score Increase. Wisdom increased by 1.
Lucky. Like a Halfling's.
Size. Folkloric dwarves vary more in height than other dwarven races. Most are medium, but a few are under 4 foot and so small.
Dwarven Combat Training. They eschew the battleaxes and hammers employed by other dwarves, but are handy with the axe and short sword.
Tool Proficiency. Their choices for proficiency are smith's tools, brewer's supplies, cobbler's tools, woodcarver's tools, or cook's utensils.

The Clang of Steel in Sang

Art by Phil Saunders

"Sang, the southern country of Azurth, is an exotic and barbaric land, separated from more civilized Azurth by rim of mountains that scholars say may by the remnants of an ancient encounter with a fallen star. The tiny kingdoms and tribes are given to strange customs and prone to violence. Still, Sang's warrior queen Bellona is widely-famed as a great heroine of the age."

-  A History of the Land of Azurth

High Concept: An exotic land of swashbuckling adventure where a warrior queen fights to establish justice and law.
Conspectus: A land devastated by an ancient cataclysm; the half-buried remnant of a ship from another world; dwarves made of metal with alien technology; nonhuman warriors with a fierce code; barbaric city-states with strange cultures; a red-skinned, superhuman warrior queen hatched from an egg, who won't take a lover who can't best her in combat.
Media Inspirations: The Mars and Venus stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs; The Thongor and World's End novels of Lin Carter; DC Comics' Warlord and Claw the Unconquered; Dark Sun.

Art by Jay de Foy

You Should Buy A Zoo

Specifically, you should buy Grandpappy Cromdar's Whizbang Zoo! by David Lewis Johnson. You should buy it because it has a cool tone and design sensibilities, and because it has great art by David (you've seen some of his work here before). You should buy it because it looks like a fun and sort of funny little adventure. And finally, you should buy it because it's only 5 bucks.

Of course, I'm biased because David's art work is going to be all over Strange Stars. Sure, I'm a fan, but let me tell you (and give you a taste) of what I think is good about the Whizbang Zoo on my read through. First off, the whole thing has a vibe reminiscent of Eric Powell's The Goon  to it, in no small part due to the grotesquery that is Grandpappy Cromdar (he's like the bastard child of Poopdeck Pappy and Cousin Eerie), the founder of the now-out-of-control monster zoo, but also bolstered by the slightly off-color humor, nonsequiturs, and cheerful anachronisms. The whole effect isn't so much Weird or New Weird, as mildly psychotronic. Take a look at this excerpt:

This image grabbed from the pdf may not do David's art justice, but it gives a good feel for his realistically rendered, portmanteau creature style, like something out of a bestiary written by William S. Burroughs. Note the irreverent stat-blocks and anachronisms in the text. This ain't serious world-building; the tagline proclaims it a "beer and pretzels" thing. Still, like Adventure Time!, its farce and anachronism hides little details dropped in passing and links between creatures that suggests there is a world there--or at least there could be. Of course, that sort of thinking will naturally come easier after a few of those beers and more than a few handfuls of pretzels.

Check it out.

Demonland

Art by quiteproustian

The promiscuousness of infernal beings is well-known, so it isn't surprising that by-blows of their trysts are found among mortals. While rare in most of the world, those with infernal blood are the majority of the populous in Demonland¹, a city-state across the mephitic Wastes from the Country of Sang. Why so many descendants of infernal bloodlines should be found in one place is a mystery, but perhaps the area had a sulfurous air of hominess for their grandsires and granddams.

Demonland proper is built upon a cluster of small islands in a lake formed by hot springs. The boiling, caustic, malodorous waters are a perfect defense --though they also make life less pleasant for the inhabitants. Demonland’s potable water comes from filtered rainwater collect in cisterns and also by magical purification of the water of the lake itself. The city is only accessible by boat and all goods and visitors make the trip over by ferry.

Demonland is nominally ruled by a Duke (or Duchess), and though this ruler’s power is theoretically absolute, it is most commonly exercised in throwing lavish revelries at which the true rulers of the city go masked. These princes (and their masks) represent the seven capital vices exalted in Demonlander religion and culture. The prince of each vice is officially appointed by the Duke but in practice is more or less elected by general consensus, as the Duke shrewdly defers to the inclinations of the mob. They serve for an indefinite tenure, usually a year and a day. The princes are meant to most perfectly embody their vice, and would-be candidates campaign vigorously (all except the candidates for Prince of Sloth, of course) for the title by engaging in the most audacious (and public) displays of sinfulness to capture the jaded hearts of the populous. The princes hold absolute authority with regard to the practice of the vice they personify and make legal proclamations and levy taxes or duties that might be pertinent as they see fit. They are allowed to keep a percentage of any monies collected for themselves.

Diabolism is the state religion of Demonland. It inverts the morality of most human faiths, promoting vice and condemning virtue. Self-interest and the pursuit of pleasure are valued over altruism and self-denial; Greed and vanity are extolled, and charity and modesty condemned. Demonlanders, however, are only a trifle less likely to fall short of the ideals of their faith than folk elsewhere, so their practice of immorality is as prone to lapses as the practice of morality in other lands.

Art by Arthur Asa

1. The correct demonym is "Demonlander." Never call a Demonlander a "demon" as this is both inaccurate and rude. "Tiefling" is just as bad.

Wednesday Comics: The Multiversity

"House of Heroes"

The Multiversity #1 (October 2014), Written by Grant Morrison; Art by Ivan Reis & Joe Prado

The release of DC Comics' The Muliversity #1 a couple of weeks a go seems like a good reason to take a short break from the examination of older comics and dig into something new. The Multiversity throws out a lot of characters in one issue. Here's a rundown of the major ones:

Nix Uotan (Superjudge; the last Monitor)
First Appearance: Countdown to Final Crisis #21
Last Previous Appearance: Final Crisis #7
By the end of Final Crisis, Nix Uotan was the last surviving Monitor and had been reborn in a human male body on another Earth. Apparently, he's still doing the good work of the Overmonitor, protecting the Multiverse. Or at least trying to.
The meaning of his name: Uotan apparently comes from "Wotan", Germanic god of writing and learning among other things. All the Monitors in Final Crisis have modified names of gods with a similar portfolio. "Nix" is colloquial English meaning "to put an end to" something. Nix plays a role in doing just that with the other Monitors.

Thunderer, Earth-7
First Appearance: The Multiversity #1
Thunderer is an Aboriginal Thor stand-in on an Earth that resembles the Marvel Universe. He's the last survivor of his world, which was decimated by the Gentry.
The meaning of his name: He's the superhero version of Wondjina, the cloud and rain spirits.

Superman of Earth -23
First Appearance: Final Crisis #7
Last Previous Appearance: Action Comics (2011 series) #9
President of the United States, Calvin Ellis, is also Kalel last survivor of Vathlo Island on the doomed planet Krypton. On Earth-23, the majority of the superheroes are of African descent or resemble sub-Saharan Africans.

Captain Carrot, Earth-26
First Appearance: The New Teen Titans (1980 series) #16 (insert)
Last Previous Appearance: Final Crisis #7
Captain Carrot (Rodney Rabbit) is a a sort of Superman analog on Earth-C (pre-Infinite Crisis), a world populated by cartoony, anthropomorphic animals (and obeying the laws of "cartoon physics"). Captain Carrot references meeting Superman before, which happened in Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! #1.

The Retaliators, Earth-8
First Appearance: (pre-New 52 as the Champions of Angor) Justice League of America (1960 series) #87; (current version) The Multiversity #1
Last Previous Appearance: (as the Meta-Militia) Countdown Presents: Lord Havok and the Extremists #6
A Pastiche of Marvel, specifically the Avengers--and as such, they also resemble the heroes of Earth-7 (there's a Wandjina the Thunderer here, too). These characters first appeared as Marvel stand-ins from the world of Angor. In Final Crisis, characters resembling the Champions of Angor (called the Meta-Militia) and their enemies, the Extremists, existed on Earth-8. In The Multiversity, they've undergone another mild revision to become the Retaliators.

The Lady or the Tiger

Our WaRP Weird Adventures game resumed yesterday and found our heroes re-united, but no closer to finding Urst's treasure. As an eldritch darkness seemed to be growing in the shadowy corners of the upstairs, they decide to make a hasty retreat to the downstairs and recover Rue's body--and maybe reintegrate her spirit.

It's not going to be so easy. When they get back to the rectory, the cat-headed man is leaning against the dying table near Rue's body, smoking a cigarette. He's with his apartment cronies: Camilla, the card-sharp and the Ogre in women's clothes. The man gives his name as Bagh. He says he's an associated of Urst's. He's been trapped in the mansion since Urst's death and he needs to snowglobe to get out.

The gang is disinclined to give it to them. He tells them to think it over, and says he meet them later in the gameroom. Rue is impatient to get her body back. She makes a run for it, using her ghost abilities to take a big flying leap toward it. Bagh suddenly transforms from a cat-headed man in a fez and a natty suit into a giant anthropomorphic tiger. He grabs Rue's spirit and pulls her off her body.

The others come rushing to help her. Gossamer (the Ogre) rushes to meet them. Rob dodges Gossamer's charge. Jacques runs past them to grab Camilla. Pao shoots Bagh, but the bullet goes right through him.

Jacques threatens to kill Camilla if the tiger man doesn't release Rue. Bagh calls Camilla "the help" and doesn't bite. Pao threatens to destroy the snowglobe. That get's Bagh's attention--but he still throws Rue's ghostly body through the ceiling. (She lands on the second floor, feeling bruised until she recalls she doesn't have a physical body to be bruised at the moment.)

Gossamer is pummeling Rob, and Camilla has twisted free and paralyzed Jacques with a magic playing card. Going for broke, Pao throws down the snowglobe then shoots it.

Bagh arms covering his head Bagh shrinks down to human-size. He might be sobbing, but no--he's laughing. "Free!" he shouts as he turns into a shadow in the shape of a tiger and bounds up through the ceiling. On the second floor, Rue sees he past and also sees the house and his furnishings appear to be attacking him.

Rue slips through the floor back to the level where her friends are. She's just in time to see the fireplace transmogrify into a caricature of a human face--Urst's face. He thanks them for returning the snowglobe. He also says he's captured Bagh and sent him somewhere where he won't get out for another millennia or so. He returns Gossamer and Camilla to their own worlds, too. Soon he says, the house will have rotated back to the Earth of the City and our heroes can go home.

Urst explains his death was only part of a ritual to gain immortality--not bodily immortality, but immortality nonetheless. His made had actually disrupted it by stealing the snowglobe that held the central element of his soul. Now, Urst is his estate. Bagh was a demon he had enslaved back in his days as a human sorcerer.

Urst allows them to leave the house with a letter to take to his dishonest lawyers that started this whole thing. When they do so, the lawyer's write them each a check for $2000 from Urst's account. Then, as they pour over the fine print, they disintegrate for the eyes of our protagonists.

Dark Days in Noxia

"Noxia, the northern country of Azurth, was once a region as bright and as hopeful as any other. Its Princess might be said to have been a bit moody, true, and given to overly romantic notions, perhaps, but she was young. Such things are not unexpected. It was her misfortune to fall in love with a witch. A witch with a vengeful former lover and partner in crime. Tragedy was the result, as one might well imagine: curses of eternal sleep, pacts made with dark powers, and a land cast into perpetual shadow."

-  A History of the Land of Azurth

High Concept: A fairytale kingdom gone post-apocalyptic under the rule of a Dark Queen.
Conspectus: the Sun and the Moon permanently eclipsed by a shadow moon; the blighted land and depopulated settlements stalked by humanoids, monsters, and undead; isolated human settlements under the thumb of dark elf overlords; treacherous mountain peaks; a valley of giant thorns; a vampire queen and her gargoyle minions.
Media Inspirations: The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe and The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis; Maleficent (2014); the "evil queen" portions of Snow White and the Huntsman (2012); the stuff having to do with the Necromancer in Peter Jackson's Hobbit films, Hammer's "Karnstein Trilogy", Winkie Country in The Wizard of Oz (1939); Eva Green as Morgan Pendragon in the Camelot TV series. Just about anything with a country under the rule of a Dark Lord might have something.

Art by Alberto Bontempi

Empire Island Revisited

Coming just in time for the resumption (at least for one more session) of my long hiatused Weird Adventures game this Sunday, Lester B. Portly unveiled on G+ this map of Empire Island with the neighborhood key arranged in alphabetical order. Handy!

Hospitals are marked with red crosses, but I would warn user that this information is for planning purposes only and may not reflect the current location of medical facilities. For instance, Aldwood (consumed as it is by a fictional reality) doesn't have an accessible hospital.

Witches of Ix

Art by Ian Miller

It is likely you will never have cause to visit the land of Ix, and in this, you should consider yourself lucky. The only exception might be those who have the misfortune to live in blighted, ghoul-haunted Noxia. To you Noxians an oft cold and mostly gloomy land of forests, bogs, and mountains, infested with goblins and ruled by witches, may not seem so dire. Remember though that you must cross the toxic badlands of the Waste to get there.

Ix has only one town worthy of note, and it cowers in the shadow of Hexenghast, an impossibly large and sprawling castle built beyond the memory of Ixians. Hexenghast is large enough to accommodate the four Great Houses of Ixian Witches and their various servants, mercenaries, guests, and prisoners. In fact, it is so large it houses these individuals and still has a great many halls and rooms that are unoccupied and perhaps unexplored for centuries.

Art by Yoshitaka Amano

A grand coven of the leaders of the Great Houses rules Hexenghast (no mean feat, given all the infighting and intrigue). The management of the rest land is done by lower level witches with mundane human and goblin subordinates. Mostly they are concerned with the collection of Hexenghast's due in taxes and farm goods, but they also suppress any unauthorized practice of magic and promulgate state propaganda.

There is an order of witches known as the Witchfinders. These cloaked figures appear within a day of the birth of any child in Ix. Every newborn is examined, and if the child bear some witches' mark, it's whisked off to Hexenghast and given over to one house or another to raise. When the children come of age, they cross the flickering Ghostlight Bridge that spans the chasm between Hexenghast proper and the sub-castle of the Scholomance. There, they are tutored in the dark arts until they are ready to assume their adult role in Witch society.

It has been the custom for new graduates of the Scholomance to spend some time abroad before settling into Hexenghast, engaging in the sort of infamies that youths who are schooled in the Dark Arts and confident in their own superiority are wont to engage in. This was the context in which Angvaine and Nocturose crossed into Noxia all those years ago.

Art by Yoshitaka Amano

Wednesday Comics: The Price (part 6)

We continue our examination of Jim Starlin's Dreadstar Saga with The Price. The earlier posts in the series can be found here.

The Price (part 6)

Eclipse Graphic Album Series #5 (October 1981) Story & Art by Jim Starlin

Synopsis: When next we see Darklock, he's discussing his resignation from the priesthood with the Lord Papal. Papal says he's sorry to see him go, but Darklock knows he's happy to see a rival eliminated. Apparently, the story is that Sister Marian died in a gas main explosion.

When Darklock is gone, the Cardinal congratulates Papal on getting rid of him. Papal berates his suboordinate: Can't the Cardinal sense Darklock's power? It's as much as a god's.

Darklock buys a ship and crews it with robots. Once it's ready, he takes the journey to the frontier and a world called Caldor. There, he makes camp and waits.

Vanth asks the stranger who he is. Darklock tells him as he removes his hood, and we see his deformed, almost skeletal visage for the first time post-burning. Darklock says he has sacrificed much to get to this point. He is here to be Vanth's comrade and mentor.

Vanth doesn't understand much of this. Darklock suggests they can talk tomorrow; For now, Vanth should return to cat people and tell them he means no harm. He also hints he knows of Vanth's sword.

When Vanth is gone, Darklock muses about the future:

Then, he thinks of Marian:

"...And I'm pray you'll have forgiven me by then."

Things to Notice:

• Darklock's encampment on Caldor looks a lot like the Lars home on Tattooine on in Stars Wars.
• In fact, there's a bit of a Star Wars vibe to the whole Vanth-Syzygy interaction.

Commentary: 
In the end, The Price has similar themes to Metamorphosis Odyssey: A man makes a decision with horrible consequences convinced that this is the best thing for the future.

It's funny that the titular hero of the graphic novel and series to follow has been a secondary character in stories focused on his succession of advisors. It's like Arthur had two Merlins and both of their stories got told before his got started. 

Strange Stars Evolution

I've shown this page from the Strange Stars setting introduction before, but this is the latest iteration. Lester is has been honing the layout over time, and I think it looks great. The is is a bit over half done in layout.

Gloom Elves

Gloom or shadow elves are a subrace found in Noxia, the somber northern country of Azurth. They are Noxia's primary inhabitants, having risen from underground habitations to colonize the surface with the Witch Queen Morthalia's ritual working that caused Umbra, the Shadow Moon, to stand still above the land and made it visible to mundane eyes. The gloom elves were at first allies of Angvaine and Nocturose when the pair of would-be conquerors arrived from the Witchocracy of Ix. Ultimately, they sided with the rightful queen Morthalia after the usurpers fell out, and it's likely their wizards taught her the Umbral ritual.

Gloom elves have skin colors ranging from ashen to dark gray. Their eyes range from pale to the color of bloodstone. They are often thin by elven reckoning and have larger ears. Gloom elves are longer lived than other elves; they can live over a millennia. However, they decline more rapidly with age. This is often cited as the reason for their morbid pre-occupations and yearnings for undeath.

Ability Score Increase. Intelligent score increased by 1.
Superior Darkvision. Radius of 120 feet.
Sunlight Sensitivity. Gloom elves have a disadvantage on attack rolls and on vision-based Wisdom (Perception) checks in direct sunlight.
Cantrip. Gloom elves know one cantrip of their choice from the wizard spell list.
Weapon Training. They have a proficiency with rapiers, shortswords, and hand crossbows.

Frog Folk in 5e

Frox or Bufokin (a bit of a misnomer, as frox resemble frogs more than their warty, dry-skinned cousins) are amphibious humanoids native to the bottomlands and marshes of the country of Yanth. Following rivers, they've ranged beyond their ancestral home to be a common sight in river towns. Their call and response work songs can be heard dockside all over Azurth. Frox work as bargemen or stevedores in civilized areas, and as hunters, farmers, or guides in their villages.

Frox legends say they come from a land across the Boundless Sea, which they left to escape persecution by a terrible and poisonous race of toad-folk, but this claim is considered doubtful by the scholars of Azurth for many reasons--not the least of which being that the Boundless Sea has no other side!

Frox are generally shorter than humans and tend to be thinner of limb, though many develop a potbelly as they age. Their skin colors are generally a dull green or brown, though they range from muted reds to purplish-gray.

A wealthy Frox businessman and tribal chieftain visiting the palace

Frox Traits
Ability Score Increase. Dexterity increased by 2 and another ability score by 1.
Age. Frox live shorter lifespans than humans on average with only a few living beyond their mid-60s. They are mature by their early teens.
Alignment. Frox tend toward good but are have no special affinity for Law and Chaos.
Size. Frox are between 3 and 4 feet tall. Small.
Speed. Base walking speed in 25 feet.
Jumper. Frox can long jump their full Strength score in feet from standing start, and double their Strength in feet with at least 10 feet of movement in a running start. They can high jump a total of 6 feet (rather than the usual 3) + their Strength modifier in a moving high jump and  half that for a standing jump. They have an advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks to land in difficult terrain.
Swimmer. Frox can swim at their full movement rate and rough waters only cost them 1 extra foot for each foot of movement. They use double their Constitution modifier for the purposes of holding their breath.
Resistance to Poisons. Frox have an advantage on saving throws against poison and resistance against poison damage.
Moisture Dependent. Frox require twice as much water as most races. However, submerging most of their body in water for 20 minutes or more reduces their requirement to standard levels.
Languages. Frox can speak and read (limited) Common. They also speak their on croaking, chirping tongue, which has no written form.

[Thanks to Evan Elkins, the creator of the Froglings, the basis for the Frox.]

A frox traditional dwelling

Planning for 5e: The Races

The traditional D&D races as presented aren't in many cases a precise fit for what I want to do with the campaign I'm planning, but I want to use more than I might otherwise to give D&D 5 a good trial, and to make things easy on my players.

Elves: They’ll be there, but I’m not sure quite how yet. Maybe some wood-elves with a Hobbit vibe to them. They will probably be rare, and in isolated places, at least within the Land of Azurth.

Dwarves: There probably will be something pretty much like the D&D standard dwarf, but these guys will be rare. The more common dwarf type will be something like the Kologor dwarves of Hollow World, i.e. the beer-drinking, ninepin-playing variety. There may also be something like the Dark Sun dwarf in the arid parts of Sang.

Halflings: Halfings will be in abundance, though they may not be distinguished from other “little people” races as much as in standard D&D. I suspect they may well have a chance of unusual traits like on the Dwarf Land trait tables.

Gnomes: Gnomes will just be another variety of little folk, distinguished only by their aptitude as tinkerers. There will be a number of them clustered around Viola, the Clockwork Princess of Yanth.

Tieflings: These will be the majority of the population in Daemonland beyond the borders of Azurth. They’ll show up elsewhere, but rarely. In appearance, they’ll typically be more DiTerlizzi than the 5e illustations.

Dragonborn: Though they may be a bit different, they’ll be found in Sang, but probably not elsewhere.