Blood Moon

In this life, action is better than inaction - Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play - Captain James Tiberius Kirk

History

Long ago, as legends are told, back when The Anemoi was still in it's infancy under the newly appointed Duke. The Longest Night held its grip over the land for the first time since it's founding, and much was still in that dark, bitter cold wilderness. All save a group of weary travelers, each bearing torches and traversing the land in search of a home they could call their own, as promised to them by the Duke of The Anemoi.

The torches offered little light and no relief from the cold, after a time of travel and searching, the youngest among them had begun to succumb to the cold much to the grief of their mothers. Others who couldn't keep up the pace fell prey to the predators who lingered just outside their torchlight.

After two days of traveling, with morale sunken, Dronem was forced to travel alone as the group he led chose instead to make camp and huddle together by the campfire for warmth. Hoping to survive until home was found, or word could be sent to the Duke for rescue. Dronem became lost once their fire was out of sight, and the cold nipped at his consciousness, egging him into eternal sleep. The moon glistened above him, beckoning from behind a veil of clouds. It's silvery iridescent light whispering to him as he drifted on still-moving legs. With nothing left to lose and everything to gain, Dronem chose to follow the moon for several hours through a dark forest covered in shadow, with only his dimming torchlight to guide him.

The moon led him up a steep hill. Cresting it, panting and heaving for breath, the forest thinned just as the moon peered from behind its shadowy veil. To Dronem's horror, the moon which had guided him was dyed red as if bathed in the blood of those who perished that night. Below its eerie knife-like reddish-silver light was revealed fertile land bathed in red, ripe for settlement. The lakes and rivers awash in a bright glow of crimson. And for just a moment, a voice was heard. A primal ancient voice, setting his hair on end, whispered on the chill wind that the blood price had been paid for his wish to be granted.

Dronem plunged his torch into the ground as a sinking feeling ached in his gut, tearing his eyes away from the sight and hoping the last of it's light would linger. He had to find his people. Now. He scraped his foot along the ground in intervals as he ran making a poor path to guide them all back to where their new home awaited.

This trail-making was slow and when he finally found his people, their fire had long since burned out, leaving only cold ashes and death. Many had succumbed to the cold; too many, but not all. Of the thirty hopeful that had sought a new home, only five escaped with their lives. Barely. And instead of rejoicing upon finding their forever home, they felt as if they had sacrificed their friends and loved ones for this new paradise. A fool's errand. And so, the name Blood Moon stuck when Dronem told his people of the moon bathed in blood awaiting him at the crest of the hill. But the ancient voice he heard that night was a secret Dronem would never share with his people. It had either been a figment of a chill-addled mind, or something much more sinister that did not bode well. Either way, it was something best taken to the grave.

About your Count

Count Dronem has pledged Blood Moon County to The Anemoi Duchy and he has sworn his oath to Duke Nimb Zephyr XII who is a sworn protector of The Stone. The folks in The Anemoi Duchy are deeply involved in the Chronicles of Elyria as witnessed by their visible presence during The Searing Plague.

If this line is familiar, “You are standing at the end of a road before a small brick building, around you is a forest.” then you know that I started playing games with the classic Colossal Cave Adventure. That game was played on a Wang VS-100 dumb terminal after which I moved on to a TRS-80, to a Sinclair ZX80, to Commodore 64, Amiga 1000, Amiga 2000, Amiga 3000, then sadly I bowed to the inevitable and lowered my expectations and horizon to a never-ending line of MSDOS, then IBM compatible, and then self-made PCs. I now play World of Tanks, Eve Online, Star Citizen, and Chronicles of Elyria…….soon!

I happened upon Chronicles of Elyria on Kickstarter and the audacity of the developers and their vision captured my interest. It seemed to me that this was a game created by gamers for gamers. The contract system was unique and the idea that you grow old and die and therefore have to consider generational issues is wonderfully engrossing - MEOW anyone?

Whom do we seek?

The Anemoi is a great Duchy for those looking for mountains, forests and lakes - within this strong Duchy, the County of Blood Moon leans into the future through the hard work of industrious citizens who enjoy broad vision and zero drama.

We believe that by creating a proper environment for fun and growth we will attract like-minded citizens who seek to be surrounded by adventure and a warm community. Think of the embrace of Evening Shade not the chaos of Napoli.

We have a few organizations which plan to have HQS or Sects within Blood Moon County.

Why should you join us?

Just that - us. We are not them, we are us. Them is strange and hard and unfamiliar, us is warm and friendly and fun. Us is home. Duke Nimb Zephyr XII has stated, “Each member of the Duchy is part of our community and is treated like family. We stick up for our own and hunt down those who would harm or wrong anyone within our community.” Hear! Hear!

I didn’t get a harumpf outta that guy!