Blood of the Earth: A Livestream Session

I love acting. I caught the bug way back in fourth grade during a school play called A Knight to Remember (not related to the very well-reviewed piece of lesbian fiction I've just been made aware is a thing) where I played the school tattletale. The plot involves the main character ending up in a medieval re-imagining of his school where everyone he knows finds themselves in thematically appropriate positions with really awful pun names, and my place in that world was the Royal Spy, Sir Veilance. I'd probably never had quite that much fun before and I continue to pursue theater to the detriment of my GPA to this day. It's a huge part of what I enjoy about tabletop RPGs, because whether I'm playing in or running a game I get to become a performer for a couple hours a week, and in a bit of a lower-stress environment since I'm typically just among friends.

And typically not 20 minutes away from walking out onstage in a dress

Tonight though I'm kicking that comfort zone to the curb thanks to some crazy kids over at 2C Gaming. At 9PM Eastern they're launching Session Two of their Blood of the Earth Campaign and I'm lucky enough to be along for the ride. Set on a massive, mysterious, and deadly island, so far Blood of the Earth has focused in on the trials of the Cadwyn tribe as they sustain attacks from the Forsaken, a ragtag bunch of savages made up from exiles from the other various tribes that populate the island. Though they aren't just bloodthirsty raiders, because it seems they've gained some mystical ability to enhance their size and strength. It's bad times for the Cadwyn tribe if they don't figure out what's going on.

Helping them out will be my character: Kraegan the Moutain Dwarf Paladin. Training to inherit the verbal history of the great leaders and heroes that have come before, Kraegan is apprenticed to the Loremaster of the Cadwyn Tribe, the austere Elven woman known as Selorel Truthsinger. Kraegan is very inquisitive and always wants to hear everyone's story, from brave hunters to simple cooks. Unfortunately, this young dwarf has great difficulty recalling specifics of the accounts he's heard, and currently the only stories he remembers with great detail are those focused on Lyria Cadwyn, with whom he's formed a mild obsession.

At only 36 he's pretty young and not quite considered an adult. He's short for a Dwarf at only 3' 6", though a bit squatter than most with a barrel chest and very wide shoulders. His beard is kept quite short, only about an inch of straight auburn hairs shining in contrast to his tanned skin. His face and chest feature intricate tattoos that display some of the most deeply held beliefs of the Cadwyn Tribe. He's a bit awkward and uncoordinated and seems to have trouble focusing during hunts. Despite that he can be very serious, waking up very early each morning to meditate and request the spirits of ancient tribesmen permission to learn of their lives. He's fiercely loyal to the tribe and will quickly place himself at a disadvantage to help another, and will oftentimes blame himself for the faults of others. His dream is that some day the tribe will look to him for wisdom and guidance and that he'll have the confidence to steer them well as their Loremaster.

If you want to watch the first session you can catch the first 30 minutes on youtube or watch the entirety of it on their Livestream page, GMsforGPs. I'll definitely have a write-up discussing the experience sometime tomorrow, and maybe make a habit of discussing each of the following sessions.

Hold up though, because I haven't even gotten to the coolest part of Blood of the Earth. Each week, anyone interested can come in and play any of the characters that that have shown up so far or help flesh out one that hasn't been focused on yet. If you like Kraegan tonight then next week Kraegan could be YOUR character. So I hope you enjoy watching and then enjoy playing in the weeks to come.