Azura: A Vis-Dev Blog

Fizkizzle Plonkerdonk

2012-03-07T22:29:00.000-08:00

Cut Throat Island Ideation

2012-03-06T16:06:00.002-08:00

How's it going guys?

First off, Sam, cool story. it has a lot of depth!

These are some ideations for Cut Throat Island. I read Talon Greyfeather is supposed to live there. I liked the skull idea, but was not sure to keep it a human skull or bird skull. These are probably the colors I would use on the final island but nothing is really final because it is a concept after all. I hope it fits somewhere into the story but i can always change it up.

I do love feedback / criticism.

Hope have all been well,

-Kevin J.

Earthbinder Engine Sketches

2012-03-06T00:14:00.001-08:00

Here are my sketches for the Earthbinder Engine, the powerful invention capable of dropping Azuran islands back to the surface of the world. It was invented by Fizkizzle Plonkerdonk and his one-time love Thedris Thistlebristle, but is now in the hands of Pirate Lord Roberts.

I talked to Jon (who plays Fizkizz) and we discussed the idea that maybe the engine would have returned islands peacefully to the surface, but was weaponized. Maybe the engine component is kind of graceful and well-crafted, and the gun and aiming mechanisms are kind of jury-rigged onto it. The engine parts glow during operation. When an island is hit with a blast, it crumbles and tilts as the forces of gravity grab hold of it. Buildings and inhabitants slide off of its surface during its uneven descent and demise.

I wanted to play a little with abstract shapes that I would later render into a 3/4 perspective form drawing. Design was tricky -- I fear I may have veered to sci-fi and not enough fantasy on some of these. Anyway, would love some feedback so I can develop one of these into a more finished sketch!

Lord Roberts Staff Sketch

2012-02-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

Did these sketches for Lord Roberts' staff super quickly! Everyone has been really busy lately and I didn't want our blog to lose too much momentum.

Floating Islands Guest Post!

2012-02-22T10:27:00.000-08:00

Talented artist and good buddy of mine Vince Aparo has been gracious enough to throw some islands our way!

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T01:48:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately this post has nothing to do with the Vis-Dev Blog. Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! And no, I didn't draw the kimono. It's a photo, can't you tell? Heheh..."Cheat whenever you can" is the new black!

Talon Greyfeather Model Sheet

2012-02-09T22:08:00.000-08:00

I wanted to do a nice, tight model sheet of my Talon Greyfeather design, and it was a good excuse to buy a tasty new set of Micron pens!

Next I'd like to refine my Lord Roberts design (and take Will's idea to do a prop design of his staff) and then hit some environments...We gotta see the world all of our badass characters are going to inhabit!

Floating City

2012-02-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

I am not certain which city this is supposed to be. Really it was an excuse to work on perspective (atmospheric and geometric), Tonal contrast, and texture versus form. While brainstorming it, the thought of floating castles came up. Seems to me, moats would be less intimidating to sieges in a world with flying ships and creatures. Floating structures could be defended more easily. Decidedly middle-eastern in tone. Maybe I am drawing from Sinbad?
Dan: Like those portraits. Great modeling and anatomy. Funny how shadows can change features. There is some picture on the web showing the Lincoln memorial in different lighting. Is the hood's hole mirroring his symbol?
Sam: Robert is looking good. Like the idea of his cape changing his silhouette. Staves can be very iconic (thinking of Skeletor's). Perhaps a chance to do props?

Young Lord Roberts

2012-02-03T21:25:00.000-08:00

Yeah right...hehe! Did these at the cafe today. The first one was the line art, and the next obviously was the paint over. Perhaps it has nothing to do with the blog, but I dubbed him as Young Lord Roberts so that I have an excuse to post 'em ;)

Lord Roberts Full Costume

2012-02-03T16:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick sketch of Pirate Lord Roberts' full costume. I stuck with the "black garb, red trim" design and ended up with something that I like. I think maybe he could use a little design work below the waist (tabard or no tabard, better knee pads and boots, etc) but overall I like it. I imagine that the little Batman-like cape spikes are constantly flickering upward, kind of like flames or tentacles. I wanted him to look imposing but also dignified, like a badass warrior king....Or, you know, an evil pirate lord.

Hightower: toward a finished line drawing

2012-02-02T23:11:00.000-08:00

Sebastian and Island Sketches

2012-02-01T17:18:00.000-08:00

Playing with island shapes. Maybe a small archipelago of islands could be roped together?

Sebastian sketches...I thought maybe to make the Elf culture look refined and civilized but not typical medieval-human-steampunk I would try to give them some Asian/samurai influences? Needs more work but I may keep exploring in this direction.

Oof, nothing compared to what Will and Dan have put up since we met up to draw last week, but I didn't want to get shut out!!

Talon

2012-02-01T14:56:00.000-08:00

Here is an initial rendition of Talon. I scanned a sketch in and used photoshop to model it a bit and add color. My immediate thoughts on a bird-man idea were the weapons. I can imagine them using nets in the air, to tangle one another and make them fall from the sky, as well on ground bound enemies to make them vulnerable to fly by spearings. Also I like you Cog men sils Dan. The rounder forms remind me of old kettles and furnaces, which is just inline for the idea of a clock work giant. The negative space is great too.

Pirate Queen

2012-02-01T14:47:00.000-08:00

I was imagining hard as nails roller-derby girls for this version of Dakota. I wanted to make her stocky and tough looking as far as body type and posture. I still can't leave comments so I will say here; Dan I really like the most recent series you have don for Talon. It shows a great range of personality and design. I think the middle one has a great sense of nobility and should be explored more.
Thanks for the paper textures, by the way. They are a lot of fun.

Cafe Sketches: Talon Greyfeather

2012-01-30T00:05:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. I'm supposed to be done with the birdman...but most of these doodles were done at the cafe last Friday. So I thought I'd share them.

Corbin Gearheart Concepts 01

2012-01-28T00:48:00.000-08:00

Well, here's some quick concepts for Corbin Gearheart. I know none of them will make the cut. They look to sci-fi-ish as opposed to fantasy-ish. But I just had to get these out of my system. Hopefully I'll have more discipline on the next iteration (if any) and do my researches on clockwork men/robots before I dive into my sketches.

[Note] I just realized that the poor 2nd guy will have a hard time raising its arms. Oh well...

2012-01-26T21:51:00.000-08:00

Playing with modularizing parts of Florence Cathedral, and spinning those into Hightower's cityscape and skyline.

Talon Greyfeather Head Concept

2012-01-25T22:49:00.000-08:00

First off, Sam, I apologize for designing the same character yet again. I'm most likely not going to develop this, as I don't really have a strong feel for this character. This is just a "what if" concept of Talon Grefeather's head. I thought it could be interesting to design him with slightly more of a human's head as opposed to just using a hawk's head? I don't know...I could be drunk ;)

[Update 1] A quick concept sketch of Talon Greyfeather from this morning. I don't know man, but it's looking a lot more like a bird to me now :o Perhaps if I have time later, I'll paint over the face so it'll look slightly more human. (On another note, yes, he will most likely have bird feet.)

[Update 2] This is quite a lot of update for "I'm most likely not going to develop this" :P As for the bottom design, the plan was making his head look less birdlike, but what do you know? It's still screaming out bird! I don't think the armor is a good fit for pirates. I also like the leaner body proportion from the previous design more. (On yet another note, am I glad digital painting class is happening soon. I'm trying to paint a bird, but it's resembling more like a wookie to me :o)

[Update 3] Yep, that should do it. This will be the end of my Bird run....

[Update 4] Oops...I lied. Thought I would post something from my sketchbook. Might as well...hehe.

Talon Greyfeather Designs

2012-01-23T17:51:00.000-08:00

Here's my Talon Greyfeather design. Not sure any of these costumes necessarily say "pirate" but I do kind of like some of the outfits. Opinions?

The Bitch: Costumes First Pass

2012-01-22T23:53:00.000-08:00

Just quickly threw something together without much thought. Maybe I should be do more of these...

[Update 1] Here's another go. I have to force myself to keep my drawings looser than usual, otherwise I'd find myself jumping into details too soon and lose out on the overall design.

[Update 2] Damn, those collars looks super uncomfortable if not restrictive. Need to problem solve that if I plan to keep that design.

Dakota Simms Painting

2012-01-22T23:22:00.000-08:00

Here's my (for now) final Dakota Simms design and painting -- I'm not totally satisfied with the painting but I think it was a worthwhile experiment and will be nice to have a "before" piece as I go into the Red Engine class. Overall I like the design and colors, though -- I'm just more comfortable drawing and I think I might be happiest in colored line art.

Ready to move on to a new character / piece of art!!

2012-01-22T21:07:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking about turning this thumb for Hightower in a larger scale line drawing.

The Bitch: Another Attempt

2012-01-21T18:09:00.000-08:00

I know what I'm doing wrong...I am rendering and designing the character simultaneously. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I don't think I have the skills to be doing that quite yet. It's almost like running before learning how to walk. I need to get the design down, hardline it, then render. So I keep telling myself.

[Update: My rendering always falls on the way too soft side. So I decided to bumped up the contrast only to find a messy rendering technique completely exposed. Now I guess I know why I choose the desaturated approach when rendering.]

Hightower, take two

2012-01-20T02:10:00.000-08:00

I had Hightower all wrong. This place doesn't have skyscrapers, but buildings low to the ground. I Port Royal from Pirates of the Caribbean for a reference this time.

Painting is hard

2012-01-20T00:27:00.000-08:00

Here's where I am on my painting of my line drawing from last night. It's coming along okay but I am having a lot of trouble with the face. I, too, am looking forward to the digital painting class!!

Capt. of the Bitch first pass.

2012-01-20T00:19:00.000-08:00

For a change of pace, I thought I would try my hand at the Captain (every one else is). Without the description of "super hot" I would have conceptualized here as a punk rock chick. I mean she has a ship named The Bitch and she is a pirate! Anyway fun hairdo and she is giving you the bedroom eyes. May try another couple designs with this one.

The Bitch: Painting

2012-01-19T23:53:00.000-08:00

Boy! Am I glad I enrolled myself in Intro to Digital Painting! Why is painting so damn HARD???
[Edit 1: It was so painful to look at my own painting, I had to do some cropping.]
[Edit 2: Is it just me, or is it damn hard to look at your own work????]
[Edit 3: Time for bed! -__- ]
[Edit 4: Kill me with color!]

Dakota Simms Rough 2

2012-01-18T23:10:00.000-08:00

Must...not...get...shown up by Katsun...

Captain of the Bitch Rough First Pass

2012-01-18T18:36:00.000-08:00

When I saw Sam's post on Dakota Simms, Captain of the Bitch, I went to myself, hmm...MUCHAHA! I know I need to take a quick dab at it. Here's a really quick rough sketch of her. Most of my time went to designing her face. I don't even know whether the body parts are in proportion to each other. I just had to get this out of my system...before dinner. Hehe.

I don't know what I'm doing brothers and sisters, but I'm on the top of the world right now! I was just informed that I am officially in Viscom at CDA!!! Yeah!!! In regards to the second drawing on the bottom, grrr...I really need to start to look at references as I have no idea what pirates look like among many other things. And figure drawing class tomorrow hopefully will help with my poses too...

Dakota Simms Rough

2012-01-18T16:27:00.000-08:00

Took a little break from some freelance projects to do a quick character design of Dakota Simms, the independent pirate captain of The Bitch, which she operates with an all-female crew.

Big Guy N' Little Guy

2012-01-16T22:43:00.000-08:00

Had an interesting time with silhouettes on this one. The image of a big guy and a little guy is a great one. I can not help but imagine that the gnome character is a bit more lippy now that he has a giant, magic fueled robot guardian on his side. I am spending too much time on the rendering and not enough on a plethora of designs. For the time being, I think I should work looser then this to get a variety of ideas down first. Oh well... Next time.

Gnome Techno-mancer sketch.

2012-01-16T01:29:00.000-08:00

I wanted to explore the Gnome Techno-mancer character before bed and instead found my self working on one sketch for an hour and a half. Tomorrow I will do some silhouettes for the gnome and his automaton companion.

Lord Roberts

2012-01-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

I wanted to riff on / steal Katsun's Lord Roberts design.

Dark Timber Painting Round 2

2012-01-15T12:34:00.000-08:00

I scrapped everything except for the foreground trees and started over. I think it's much better but I still have a lot to learn about painting! This took me about two hours this morning. I need to get faster, too!

If you're curious, here is a work-in-progress version that I saved:

I tried to block in bigger chunks of color first and work down into smaller details. I think it helped quite a bit. Then, once the pieces were in place, I could see where I needed to take color / brightness up or down.

Here's a black and white version...I tried to drop the painting into grayscale from time to time to make sure it was still reading.

Dark Timber Lineart (and painting attempts)

2012-01-14T23:31:00.000-08:00

Continuing to develop my Dark Timber temple comps -- I got a line art drawing I liked but I really suck at painting. Help!!

The Sleeples Silhouettes Batch 01

2012-01-14T17:27:00.000-08:00

I dread making silhouettes. But I feel like I am drawing similar forms over and over again. So here's an attempt, and to my surprise....same forms over and over again carries over in my silhouettes as well -__- I guess I have a tendency to wanting to jump into details immediately, hence neglecting the overall shape. I should probably limit myself to only BIG brushes when doing silhouettes. Enough blabbing, here it is...

Note: After I uploaded the image, I realized the lower right ship has a "face" like front. Subconsciously I was probably trying to make some type of face, just that I didn't know until stepping away and looking at it from up far. So I'll probably go back and add a lower jaw to that "face"...someday.

Update: Grr...I am hating my silhouettes so much, I don't know whether to pull them down or jump off a bridge. At any rate, here's a revised version, but my thoughts of jumping off a bridge still persist...

Sleepless Ship (Most Likely Not)

2012-01-13T20:53:00.000-08:00

Sketchbook doodle over lunch. Took a photo with my phone and then traced over in photoshop. It's dubbed as the Sleepless Ship for now, but it really needs to be much bigger and BADDER! (Pardon me for the wonky perspective)

Here's the second one I did over lunch in my sketchbook. I can already tell this is not going to be Sleepless, but hey, maybe it can lead to other ideas. Approached this as if I was using markers in Photoshop. Not liking the yellow background (color of my sketchbook paper).

As I was flipping through my sketchbook, I realized how much I've changed the design with the "marker" approach. So I quickly drew as loosely and as closely to the original sketch as I can in Photoshop, and came up with this... (Again, for perspective buffs, please don't take offense. It's just a doodle : D )

New Baldun quick sketch

2012-01-13T10:22:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to figure out what the half-cracked mountain, interior village and valley village might look like. Drew this really quickly on my tablet last night.

Lord Roberts Continues...

2012-01-12T17:29:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately my allergy is keeping awake, so everyone gets to suffer with me ; )

Did this on my iPad while in bed.

Sorry for swarming the blog. But here's another take on Lord Roberts from where I left off last night...
(After looking at the drawing, the beard and the hood match up is definitely odd)

Morning Doodles: Lord Roberts

2012-01-12T16:41:00.000-08:00

Some doodles of Lord Roberts from this morning. I feel like I'm resorting to the same forms over and over again. Perhaps I need to start with silhouettes and graphic breakups in order to give him a more interesting shape...

Dark Timber Comps

2012-01-12T11:50:00.000-08:00

I wanted to try some comps of the Lich's temple in the haunted Dark Timber forest...Very hard! I think some of my later ones (heading toward the lower right images) are better but I'm still not 100% satisfied. Once I get something I like I'd like to do a background painting.

Inspiraiton: Palenque, Ankor Wat, La Huesteca

Lord Roberts Round 1

2012-01-12T00:26:00.000-08:00

Some quick sketch of Pirate Lord Roberts before calling it a night. Keep note, I haven't obscured his face yet. Not sure I am liking any of them. The description oh him is a lot more appealing than the drawings at this point. Oh well, good night moon...

Swiftwrath 3/4 with Tones

2012-01-11T22:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a 3/4 view of my Swiftwrath design with grey tones. I am having a lot of trouble picking colors -- either I go for naturalistic colors and it looks plain, or I go for more crazy colors and it looks like it is an airship crewed entirely by clowns. Also I'm worrying that the railing and lack of details make the scale confusing -- if this ship is supposed to hold up to 200 people I think it should have more details, ropes hanging off of it, stuff like that.

For now anyway, I'm going to put this in my portfolio. I am still happy with my ideation process; I like the shapes I went with and I am happy with how the orthographic came out.

Some ideas for Hightower

2012-01-11T16:17:00.001-08:00

Some ideas for Hightower

More Quick Sketch of Mal Fortwhite

2012-01-11T00:41:00.000-08:00

Did these while watching TV... (Oops! I forgot about the wings!)

Mal Fortwhite Quick Sketch

2012-01-10T20:29:00.000-08:00

I made a quick napkin sketch of Mal Fortwhite over lunch today. I took a photo with my phone and did a quick paint over in Photoshop after I got home. I haven't gone in depth with the story. So I based Mal Fortwhite off the following keywords: chimp, monk, and wings. Sorry :P

Swiftwrath Silhouettes, Breakdowns and Orthographic

2012-01-09T22:57:00.000-08:00

I tried a lot of ideation to get a silhouette for the airship of the heroes. I eventually came across a body type I kind of liked (row three, column three) and then did a few different sail configurations based on that (column four, rows two and three)

I did a bunch of black and white breakdowns to refine the silhouette. I wanted some clean, swirly art nouveau designs.

Once I found a shape I liked, I did an orthographic of the Swiftwrath in Photoshop to get nice clean lines. I'm sure there are some minor errors/inconsistencies but I'm pretty happy with how it came out considering it was the first vehicle orthographic I've done.

I'm working on a 3/4 view of the ship that I would like to render out with some shading, maybe even color. Keep an eye out for that!

Sha-Mo Chameau

2012-01-07T11:52:00.000-08:00

Quick character design sketch of Chameau from back in November!

Characters, Props, Vehicles and Locations

2012-01-07T11:33:00.000-08:00

Azura is a a continent made up of numerous floating island city-states. A robust trade economy exists via flying airships between these islands; however, warring pirates often lay siege to these ships. Azura is the story of the pirate crew of the Swiftwrath and their struggles to liberate Azura from the forces of Pirate Lord Roberts, while reaping great reward for themselves in the process.

The Party
Mal Fortwhite
An orphaned winged ape wizard-monk from Castle Fortwhite. He looks like brown-haired chimpanzee or gibbon with skin wings, similar to a flying squirrel. He wears green and yellow robes similar to those of a Buddhist monk. He uses a quarterstaff as his weapon. His familiar is a small dragon named Todd.

Fizkizzle Plonkerdonk
An artificer gnome born of the Hightower Plonkerdonks. He has shoulder-length brown hair and a thick, unkempt beard. FizKiz uses his technomancer skills to build powerful wands and inventions for any occasion. He should be equipped with pockets and tools for building and numerous wands.

Sebastion Ladenos Escobar von Domista III
A sly, stealthy elf from the village of Nightsong on Wylde Island. He quickly made a name for himself as a swashbuckling rogue and notorious pirate. He is known for his over-the-top, dynamic fighting style and stunts.

Corbin Gearheart
A Warforged, Corbin is an eight-foot-tall clockwork man made of metal and powered by magic with a taste for minotaur slaying. The hulking automaton joined the future crew of the Swirling Mist Airship Club. He was built by Fizkizzle’s father. The only clothing he wears is a minotaur's skin as a hood and cloak, and he carries a powerful magic sledgehammer known as Bonebreaker.

Sha-Mo Chameau
A human druid from a nomadic desert tribe on the surface continent of Nimbola. He wears Bedoin-like attire and wields a scimitar. He possesses powerful magical spells that allow him to commune with nature, transform into wild animals, and heal others. His animal familiar is a dire lion named Patrick.

Other Characters

Allal Assan / Antonio Rodrigo Escobar von Domista III
A elven member of the Acquisitions Alliance, a thieves’ guild. He was SMAC’s most prominent fence on Hightower and is located in the Merchant’s Quarter. He was later revealed to be Sebastian’s presumed-deceased brother.

Azurohr
A powerful air elemental, responsible for the floating island continent of Azura.

Selkas Blackdagger
Human Captain of the Black Lady, worked for Roberts but allied with SMAC at the Battle of Border Bay. For this treason, he was executed by Roberts, and then resurrected as a zombie to serve in his army. He has a lean, but strong look about him, with long black hair and a devilish grin.

Ducan Blacktide
Pirate uncle of Quentin Stormbrow, of the same winged ape species as Mal Fortwhite and Stormbrow. He has grey fur and an eyepatch.

Crash Glinklock
A gnome courier who heads a small gang of steampunk jetpack-wearing gnomes. He has allied with SMAC in the past, and has now pledged allegiance to the Gadget City DFA. He is young and cocky, with the look of an aviator (and a bushy old-timey mustahce).

Dorgon Bloodfang
The bugbear king. During the arm-wrestling tournament, he tipped SMAC off that Hujin Shen was involved in the water theft and that the water was being held on Swordspear. Bugbears a race closely related to goblins, but three times their size, powerfully built with shaggy hair and beards.

Dirge Bloodspider
A dark elf and leader of the Underside Bloodspiders, a criminal organization that has bucked traditional rigid elf society in favor of crime and badassery. He has dark skin, white hair and spider imagery. Though he was aided by SMAC in the past, he has allied himself with Roberts’ forces.

Glock Sprocket

Glock heads a gang full of geniuses, the Gadget City Death from Above. The DFA is quickly becoming one of the more powerful criminal enterprises in Azura. With their original charter in Gadget City at the lead, and new charters springing up all over, these airborne gnomes are making a name for themselves. Armed with gyrocopters and steam-powered, electro-shock, repeating crossbows, Gadget City DFA is a group not to be trifled with. Glock's main squeeze is Fizkizzle Plonkerdonk's ex-girlfriend, Thedris Thistlebristle.

Lough Greenbottle
A halfling adventurer and giant wasp-rider from Allaria that helped establish Brighton and was the ambassador to Azura until Roberts took over.

Dag Hammerskull
Dwarven Pirate Lord, former governer of Swordspear. Roberts killed him and his crew after the Battle of Border Bay, only to resurrect him as a zombie thrall. He is an old dwarf, short and stocky, bald with a bushy grey beard and face covered in scars. He wears finery befitting a pirate lord, depicting the symbol and colors of his flag, a silver skull and crossed hammers on green.

The Lich
Once a powerful wizard and the creator of the Staff of Eternity. He has been corrupted by his power, and resided in a temple on the island of Dark Timber before being hunted down and killed by SMAC. He has a gross wizard beard and moth-eaten robes.

Orcus
A powerful evil god, Prince of the Undead.

Lord Palmer
Head of the Hightower Military, an old soldier with sky blue and white plate armor.

Pirate Lord Roberts
Tall, muscled and lean, Pirate Lord Roberts is the bane of Azura. He has a very cold, calculating look about him. He has a long, neatly trimmed black beard with a few thin streaks of grey. His face is always obscured, either by a hood or half-mask. He wears black or dark grey with red trim. He carries a long black staff topped with a jade green skull. The skull imagery can appear in other places in his clothing (eg, belt buckle or clasp). He is Orcus’ most powerful agent on the material plane, making him the de facto leader of the Cult of Orcus.

Captain Hujin Shen
Roberts’ right-hand necromancer, a powerful snake-man. He has a snake body (no legs), a humanoid torso, reptilian skin and a big Fu Manchu mustache. Similar to Roberts, he wears hooded, black robes with red trim, and large ornate shoulder pads. He was killed by SMAC but later resurrected by Roberts.

Quentin Stormbow
A prominent shipbuilder of the same winged ape species as Mal Fortwhite located on the island of Port. He has black or dark grey fur. Eventually, he was revealed to be Mal Fortwhite’s secret brother, and aided SMAC and their pirate allies increasingly as tensions with Roberts mounted. He captains The Stormbrow.

Dakota Simms
A super hot and very successful human pirate. She captains an airship christened The Bitch, which she staffs with an all-female crew. She has green eyes and dark brown hair. She wears a blue bandana and keeps her hair back or up. She wears primarily earth-tone colors.

Gannat Splithoof
A hulking minotaur pirate captain who managed to unite the savage races under his rule. Bad news. His army threatened all of Azura, but he was killed at the Battle of Border Bay.

Talon Greyfeather
A fierce pirate captain who looks like a cross between a human and a grey hawk. He captains the Midnight Eagle. He dresses primarily in white, with blue accents. Operates primarily out near Cut Throat Island; frequents The Aerie, Stormspeak and Waypoint; can be contacted via owl. You can use your discretion on the bird-human balance.

Thedris Thistlebristle
A brilliant female gnome artificer, Thedris helped her love Fizkizzle Plonkerdonk create the Earthbinder Engine. Thedris later betrayed FizKiz, and is now involved with Glock Sprocket, the gang leader of the Gadget City DFA.

Vimak Bearkiller
A huge goliath pirate/mercenary with a penchant for killing bears. As a goliath, he is humanoid, but is nearly 8 feet tall, with bluish-grey skin and is completely hairless. He is the only surviving member of Selkas Blackdagger's crew and was recruited by SMAC. He was an unstable murdered before, and is practically unhinged now. The kind of guy you want on your side in a fight.

"Rucksack"

An eleven year old orphan from a small farming village on Harvest Moon, he joined up with the crew of the Swiftwrath looking for adventure. They brought him on as a cabinboy, nicknamed "Rucksack", and promptly forgot whatever his real name was. The ship's kindly cleric Father Benjen, took a liking to Rucksack, and spent the next 3 years sexually abusing the boy. One morning the crew found Father Benjen castrated and stabbed to death. No one really messes with Rucksack anymore.

Father Benjen

A kindly cleric hired on to the ship to serve as healer and tend to the wounded. His proclivities led to his eventual demise.

Lupus Nightstalker

A werewolf assassin employed by Gannat Splithoof, early on he was sent to murder the crew of the Swiftwrath in their sleep but failed. He was offered mercy and a chance to join the crew if he swore a blood oath which he did willingly. He proved himself to be a fast friend and loyal ally, eventually becoming the captain of the Green and Gold, one of the other SMAC ships. In his human form, Lupus has a wiry, but strong build, bald head and close cropped beard. When he became a captain, he bought himself a fancy green and gold outfit, but it quickly came to look ruffled, torn, and dirty from hard battle.

Items

The Staff of Eternity
A powerful staff or scepter that grands the user eternal life.

The Censer of Azurohr
A holy censer necessary for summoning the air elemental.

The Earthbinder Engine
A powerful item built by Fizkizzle Plonkerdonk capable of dropping Azuran islands from the sky.

The Bag of Infinite Holding
A simple sack with the ability to hold an infinite amount of items at no increase to its size or weight.

The Oathbow
A powerful bow with divine accurace that deals massive damage to its targets. Recovered from the Lich on Dark Timber, it is now wielded by Sebastian.

Ships

The Swiftwrath
Flagship of the Swirling Mist Airship Club. Can hold up to 200 creatures.
Flag: A red body falling into a red swirl on a black sky.

The Sleepless
Pirate Lord Roberts' Ship
Flag: Green skull on a black field with a red border

Hightower Military Ships
Flag: White cross on a sky-blue field

The Bitch
Dakota Simms’ all-female pirate ship
Flag: White dog on a red field

Disciples of the Leviathan Ships
This twisted cult's ships are adorned with blood, intestines, entrails and skeletons of those they have sacrificed to the Leviathan.

The Midnight Eagle
Talon Greyfeather's ship.
Flag: Grey eagle on a black field

The Stormcloud
Quentin Stormbrow’s ship.

The Secretary General
Dag Hammerskull's ship, now destroyed.
Flag: Silver skull with crossed hammers on a green field

Gadget City Death From Above
Flag: Black crow on a grey field

Gannat Splithoof's Ship
Flag: Grey minotaur skull on a brown field

Dirge Bloodspider's Ship
Flag: Red spider on a purple field

The Green and Gold
A SMAC ship that can hold up to 20 creatures, green and yellow colors.

Ballista Fiesta
A SMAC caravel with ballistas. Can hold up to 30 creatures.

The Winged Hammer
A SMAC caravel. Can hold up to 30 creatures.

The Long Fall
A SMAC ship that was stolen. Can hold up to 15 creatures.

The Skysplosion

A SMAC ship

Locations

The Aerie
Clearly a city designed by a race capable of flight, The Aerie is little more that a large succession of towers built into a heavily forested mountain. Some of the towers are in fact themselves centuries-old red woods. The Aerie is the capital city of the raptorans and populated almost exclusively by them, not for any reason other than the fact that members of most other races do not feel comfortable there and have trouble navigating around the city. Traders, merchants, and sky-captains find it a great place to do business however.

Border Bay
Literally on the border between the civilized and savage race-controlled islands, this pirate controlled island functions as a demilitarized neutral zone. Its buildings are a combination of solid human and dwarven construction and the more slapdash building techniques of the orcs. It is incredibly busy with commerce and before the pirate war started, was virtually the only place a gnome could sell his wares to a goblin or a bugbear could grab a drink with a human without someone having a problem with it. Recent warring has taken a toll on the land and the skies.

Castle Fortwhite
Though the island itself has no official name (an agreement made by the wizards and monks of the isle), the distinguishing feature of the wizard stronghold Castle Fortwhite has resulted in practically all of Azura's residents naming this small locale as such. Home to clans of peaceful wizards and monks, few visit the island other than to do the occasional trade or, thanks to the harmonious aura that envelops the island, to take a relaxing vacation.

Cut Throat Island
Currently governed by Talon Greyfeather, this island stands against Roberts and is the base of the free pirates, including Dakota Simms and Duncan Blacktide. Due to its location, it is one of the more cosmopolitan of the pirate islands, and visited by a number of races, particularly the bird-like Raptorans. Though undeniably dangerous, there is a more sophisticated culture. Its architecture is influenced by the high stone and wood buildings of Stormspeak and the Aerie. Buildings are connected on many levels with bridges and passways, so it is usually not necessary to return to the ground to pass between them. The climate is temperate, with frosty evergreen trees.

Dark Timber
The remnants of a decrepit forest perpetually wreathed in fog, Dark Timber is home to all manners of spirits, monsters, ghouls and other foul creatures and beasts that are attracted to a malevolent force that many believe is a powerful ancient artifact located at the island’s center. Most sailors keep well clear of the island as violent storms tend to envelop ships with no warning.

Deepwell
The dwarf capital city, Deepwell is located directly beneath Hightower and is nearly as big. Dwarves have adapted quite well to living in the sky oddly enough, simply exchanging their mountain homes for the upside down mountains on the underside of islands, creating large catacomb systems and a pueblo-like society. The miners and smiths of Deepwell (or rather the merchants who represent them) often travel up to Hightower to sell their wares. In recent years the dwarves have allowed gnome engineers to start modernizing their city much like Hightower and many believe the two cities may one day merge.

Feyfell
It is more of a series of interconnected islands, held together by strange vegetation, trees that grow like vines and vines that grow like trees. The whole area surrounded by thick mists, protecting it from the outside, and is imbued a deep, ancient magic. Feyfell is inhabited by all sorts of magical creatures, especially fairies or fey, as well as satyrs, centaurs, blink dogs, pixies, sprites, and all sorts of other things.

Gadget, the Moving City
A mobile, technological island; a steampunk wet dream. The gang Gadget City Death From Above operates out of here. The crew of the Swiftwrath have not yet visited this island.

Hightower
Essentially the capital of Azura, Hightower is both the largest island and the largest city. It is ruled by the last of the human kings, Lord Skye. While the humans rule, it is the gnomes who truly control the power in Hightower, literally. The city benefits from the engineering prowess of gnomes. Their ability to combine clockwork and magic to power their inventions has done vast wonders for the technology in Hightower. The city even has a train system. Gnomes are rapidly becoming the dominant race of Hightower with humans in a close second, however being the most cosmopolitan city of Azura, all races are welcome and present.

Mos Defly
Known as the best place for pirates to unload their goods, it is a huge trading port for gold, jewels and stolen merchandise. The thieves guild Acquisitions Alliance maintains a strong presence here, and more "legitimate" merchants will buy stolen items in Mos Defly and then take them down to Stormreach and sell them to a more affluent clientel. Additionally, Mos Defly is known for its many hookers.

New Baldun
Home to a few remaining clans of dwarves and gnomes, New Baldun was once a majestic mountain and valley that was nearly destroyed when the lands heaved upwards. Mount Derrunheim, formerly believed to be the highest peak on the earth, was practically split in half as rock and earth crushed what was once a sprawling gnome-filled valley called Kordar, wiping out a sizable portion of its population. The local dwarven capital of Gehrkerk, a previously grand city deep within Derrunheim, now lays half exposed. After millennia of off-and-on war between the two races, a result of each claiming the mountain’s collapse was the fault of the other, those that survived and elected to stay and rebuild now live in an uneasy truce, hoping to return the land to its prior splendor.

Outreach
Once a segment of a massive desert, Outreach is now a hovering crag of sand and stone. Towering rock formations dot the landscape, interspersed with massive sand dunes and dried out lake beds. Before Azura ascended into the sky, some say thieves often used the labyrinthine tunnels underneath the largest of the rocky peaks, nicknamed Bandit Bluff, to hide their pillaged treasures. The last lake remaining, The Basin, located in the valley beneath Bandit Bluff, helps to sustain the few life forms left, yet is also a source of strife as many fight to take advantage of its benefits. Humanoid races are scarce on Outreach, though you’ll find the Asherati, Bhukas and Stonechildren scattered about. There are, however, plenty of other creatures that still find themselves at home on (and beneath) the parched surface.

Port
If you're in need of a ship or ship repairs then look no further than Port. It's function as a stopover hub between continents and repair center for vessels of both the sea and sky hasn't really changed; only it's altitude has.

Ruckus
The most rough-and-tumble of pirate islands. Due to its remote location, it gets virtually no legitimate ships calling to its ports. Its denizens are ruthless and lawless, even by pirate standards. Its streets are a maze of dilapidated, thrown-together buildings, shanties and lean-to's. The climate is more tropical, and more flora and fauna are found here as opposed to the more urban Cut Throat Island and Mos Defly.

Skull Bay
While not actually a bay at all, SkullBay is effectively the pirate capital of Azura. A horrid, lawless place, sky-pirates can come to freely trade their goods with other shady figures. You will not find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.

Stormspeak
Much like The Aerie and New Baldun, Stormspeak was once part of a great mountain range, only unlike the other two, it still looks very much the same. Home to many goliath and stone giant tribes, Stormspeak is an uncivilized, yet still noble place. It's residents live a simple, nomadic life, herding mountain goats and sheep, though some do find occasion to leave and are generally sought after for their size and strength. Additionally, Stormspeak boasts numerous communities of cave dwelling dwarves and cliff dwelling gnomes.

Swordspear
The buildings here are very dwarven-inspired, low to the ground, made from stone, with sparse high turrets.

Waypoint
Goodswell, on the island of Waypoint, was once a thriving trading post back when the world was whole. Hilly and green and punctuated by a stretch of bogs and marshes, its function hasn’t changed much now that the town is airborne. The clientele, on the other hand, has. More so a meeting place for shadier folks to buy or trade information, their services and rare weapons and other items, Goodswell has become the alternative for those that find Skull Bay a bit too precarious yet worry about the authorities clamping down in Hightower’s Red Light District. Multiple guilds have outposts here to recruit both new members and jobs to increase their renown. Those that can stand a long journey and still afford the steep docking fees needed to tie up their ships often end up leaving satisfied.

Wylde Island
A large flat, forested island, WyldeIsland is home to the halflings, elves, and fey of Azura. While the elves have built impressive settlements on the forest floor all over the island, the halflings have claimed the trees, building thatched-roof tree houses and even their capital city, Oakheart, high up amongst the leaves.

Surface Continents:

Dracos
An archipelago to the south of Azura, Dracos is the place dragons call home. While its true that dragons can be found all over the world, Dracos is their true home. While most of the islands are volcanic mountains, Dracos boasts an impressive array different types of geography. It is also the homeland of the Dragonborn. No one knows the true origin of their race, but it is thought that human settlers once came to Dracos and eventually interbred with the dragons there. Most of the dragons on Dracos considered the dragonborn to be distant cousins of a kind, and treat them as such, however certain evil dragons have been known to subject towns and cities of dragonborn and rule over them, demanding taxes and tributes. Most outsiders avoid Dracos entirely for fear of angering the dragons who dwell there, but some very powerful, experienced adventures have found their ways there in search of fame and fortune.

Ellaria
A large continent to the east of Azura, Ellaria mostly consists of the kingdoms of Brighton and the Netherpit. The Netherpit is an entirely undead kingdom in the northern part of the continent. It was once a powerful mageocracy called Zarys, but 500 years ago when the ruling wizards decided to perform a ritual that would grant their entire population eternal life, something terrible happened (as these things do). The whole kingdom was killed and destroyed in an arcane blast heard round the world, but they all rose again as a undead creatures. Brighton, on the other hand, is a very young kingdom, having come into existence just 4 years ago. The land was once known as The Monarchy and was control by a seemingly immortal king known only as the Monarch, for hundreds of years. That is, until the Monarch was revealed to an undead lich in disguise and was killed and deposed by an intrepid group of adventurers. This act reignited a war with the Netherpit that had been ended by a truce 10 years earlier. The war still rages today. The border between Brighton and The Netherpit is an area known as the Million Acre Wood. It is mostly only inhabited by animals and magical forest creatures, though a permanent outpost called Silkwood exists in the center of the forest, serving as the northernmost boundary of Brighton. Additionally, there are some lands east of Brighton made up mostly of goblins, orcs, gnolls, bugbears, and the like, and controlled by a loose affiliation called the Council of Tribes. Though these tribes traditionally had warred with the Monarchy, they have built a strong alliance with Brighton, and were instrumental in both overthrowing the Monarch and the war with the Netherpit. It is thought that back when Azura was one continent and not up in the skies, what are know the savage islands was once connected to this part of Ellaria.

Jurochan
A Japan-like continent.

Nimbola
An Africa-like continent, which includes a vast desert. Sha-Mo Chameau hails from here. There is an immense desert known as the Desert of Tears.

Outline

2012-01-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

The Swirling Mists of Azura

Thousands of years ago, a group of sorcerers attempted to summon Azurohr, the oldest, most powerful air elemental in existence, in order to capture and enslave it to do their bidding. Unfortunately, their plan backfired and the arcane and elemental forces they unleashed caused the entire continent to break apart and rise high into the air, forming a large series of floating islands. Because of this break up, each island tends to have a very unique environment and very different natural resources. This has led to a robust trade-based economy, with sky-captains piloting air-ships making a great living. An unfortunate side effect, however, is an equally prominent rise in sky-piracy.

I.
Red Beard had no idea that the four men sitting on the terrace of his bar, The Hooded Hawk, would eventually form one of the most powerful pirate clans the world had ever seen and drastically alter the landscape of Azura for generations to come.

Mal Fortwhite was an orphaned winged ape wizard-monk from Castle Fortwhite who was raised and trained by those practicing there residing there. After assuming his family had died in the airship crash that brought him to the island, he later discovered after leaving Fortwhite that it was in fact Dread Pirate Roberts who brought down the ship and his parents' demise.

Fizkizzle Plonkerdonk, though, was a name Red Beard was familiar with. Born of the Hightower Plonkerdonks, an old and powerful family of gnomes and a dynasty of industrialists and artificer barons known throughout Azura, Fizkizzle was, like his father and aunt before him, an artificer prodigy. Though seemingly wealthy, Fizkiz instead turned his back on his family's riches to stake out on his own and, along with his love Thedris Thistlebristle, he created the Earthbinder Engine, a powerful machine that combined science and magic in hopes of returning the floating lands of Azura back to its original resting place in the sea. His family urged him to reconsider, fearful it would strip them of their art and wealth since the magic that kept the islands afloat also made their inventions work so well. After Hightower officials and Thedris betrayed him, using the engine to drop a rival power nation from the skies, he swore revenge. FizKiz uses his technomancer skills to build powerful wands and inventions for any occasion.

Sebastion Ladenos Escobar von Domista III. Little was known about this sly, stealthy elf other than he originates from a similarly long-named lineage. It was believed, though, that he disgraced his family name when he slew his own brother in a duel and was forced into exile. He quickly made a name for himself as a swashbuckling rogue and notorious pirate. He is known for his over-the-top, dynamic fighting style and stunts.

Corbin Gearheart, a clockwork creature made of metal and powered by magic with a taste for minotaur slaying, was the bouncer of the Hooded Hawk. The hulking automaton joined their party.

After a bar brawl brought them together, they quickly realized they formed a formidable group and, all down on their luck, decided that sticking together could prove lucrative. Their first mission proved as much: Lord Palmer, one of Hightower’s highest ranking officials, revealed that someone had stolen and was attempting to ransom off the island's water supply. He charged the group with getting it back. After leaving Palmer’s keep (with some weapons and, curiously, one of Palmer’s chairs in tow) and speaking with Red Beard who agreed to try and get them on board the crew of The Black Lady, the ship of Selkas Blackdagger, they ran afoul of some street toughs, who it turned out weren’t actually that tough. When the new allies tried to sell the golden ring they stole from the thugs, a shady orc merchant decided to screw them over and keep the ring for himself. A fight ensued which did not go well, as Fizkizzle took an axe to the face, starting a long tradition of him “being murdered in the face”.

Upon inspection, FizKiz found his father’s artificer mark on Corbin’s frame. Corbin revealed that he had been built by FizKizzle’s father and sent to protect him.

A panicked merchant told the four that a group from the Cult of Orcus had kidnapped his daughters and were preparing to sacrifice them in a ritual. Leaping to action, the crew disposed of the cult and saved the girls. It turns out, however, that one of those killed was Thulkas Blackdagger, brother of Selkas and an ally of Dread Pirate Roberts. Another among the dead was also Lord Hornwood, a prominent member of the King’s Court.

Looking to lay low after such a high-profile killing, the group took refuge inside a local tavern. Sebastion quickly won a bet for several thousand gold pieces, though the dwarf admitted that while he didn’t have the money to cover his loss, the safe on his ship might. Soon after, Hightower police officials came storming into the bar. Though they apparently were after Vimak Bearkiller, Selkas Blackdagger’s first mate, the group didn’t sit idly by and another brawl erupted. After tossing an innocent, beer-swilling patron out of a window to escape, which also allowed Vimak to escape, the dwarf lead the crew to his ship. With only a few hands on board and all of them asleep, the ship’s tenants were disposed of and the first of many vessels, christened Swiftwrath, was now theirs. Before sailing about in the open sky freely though, documents and a fresh paint job were required. With new tabards cut, the Swirling Mist Airship Club was founded.

The nearest island to Hightower, Harvest Moon, would be the first of their journeys. But this first journey wouldn’t be a fitting one without a first aerial battle to go along with it. A pair of elves riding on the back of giant eagles soon descended on the craft. They obviously didn’t know who they were fucking with. One of the eagles and its rider were killed while the other was captured. Swearing a blood oath to the Swirling Mist Airship Club, Norrin Moonwhisper and his eagle Fleetwing became the first of many recruits.

II.
After arriving on Harvest Moon and having the necessary paperwork and sails done for the Swiftwrath, a quick trip to purchase some supplies led to another confrontation with a group of cultists. The Church of the Redeemers had been terrorizing the good folk of Harvest Moon and the Swirling Mist Airship Club decided to put a stop to it. After battling the cult leader and a number of demons and a giant bull he had at his disposal, a great treasure was retrieved: an infinite bag of holding. While largely empty, the bag did contain one thing: a minotaur, which promptly butted Fizkizzle in the face after the bag was opened. The minotaur slayed, Corbin wore the corpse’s hide and pranced around screaming, “I’m a minotaur!” It was quite humorous. Before leaving Harvest Moon, a young orphan boy deemed Rucksack joined the crew, a decision he would constantly second guess as the months wore on.

Finally it was off to Skull Bay to try to gather intelligence on the water theft. While there, Dorgon Bloodfang tipped everyone off that Robert’s right-hand man necromancer, snake man Captain Hujin Shen, was involved with the water theft and that it was being held on Swordspear. Looking to potentially get in Roberts’ good graces as well as get a bead on Shen, Corbin was entered into the local Arm Wrestling Tournament. Quickly disposing of his opponents, Corbin was met in the finals by the tournament favorite: Gannat Splithoof, a powerful minotaur. Prior to the match, a detect magic spell revealed that Splithoof had a strength enhancing ring around one of his teeth. Playing dentist, Corbin promptly punched it out. This set the stage for quite a showdown. Looking to gain a further edge, though, Fizkizzle enhanced Corbin’s strength right before the match without detection. Fortunately it helped put Corbin over the top and win the group some solid coin and a meeting with Roberts. Splithoof, infuriated, stormed off. His anger would be felt again.

Roberts threw a party in Corbin’s honor for winning the Arm-Wrestling Tournament. There, the crew met two pirate captains of some repute: Dakota Simms and Talon Greyfeather. Dakota was a beautiful woman who captained the Bitch. Talon was a bird-like being who captained the Midnight Eagle. They would become powerful allies.

After a brief chat, Roberts gave the crew their first mission: deliver a coin to Allal Assan, a member of the thieves’ guild Acquisitions Alliance, located on Hightower. This would be the second mission given to the group while on Skull Bay that required a meet-up with Assan, as a shady fellow named Badger also asked the crew to meet him to see about helping run Pixie Dust from Feyfell.

The crew was tasked by Allal Assan to make a delivery to Quentin Stormbrow, a shipbuilder on the island of port. Stormbrow was of the same winged ape species as Mal Fortwhite, and was eventually revealed to be Mal’s lost brother. He would become a powerful ally, making modifications and improvements to SMAC ships.

Before the returning Hightower regarding the pixie dust operation, however, it would be on to Swordspear to try to recover the water.

The Swiftwrath waited until the cover of night to make their incursion on to Swordspear. All but Mal Fortwhite entered into the bag while the winged ape soared below and came to rest on the turret of a prominent castle. After disposing of a pair of guards, the group snuck into the dining hall and came face-to-face with its proprietor: Dag Hammerskull, the dwarf pirate lord and ruler of Swordspear. He revealed that Roberts strong-armed him into keeping the water stored on his island, something he was none too pleased about. Knowing that SMAC would relieve him off this burden, he let the group leave to find the water. Unfortunately he didn’t know its exact location but pointed the team to the direction of a large underground cave system that could be large enough to hold it. A good old divining rod helped navigate the way once they arrived at the caverns.

Their elation at drawing close to a big payday quickly evaporated. Hearing a large beast blocking their path, they sent their strongest member, Corbin Gearheart, down first. This would prove to be a deadly mistake as the creature that attacked Corbin was a rust monster. And with Corbin being made entirely of metal, he was instantly turned into a pile of rusty ash. The remaining SMAC members vowed to avenge his death, and avenge they did. After killing the rust monster, the group faced Shen and his small army of newly animated terra cotta warriors at the edge of the water supply, stored within a vast cavern. Turns out Shen was planning to eventually ransom back Hightower’s water supply... which would be cursed and turn anyone who drinks it into one of Roberts’ undead minions. After a back and forth battle, Shen was killed and the water was recovered. The merman taking a dip was left to find a way out for himself.

III.
Then many other things happened. The water was returned, Sebastion jumped out of a window, new ships and crews were added to the SMAC banner and a series of other crazy and awesome hijinx occurred.

Badger and Allal Assan led the crew to working with Dakota Simms on a pixie dust operation, smuggling illegal drugs made from the crushed bodies of fey creatures.

The crew assisted dark elf Dirge Bloodspider and his criminal organization in his battle against the Burned Men on the island of New Baldun. However, he was insulted when SMAC rejected his offer of partnership, and joined forces with Roberts.

After an airship battle, the Swiftwrath was damaged and began to sink through the clouds. They fell to the ocean below, where they found a city-sized portal to the Elemental Plane of Air creating a vortex in the middle of the ocean. They were sucked in, floated around the plane of air for a bit and then fought a genie. Upon defeat, the genie gave them three wishes. They used one to repair their ship, one to resurrect Corbin, and one to get a powerful efreeti bottle.

Most importantly, however, was the rise in power of Splithoof and his army. Over the months since he was last seen on Skull Bay, his ranks of savage races swelled and he began making life for Hightower’s governing bloody hell. As such, an agreement was made between Lord Palmer and the SMAC crew. Palmer would generally look the other way at their illegal activities so long as they swore that, should Splithoof directly attack Hightower or any of its principalities, they would join with him and help bring Splithoof down. With papers signed, the SMAC crew made arrangements with their numerous friends and allies (Glock Sprocket and the DFA, Dakota Simms, Duncan Blacktide, Talon Greyfeather and even Crash Glinklock, among others) and established perimeters and recon routes to track any enemy movement.

They wouldn’t have to wait long. After Bloody Jones McGee, captain of the SMAC ship Skysplosion, was killed and his airship destroyed when Splithoof began the eventually successful sacking of Border Bay, the table was set. With the incursion of Splithoof's army on the forces of Hightower located on the island, SMAC and its allies were called to arms by Lord Palmer. The two armies sailed out to meet in the skies around Border Bay. Ships, ornothopters, steampunk jet packs and winged creatures of both friend and foe littered the air. Predictably, the ensuing battle was nothing less than epic. Magical creatures were unleashed by both sides as spells, arrows, boulders and spears sored through the sky, exploding dirigibles and sending thousands careening to the waters miles below. Eventually the crew of the Swiftwrath was able to board Splithoof’s ship and was met head on by the minotaur. After a series of clashes, Splithoof’s ship was going down and the party retreated back to the Swiftwrath. Splithoof himself drank a potion of giant growth and soon, towering over his foes in giant form, leaped from his ship to theirs. Summoning nearly all the power of his Ring of Ram, Fizkizzle Plonkerdonk propelled the massive beast off course and into, appropriately, the swirling mist below. Splithoof’s now scattered army was quickly disposed of and Azura soon found its biggest threat vanquished... or so it was thought.

Though he had seemingly become more paranoid and isolated as his former allegiances broke away, Dread Pirate Roberts saw the perfect time to strike since nearly all of Hightower’s defenses were engaged in the battle raging at Border Bay. And so strike he did, taking over Hightower easily and swiftly. With no home port and a sizable portion of their forces killed and destroyed or badly damaged, Hightower’s former army was in disarray. A new reign of terror was set to begin.

IV.
It has been one year. One year since the Battle of Border Bay. One year since the Sack of Hightower. One year since the death of Gannat Splithoof and the splintering of his army. One year into the reign of the Dread Pirate Roberts as Lord Supreme of Azura. Much has changed.

After sacking Hightower, Roberts gained control of the most powerful weapon in all Azura, the Earthbinder Engine. In order to strike fear into the hearts of those who might defy him, he unleashed its full destructive power... twice. First, he dropped the island of Rakkun out of the sky as punishment for the savage races who allied with Splithoof. Then he used the engine on the Golden Temple of Eternal Light. This small island that housed the monastary for the monks of the Order of the Eternal Light stood in direct defiance of everything that Roberts believes in: death, destruction, and darkness. It’s thought that one or two monks may have escaped with some of their order’s more powerful artifacts and scrolls but no one has been able to confirm this.

Unfortunately, that’s not all Roberts has been up to. It is now common knowledge that Roberts former trusted lieutenant, Captain Hujin Shen is somehow back from the dead. It is believed that Roberts resurrect Shen, who is himself a powerful necromancer, using an ancient blood magic ritual, sacrificing Lord Skye in the process. No one knows exactly why Shen was brought back to life, but it’s thought that perhaps Roberts had need of some ancient powerful magics that only Shen knew. Roberts has also named Shen the new Governor of Swordspear.

Dag Hammerskull is dead. After his coup, Roberts decided to clean house of anyone he thought was being disloyal to him, and the Dwarf Pirate Lord Dag Hammerskull, Governor of Swordspear was at the top of that list. Dag’s fleet was burned at anchor with the most of the crews tied to the decks. Those who swore their loyalty to Roberts were transformed into the undead, so they could properly serve in his crew. Another casualty was Selkas Blackdagger, Captain of The Black Lady. Selkas was the only one Roberts direct subordinates who aided SMAC and participated in the Battle of Border Bay, and so Roberts decided to make an example out of him. The entire crew of The Black Lady was executed except for Vimak Bearkiller who managed to fight his way out and escape. After they were killed, both Dag and Selkas were raised as mindless zombies under Roberts’ thrall, serving as his cup bearers and personal slaves.

It seems as though Roberts now has an iron grip on every island from Skull Bay to Stormreach. Quentin Stormbow has had to abandon his base of operations of Port due to its proximity to Hightower. Shortly after he fled, Roberts' forces burned his shipyard and the few ships he was not able to take with him, however as neither Stormbow nor any other members of the Swirling Mists Airship Club could be found, and Port hold no real strategic value, he left the island mostly alone.

Stormbow fled to Mos Defly to join up with his uncle Duncan Blacktide and Dakota Simms. The three of them have since formed a sort of ruling council over the loose confederation of pirates there who refuse to submit to Roberts. On Cut Throat Island, after the previous Governor made it known that he would support Roberts, there was an independent minded coup, that installed Captain Talon Greyfeather as Governor. These islands stand against Roberts and now proudly fly the color of the Swirling Mists Airship Club.

Most recently, while trying to meet up with the Swiftwrath crew on Cut Throat Island, Vimak Bearkiller was arrested. He his being held on Ruckus and is awaiting execution. The team knows that he is in possession of information that he would only tell them face to face, and now the clock is ticking...

V.
Mal Fortwhite, Fizkizzle Plonkerdonk, Sebastian von Domista and Corbin Gearheart made stealthy penetration of Roberts' jail on Ruckus. After defeating the guards, they liberated Vimak Bearkiller and his ally, Sha-Mo Chameau. They joined the crew of the Swiftwrath as official members of the Swirling Mists Airship Club.

Sha-Mo Chameau hailed from the surface world continent of Nimbola. He worships the god Osmeter the Shepherd, son of Atumra, god of beasts, travelers and nature. His family were the druidic healer-physicians of his nomadic tribe. However, his tribe and family were destroyed by warring factions in the region, forcing him to become a “physician of fortune,” a mercenary medic. Eventually, he fell in with Vimak Bearkiller’s pirate operations and made his way to the floating islands of Azura. He possesses powerful magical spells that allow him to commune with nature, transform into wild animals, and heal others. His animal familiar is a dire lion named Patrick.

From Vimak, the team learned Roberts’ goal was to summon the air elemental Azurohr and bind him to the Earthbinder Engine to create a weapon of mass destruction. To do so, he would require three items: The Censer of Azorohr, The Staff of Eternity, and The Earthbinder Engine.

The Staff on Eternity was rumored to be located on Dark Timber, an uncharted island. They decided to launch their exploration of Dark Timber from Wylde Island, Sebastian’s home island. Upon arrival at the elf village of Nightsong on Wylde Island, Sebastian presented himself to the council of elders; 17 years ago when he lived in that village with his blacksmith family, he fought his brother in a duel at a tournament. It was a simple fight (first blood) but someone had poisoned Sebastian’s blade and he accidentally killed his brother. He was forced to flee and become a pirate. For this reason, his return to the Wylde Island was also to face judgement from the elder council, on which his father now sat.

After a trial, it was proclaimed that Sebastian would be put to death at sunrise. However, Mal noticed that Allal Assan was in the village a skulking about. After a few confrontations with Allal (and eventually a payoff), he revealed that he knew that the brother's coffin was empty, proving that there had been no murder. The crew woke the council who went out and exumed the coffin to find that it was in fact empty, and had always been empty. Then, Allal Assan removed his robes and mask and revealed himself to be none other than Antonio Domingo Escobar von Domista, Sebastion's younger brother. He had spent a very long time trying to figure out who tried to kill him and what their plan. Though his mission was incomplete, he joined the crew of the Swiftwrath to act as a guide to Dark Timber.

The crew was able to dock the Swiftwrath in a decrepit, abandoned village. The village was worn down and creepy sounds were ample. Using his ability to commune with nature, Chameau was able to get an understanding of the island’s geography, and locate the temple. The team headed into the woods where they were attacked by hallucinations and living skeletons operated by parasitic worms known as Mohrgs. Eventually, they made their way to a great Temple with a magical apple tree outside of it.

Upon entering the temple, the group was knocked unconscious, only to awaken in separate rooms with separate puzzles to solve. In the process of escaping his location, Sha-Mo Chameau’s hand was chopped off by a sinister trap. Eventually, the team met up, magically seized control of the undead minions lurking about, and made their way to the heart of the temple.

The party descended the stairs into what was once an elaborate sanctuary, but was now moth-eaten ruins. Residing in the chamber was the wizard who created the Staff of Eternity, now a powerful and ancient Lich. He and his vampire minions were performing a ritual. After some banter, battle ensued! The party sent their zombie thralls to deal with the vampire spawn, while they took on the lich and his three more powerful vampires. Chameau, furious at the loss of his hand, dealt some serious damage with flame strike spells. Fizkiz used a fireball wand. Eventually after being stabbed, electrocuted, and repeatedly set on fire, the Lich was defeated.

However, in a last, desperate action, he lunged for the Staff of Eternity, which held the power to heal him and destroy his enemies. Sebastian saved the day with a well-placed rapid shot of arrows, severing the hand from the Lich’s body and pinning it to the wall. During the looting that followed, Chameau took the hand from the wall and held it to his own stump, where it promptly attached itself. This new hand had the ability to deal a devastating Paralyzing Touch attack but was also evil, and corrupted his soul from chaotic good to chaotic neutral.

Also, Corbin and Allal Assan where found bound and gagged but unharmed, and the pirates recoveredmany awesome new items like the Nine Lives Stealer (a powerful longsword) and the Oathbow. Finally, where they left the temple, they found that with the Lich dead and the Staff of Eternity in their possession, Dark Timber was no longer haunted. At Chameau’s suggestion, the island will became the Swirling Mist Airship Club’s new headquarters and base of operations. Mal used the staff to created a permanent veil of obscuring mist around the island, that will clear only for those who know the password, “Zip it up and Zip it Out.”