Long ago, Orcs prided themselves on their skill as marauding raiders. At first, raiding was simply the only way that they could get by. Their homeland was resource-scarce so it was only by raiding established settlements that they could gather any resources. For centuries, Orcs roamed the land pillaging everything they could. But, such a lifestyle cannot be maintained forever, so something had to change eventually.
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Map of Europe After the Partition of Russia
Devil Dogs: Werewolves in the USMC
The United States military has always made heavy use of the various non-human creatures that inhabit their nation. However, no group is represented more strongly than werewolves. In terms of both raw numbers and the percentage of the population, werewolves are better represented in the US military than any other non-human species. While their raw numbers don’t equal the human service personnel, as a percentage of the total werewolf population they beat the humans by an order of magnitude.
Continue reading “Devil Dogs: Werewolves in the USMC”Shang-Chi: A Showcase of the Difference Between the Action and Martial Arts Genres
From a cinephile standpoint, it is pretty easy to regard the past decade’s deluge of Superhero movies as simply the latest trend in the Action Genre. People who are not fond of this genre of movies will often complain of how sick they are of all of the superheroes. However, those that are fond of the Action Genre have been able to recognize how the various Superhero movies have been hitting the various subgenres to Action.
Continue reading “Shang-Chi: A Showcase of the Difference Between the Action and Martial Arts Genres”The Three Sides of the Cold War
In the present day, it is easy to explain the Cold War as simply tensions between the Romanian Empire and their allies vs the United States and their allies. However, the full history of the conflict is much more complicated and involves a long progression of international power struggles between different ideologies. Most importantly, the modern conflict often ignores a third long-term major faction: the USSR and their allies.
Continue reading “The Three Sides of the Cold War”Aquatic Vampires
Vampires are the origin for many of the stories about mermaids and sirens. Long ago, a group of vampires decided to hide from the sun by going deep underwater. They found that this also had the benefit of keeping them safe from vampire hunters. After all, no one questions people going missing at sea and, even if they do, it is hard to attack a vampire lair 100 feet below the water.
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The rule of the Chieftan Rurik of Novgorod is one that would one day be recognized as one of the most influential reigns in Russian history. It was his reign that laid the groundwork for a united Rus’ ruling over the bulk of Eastern Europe. However, it was a single gift he bestowed upon his daughter Helga that would shape military theory in Europe until the modern day by creating an order of royal warriors known as the Princesses of Blood (Царевна Крови or Tsarevna Krovi in modern Russian).
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Every religion on Earth has tales of what happens after death. Some of these stories are so incompatible with each other that it has led many to conclude that it is impossible for them to all be true. What they don’t realize is that this assumption is incorrect and every religion has a piece of the full story.
Continue reading “Options in the Afterlife”Modern Necromancy
Necromancy is an ancient school of magic. Since the dawn of time, magic users have been using magical techniques to control and interact with dead spirits. Some ancient cultures held a great respect for such magic users, but in Medieval Europe, the attitude was different. In both Christianity and the popular versions of paganism at the time, Necromancy in any form was looked down upon. Opinions ranged from seeing it as disrespectful to the deceased to seeing it as actively unholy, but seeing it as a negative was universal. That all changed with the death of Ivar the Boneless.
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Let me tell you about the pirate ship Clairvoyance. It’s crewed entirely by a hodge-podge of bush mages who are bringing together a wide diversity of magical talents. None of them are exceptionally powerful and as individuals any of them can have circles run around them by any Royal Navy Wizard. But, when working together they are incredibly effective. Unmatched at sea when it comes to tracking their quarry, laying ambushes at sea, and then disappearing without a trace.
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Crayshack 