... as I had known all along, indeed Death is not the End. I had battled vampires lurking in fey realms, a mummy bent on revenge, and a necromancer conjuring unliving things far more unusual than even those, and yet I had also found havens where the dead 'live' in relative peace. I had even made allies from beyond the grave, heroes refusing to let death end their deeds. And yet, if we only knew what was to come.... undeath might have seemed the least of our problems. The land is in turmoil, beset by plague, famine, and disasters both natural and unnatural. For years, I'd struggled to prevail against the dark, but now the best I can hope for is to endure the oncoming storm. Prophets warned of this time. We always hoped the world's wrath would wait for a future generation. But that hope is gone. It is the time of Calamities...
The Fraternity of Shadows is now accepting submissions for the 27th installment of Quoth the Raven, the annual Ravenloft netbook that endures even in the darkest of times. The theme for the 2020 issue will be Calamities.
Locusts, Tornadoes, Murder Hornets, Pestilence, Wildfires. The Apocalypse. These are the dark times that test heroes. Mere monsters can be fought. Evildoers can be vanquished, but what horrors await when there is no villain to slay, and yet danger and destruction come in unstoppable waves? What can we put our favorite adventurers through, when all the dark signs align, and all the Doomsayers say "I told you so." ?
As always, we are looking for anything related to Ravenloft, Masque of the Red Death, or horror in general. The theme is deliberately open ended, but still a suggestion, not a restriction. If you have something great that doesn't fit in with the theme, send it in anyway!
Ruleset doesn't matter! We accept articles using any edition of D&D rules, or even other systems. Some of the best articles don't have any rules text at all! And if you're interested in having your rules converted to another system, let us know. There are lots of volunteers eager to help.
See our submission guidelines for official rules.
Submit your articles to QTR@fraternityofshadows.com. The deadline is September 30th, 2020, but feel free to send your articles in early, especially if you're looking for feedback.
And remember, this year has been a scary one in real life, but it could always be worse....
(Stay safe, support each other, stand together. Be Kind. Even when you pretend to torture characters in a game.)
