Author: Madeline Crane

Fantasy writer, tabletop gamer, wearer of hats.

Song of the Week

Florence + the Machine, “Blinding”

Happy Monday! I’m back!

This week, I’ll have the first half of the first chapter of The Well Below the Valley. It was just too long for one post, but I am very excited to start posting the campaign proper. As always, you can catch up on previous posts under the “Read my writing” tab, and each post has a forward and a back link.

I’ll also be streaming on Twitch on Thursday. It seems to be the better day for the people who occasionally watch, so I want to try it out.

I hope you all have a lovely week.

2019 Global Climate Strike

Large black circle with white halo on an orange background. Text reads: "Strike for Climate Action #StrikeWithUs"
Poster from CREDO

Between September 20-27, I will be participating in the Global Climate Strikes to urge lawmakers to act on climate change, end fossil fuels, and work for justice for all those already affected. That will mean a brief hiatus from social media, including blog posts. I’ll be back on Monday, September 30, with your regularly scheduled nonsense.

If you’re interested in getting involved, you can go to the Climate Strike’s website here for more information.

I’ll be streaming tonight on Twitch for the last time before the strike, and will be back at that the week of the 30th also.

Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea: Chapter III

Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea cover image: a wide, still river with forested mountain peaks rising on either side, underneath a clouded sky.
In which Eske and Aysulu arrive in Phyreios, and Eske gets drunk.

Table of Contents

In those days, the city of Phyreios was ruled by seven divine beings. They had reigned for centuries, deathless and unchanging in their ancient wisdom and unearthly beauty. Their predecessor, the immortal god-emperor who took the throne after driving back the demon hordes and uniting the southlands under one banner, had left them in his stead when he ascended beyond the mortal realm, giving up his worshippers, his kingdom, and even his name in pursuit of ever higher mysteries. In his absence, there was a period of bloody civil war, chaos reasserting itself as it always must, but the Seven guided the lands into an era of peace and prosperity that seemed without end. 

Or so their many subjects believed, though there were whispers that their kingdom was not as wide as it once was, nor was it the land of wealth and harmony it claimed to be. And gods, I would soon learn, do not die, even when they are forgotten, and the lies they weave alter the very fabric of the world.

Continue reading “Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea: Chapter III” →

Song of the Week

Loreena McKennitt, “Penelope’s Song”

It’s Monday again. Funny how that happens. I won’t be streaming on Twitch tonight, as several forces have converged to give me too many things to do today, but I plan to stream Thursday evening instead. On Wednesday I’ll be posting the next chapter of Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea, so be sure to stop by again then.

On Friday and going into next week, I’ll be participating in the Global Climate Strikes, so there will be a brief hiatus while that is going on—I’ll have more information about that later this week.

Please enjoy this song, and have an excellent week.

The Well Below the Valley: Player Characters/Session Zero

The Well Below the Valley cover image: A dead tree stands on a field of short grass, against a blank gray sky. Bottom text reads, "A fan-made Call of Cthulhu module."

Table of Contents

As a gamemaster (“Keeper of Arcane Lore,” in Call of Cthulhu parlance [1] ), I design campaigns that are very character-focused, and so this module was written for my players’ four characters. To introduce each of them to the campaign, I designed a “session zero” that would draw them into the mystery, give them some early clues, and teach the players the game system. It was a good way to get players invested early on and establish their connections to the game world. 

(All page numbers refer to the Seventh Edition of the Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rulebook, published 2015 by Chaosium, Inc. I am in no way affiliated with Chaosium or the writers of the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game system. Content notes for this chapter: death, violence, mentions of sexism and racism, some discussion of WWI, and a very brief mention of the Armenian Genocide.)

Continue reading “The Well Below the Valley: Player Characters/Session Zero” →

The Well Below the Valley: Handouts

The Well Below the Valley cover image: A dead tree stands on a field of short grass, against a blank gray sky. Bottom text reads, "A fan-made Call of Cthulhu module."

Table of Contents

Links to PDF downloads, as well as transcriptions where possible, are provided in each chapter, but all the PDFs can be found here.

Continue reading “The Well Below the Valley: Handouts” →

The Well Below the Valley: NPC Profiles

The Well Below the Valley cover image: A dead tree stands on a field of short grass, against a blank gray sky. Bottom text reads, "A fan-made Call of Cthulhu module."

Table of Contents

This is an appendix of sorts where all the NPC profiles will be kept.

Continue reading “The Well Below the Valley: NPC Profiles” →

Song of the Week

London Grammar, “Leave the War With Me”

Happy Monday!

This week, I’ll be posting all the rest of the introductory material for The Well Below the Valley. You’ll meet the four player characters who braved the adventure with me and see how I introduced each of them to the mystery plot, plus the first of many handouts. Please enjoy this song, which I chose as the unofficial theme song for the campaign.

I’ll be on Twitch this evening playing Enderal, so feel free to stop by!

Encouraging Words in the Depression Dungeon

The allegory will persist until morale improves.

If you’re wondering what I get up to on Twitch, this is a half-hour clip from my stream a couple months ago, featuring my husband in the background and a friend on the chat. I’m playing Enderal: Forgotten Stories, the total conversion mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim developed by SureAI.

Here, our protagonist navigates an allegorical dream-vision with a very pessimistic man. Some spoilers for the main plot quest called “Part of Something Momentous, Part II.”

Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea: Chapter II

Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea cover image: a wide, still river with forested mountain peaks rising on either side, underneath a clouded sky.
In which Eske makes a friend, and his journey continues southward.

Table of Contents

The wind howled across the steppe. I should have been afraid, but I was not aware enough for fear; hunger and cold were my constant and only companions for so long that I had ceased to notice even their presence. I stood and gripped my makeshift spear, my fingers numb and my body shivering. I was accustomed to cold, but I was undernourished and insufficiently clothed. 

Continue reading “Beyond the Frost-Cold Sea: Chapter II” →