April 24 2014

The Band of Bards Written and Narrated by Lord Baldrith

4/8/2024 Update:
-Links to the .mp3 on this post are now broken
-You can listen to the Mp3 File for this post now, on Youtube, here:

Here is one I wrote a few months ago as a sample.  I guess it can be included here too.  A bit creepy, wonder if we can have dark gloom scenes like that in the game!

The Band of Bards

How the gloom was tended by the will of the fallen angels. Every bit of ash in the campfire had been blown away by the wicked winds heckling through the trees. The fall of the crackling oaken branches was subdued by the angry raindrops pouring down upon the dreary shattered clearing.

The place where the tent had been so neatly sited was now just a memory in the passage of time. The darkened passaged leading to the serrated mountain was all that remained of a place once full of laughing and singing mere hours before. The small band of bards had quickly retreated from the massive droplets of water which suddenly poured on their faces like wave of cold water from a turbulent sea.

Unfortunately, the wind beaten path leading them to the mountain was also littered with broken branches, jagged rocks and pieces of broken glass from their own supplies. The wind made it nearly impossible to tread quickly to the asylum of the mountain. Some had fallen into the mud from disorientation of the water and wind on their faces. The stronger of the bards was unable to see properly to grasp the hands of distraught others, and instead stumbled into the broken path themselves. Shrieking with pain the members of the band were further terrorized by loud bursts of thunder overhead, thrashing sounds echoed in their heads from the painfully shrill cracking of the massive gale.

Suddenly, the wind became calm, and the road became clear. The band of bards struggled to stand on their feet. They staggered painfully to the jagged mountain. The darkness seemed less perilous, and for the first time since the goblets of wine had been torn from their hands, they felt a sense of hope. They all struggled towards the opening, with heavy steps and bloodied limbs, then entered into a narrow opening within the massive mountainside.

The interior of the opening was dank. The only light was dimly lit from the half moon glowing faintly through the thick clouds in the sky. All of their belongings had been lost and broken, and the only pursuit they could hope for was a freezing night mashed together in this small damp cave. With no blankets or fire, they huddled together and chatted tearfully.

One of the bards pulled a small harmonica from his pocket and played softly. The dank air lightened, and the band of bards slowly drifted to sleep.

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Posted by Lord Baldrith - Email Author
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Please note: This is a SotA community run project, and any and all content may deviate from the fictional canon of the game.

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April 24 2014

Islug Gets A New Set of Armor Written by Sir Stile Teckel-Narrated by Lord Baldrith

4/8/2024 Update:
-Links to the .mp3 on this post will be broken
-You can listen to the Mp3 File for this post now, on Youtube, here:

Lord Baldrith here with A humorous story written by our own Sir Stile Teckel!  Well, it gives me a chance to mess around with voices…Hopefully it’s not too bad 🙂

Whistling to himself with a pipe lit in one hand and a mug of ale in the other, Islug walks over to a postal center to check on his deliveries. Upon entering the Postal master gives Islug a dirty look and says “Islug, dam ye, yer taking up all my space, will ye get that delivery outta ere?”

Islug looks to where the man is pointing and sees several large bundles. Quickly draining his mug and clipping it to his belt, dumping his pipe and sticking it in a pouch he grabs the packages and runs off in obvious glee. The postal master shakes his head “Wonder what the bloody ell that was about?”

A few moments later Islug is in a crafting hosue ripping open bundles and grinning “Ye outdid yerself Lika, this is fantastic!”

Looking around Islug spots Minstril at work at shouts over at her “Min, ye ave those dyes I asked fer?”. She stops what she is working on and brings over several large bottles and hands them to Islug with a slight smirk. Islug glares at her “What ye grinning bout lass?”.

“Oh nothing Islug, just wondering when you will be able to make that stuff on your own? Also, I mentioned a pay raise?”

Muttering Islug responds “I am not this good yet! An as far as yer raise….” Islug glances at the dyes and continues “Olive? We’ll talk about yer salary increase when ye can get me the blacks, whites, and Royal Purple’s I asked ye fer!” Then ignoring the Alchemist Islug begins dumping the new armor into dye tubs and adding Olive dye.

Once the armor is dry, in his excitement Islug runs over to a mirror and beings stripping his current armor off and putting on the new pieces. Once finished he begins turning and modeling it in the mirror. A moment later all work stops in the hall as Islug begins yelling at the mirror “Y’AH WHOS THE MAN? EH? WHOS THE MAN? LOOK AT YE IZZY LAD, YER THE MAN, THATS RIGHT, YER THE MAN!!! GO OUT AN SHOW EM WHO THER DADDY IS IZZY! TIME TA KICK SOME ARSE AND TAKE NAMES!!” This is punctuated with various Fist pumps and poses.

As he turns away from the mirror the smile quickly drops from his face as he realizes the craft house has gone silent and nearly fifty people are staring at him, work having come to a stand still. Turning very red Islug points to a random direction and yells “DRAGON!!”, then quickly, runs from the house with all eyes following him.

Later that night, in the tavern Islug is heard telling a story with his pipe waving through the ear punctuating each sentence “That’s right I tell ye! Dragon in the crafting house! Must’ve been twenty foot tall and spitting flames all about it! So I was there try’n ta intimidate it by tell’n it I was a superior fight’r an all. Meanwhile everyone in the blasted place is star’n at me like I’d gone nuts! Ye think they’d pay better attention ta a Dragon creep’n bout. So I got it ta chase me with some insults and ran it outta the place!”

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Posted by Lord Baldrith - Email Author
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Please note: This is a SotA community run project, and any and all content may deviate from the fictional canon of the game.

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April 24 2014

Customs Are Built, From Those Brave That Challenge! Written By Time Lord-Narrated by Lord Baldrith

4/6/2024 Update:
The Mp3 File for this post is now here.

A powerful short poem written by our own Time Lord.  Read by me Lord Baldrith.  Good work Time Lord!

“Customs Are Built, From Those Brave That Challenge!”

Come we to the sanctuary of where free air can truly be ours
Feed that which binds us in customs for we to enjoy for many hours
Set a pen to adventure’s words to rend humbly to all ears
Take quill and parchment freely expressed Fore customs make years
Place a set beacon for we all to beckon for even more joyous times
When freedom becomes a wind that blows our adventure’s chimes
Take all hearts here to the stage where our stories can all ring
Far from any censorious courts of any oppressing in the name of our King!

“One Land, One King! Grand Bards Come All! And Welcome To New Britannia!”


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(P.S. A special thanks from Stile Time Lord!


Posted by Lord Baldrith - Email Author
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Please note: This is a SotA community run project, and any and all content may deviate from the fictional canon of the game.

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Category: Poetry
April 24 2014

Letters from Barataria (English version) written by Eriador-Narration by Lord Baldrith

4/01/2024 Update:
The Mp3 File for this post is now here.

Here is Eriador’s Poem read in english by me Lord Baldrith.  Awesome poem Eriador!

Letters from Barataria (*Barataria was an imaginary wonderful place that Quixote promised to Sancho)

There was no enemy capable to sink your moral, or defeat that could shake your principles. You were always true to yourself, without betraying yourself because of what others said. You offered the heart in a selflessly way and there was no despise that prevented you to do it.
You charged against monsters and villains, without a minimum hesitation, to make the world a better place. You were you able to understand that an emaciated animal could be the most beautiful steed in the universe, and you demonstrated us with your nobility that the courage, the trust and the love were much more needed and piercing weapons than the most ferrous spear.

For you the life was an adventure full of dreams to realize, a continuous joust where only was defeated who believed it. We must be crazy.

You really were the true knight, Don Quixote


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Posted by Lord Baldrith - Email Author
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Please note: This is a SotA community run project, and any and all content may deviate from the fictional canon of the game.

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Category: Fan Fiction
April 22 2014

Special Podcast – in Spanish! Letters from Barataria read AND written by Eriador Moonstone

3/31/2024 Update:
The Mp3 File for this post is now here.

We have a special podcast from Eriador Moonstone for those that are interested in hearing a piece of fan fiction in Spanish. Written and read both by Eriador Moonstone!

Here is both the English and Spanish text.

Cartas desde Barataria

No había enemigo capaz de hundir tu moral, ni derrota que hiciera tambalear tus principios. Eras siempre fiel a ti mismo, sin traicionarte por lo que dijeran los demás. Ofrecías el corazón de manera desinteresada y no existió desprecio que te impidiese dejar de hacerlo.
Cargabas contra monstruos y villanos, sin el menor titubeo, para que el mundo fuese un lugar mejor. Eras capaz de comprender que un demacrado animal podía ser el corcel más hermoso del universo y nos demostrabas con tu nobleza que el valor, la confianza y el amor eran armas mucho más necesarias y penetrantes que la lanza más férrea.

Para ti la vida era una aventura repleta de sueños por realizar, una justa continua donde sólo estaba vencido quien creía estarlo. Los demás debemos estar locos.

Tú sí que eras el verdadero caballero, Don Quijote.

Letters from Barataria (*Barataria was an imaginary wonderful place that Quixote promised to Sancho)

There was no enemy capable to sink your moral, or defeat that could shake your principles. You were always true to yourself, without betraying yourself because of what others said. You offered the heart in a selflessly way and there was no despise that prevented you to do it.
You charged against monsters and villains, without a minimum hesitation, to make the world a better place. You were you able to understand that an emaciated animal could be the most beautiful steed in the universe, and you demonstrated us with your nobility that the courage, the trust and the love were much more needed and piercing weapons than the most ferrous spear.

For you the life was an adventure full of dreams to realize, a continuous joust where only was defeated who believed it. We must be crazy.

You really were the true knight, Don Quixote


Posted by Sir Stile Teckel - Email Author
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Please note: This is a SotA community run project, and any and all content may deviate from the fictional canon of the game.

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Category: In Spanish
April 18 2014

Divided Souls Poem by Houston Dragon – Narrated by Lord Baldrith

3/26/2024 Update:
The Mp3 File for this post is now here.

Hi Everyone:  Lord Baldrith here with the first reading of a poem written by community member Houston Dragon.   Very awesome poem!

-Edit from Stile – Adding the text version!
Divided Souls

The Shards did Fall upon this land,
Vast mountains crumbled into sand,
Molten rain from dark skies above,
And Death took those we once loved.

From broken ruins of society’s few,
Came cankered birth, Obsidian hued,
Empire of Twilight’s envisioned Eye,
Doom’s approach draws closer nigh.

In Order’s grip twisted by Chaos’ hand,
Victims of evil’s Pride, left unfit to stand,
Once of Light, stolen from grace’s reign,
Enslaved by Darkness into monstrous pain.

But risen against these ensorcelled fiends,
Those that bring freedom by their means,
Rulers, nobles, lords, all come massed,
Council of Might, strong standing fast.

Through hardship’s struggle, born of pain,
Tempered by courage, forged by its flame,
Futures are weighed, fate’s balance hangs,
Waiting moment, turned on blade’s tang.

Britannia’s wounds fester, poisoned within,
Heroes and villains in battle’s great din,
Shattered moon, reminds of past paid tolls,
Divided, forsaken, all stand as lost souls.

(Inspired by events as told in Blade of the Avatar.)

equalizer


Posted by Lord Baldrith - Email Author
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Please note: This is a SotA community run project, and any and all content may deviate from the fictional canon of the game.

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Category: Poetry
April 18 2014

Echoes From the Caverns 4-18-14

3/27/2024 Update:
The Mp3 File for this post is now here.

Lord Baldrith here with the first attempt at music in the podcast.  Thanks so much to Steve J Goldman of Four Leg Records.  A song entitled “Shroud of the Overature, Part I.”  Hopefully everyone likes this new sound.


Posted by Lord Baldrith - Email Author
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Please note: This is a SotA community run project, and any and all content may deviate from the fictional canon of the game.

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April 11 2014

Echoes From the Caverns 4/11/14

3/26/2024 Update:
The Mp3 File for this post is now here.

Hi, Lord Baldrith here with the Podcast for the week.  Hope you enjoy!


Posted by Lord Baldrith - Email Author
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Please note: This is a SotA community run project, and any and all content may deviate from the fictional canon of the game.

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