[Found Items] The Toad God Lives!!!

Some 1,859 days ago (5 years, 1 month, and 2 days) +Tim Shorts  unleashed upon the world a vision of amphibian animus that inspired its own adventure creation challenge, not to mention a 20-page bit of magnificence by +Dyson Logos .

Today there is undeniable proof that the Toad God lives!

This appeared overnight in the Stronghold's garden..

(Actually, lest too much arcane mystery be attributed to the Toad God and its power strengthened thereby, I will admit that I was walking through the local Kroger's store and found him on sale in the garden aisle. At that moment, he had to be mine. ...Come to think of it, the intensity of the attraction and need...perhaps there's a bit of the arcane at work after all.)

Not wanting my children to worry about the devilish divinity of this creature, I immediately dubbed it "King Toadankhamun, Pharoah of the Frogs."

 It may be easier to see in this picture: the smug, self-satisfied and satiated expression on his face. Look at the undisguised evil in his eyes and malicious pleasure on his face, as if he'd just finished swallowing a neighborhood dog, cat, or small child.

Now, the Mistress of the Stronghold—that beautiful, loving half-elf who stole my heart—isn't quite as enamored of the presence of the Toad God, especially as one of the first things that visitors would see upon arrival. (I suspect it has more to do than the potential threat posed to her beloved miniature yard moose that inhabit this garden.) As a result, the Toad Goad may soon be banished to the rear of the Stronghold where he poses little danger to anything but the occasional intruder. But he is here, now. And what better impetus could I have to revisit those various adventures mentioned above?

[A to Z April] H is for Happy Birthday!

By a happy coincidence today marks the second anniversary of the Stronghold's construction!

It's been a fast two years. While I don't necessarily have a large number of blog posts to commemmorate that time period, I am proud of what I do have. I feel that I have made a lot of personal progress, both in my creativity for my game as well as my map-making skills (looking back at my first map is an excercise in cringing for me).

I've had a lot of personal struggles and growth this past two years as well. I've lost some of those who were closest to me. Our family dynamic has changed and grown. I think I'm more fortunate than many; I know that all of these struggles and trials are for my own personal growth and strengthening.

I've grown from nothing to having 35 followers, for all of whom I am grateful. (Although I must confess I would dearly like to know who you "anonymous" followers are. You know who you are; yeah, right there...you. I'm looking at you, buddy.) All of you readers who have not followed but who drop in on a regular basis, I am grateful for all of you, too. I'm especially grateful to you all for sticking close to me during my depression; I'm feeling a bit better, even though I still do have my down days.

[Intensely personal section]

More than anything else, I feel that I have been blessed by my Heavenly Father and my Savior: I have a wonderful family; I have a roof over their head; there's food on the table; we all have our relative good health. I know, I don't normally get this deep here, I suppose I was more aware and more reflective this Easter season than I have been in years past. I would be remiss if I did not express my gratitude for still being here and still being in a good place after these past two years. I know that my Redeemer lives and cares about me. It is by His grace and love that I am still here today. Everything I have today has come from my Heavenly Father.

[/Intensely personal section]

Hopefully I can maintain a more regular posting schedule; I'd like to try and post at least two to three times per week. We'll have to see--you may have to tolerate some more posting about my kids and the family games. I'd like to start painting minis again and share some of that work with you. I'd also like to do some more reviews. If you all have any suggestions of something you'd like to see, feel free to throw out the suggestion for consideration. Or you may just have to tolerate my random ramblings. It all depends.

Anyway, thanks to all of you for making this grumpy dwarf feel a little bit better these past two years--I know the rest of the Stronghold appreciates it too! And here's to 200 more!

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Last year's "H": H is for Hargrim, the Soulhammer
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Y is for Yllseriad, Shrine of

Deep in the woods outside of Coldtreath a small footpath meanders past a stone altar. On that altar rests a crudely shaped stone bowl; the bowl is full of crystal-clear water. It is always full of water and that water is always crystal-clear and pure.

--Click here for a pdf.--

U is for Urosh, Temple of

Because of some personal issues, I don't have a lot of time to post today. However, so that I can keep up with the daily posts....

Behold! The Temple of Urosh the Magnificent!

Q is for Quaint Folk

The “Quaint Folk” as they are called around Coldtreath are observants of an ancient and peculiar religion. Most of the origins of this religion are lost to history and known only to the clerics and religious leaders of the order; they are certainly not shared with outsiders. “Quaint Folk” is a rough pronunciation for the word they have for themselves, which most outsiders find to be nearly unpronounceable. The word matches no known language or dialect and the order is again none too forthcoming with the origins of the term. What is generally known about the order follows: