“Is there some kinda magic word, or does it just work?” asked Pendleton Witherby, an unusually gangly dwarf, as he fiddled with the amulet he’d just purchased.
“Just works,” Karessa said. “Activation words are for things you might not want active at all times, but there’s no harm in a little confidence.” Continue reading “Fetch Quest, Part One”
“Just a minute!” Gwendolyn called as she groggily pulled a silk nightgown over her head. The wave of cold as her bare feet touched her wooden floor washed the cobwebs out of her mind. Though an unpleasant sensation, the frigid floor was sufficient motivation for Gwendolyn to prance quickly across her home, the size of which she was regretting for the first time in her life. Continue reading “Cold in a Colder World”
The Warm Moon waned above Skymoore, while the Pale Moon was out in full. It was an exceptionally quiet night, and a cold one, but Karessa had Lawrence Dufton to keep her company, and her father’s jacket to keep her warm. Continue reading “Out Shopping”
Cas gingerly opened and closed the doors to Luminous as he stepped out into cool evening air. The theater’s famously bright, variegated sign blinded him as he exited. For just a moment, his vision consumed by psychedelic light, it was as though the hill atop which Cas stood was all that existed, with only endless dark around him. Walking up toward the theater at night was a spectacle unlike anything in Skymoore. But to come out of it, alone, on a quiet summer evening, was an otherworldly and isolating phenomenon.
Cas shivered. Continue reading ““Have a Safe Walk””
“Haven’t you had enough for tonight?” the minotaur bartender asked. She wore patchwork hide and chain armor, like she was some wild barbarian ready to charge into battle, and over that she wore an apron fitted for a human – that is to say, about five sizes too small. Continue reading “A Divine Intervention”
Wednesday, Summer 3rd: Hot Sauce Appreciation Day
It’s that time of year again. The day when we celebrate the legacy of Pulldrid the Riser by consuming his favorite condiment: hot sauce! While the event technically lasts twenty-six hours, the main festivities are held in the Sunlit Market from ten to fifteen o’clock as the community participates in the annual Hot Sauce Contest! Continue reading “Skymoore Community Calendar for Summer 1677, Highlights”
Donovan sat in a wooden chair that was neither especially comfortable nor especially unpleasant. His window was open. Skymoore’s cool summer air wafted in. He could see the stars. A mile off the ground, he was closer to them than he’d ever been before. That should have made him feel more at home. The stars always felt like home. Continue reading “Beneath the Stars”
They drilled for five hours. Five hours of a constant, deep rumble mixed with the high pitched whine of steel drilling through steel. It was giving Perma Dettingurnt a migraine, which is especially painful when one’s entire body is essentially a head supported by four legs. Continue reading “Nestor’s Big Day, Part Two”
Punctuality was fifth on Nestor Pinkly’s list of top six-hundred favorite things. Number four was the sunrise. So, a few years back, Nestor had enchanted a clock so that it would produce a sound, like an alarm, whenever it reached a specified time. He called this the Loud Noise Clock. The Chamber of Sanitation promptly banned it, citing noise pollution.
“Everybody knows that noise pollution brings bugs,” the Chamber said in unison. “And with bugs come mosquitos. And with mosquitos come mosquito eaters. And with mosquito eaters come the rare mosquito eater eaters. And with rare insects come the foulest creature of all: entomologists.” Continue reading “Nestor’s Big Day, Part One”
If Donovan had learned one thing in all his years, it was never to hope too hard. So despite hoping that the mayor’s word-of-mouth would result in more customers for Odd & Ends, Donovan was only mildly disappointed to find that it did not. Continue reading “Fresh Air”
Odd & Ends 