Orchard Blossoms ( lesbian high fantasy cheesecake )

Started by Dhi, June 29, 2014, 10:23:59 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Dhi

I'm in the mood for something with bawdy chainmail bikini aesthetic, magical wonder, and lighthearted swashbuckling action. With your help, I'd like to craft a high fantasy adventure story, following a lesbian cast through their meteoric rise from plucky nobodies to the women who will define their era.

For this particular project, I am only accepting female players.

This will be a freeform, GM-directed adventure built upon the desires, backgrounds, and actions of your characters. I'm looking for a small party of adventurers, say 4-6 in number, who don't mind a 50/50 mix of plot and smut (porn with story) and who can optimally post at least once a week. Players with an interest in collaborating on setting building, who can provide characters with themes and goals, are preferable. Since this is a sexy and lighthearted story, I'd like to keep personal tragedy to a minimum, and rule out mentally unstable characters.


Characters will be thrown together into a high stakes safari in the hot and humid jungle island of Eechus Minor, where you'll forge the bonds that will hold you together for the trials to come. Your quality and modest abilities (say "town hero" level, or 5th-7th D&D level) will be put to the test as you hunt the most dangerous game of all- dragon! Should you succeed, land and title await you in the sweet-scented orchards of Appleburg, a peaceful, prosperous domain, nestled safely between human and elvish lands.

Do not let rumors of war between your human and elvish neighbors shake your resolve. The Duchess' reasons for giving away the orchard are purely for sport, and unrelated to her prolonged and ongoing vacation far from the courts.

If this sounds good, post your interest! Tell me what you'd like to see! If we get enough interest, I'll continue to flesh out the setting, and put together a character sheet for you to fill out.


EbonyQueen

As I stated before, I am quite interested, so I am expressing said interest here. If you wish a sounding board, or any input on your own thoughts, you know where my PM box is Dhi, don't be afraid to use it!

MissFire

"There are five possible operations for any army. If you can fight, fight; if you cannot fight, defend; if you cannot defend, flee; if you cannot flee, surrender; if you cannot surrender, die."
    - Sima Yi

Joslyn

This sounds like a lot of fun. ;D I was thinking my character would be an adorkable elven mage. Once there's a character sheet I'll submit the full idea for approval.

Chrystal

Count me in!

I bagsie the halfling thief! I need to know what sort of character pic you're after, because the one's I have found are either a little on the trivial side or not what I'm after...

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

justme4386

Color me interested with a virgin warrior - either with an oriental samurai style or a kind of Valkyrie that's got enough orcish blood in her to her fearsome in battle and ferocious in the sack.

How is combat and such handled?

I hope I don't need any current system knowledge. One system I ever tried was AD&D - early 90s... And can' remember anything.

Love,
Me
A word of advice: Don't take me serious - unless I am. And you will know when I am!


ONs and OFFs
updated March 30th 2019
Apologies and Absences
updated April 19th 2019

Dhi

The aesthetic I'd like to go for is impractical and fetishy fantasy art. My own preference is for Korean or western art rather than anime, but I know everybody has different tastes and we won't be able to swing a unified look. Pictures of real people may be up against stiff competition from idealized fantasy women, but if you're up for the challenge, go for it!

Here are some examples of the sort of stuff that comes to mind for me:
Kingdom Death



Hung-Tae Kim



Korean MMOs



The D&D art of Maelora69

http://maelora69.deviantart.com/

Her commissions from HarpyQueen

http://harpyqueen.deviantart.com/

Quote from: justme4386 on June 30, 2014, 07:55:46 AMHow is combat and such handled?

I hope I don't need any current system knowledge. One system I ever tried was AD&D - early 90s... And can' remember anything.
This will be freeform, so no system knowledge is necessary. Everything will be handled through writing. Since it can be hectic for 4-6 people to all try to describe how a fray is going down, what I may do is pick one person at a time to shine during action scenes. I would take a look at your abilities, introduce a challenge that seems tailored to one character, and ultimately that scene would spotlight that character while the rest are in a more supportive role.

For instance, say there's a firebird which you must capture to win the favor of a fey queen. If one character is especially good with bows, then the scene is largely about her attempt to graze the animal without killing it. The other characters may be flushing out the firebird, casting spells to hinder it, rescuing the elf maiden who became trapped behind burning forest, anything that is not in direct competition for the spotlight of that one encounter.

Sound sensible?

Chrystal

It sounds fine to me.

If we're not doing PvP, there's no real need for  combat to be "handled" as such, it's really just making sure that we each fight realistically against what Dhi throws at us.

This is a good thread to have a look at.

I have a number of options for a pic. So far this one is my favourite:



Or if she isn't quite sexy enough, this is my second favourite....






You mentioned a dragon? I( would like to suggest, possibly, that the dragon be female and looking for a nice warm incubator for her egg? Or at the very least that we perhaps don't have to kill the dragon without talking to her first?

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

Dhi

Some good points in that thread, although one thing we should probably avoid is realistic action, since platemail high heels and exposed midriffs could be a recipe for disaster there. Cheesecake fantasy is probably more the realm of grazing hits and pink scratches, bright flashes of swoon-causing magic, Gabrielle-style staff fighting and judo throws, and improvised bondage.

I love the halflings! I have no idea where to look for halfling character pictures, but those are some good ones.

For the dragon, I'm up for that. It depends also on where everyone else's tastes lie. Perhaps the egg laying serves as a distraction so the other characters, who might not be into oviposition, can spring a surprise. There will definitely be opportunity to talk and no killing will be required, since the tone won't be especially bloodthirsty.

Elzith

Hey there! I'd be very much interested in taking part, but before I hunt down pictures or anything like that, wanting to know if I'm a little late for the party or anything like that?

Chrystal

Oviposition is totally optional obviously... It's just something of a fetish of mine... OH BOY! Here's a three-foot high woman with a dragon shoving it's egg tube into her?

End result...

*chuckle*

By realistic I meant in terms of the context. Blinkin's original worry was people god-moding his GM controlled NPCs, auto-hitting, auto-dodging, and basically not playing fair, and thus spoiling the game.

The sort of thing I'm referring to here in terms of "realism" is if an intelligent plant has grabbed you, thinking you're a new species of insect and is trying to pollinate itself using you, it would be unrealistic to want to cut your way free without at least enjoying one orgasm?

*snigger*

Anyway, I like dragons. They are a much maligned species.

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

EbonyQueen

Totally "Dark Sorceress" Time for me I think! Mysterious, magical by her very nature she is a practitioner of Magics less studied and more innate. Her unique appearance is only augmented by her sometimes wise and sometimes mischievous personality. She tends towards wearing form-fitting leathers, with tall, heeled boots.



justme4386

#12
Hey ladies,

Quote from: Chrystal on June 30, 2014, 10:53:11 AM
Oviposition is totally optional obviously... It's just something of a fetish of mine... OH BOY! Here's a three-foot high woman with a dragon shoving it's egg tube into her?

End result...
That would so totally not do it for me *shivers*... but to each their own.




In terms of character I was thinking along these lines:



Haven't done extensive searching for it - so my character it might change - but would that work for you?

Love,
Me
A word of advice: Don't take me serious - unless I am. And you will know when I am!


ONs and OFFs
updated March 30th 2019
Apologies and Absences
updated April 19th 2019

Crash

I am a huge fan of writing with Dhi.  You ladies are in for a treat if you haven't before.

"Sorry, you must survive at least 3 games with me before we can chat like this."
Congratulations, you've unlocked Flirtatious Crash! - Envious

Dhi

Quote from: Elzith on June 30, 2014, 10:49:40 AM
Hey there! I'd be very much interested in taking part, but before I hunt down pictures or anything like that, wanting to know if I'm a little late for the party or anything like that?
You are not late! The interest check has only been up for a single Monday morning, so everybody here is an early bird. I'm just about to post a more fleshed out setting to help those interested decide what and whether they'd like to play. Later on, I'll post a character sheet template with some prompts that will help further define the setting. That way, we'll each be adding something, and hopefully you will feel free to add your own canon rather than tiptoe around mine.

These characters sound fantastic so far.

Dhi

Here are some setting ideas, submitted to inspire your own ideas. Don't feel obligated to tether your characters to one, although you're welcome to if you'd like!


The Regal East is where the free peoples are united and strongest. It is civilized, codified, and steeped in tradition. A small sampling of the realm includes:

The Griffonhearts of Crown Cape
Crowded to the sea cliff aeries where commerce flows is the center of human culture and history that is Crown Cape. The banners of Queen Osa Penhaligon fly as far as her griffon knights can soar in vigilant patrol of the realm's wildflower prairie and frothing rivers. The highly prized white breeds of griffon are traditionally available only to knighted ladies chaste to the touch of a man, but there are no stipulations for lesbian relationships. Courtly love is somewhat different as a result.

The Princess of Ravenwood
After decades of diminishing in isolation under the decree of an uncompromising elf king, a soft-hearted princess has taken the elvish crown of Ravenwood and pledged to mend estranged alliances. Many young elvish emissaries and explorers are leaving their quiet forest home for the first time, unprepared for the world beyond the pine and elk. Especially troublesome is the elven custom of showing good faith, in which an elf gives another power over her with the understanding that it will not be used. In foreign lands, it is often abused instead.

The Centaurs of the Steppes
Nomadic centaur tribes roam the East under the leadership of a shaman, warlord, or wise woman. When a young centaur comes of age within the tightly knit community, it's not unusual for her to rebel and follow her wanderlust to the horizons. Some may find the decadent pleasure of seedy human towns or the gentleness of an elven enclave preferable to her responsibilities to her tribe, while for others the instincts of a wild mare forever render her an outsider among the free peoples of the East.


The Liberated West has cast off the shackles of monarchy to stand on its own. It is an impoverished melting pot built atop old dwarven ruins. Among the sins of the commoners can be counted:

The Sisterhood of Deckard
The slum city of Deckard- a bastardization of its original dwarven name of Drukardek- fell into ruin after being abandoned by its dwarven colonists a hundred years ago. Out of poverty came a thriving sex trade, and simultaneously a strong sense of community. Combining social work and prostitution are the Sisters of Deckard, priestess-whores to the old dwarven gods who collect money for the poor in exchange for sexual favors. Because Deckard is poor, many Sisters are sent on pilgrimage beyond its crumbling walls, to ply their holy trade in neighboring cities.

Warbands of the Hrentanthanus Badlands
Out of the keeps abandoned by the dwarves, slavers and bandits lead short and brutish lives alongside goblins, gnolls, orcs, and worse. From one outpost a harpy witch lures travelers with her siren song, and from another a medusa crime lord petrifies rich ladies to be ransomed back to noble families. The savage, visceral way of life brings together unusual bedfellows, and for raiders it is not unusual for woman and monster- or even woman and beast- to become lovers under the stars.

Tomb Raiders of Hrundrukar
The old dwarven tombs of the mountains draw thieves from all corners of the world. The nimblest and luckiest are invited to join an elite network of spies and thieves dedicated to cracking the ancient riddles and deadly traps that keep ordinary robbers from the most glorious treasures of the ancient world. In this culture of limber minxes, competition is high, and skullduggery is commonplace- what better way to best a rival than to leave her cuffed to a bed in an inn a hundred miles from civilization? It goes without saying that the ability to pick locks is almost mandatory.


The Broken North is where the free peoples have met with overwhelming opposition, and their spirit has been crushed. Monstrous oppression is the norm for the people of the north. Some of the factions to which the free peoples have been enslaved are:

Courts of the Horned Ones
1,000 steps climb the crags to the pagodas of the horned ones, an ancient horned race with no greater motivation than to subjugate and dominate the free peoples. Here where their grand manors lie buffeted by winds, the horned ones raise obedient slaves from birth to death. Each of the horned ones brands its slaves differently- some wear tattoos, or obscene piercings, or become tainted by sorcery into forms of living ooze. Escape from the lofty crags is said to be impossible, and yet...

Cultists of the Cerulean Eye
The still cerulean waters of a lake surrounded by barren mountains serves as a reflection of a world not our own. Tentacled horrors become lured through the shimmering veil by the lake's cultists, and the worthy among them become hosts for creatures of unwholesome hunger. Some are tainted physically and take on the physiology of these squirming beasts, while others are touched spiritually, and inherit unnatural magic that yearns to make our world more like its cerulean reflection.

Harem of the Silver Lady
The power of a wish-granting efreet renders the Silver Lady absolute ruler of her domain in the North, a shining paradise for she and her favored. With each wish, the efreet has twisted the land into a barren, sandy waste, and warped its people. Endlessly, the Silver Lady lusts for purity untainted by her efreet, and most recently her passions have been ignited by the human queen Osa Penhaligon. Many spies have been sent into the East to help the Silver Lady woo the queen without efreet magic, and not surprisingly, some have found this new freedom preferable to ever returning to the harem.


The Lawless South is an untamed frontier where the free peoples colonize hostile climes. The land has never been tamed, life is rough, and it is faux pas to inquire about a frontier woman's past. Among those shaky lean-tos eked out of the wilds, these are not yet erased from the maps:

Pirates of Dread Iolcus
Amid the island chains of the south sea, in shallow reefs and wetlands where the Crown's navy cannot sail, traitors to the laws of the East brave the mosquito- and troll-infested frontier to avoid the gallows. For the last several years the Duchess of the Appleburg orchards has vacationed in a winter manor here, which seems poised to become her permanent home as she prepares to foist her former lands off onto a group of young adventurers.

Mists of the Shorn Mountain
Deep in the foggy crater of a forgotten volcano, past steep peaks traversable only by the most determined, lies a more primitive world of hunters and gatherers where the politics of queens are completely unknown. Beasts which should be extinct roam the crater, and the loincloth-clad sentient people live in fear of their primeval enemy. Fifteen years ago, an explorer from the outside world crash landed within the mists and shared his strange language and stranger stories with the peoples of the mists. For some, these stories were an obsession, and they disappeared from the mists, not to return home again.

Starry Courts of Chas Enial
Where the elves have diligently upheld the bargains of the ancient druids, the fey are a strong ally. Within the great forest of Chas Enial, pixie lights twinkle in the darkness and delicate wings flutter in the perpetual summer air. The unworthy might wander until their hair is gray, while the brave and the beautiful find themselves concubines of the Court of Stars, the elegant, inscrutable, and above all jealous nobility of a seelie people all but vanished from the world.

Chrystal

Quote from: Dhi on June 29, 2014, 10:23:59 PM
Tell me what you'd like to see!

Okay, so far I love the settings and I can see at least three or four possible affiliations for Nitzy (that's a working nick-name for her, not definite yet).

However, none of them really explain her origins in quite the way I'd like. I can see her being from the South, the West, or possibly the South West... And it is in this border region that I have an idea you might like...

On the fringes of the badlands, where they delve into the marshes, there is an abandoned fort. Once a powerful bastion of order, it has fallen into ruin and to the casual observer seems little more than a dilapidated shell. However, the unwary traveller, seeking shelter within the sagging walls would do well to sleep with one eye open and a hand on his purse.

For this is the hide-out of the most notorious band of thieves and ruffians in the world. They call themselves the three-footers. Their are fae of course, and a scattering of dwarves and gnomes, but the majority are the halfling folk...

What do you think? I can expand the history of how they came to be there, their organisation, and how they live, if you like the idea? Or I can leave it as a bare bones idea and let the GM flesh it out.

My reasoning is that you've mentioned every fantasy race except Halflings, and also while there are places where you wouldn't go and expect to come out with everything you went in with, there isn't anywhere that seems to cater to honest thievery...!

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

Dhi

I tried to leave it vague what constitutes the free peoples, so they might represent a mix of races. Something especially for halflings sure beats a vague thing that might include halflings, though! The Three Footers sound like a great idea and I'd like to hear more about them. Writing in halflings and gnomes has always been a weakness for me.

Elzith

#18
Thank you Chrystal

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide








Though to narrow it down, ones a redhead pirate (What's not to like?) whilst the others an Amazonian. I'll write up my ideas for them in a few, if I can ge this code malarkey sorted out. Yeah, I may or may not have a certain attraction to the latter for this...

Chrystal

Quote from: Elzith on June 30, 2014, 02:29:41 PM
Found some pretty nice character ideas, but none of them seem to want to embed into the thread. Anyone else having this issue?

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
<img class="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 61px;" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ea/90/f3/ea90f3ab6aae32c83fe476d66f63b0db.jpg" width="236" height="271">

Though to narrow it down, ones a redhead pirate (What's not to like?) whilst the others an Amazonian. I'll write up my ideas for them in a few, if I can ge this code malarkey sorted out.


You're using HTML not BBCode. BBCode will ignore your tags if it encounters anything it doesn't like.

[img width=236]http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ea/90/f3/ea90f3ab6aae32c83fe476d66f63b0db.jpg[/img]


Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

MissFire

Are either of these okay? I was thinking either...

Imari, a thief that fled the Harem of The Silver Lady that took shelter in the West. She talks only in the third person, has a habit of answering questions with questions, and is the quirky kind of character that makes the group question both her sanity and usefulness - but is loyal to the end and will stick her neck out for those that she deems a friend. She possesses two enchanted daggers; Star and Moon. One glows when treasure is near, one glows when danger is near. Trouble is, they glow the same color and look identical. Only Imari can tell which is which and even then, you're not sure you believe her half the time!
Imari

Or...

Emeryn, a woman practicing the forbidden art of 'Alchemy'. She mixes magic with poison craft and potion brewing to create concoctions that can help or hinder. What medical science can't find a cure for, she can eliminate (or make it worse). The combination of magic and science is taboo and even in the lawless South where she resides, people don't really take kindly to her setting up shop for too long. She travels from place to place, residing mostly in the wagon she keeps hitched to her horse (which, if it's allowed, should totally be mechanical!).
Emeryn
"There are five possible operations for any army. If you can fight, fight; if you cannot fight, defend; if you cannot defend, flee; if you cannot flee, surrender; if you cannot surrender, die."
    - Sima Yi

Chrystal

Quote from: MissFire on June 30, 2014, 04:33:21 PM
Are either of these okay? I was thinking either...

Imari, a thief that fled the Harem of The Silver Lady that took shelter in the West. She talks only in the third person, has a habit of answering questions with questions, and is the quirky kind of character that makes the group question both her sanity and usefulness - but is loyal to the end and will stick her neck out for those that she deems a friend. She possesses two enchanted daggers; Star and Moon. One glows when treasure is near, one glows when danger is near. Trouble is, they glow the same color and look identical. Only Imari can tell which is which and even then, you're not sure you believe her half the time!
Imari

Or...

Emeryn, a woman practicing the forbidden art of 'Alchemy'. She mixes magic with poison craft and potion brewing to create concoctions that can help or hinder. What medical science can't find a cure for, she can eliminate (or make it worse). The combination of magic and science is taboo and even in the lawless South where she resides, people don't really take kindly to her setting up shop for too long. She travels from place to place, residing mostly in the wagon she keeps hitched to her horse (which, if it's allowed, should totally be mechanical!).
Emeryn

That second one has got her dress on backwards...

http://www.tellyads.com/show_movie.php?filename=TA17603

*giggles*

Quote from: Dhi on June 30, 2014, 02:26:40 PM
I tried to leave it vague what constitutes the free peoples, so they might represent a mix of races. Something especially for halflings sure beats a vague thing that might include halflings, though! The Three Footers sound like a great idea and I'd like to hear more about them. Writing in halflings and gnomes has always been a weakness for me.

I will give this some thought. I'm sure the free peoples would include halflings, most likely living in their own villages near to human and elvish settlements. They would generally not live in the same towns although they would most likely trade with them, mostly because they would have difficulty climbing onto chairs, eating at tables and getting served in bars... Equally, humans would have bad backs, sore knees and bruised heads if they lived amongst halflings.

The idea of the Three Footers is that they are, as I said, the worst bunch of cut-purses, brigands and thieves anywhere in the land, and not one of them is over 3' tall! This gives a wonderful irony, I feel. The abandoned fortress is filled with tunnels and passageways that only the small can fit down. Any traveller who happens to stop there will find the place apparently deserted. But anything they put down, unless they keep an eye on it, will simply vanish. Not by magic, but by sleight of hand.

If the traveller sleeps, they will find any possessions they may have had nearby or attached loosely to their clothing will be gone when they wake. If they sleep soundly enough, they may find their clothing is gone also!

If you want a history, as in who founded the Three Footers, when and why, how they found the fort, how they recruit new members, I will have to work on that tomorrow. Some of it will be intricately bound up with my character's history, too.

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

Elzith

Thank you Chrystal

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide








Though to narrow it down, ones a redhead pirate (What's not to like?) whilst the others an Amazonian. I'll write up my ideas for them in a few, if I can ge this code malarkey sorted out. Yeah, I may or may not have a certain attraction to the latter for this...

MissFire

Oooh, or maybe I could go this route? Our White Mage, everyone! (sans wings, of course)

Priestess
"There are five possible operations for any army. If you can fight, fight; if you cannot fight, defend; if you cannot defend, flee; if you cannot flee, surrender; if you cannot surrender, die."
    - Sima Yi

Dhi

I'm thinking this for a sheet. I went back and forth on some prompt questions, but those things are already coming up as part of character generation. So rather than add some generic questions to the sheet, I think we should just discuss it!

[float=right][img height=400 padding=8]<URL for optional character image goes here>[/img][/float]
[b]Name:[/b] <The character's name>
[b]Species:[/b] <Human? Elf? Halfling? Something else?>
[b]Concept:[/b] <A few words to a single sentence summarizing what your character is all about>
[b]Ons:[/b] <If your character is strictly dominant or submissive, please also note that here>
[b]Offs:[/b]

[b]Physical Description:[/b] <What kinds of things would an observer notice about your character?>

[b]Personality:[/b] <How can we expect her to react to the world?>

[b]History:[/b] <A summary of your character's experiences up to this point>

[b]In what three ways would you most aid an adventuring party?[/b] <What kind of unusual abilities do you bring to the team?>
[b]In what way might you hinder an adventuring party?[/b] <A weakness, an enemy, a character flaw, an oath you must not break, a secret allegiance?>


Name: Duchess Loveday Ellis
Species: Human
Concept: Noblewoman turned rugged pioneer
Ons: Dominance, the sweltering jungle, wearing the cape, proving that a scribe's deftness still lies at her fingertips
Offs: Being coddled for her injury, prissy girls

Physical Description: A hard-bodied and fierce woman, Loveday scarcely resembles the courtly maiden of twenty years prior. Her cropped blonde hair becomes wet and slick in the humidity of the Lawless South, and the oppressive, sticky heat has awakened a steely-eyed lioness within a woman entering middle age. Loveday dresses to let the sweat of the South roll off her top-heavy body, with nearly nothing to soak into. The single flair of a lovely crimson cape conceals the scar at her shoulder from an old wound, which she takes more care to conceal than any other privacy of her body.

Personality: Cocksure confidence marks Loveday as an adventurer who found her calling late in life, possessing all the bravery of a fledgeling half her age and none of the caution of experience. Her quick shifts into sentimentality and enduring tastes for the elegant and feminine betray her history as a lady of the courts, and so Loveday covers for these perceived weaknesses with a hardened exterior. Although this renders her taciturn in person, in her letters she is a different person, flowery and poetic, steeped in the vocabulary of young love.

History: Loveday was born into minor nobility in Crown Cape, and groomed in her formative years to become a refined lady and obedient wife. Little was expected of her except to marry into a wealthy family and bring prestige to her family. Instead, Loveday was wooed by a hot-blooded young Griffonheart named Monica Ellis and became the blushing bride of a lady knight. They were wed at seventeen.

Though they were passionate and happy, Monica felt the sting of Loveday's spurned family and swore an oath to bring wealth and glory to their marriage. While Loveday returned to the courts as a well-paid scribe, Monica banded with a party of adventurers for an expedition into the Broken North. The long and intimate letters Loveday received from that expedition provided much of the narrative of what is now known about the North and its perils; although initially those letters were published sans filth, uncensored printings have since surfaced in all of their sordid imagery. But at age twenty, Monica was wounded when a rebel attack dealt an injury to her right shoulder which would end her career as a scribe.

Loveday retired from the courtly life and bought an orchard estate in the country, where she might garden and live simply, surrounded by beauty. When the letters ceased and Monica did not return, it was decided that the lady knight had perished. For her service to Crown Cape and in honor of her fallen knight, Loveday was given domain over this small land. For seventeen years she made Appleburg a labor of love, developing its orchards into a sea of pink and white blooming trees, its manor into a majestic walled keep, its lonesome yard into a villa of several dozen permanent residents. For seasonal labor, Loveday employed several hundred workers from the Liberated West.

But in recent years, the Lawless South has posed a seductive allure to Loveday, and she has increasingly shunted responsibility for the orchard's upkeep to its steward, Ines Liddicoat, in order to pursue new adventures deep in the unpleasant wetlands. Now, as she prepares to make this distant land her new home, Loveday has announced a contest to award one lucky party of adventurers the whole of Appleburg. The final stage of this contest, true to Loveday's new lust for excitement, is a safari to hunt the dragon of Eechus Minor.

In what three ways would you most aid an adventuring party? Loveday is a fit, strong woman, having worked for seventeen years tending the orchard. She has connections within the nobility of Crown Cape, and a peerage which grants her special privileges in court. Lastly, she is a skilled hunter, able to track large and intelligent prey through the wilderness without giving herself away.
In what way might you hinder an adventuring party? Loveday's bravery is unwarranted, as she has little actual combat experience and an old shoulder wound which limits her mobility and fine manipulation