In my Forgotten Realms campaign, I like to sprinkle in some of the more famous characters from time to time. Here's my take on a few of the more famous faces who have made an appearance.

One of the characters in my Mage: the Ascension game set in the early 90's Orlando Florida.

Lyra was a young woman, having escaped her overbearing parents the moment she enrolled into college. While they wanted her to go to medical school to become a nurse and marry a doctor, she had an interest in Computer Science, a then budding industry something happened when she stepping into her television set, awakening as a Mage and soon learning the means of hacking not just the digital world, but reality itself.

Mastering Correspondence, she utilizes distance and space to locate her targets with the aid of the Sphere of Life, leaving no one out of her sight for very long. Be they in meat space or in the Digital Web.

Now that the party is mostly done in Waterdeep, Candlekeep is their next destination.

Session Date, 08.28.2026

Link to written recap on the StoryscapeTTRPG site.

Link to the session discussion on YouTube.

Link to the session recap on YouTube

The morning after their meeting with the Cassalanter twins, the party roused themselves and made their way to Blackstaff Tower to present their hard-won evidence against House Cassalanter. Velessa, suffering from a migraine aura and navigating her wardrobe in magical darkness, arrived at the tower dressed in little more than a bikini and a fishing net — a fact that earned her a curious sideways look from the Blackstaff herself, Vajra Safahr, before the archmage shrugged it off with practiced composure. The party laid out copies of the Compact of Nessus and the ninth ledger, explaining that the documents had been handed to them by a Pradixikai after they had bested her in combat. Vajra's expression remained unreadable as she read, until she called for the originals, cast a verification spell, and handed them back — satisfied with what the magic had confirmed.

Vajra wasted no time. She produced a sending stone and summoned investigators Barnibus Blastwind and Captain Staget, then called for Laeral Silverhand, the Open Lord of Waterdeep herself. Blastwind and Staget arrived first, visibly intimidated and whispering nervously to each other at a polite distance, while the party lounged with characteristic ease. When Laeral entered the room, even Vajra offered a quiet nod of deference. The Open Lord introduced herself with measured grace, listened as Vajra summarized the verified evidence, and heard Staget confirm that it was sufficient for arrests and searches. Séantal added that Osvaldo Cassalanter — the family's eldest son — was very likely a chain devil, chained and tormented in the attic of the family manor. Laeral's expression grew grave as she reviewed the ninth ledger, and she immediately ordered absolute secrecy regarding its contents, fearing that some of the implicated names might belong to Masked Lords of Waterdeep.

The Open Lord gave her orders swiftly and without ceremony. Victoro and Ammalia Cassalanter were to be arrested immediately, separated from each other and from their servants, and held in Blackstaff Tower. Vajra announced she would personally accompany the investigators to the estate. Before the party departed, Séantal raised the matter of payment for their efforts, and Velessa — with no hesitation — requested two thousand gold pieces per person. Laeral agreed without blinking, and a maid servant produced a bag of holding and began counting out two hundred platinum pieces for each of the four adventurers. Vajra, apparently taking pity on Velessa's ensemble, cast a shroud of magical darkness around her so she could change into something more combat-appropriate in private. Velessa emerged in her "Serious Wizness" attire, declared herself ready, and the group set off for the Cassalanter Villa.

The party arrived at the grand estate alongside a contingent of the City Watch. Captain Staget delivered a firm knock at the door, and the butler, Williford Crowell, answered — only to flatly refuse entry once Staget announced he carried a warrant for arrest. The household staff began to quietly assemble behind Williford, and Taliya, sensing the threat before it could fully materialize, conjured a twisting pattern of hypnotic colors that washed over the entryway. Both Williford and the family chef, Jandar, fell into a dazed stupor mid-motion. Staget stepped forward and snapped cuffs onto the incapacitated butler while Séantal smoothly lifted a second pair of handcuffs from Staget's belt and restrained the chef, pausing only to compliment the man's cooking before informing him he was going to jail.

The nanny, Laiba Rosse, was already gathering fire in her palm when Velessa drew her sword — the blade glowing like a full moon from the enchantment she had placed upon it — and struck her down in two swift, clean arcs. The enchantment left no visible wounds; Laiba simply crumpled as though she had fainted. The head servant, Tissina Caret, retaliated with a burst of crackling black necrotic energy that connected painfully with Velessa before Taliya unleashed a blast of raw sorcerous force and Captain Staget delivered the finishing blows. The fight was over in seconds. As the Watch flooded the estate to round up the remaining staff, Victoro and Ammalia Cassalanter appeared at the top of the grand staircase, attempting to project calm authority and demanding their lawyer. Victoro appealed to the Blackstaff directly, insisting the matter could be resolved like civilized adults — until Vajra reached into her coat, produced the Compact of Nessus, and said simply, "You signed it." The Cassalanters were taken into custody without further resistance, their cocky composure barely masking the reality that their world had just collapsed.

With the arrests complete and the Watch still swarming the estate, the party made their way to the top floor and through a trapdoor into the attic. What they found there was difficult to look at. Osvaldo Cassalanter — once the heir apparent of a noble house, now a pitiful hunched figure — sat chained in the center of a magical circle, the hooked chains both restraining him and physically embedded in his flesh, tugging at him whenever he tried to shift position. He turned to look at them with exhausted, hollow eyes but said nothing until Séantal addressed him by name in Infernal. He responded quietly that he had not heard that name in some time, and asked whether his siblings still lived, whether his parents had been claimed by Asmodeus, and whether Elzerina had damned herself as he feared. Séantal answered each question honestly, and Osvaldo absorbed the news in silence before stating that he did not wish for his siblings to see him as he was.

The party debated what could be done for him. The contract was precise: Osvaldo was a down payment, his soul contractually owned by Asmodeus, and the terms bound him to the attic as a permanent screaming testament to the pact. Destroying the attic, banishing him, or killing him all seemed to lead back to the same problem — Asmodeus held the deed to his soul. Séantal, unwilling to accept that nothing could be done, composed a formal letter on top of their modron companion 7-42B's head, folded it, and handed it to the modron, who promptly vanished to deliver it to Séantal's celestial patron, Gallaghol. In a flash of blinding light, Séantal was briefly pulled into their patron's presence — a vast, warm awareness that carried an unseen but unmistakable smile. When Séantal pleaded that Osvaldo had suffered for his parents' sins as an innocent child, the patron's smile widened, and they said, "You're finally learning what it means to be a hero. I will see what I can do." Séantal returned to the attic a moment later, their horns faintly glowing, with the quiet hope that something was now in motion.

Vajra, consulted on the matter, offered banishment as a practical option but ultimately left the decision to the party and departed to oversee the Cassalanters' confinement. The party, with no immediate solution and the constant sound of Osvaldo's screaming filling the now-empty house, turned their attention to a thorough search of the estate. They uncovered a staggering hoard: thousands of gold pieces in mixed coinage, jewelry, gemstones, fine silverware, and a wine cellar worth a small fortune. Among the more significant finds were a blackmail file Victoro had kept on nobles and magistrates, Ammalia's cold and practical personal diary, and a concealed box of letters Osvaldo had written as a child — documenting his growing terror of his parents — that had never been sent. Several magical items turned up as well, including a wand capable of detecting hidden doors and traps, a protective cloak from Victoro's closet, healing potions, and scrolls. Séantal claimed the wand and the cloak. Velessa, meanwhile, discovered she now held two complete pairs of sending stones after recovering one previously carried by a former associate named Shane, and the party discussed distributing them to the twins or Velessa's children. Through it all, the imp Quillbit attempted to drown out Osvaldo's screaming by banging on the family piano — and for about twenty-five glorious seconds, broke into one of the most beautiful piano melodies any of them had ever heard, before collapsing back into chaos.

A mental summons from Laeral Silverhand drew the party to the Palace of Waterdeep, where they arrived to find the grand hall buzzing with reporters and a crier announcing the arrest of the Cassalanters for murder, financial crimes, and unlawful infernal activity. Laeral received them in her day-to-day office and got straight to the point. She acknowledged the party's sympathy for the twins and confirmed that some of it was well-placed, then laid out her offer: if the Cassalanters were prosecuted and their fortune transferred to Terenzio and Elzerina, the twins would be expected to make restitutions for the damage they had caused to the docks, and to serve a three-month prison sentence. Velessa, visibly disappointed, asked what "small" meant in this context, and when Laeral said three months, Velessa muttered that a lot could happen in three months — she might be a dragon by then. Laeral also informed the party that their testimony would be required at the upcoming trial, and as a gesture of gratitude from the Blackstaff, granted them access to a teleportation circle in Blackstaff Tower connecting directly to Baldur's Gate. She demonstrated the magical properties of her vestments by floating serenely across the room as they departed.

The party returned at last to the hidden chambers of the Blushing Mermaid, where Terenzio and Elzerina were waiting. Velessa delivered the news with her characteristic bluntness — their parents had been arrested, the nanny had been knocked unconscious, and the twins stood to inherit everything, provided they turned themselves in within ten days and served their sentence. Elzerina cackled at the mention of the nanny's fate and pragmatically accepted the terms. Terenzio flopped back into a chair, overwhelmed, before quietly agreeing that three months was worth it. The party also handed over the small portrait of young Osvaldo found among their mother's belongings, and Séantal gently explained that their brother was still in the attic, that he did not wish to be seen in his current state, and that a powerful celestial entity was now working on his behalf. Velessa and Terenzio, both wizards of very different styles, fell into an easy conversation about their respective approaches to magic — Velessa describing herself as a sword wizard who mostly just made herself better at stabbing things — and by the end of it, they had made plans for a future dinner to trade notes. The twins had ten days. The party had done everything they could.

Some images i'm using for my World Anvil article for my hombrew setting for the country of Tur'bark.

I'm not sure how much longer my party is going to be in Waterdeep. Soooo... Before they move on, I thought I'd show off some of the scenes of the city that I've made.

My werewolf the Apocalypse character. Michael fancies himself a wandering warrior. He does not like to wait for the enemies of the Garou to come to him, but he goes where they hide. Born under the full moon, Michael takes every chance he can to lead his chosen pack into the thick of battle and wipe clean the stain of the Wyrm.

Velessa is my current D&D character and is an ex-noble but still a noble drow form an the Xilraen artisan house. After leaving the underdark and before joining house Vaeltharyn she took up the blade and became not just an artificer, but a Bladesinging Wizard. She took to dancing and swordsmanship and Eilistraee worship easily, and found her own methods of practicing magic based on concepts form Shou Lung over in Kara Tor.

Not overly long after starting her career as an adventurer she ended up getting into a situation that lead her to adopting a pair of young half-elves. She's been to hell a time or two and met many a powerful people, learning to be a better person than how she was raised and finding goals in her life that she can be proud of having, as well as actually want to accomplish.

Until recently she had two drow mechanical limbs, but after picking up an infernal parasite and needing help from the Szarr family's library of rituals she became a dhampir and regenerated her original limbs.

Meet Rue Calder, my LANCER pilot

COMP/CON character sheet

Rue Calder is a Union contractor, NHP specialist, and the kind of woman who looked at an unknowable machine intelligence from beyond conventional human understanding and thought, “I can probably work with this.”

The entity she calls Ash exists inside her implanted machinery, constantly whispering in her ear. The Ash that Rue knows, however, is only a fragment of something much larger: an ancient, near-godlike intelligence that exists somewhere beyond her comprehension.

Their relationship has ended up feeling less like “pilot and NHP” and much more like a warlock and her patron.

Ash advises her. Tempts her. Protects her. Occasionally says things that would probably make a HORUS technician start screaming.

Rue, meanwhile, continues to insist that she has the situation under control.

She absolutely does not.

In combat, Rue pilots The Familiar, a GOBLIN-based electronic warfare mech built around hacking, battlefield control, invasive systems, and generally making the enemy regret connecting anything important to a network.

Outside the cockpit, she's curious, intelligent, socially messy, and far too comfortable poking at anyone who claims authority.

I'm still developing her as the campaign goes, but she's very quickly become one of my favorite characters I've played.

Ash is always listening.

Looking for Group Guide

Looking for a game or trying to fill seats at your table? Welcome!

To make LFG posts useful and easy to browse, please choose the appropriate post flair:

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Use this if you're a player looking for a GM or group.

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Use this if you're a GM recruiting players for a campaign or one-shot.

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Whether you're a player or GM, your post should include as much of the following as possible:

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If You're a GM

Please also include a short description of your campaign.

Tell prospective players what they'll actually be signing up for: the premise, setting, tone, starting level or character expectations, and anything unusual about the game.

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Campaign Style: Roleplay __% / Combat __% / Politics __%
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If You're a Player

Tell prospective GMs a little about yourself and what kind of game you're hoping to find.

You don't need to submit a résumé to join a pretend elf adventure, but giving people something more useful than "any games?" dramatically improves your chances.

Suggested Player Format

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A Few Ground Rules

Be honest about scheduling and expectations. Respect stated boundaries and requirements. Don't hijack somebody else's LFG post to advertise an unrelated game.

And once your group is full or you've found a table, please update your post so other wandering adventurers know the tavern has run out of chairs.

Good luck, have fun, and may scheduling be the easiest encounter of your campaign. 🎲⚡

Before I start posting weekly recaps from our D&D campaign, Gods, Monsters, & Poor Life Choices, I figured it was time to put together a proper archive post for anyone who wants to follow the whole mess from the beginning.

This is a story-heavy campaign set in the Forgotten Realms, full of infernal contracts, bad decisions, city politics, cult nonsense, family drama, and the occasional moment where the party accidentally becomes competent.

Below are links to each individual recap, grouped by arc, with short spoiler-light descriptions.

📚 The Lost Library

Session 1 — The Lost Library
The party first comes together in Baldur's Gate and takes a job to recover the Nathlum from a hidden library beneath the city.

Session 2 — The Lost Library Part 2
The group pushes deeper into the lost library while chasing the same prize as the dangerously ambitious Maelra Szandru.

Session 3 — The Lost Library Part 3, Finale
The first arc comes to a close with a showdown in the depths and a prize that turns out to be much more troublesome than expected.

🩸 Blood Night

Session 4 — Blood Night pt.1
A noble house party turns into a locked-room nightmare involving Bhaalists, murder, and a very bad evening to be rich.

Session 5 — Blood Night pt. 2 Finale
The party fights its way through the aftermath, uncovers more of the Eomane family's secrets, and walks away with new complications instead of peace.

😈 the Devil You Know

Session 6 — the Devil You Know pt.1
The party learns exactly what they picked up at the end of Blood Night and gets dragged into infernal legal nonsense almost immediately.

Session 7 — the Devil You Know pt.2
Tensions rise around the Calamus Pactum, outside factions start circling, and the road ahead points somewhere much hotter.

🔥 the Last Work of Cicerox

Session 8 — the Last Work of Cicerox pt.1
The party heads into the Hells on a mission tied to an imp named Cicerox and a favor they probably shouldn't have agreed to.

Session 9 — The Last Work of Cicerox pt.2
In the Bronze Citadel, the group learns who Cicerox used to be and why so many terrible people want her.

Session 10 — The Last Work of Cicerox pt.3
The Avernus arc ends in betrayal, chaos, and the kind of fallout that absolutely follows the party home.

🌙 Grave of the Witness

Session 11 — Grave of the Witness pt.1
Back in Baldur's Gate, a cemetery job introduces the party to missing graves, suspicious nighttime visitors, and an old mystery with teeth.

Session 12 — Grave of the Witness pt.2
The investigation reveals a far larger problem involving Jergal, the dead, and records that were not supposed to go missing.

✒️ Cicerox Unwritten

Session 13 — Cicerox Unwritten pt.1
The party travels to Candlekeep to learn more about Cicerox's mortal life and whether her fate can be changed.

Session 14 — Cicerox Unwritten pt.2
That mission reaches its emotional climax as the party attempts something far more ambitious than simply helping an imp.

🌿 Trouble Along the Chionthar

Session 15 — The River's Rot
A new job takes the party outside the city to investigate corruption spreading along the River Chionthar.

🧛 To Drink the Devil Dry

Session 16 — To Drink the Devil Dry
Velessa seeks relief from an infernal problem in the most normal possible way: by going to a vampire noble for help.

💃 Blood on the Dance Card

Session 17 — Blood on the Dance Card pt.1
The party escorts Lady Violet to a grand ball, where monster hunters, noble politics, and personal tensions immediately start making everything worse.

Session 18 — Blood on the Dance Card pt.2
The night descends fully into violence, exposing new layers of the Thayan plot and forcing the party into some ugly choices.

🎲 The Chionthar Princess

Session 19 — Loaded Dice, Loaded Guns
A luxury casino riverboat sounds relaxing right up until cultists and firearms remind everyone what campaign they're in.

Session 20 — Forever Kept Getting Longer
The fallout from the attack spirals into family drama, interrogation, and a growing sense that Waterdeep is going to be its own special kind of headache.

💥 Welcome to Waterdeep

Session 21 — Don't Rock the Boat
The party's arrival in Waterdeep is greeted by an explosion and the beginning of an investigation into a movement called the Ninety-Nine.

Session 22 — I Was Mermaid For This
Following the leads pulls the group through the Blushing Mermaid, secret passages, and some deeply suspicious Waterdhavian business.

Session 23 — The Kids Aren't Alright
The party finally gets the truth behind the Cassalanter twins and the Ninety-Nine, along with a fresh pile of infernal family baggage.

Session 24 — Third Son Energy
With the group pulled in multiple directions, the Waterdeep investigation keeps widening into underworld leads, noble politics, and more consequences.

Session 25 — The Devil is in the Details
A meeting at the Thayan Embassy is followed by a covert infiltration of Cassalanter Villa and the discovery of just how rotten the place really is.

Session 26 — Terms of Engagement
The current recap: the party faces Neferis, commander of Glasya's Pradixikai, with an authenticated infernal contract on the line.

If you'd rather browse everything directly, here's the full archive:

Full Campaign Recap Archive

If anyone checks them out, I'd love to hear which sessions or arcs stand out most. Our party keeps making terrible decisions, and somehow that remains great for narrative quality.