What Corner of The World of Darkness Would You Like To See Me Touch on Next?

Folks who've been following my output for the past several years know that I've been delving into the World of Darkness pretty regularly. Whether it's big things like my 100 Kinfolk Project (available as a bundle where you can get over 1,300 NPCs) for Werewolf: The Apocalypse, or smaller entries like Buyer Beware: 10 Goblin Markets for Changeling: The Lost and 100 Resources and Rumors To Find on SchreckNet for Vampire: The Masquerade, I try to offer supplements that are going to be useful to a variety of players out there.

I also try to add a little extra fun, like this dramatization of "Missed Connections" over on my Daily Motion channel for folks who enjoy audio dramas!

Background Music From Tabletop Audio: Secret Facility

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As I sit here on the spookiest day of the year, though, I find myself wondering what folks would like to see me cover next? So I figured I'd open up the floor, and see where the conversation went!

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron!

Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

The Darkest Corners of The Setting

The World of Darkness is one of the places I feel most comfortable as a player. While I may lack the deep lore knowledge of some of the old hands (I didn't show up until right after the reboot that would become the Chronicles of Darkness was released), I never get tired of all the beautiful, horrific nonsense the games have to offer. Even games that aren't so much my bag are ones I at least try to read through and learn about because they're another facet of the setting that I enjoy.

However, WoD/CoD supplements are a much dicier proposal (pun very much intended) than a lot of the other stuff I work on. Because while the setting maintains popularity to some degree, that popularity is split among a lot of the different game lines, then split even further among the different editions of those game lines. Because for some reason players tend to find their comfort zone in this setting, and then only play that one game, rarely branching out to any of the near-dozen other options one might find... which is why a lot of the supplements I make tend to at least be usable across editions of a game, if not throughout the entire setting (like Evil Incorporated: 10 Pentex Subsidiaries which may crop up all over the original WoD setting, as an example).

Folks who are familiar with my work (check out the World of Darkness Supplements board on my Pinterest for a complete list) know that as of time of writing I've created content for Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Vampire: The Masquerade, and Changeling: The Lost. Most of it has focused on creating NPCs for STs to use in their games, along with rumors and resources players might find, and occasional strange things they might encounter for you to use as set dressing, plot devices, or both!

But what would you, my regular readers, like to see?

Would you like to see less-loved games like Promethean, Hunter, or Geist get some fresh material to spark interest in them? Do you feel like Apocalypse and Masquerade have enough content out there, and you'd like to see content for Forsaken and Requiem instead? Or are you one of the various folks who just want as much Mage content as they can get no matter what edition it focuses on?

That's what I need to know.

So take a moment and leave your thoughts where I can see them. Put them in a comment below, or leave them on social media where you found this post. Reach out to me on Twitter or Facebook, and let me know what you want to see. I listen when people ask me for things, and I take ideas that crop up repeatedly when people contact me.

With that said, I just just one caveat; don't ask for a product you aren't interested in purchasing.

Money is tight, and we're all very choosy with our gaming budgets, but generally speaking I put weeks of daily effort into creating a supplement, and then my publisher has to do layout, acquire art, and get everything arranged, while putting the product up for sale. It's a lot of work, and a lot of energy, to produce even small supplements, and nothing is worse than people saying they want something, then not actually getting copies of it when the thing finally drops.

Please, keep that in mind before you make you requests.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my personal channel over on Daily Motion. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Making Improvements Over Time (Progress on My RPG-Inspired Audio Stories)

Back in February I started doing something a little different in terms of producing content. I've been a lifelong enjoyer of audio dramas and audio books, so I wanted to toss my hat into that arena while still staying firmly within my pond as an RPG writer. Not wanting to get too ambitious right out of the gate, I thought I'd turn the intro fiction in several of my recent RPG releases into audio dramas that might get folks interested in the products they came from!

As with anything else, you never start off being the best. But looking back on what I've learned the past few months, I can definitely see the difference.

Well, hear it. You know what I mean!

Before we get into it this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron!

Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

Theater of The Mind

The first piece that I dramatized way back in February came from the supplement 100 Resources and Rumors to Find on SchreckNet. Though it didn't have an official title in the supplement, I tend to think of it as Missed Connections, as we have a Nosferatu attempting to arrange a rendezvous with a contact via the network. While the result wasn't bad (I don't think) it does have a rawness to it, and it comes across a little flat.

Still, not bad for all that.

Over the past few months I've made 8 such audios, taken from both my Cities of Sundara series, as well as other World of Darkness supplements like 100 Hobs to Meet in The Hedge, 100 Mourning Cant Dialects, Phrases, and Meanings, and most recently 100 Gateways Into (And Out Of) The Hedge. While I did acquire a new mic since I made the first video, I also started figuring out editing tricks, returning to old places where I used to get foley sounds, and watching tutorials from other creators on how they make their audios more unique and engaging.

And this is where I'm at now.

While this isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, I'm trying to improve one thing per video. Whether that's finally figuring out normalization settings (which is what I did with this piece), fine-tuning voice editing effects, trying out new tricks on creating monster voices (I have something planned for that when I do the story from Hoardreach), or even using a totally different recording program so viewers don't have to deal with that ugly and distracting watermark, I'm sticking with my one-thing-per-video rule.

I have half a dozen more of these to put together going forward, and they're going to be from both older supplements, and upcoming ones. If this is something you'd like to see more of, the head over to the Azukail Games YouTube channel, watch more, and subscribe while you're there! It takes 1k subscribers and 4k hours of watched content in the past year (which is 11.5 hours per day, for those who like numbers), so we're going to need all the help we can get if we're going to pull that off!

Lastly, if you have any particular stories you'd like to see me tell in this audio format, or if you'd like to see me do longer videos with more involved tales (I have kicked around the possibility of doing an audio rendition for Devil's Night, as an example), leave a comment below and let me hear your thoughts!

And for anyone else running a podcast, making videos, etc., I highly recommend Tabletop Audio! If you haven't checked them out yet, and you're working on a small to nonexistent budget, you really need to give them a look.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

The Flaw-Maker (World/Chronicles of Darkness Concept)

Sarah stared at him. Even in the darkness, with the flickering streetlight reaching for him, the man didn't look right. He was tall and slender, with immaculate hands, and a soft fall of dark hair. His face seemed to be made of perfect angles of light and shadow, but it was wrong. It was like looking at a pretty white mask. Behind that mask were eyes that burned in the darkness, staring at her with the feverish intensity of a rabid animal.

"Shush, now," he whispered. His voice was a beautiful violin, but in the hands of an amateur who didn't quite know how to handle the strings. "It's going to be all right."

She didn't feel the knife. All she felt was a warm wetness that started high on her cheek. It wasn't until she smelled old pennies that she realized he'd cut her. Even then she couldn't look away from those eyes. She felt another line on the other side of her face, but it was crooked. Asymmetrical.

"There now," he said, his voice shaking like he'd just defused a bomb. Or finished with a lover. "That should keep you safe. He won't look twice at you... not with those."

He'd vanished then, not a like a ghost, but into the shadows of the alley. Three footsteps, and he was gone as if he'd never been. Sarah hadn't known if she'd imagined it all, until she walked out onto the street and someone screamed.

There had been a lot of stitches. Face wraps. Medications. Even with all the recommendations from the doctors, though, she still had scars. Big, jagged, ugly scars. He said she'd be safe now, that creature that haunted her dreams. Sarah touched the lightning bolt that zagged across her cheek, looking into the mirror as her mouth began to tremble again. She was scared of the man with the knife, and she always would be. But what had he been so scared of that he'd done this to her?

And what is it hadn't been enough?

The Flaw-Maker

The world is filled with a thousand everyday evils. Violence that stains gutters red with blood, exploitation of the poor by the wealthy, and broken lives left like refuse to be collected on the sidewalks. But beneath all that lurk even darker things; horrors we've all collectively told ourselves aren't waiting beyond the light of the burn barrels, or past where our night lights can reach. Creatures that walk eternally in the light of the moon, or things that can bend reality on a whim and steal you through the cracks in the world. Beings the likes of which mortals may never truly understand, and those who try are driven at least half-mad as they warp their minds around such inhuman existences.

The Flaw Maker is one such individual, and they are driven to obsessive acts of violence to "protect" people from ever coming to the notice of these greater evils.

Picture a changeling, who knows well that his Keeper would be drawn to the smooth motion of a dancer's grace. To save her from ever having to endure what he did, the forced perfection he was made to live in Arcadia, he breaks her knees with a tire iron in an empty parking lot. He's shattered her life, but he's also made sure that alien creature won't pluck her away to be added to his collection of living music boxes. Or consider a ghoul, their muscles singing and heart pumping with their Master's vitae running through them. They know that the Beast loves to toy with those deemed beautiful, who have no scars to testify to hardships... so the ghoul finds all those it can, and defaces them. Gives them imperfections that would render them unacceptable to their Master, keeping them out of the Nosferatu's clutches even if the experience leaves them looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives.

What if it wasn't enough... and it comes back again?

The Flaw Maker is a lesser of two evils. They make themselves into a monster in the hopes that they can save people from an even worse fate. For while the scars they leave behind can break hopes and dreams, leaving people afraid of what lurks in the darkness for the rest of their lives, is that worse than the alternative? Worse than swimming in deep waters, never even thinking about the eldritch things that lurk below, and which might reach out for them on a whim?

What makes the concept truly tragic, though, is that there's often no guarantee that their actions are necessary, or even successful. The True Fae who desired beauty may have moved on, leaving that criteria behind. It's possible the vampire's eye would never have been drawn to a particular individual, and they could have lived their lives in ignorance. Worse, though, would be if the actions of the Flaw Maker actually drew the attention of the very creatures they were trying to protect people from, making them the very agents of that destruction reminiscent of a Greek tragedy.

And for an extra layer below it all, the Flaw Maker may just be trying to cope. Wishing that they could go back and scar themselves so they would never have become what they are now. To trade their knowledge of the world's greater horrors for a lesser wrong done to them. But they cannot save themselves... so they try to do something to others as a way of dealing with what they've become.

And that compulsion may be what truly drives them. Because it's possible no one is looking for these beautiful people to steal them... but the Flaw Maker can't let go of what happened to them. So to try to take control over their pasts, they tell themselves the comforting lie that they're really helping someone else... even if they're just breaking other people on the outside to try to salve how they were broken on the inside.

Ghouls, Changelings, and More, Oh My!

For folks who are curious, I've been delving deeper and deeper into the World of Darkness and Chronicles of Darkness settings, which is why I remembered this older concept of mine. While initially created for Changeling: The Lost, it's something that's quite applicable to a lot of the other settings if you adapt the beings that the Flaw Maker is trying to "protect" their victims from.

And in case you missed the recent releases I've put out for both of these spheres, I wanted to take a moment to direct your attention toward a couple of releases:

- 100 Mourning Cant Dialects, Phrases, and Meanings: If you're someone who loves playing a Winter Courtier, but has a hard time actually wrapping their head around the secret languages of Mourning Cant, then this supplement comes pre-loaded with all sorts of options you can use. Great for players and STs both!

- 100 (Mostly) Harmless Goblin Fruits and Oddments To Find in The Hedge: The Hedge is filled with an infinite variety of the strange and the bizarre. If you want to have even more weirdness for your players' delves into this impossible realm, this supplement should help get a sense of the true wonder, and danger, of the Hedge.

- New World Nights: 100 Ghouls For The American Camarilla: For those who need names and stories for those who willingly serve the monsters who live in the shadows, this collection of ghouls is a great starting place.

- Children of The Night: 100 Animal Ghouls: Not all who serve the kindred walk on two legs. For those who are looking for inspiration for unique and bizarre bestial ghouls, this supplement is a good place to get started!

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned For More!

That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a game master.

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my most recent collection of short stories The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!