Tom O’Bedlam

Descent into Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 17

It was another illusion of Nilsiir, High Priest of Rhyth in the days when Tarin-Tiran flourished. This time something was different, however, and it was not hard for Robin to put his finger on precisely what that was.

Nilsiir was staring right at them, eyes flicking from one member of the p...

Descent into Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 16

Robin conjured a flaming Ace of Spades, the blue light from the witchfire surrounding it casting the scene in an eerie luminescence. The ghostly figure didn’t react, but the fog around its feet swirled and advanced slowly.

The bard sent the [Lesser Witchbolt] flashing tow...

Descent into Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 15

It was, in no uncertain terms, an unmitigated disaster. For thoroughness, they had tested glass, wooden, and paper containers. All of them dissolved into unexpected and unpredictable magical effects. They even tried to move a small sample of the stuff with Drev’s force magic, with the mage conj...

21 July Update

Hello! 

I’m afraid there will not be a chapter posting today. I’m under the gun with work and the heat wave that hit London two days ago absolutely killed my ability to squeeze in writing time this week. I will make it up over the weekend, however, so look out for more words then!<...

Descent into Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 14

Robin hissed in frustration and let his hand fall from the stone blocking the party’s way back to the cavern and the tunnel that led to the temple room. The thing wasn’t shifting and he had not been able to find any mechanism to cause it to open once more. jhess, with her superior skill at fi...

Descent into Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 13

The party had already fought rats with crystal symbiotes growing form their bodies, and now they faced a far more dangerous—though curiously rhyming—foe: bats with crystals growing from them. Though in this case it was not the eyes that were the focus, as had been the case with the rats, but ...

Descent into Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 12

The secret door gave a click and swung open as Jhess pumped her fist in jubilation.

‘Further in?’ the rogue asked, a hopeful look on her face.

‘Great fortune and great danger await,’ Savra said, eyeing the coin in her palm.

‘Further in,’ Vance opined, with D...

Descent into Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 11

Robin examined the altar, Rerebos perched on his shoulder, as the rest of his party examined the remainder of the temple for traps, hidden doors, lurking monsters, or other surprises. So far they hadn’t discovered anything, but Robin would willingly go without spouting a single lie for a month ...

Announcement: Trickster’s Song Audiobook!

Hello my Amazing Patrons!

I have a bit of news! I have signed with Podium Audio and Trickster’s Song is going to be an audiobook! They’re also going to produce ebook and Print-on-Demand versions! As of right now, the first 9 adventure-arcs (we’re up to the middle of adventure...

Descent into Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 10

[Not a shadow but the illusion of a shadow]

The party took up defensive positions, spreading out along the inner wall of the temple so as not to be in—as Robin still thought of it—fireball position. No one wanted to get hit with an area attack.

‘Watch for others,’ Savra warned...

Descent into Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 9

The dungeon entrance could have been any other tunnel or doorway in the vastness of the ruined city. Robin studied it alongside the rest of his party. It was a simple archway of crumbling stone, but given the control dungeons tended to have over their demesne, it was likely that a cruise missile ...

Descent into Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 8

Under Ruprecht’s power and influence, the ruined manor had been fully restored. In fact, it was restored far beyond any degree necessary for the party’s purposes. Ruprecht, however, was having none of anyone’s objections.

The energies are mine to use as I see fit.

‘No...

Descent into Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 7

“I’ve just about got it,” Drev said, a look of concentration on his face as he stood with one hand pressed against the remains of the latest mosaic the party was investigating.

This one was in the ruins of a small temple. Robin had already ransacked the place for hidden caches of know...

Descent into Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 6

The mural in front of Robin depicted a golden vision of Tarin-Tiran—at least the thought it was Tarin-Tiran—as a centre of trade and wealth. It made sense, considering it graced some kind of shopping arcade, though any actual evidence of such had long since been looted by invading forces, wan...

Descent into Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 5

‘Frell,’ Robin muttered as he looked through Rerebos’s senses at the next location that the party intended to explore in their hunt for more illusory knowledge. The location in question had once been a market gallery of shops, but now it was a nesting ground for some of the monsters that ha...

Descent into Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 4

‘I really don’t understand why he likes you so much.’ Jhess complained as they trudged down the ruined street, clambering over the rubble and shattered stone.

‘He’s my familiar,’ Robin answered, reaching up to skritch Rerebos between his fuzzy cat-ears. ‘And he likes me! Isn�...

Descent into Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 3

‘I think,’ Robin said slowly, making a show of looking from the book to the winged cat and back, ‘that it might be our deceased friend’s familiar.’

It was a blatant lie, but no one else could decipher so much as the odd word from the journal he was holding, so it worked as well as...

Descent into Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 2

Robin followed closely behind Jhess as the party made its way through the ruined mansion. Night had fallen, judging by what they could see from the flickers of illusion that still struggled to shroud the cavern ceiling. An oppressive silence had fallen as they crept inward, knowing that a body la...

Descent into Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 1

Robin sent one final [Lesser Witchbolt] sparking off into the darkness and the battle ended with a small squeak! Around him the floor of the tunnel was scattered with small corpses, the remains of the swarm that had descended on them. Most of them were small, rat-like cr...

23 May Announcement

Hello all!

Just a quick announcement here to explain why there will not be a chapter released today! It’s my birthday, and there’s a lot of stuff happening around my birthday, so my schedule is all over the place this week.

What does that mean for Trickster’s Song?...

Interlude, or, Chapter 133

An unspecified time ago, above the world…

The harmonics of the realmsphere sang through the crystal ship as it knifed through the interstellar darkness. The pilot felt it thrumming through the helm and resonating down to his bones. He bounced his foot impatiently; this was always...

The Gates of Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 18

The biggest problem with unleashing a tide of wild magic to consume your enemies was that it tended to consume their valuables as well. Robin let Jhess hunt down any surviving examples, content in the rogue’s determination to wring every last copper out of any situation. She’d delive...

The Gates of Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 17

Robin grimaced as he looked down at the city through Rerebos’s eyes. He was currently crouched in an intact home of some kind, next to Savra. He’d deliberately joined up with the diviner, expecting that he’d need access to her insights before this was over, if they were going to have a chan...

The Gates of Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 16

All five groups have now entered my demesne.

The words echoed in Robin’s head as he crouched, hidden, in one of the intact structures near to the group he was monitoring. Five party members, five groups, so each of them were on their own and nearby in case Ruprecht needed a pair ...

The Gates of Tarin-Tiran, Chapter 15

Robin moved amongst the hobgoblins camp, wearing a borrowed form shrouded in the illusory disguise of a nondescript hobgoblin. He’d dumped all of his experience into maximising his Sleight of Hand skill, taken all the tips Jhess could give, plumbed the depths of his [Bardic Lore] 2022-05-06 19:52:35 +0000 UTC View Post