A Court of Ash and Blood - New Wednesday 3
As the Solstice nears, strange winds stir across Kalunar—change is coming. Will you shape the world's turning, or be swept away by it?
About the adventure
Twelve hundred years have passed since the last Solstice change as a cold wind sweeps across Kalunar. In the north, the wind roars through the black stone spires of an ancient bastion, across the jagged crystal fields, and over the Bear-toothed mountains bringing a winter’s bite to a fur tent encampment. Here soldiers, more beast than fey, huddle close to a scorching flame. A booming command from a red-coat lord rouses them to their feet for the battle of Frost and Shadow never sleeps. With a change in direction, the wind blows southeast as snow and ice fade to the barren lands. From the sprawling expanse of the Great Labyrinth City, Fey march to the sound of drums and melody. Beyond the Carrion Wastes, a monolith rises from the Whispering Sands. Within its walls, cheers and shouts bellow from the Charnel Pit as warriors spill blood for the Trickster King. The energy of celebration and chaos whips the wind into a tempest destined for western shores. Like a howling banshee, the wind rushes through the floating isles of Kalunar where creatures of light weather the storm to awaken brethren in their holy temple. Falling from the heavens, the tempest winds draw on The Depths of Sanrath. Beneath this ocean's surface, three families clash for control over their shattered kingdom. The waters swell with their hatred shifting the tempest into a typhoon. The storm rages crashing into the ravenous Wilds of Garoora, a place where not even a storm’s fury can tame those within. Tempered by the wilds, the soft breeze of the arctic wind traverses the endless meadows to a sacred grove. A priestess bows her head in reverence as an offering is placed at the base of the Tree of Life. With a small gust that ruffles the branches, a scarlet leaf falls for the first time. A time of change has come to Kalunar. As if carried by the gale, the priestess spreads word of the omen. The winds blow south. In a land of endless summer, in the temple halls of Vaeyar, a young Queen shivers. Something she has not done in centuries. Seeking the comfort and warmth of Summer’s Fire, she pushes through the ruby doors only to find darkness where light should be. Horns sound, and banners are raised as a call to arms is made. War is upon Kalunar. it is not all grim for the world of Kalunar, for the winds of change bring new opportunities. Opportunities lead to adventures and adventures create legends. How will you leave your mark on Kalunar?
Game style
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Roleplay Heavy
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
4 years on StartPlaying
547 games hosted
Highly rated for: Storytelling, World Builder, Creativity
About me
Hello there, Pull up a chair, stay awhile, and listen. Let me introduce myself. My name is Justin, a storyteller of sorts. I have been involved in many stories, and seen heroes rise and fall: tyrants overthrown and titans slain. Dozens of adventurers have passed through my tavern over the last 22 years. Each of them is full of bravery and courage looking to make a mark upon the world. It has been my pleasure to record these stories and retell them to those sitting here on a cold winter night. If you have the time and... the coin, perhaps I will regale you with a past tale or forge a story of your own. I am a long-time GM that started running online games when things began to slow down in the world. As a GM, I strive to follow the saying "This is my players' story, I am just the one telling it." I do this by providing the best possible experience for the players at my table whether that is by finding fitting music, creating beautiful maps, developing strong NPC ties, or fulfilling dynamic stories. With regular feedback from the players, I am willing to adapt where needed and continue to grow in my talents.
View Profile →Reviews (22)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Storytelling
World Builder
Creativity
Justin honestly knows how to perfectly tread that line of letting players make their own fun and gently guiding them to where fun can be found. He always leaves space for the group to RP amongst themselves and offers plenty of opportunities for character development among the group. Combat encounters are creative and always stick to being challenging but fair (generally low encounter density per day but high difficulty). Music is always provided and appreciated. In my game that he runs, characters are also given an enhanced point buy and some extra goodies like minor magic items based on background, along with a laundry list of bonus weapon specific techniques and spell supercharge mechanic so everyone feels broadly more powerful. But fights are kept challenging via inclusion of tougher enemies and the occasional side objective (protect NPCs, Take out specific priority targets within a time limit etc.) so combat always feels challenging. Rulings wise Justin tends to adhere to the rules as they are written but does give way to rule of cool and player creativity and in fact often rewards outside the box thinking. A major selling point for my experience has got to be the way session 0 was run, Justin had us roll some random connections, hooks and story threads for our PCs which for me is very helpful as it helps me flesh out the concept I have in my head, but if you already have a refined idea of who you want to be, im sure he can accommodate. He also routinely has certain breakpoints along a characters journey interweve with story and the world, I.E when a ranger selected gloomstalker as their level 3 archetype, he had a whole mini segement to explain how they acquire the darkvision/Perma invis component of the class. If you like having your backstory and class choices be a part of the narrative, this is honestly the best ive seen (in some 10 years of play) The game I was a part of was also a narrative driven campaign and not a dungeon crawl, so if thats the sort of experience you're looking for I cannot speak to that aspect (though im sure hed make it work!) In summation if you're in the market for good DnD, I would wholeheartedly recommend justin
Justin is a fantastic DM - truly one of the absolute best out here on SPG. I always have a great time every single session! Furthermore, he is extremely reliable and that is clearly not the case for other DMs out there. I wish I wasn't limited to only three tags cause Justin deserves all of them. If you are lookng for a game, look no further. You will not be disappointed. He has my highest possible recommendation and my sincere thanks for many great sessions!
I've been playing at Justin's table for over a year and every session has been great. His ability to weave every character's story into the main plot line without pushing any single character to the forefront has kept everyone engaged and invested in a way that I've not seen at any other table. His combat and RP encounters are challenging, engaginng and have real impact on the story and the NPCs involved. He is far and away my favorite DM that I've found, and I can't recommend him highly enough.
Just goes to great lengths to tell his stories and making sure that all players have their own voice in helping to shape said stories. He always comes to each game prepared and is always ready for any turns the story may take based on player decisions. It has been an absolutely pleasure playing with him and his game is always a highlight of my Fridays.
Outstanding game master. Amazing with building, developing and handling plots. in a living world with memorable NPCs. Works with the player to create memorable rivals, allies, moments, backstory and journey for their PCs. Here you will also find some awesome people to play with. If you are looking for a game, to tell a tale and meet some amazing new people. You will not be disappointed.
Character creation
Creating your character
The basics of creating your characters are as follows: - Characters will be starting out at level 1 in this adventure. - The players will have several options to determine their character's stats. Discussed in Session 0. - Nearly all playable races are available with custom lore to fit the setting. - All official classes are allowed. - Starting equipment can be determined by your Class and Background choices. - Alignments - I prefer not to have Evil aligned characters in my groups as they more often than not become a problem and a hindrance to other players’ enjoyment of the game. However, if you are willing to work with me on how to do Evil correctly, I am open to the idea. - Backstories will be done using a Heroic Chronicle. We will roll the background and then work together to create a unique in-depth story full of rich content for your character. This will help tie to the world of Kalunar and give me some fun things to pull into the story. - When it comes to Multi-classing, your character has to have a reason for going into their 2nd class. There should be some story element that takes place to introduce the character to this second class. I am a fan of multi-class but not a fan of taking a class because it grants X benefits. We can work on this together if you are looking forward to multi-class as the campaign progresses.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Microphone and Discord are required. Being familiar with Dungeons and Dragons is a plus but not required. I ask the players to be open-minded when it comes to character creation. We will be collaborating as a team to make a cohesive group. Expectations of Players - Respectful treatment of the DM and other players involved - No hate speech of any sort - Have fun
What Justin brings to the table
All handouts will be provided during session 0. I will be providing a link to the game.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Internet
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Justin creates a safe table
What is it about? Welcome to Kalunar, a demi-plane shaped by ages of discovery, conflict, and renewal. A land scarred by the warring of courts and outsiders. This is a high fantasy homebrew setting of my own design inspired by the Feywild and Fey Courts. There are four major courts, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. The lands of each court are unique to their season and ruled over by an Archfey. Under their rule, the season territories are divided into domains of the appointed High Fey, creatures who have gained incredible power over the arcane magics of Kalunar. Houses of nobility offer oaths to the High Fey in exchange for wealth and status. Knight Orders roam through the lands protecting their court from threats both within and beyond their borders. Often, war broke out between rival courts. Some wars were minor and resolved quickly while others consumed all of Kalunar. The most devastating of them created a divide so great among the Eladrin of Kalunar that it ripped tears into a realm of shadow known as Penumbra. Ravenous creatures poured through these pockets of shadow into Kalunar bringing new threats to the world. Overly the centuries more change has been brought to the realm. The appearance of an aquatic kingdom, celestials, and darklings has forever transformed Kalunar. If you are a fan of Fey Courts, queens, kings, knights, political intrigue, cataclysmic wars, or epic fantasy tales, then come leave your mark upon Kalunar. Side Note: While this is inspired by the Feywild and Fey courts, nearly all playable races are available with custom lore to fit the setting. Session 0: Session 0 is a free session where the players gather to meet Me, the DM. In this session, we will discuss various things, such as any rule changes or variant rules being used. However, the most important thing we will be discussing is what you, the players, want in a campaign. What are some of the things you have always wanted to do in Dungeons and Dragons? Or is there something that excites you about the Kalunar setting? As a group, we will create the campaign premise and from that, the characters you will be playing. This is a very involved process with the DM and players collaborating together. This ensures that the campaign will be something that you, the players, will enjoy. Expect this to be the same length as a normal session.
Content warnings
Safety tools used
Additional tables
1 available
Weekly / Thursday – 4:00 PM UTC
Jul 17 / Session 15
4 / 6 Seats Filled