Café de Nuit

... 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.)

Oh man. I am in my 3rd or so year of writing my Kalidnay project. I am 33 pages in and not even close to completion. Alas, another QtR passes without a submission from tomokaicho.

Ah, at last. I didn't think I could pull it up this year, but 30 new Shades have already emerged from the mists demanding recognition, and more are on their way...

tomokaicho wrote:Oh man. I am in my 3rd or so year of writing my Kalidnay project. I am 33 pages in and not even close to completion. Alas, another QtR passes without a submission from tomokaicho.

You have 4 months left

Jack the Reaper wrote:Ah, at last. I didn't think I could pull it up this year, but 30 new Shades have already emerged from the mists demanding recognition, and more are on their way...

*rubs hands*

Excellent!

I don't know if I will be able to submit something on theme, this year, but Darkon still do have a sort of vague undead plague vibe in it so I think I will submit my opus magna; That and Everlast advices about redeeming creatures. Psst, Joel, would you and your estimeed colleague Ron express (or complete) your hopinion about Qtr 26 before you start working othe next?

Mistmaster wrote:I don't know if I will be able to submit something on theme, this year, but Darkon still do have a sort of vague undead plague vibe in it so I think I will submit my opus magna; That and Everlast advices about redeeming creatures. Psst, Joel, would you and your estimeed colleague Ron express (or complete) your hopinion about Qtr 26 before you start working othe next?

Didn't we?

Gonzoron of the FoS wrote: Calamities

Ah, an easy one

I'll just send in the Oz newspapers for the last six months - severe droughts, wildfires, floods, rivers of mud, hail, pestilence....
No zombie hordes yet, but when the shopping centers re-open they should return.

Joël of the FoS wrote:

Mistmaster wrote:I don't know if I will be able to submit something on theme, this year, but Darkon still do have a sort of vague undead plague vibe in it so I think I will submit my opus magna; That and Everlast advices about redeeming creatures. Psst, Joel, would you and your estimeed colleague Ron express (or complete) your hopinion about Qtr 26 before you start working othe next?

Didn't we?

No.

Alot of potential with this theme, especially in adventures. A flood on the Musarde brings chaos and ruin to Pont-a-Museau with the players dealing with the aftermath. An unearthly sandstorm is strangling the life of villages in the Amber Wastes. And trapped elementals taking their anger out on the world.

Now that August is ending, can we have an update about the articles submitted so far? I'm curious

Jack the Reaper wrote:Now that August is ending, can we have an update about the articles submitted so far? I'm curious

Here's the list so far :

Friedliches Königreich (Peaceful Kingdom in English) (domain) John Berndt
Sithicus: The Land of the Prophetess (domain) John Berdnt
Bitter Victory (story) Jack the Reaper
Loose ends (story) Jack the Reaper
Forgotten Shades (50 New Darklords) Jack the Reaper
Lost Souls (30 NPCs) Jack the Reaper

About one month to go!

Looks like I own this issue

Jack the Reaper wrote:Looks like I own this issue

Not if S- and Azalin have anything to say about that. Like 40 pages of it. It's written in Year 761 and S knows she is Azalin's clone and is actively working to sabotage the hold he has on her. They also have little goes at the other in the commentary, which has been a blast to write.

Look for the drop of the first two cities in a couple days.

I do have a few questions. Ravenlofters obviously don't call their land Ravenloft. Az might call it a demiplane or a jail. But is there is an ordinary name? I have just been using "Mistlands."

And the S. S- or S issue is still not resolved. Edit: You know what, forget it. You're all stuck with S-dash now.

I have a full Darkon I will submit soon. If I manage other I will. But be ready for a very long article on Darkon.