The Mysteries of Baroque: It’s Alive! Alive!

Originally posted on site on November 29, 2019

My brother, Dr. Tony Prosser, joins me to play through Mysteries of Baroque, as Morgan de Winter. Morgan wakes up only to find that they have been dead for a year. Now, they must learn of what they’ve missed, aid their new friend, and work towards their vengeance on their killer. 

The Monthly Agenda (October 2020)

Only three months left until 2020 is over. I’m hoping 2021 can be better, but until then, let’s get with this month’s agenda.

I am proud to say that I am back to recording podcasts and have published some at Anchor. I am going to continue recording podcasts, and this month, I am going to get done with video editing to upload it. My overall goal this month is to have all of my online content, my videos and podcasts, stored on this website. I cannot guarantee access will be easy but they’ll be here, and that’s a start.

Unfortunately, despite what I said during last month’s agenda, I see no feasible way to have my radio show converted into a podcast. This is due to the fact that my show was pushed back to be later at night and I am now more tired during my show. I want to give a good performance with my podcasts and I don’t think it will work out. I still recommend that you follow me on Twitter to listen to the show live.

To make up for this project no longer happening, I will make two announcements now. The first is that I will be uploading a video of me performing stand-up comedy during a talent show. Now, while I do have some concerns about the video and how funny it is, I want to get myself as a comedian out there. The second is that I will be writing a currently untitled poetry book based on the writings I’ve written in college. This book will not be published until after I graduate, which will be a long time, but it is something to look forward to at least.

Finally, although it is a month away, National Novel Writing Month is coming this November, and I do intend to take part as I have in previous years. It was two years ago that I wrote the first draft of The House of Virgil for NaNoWriMo and I intend to write out a new idea. How this will affect my future book publishing and chronology has yet to be seen.

Let’s get through the rest of this year together. Take care.

Until next time.

The Monthly Agenda (September 2020)

With the summer coming to an end with the start of September, it’s time for a new monthly agenda.

There’s going to be some good news, and quite a bit of neutral or bad news. I will explain all of it in no particular order, but I am going to try to leave on some good news.

To start off, I will be working on the next entry of the Journal of Darius Ballester this week. The game he is a part of is done post by post on our own time, so it can be quite a bit slow at times. Once I post the next entry, I will have mostly caught up, because I only write these entries after the day ends for Darius. I will try to push the rest of the group to making new posts.

Regarding podcasts, it’s time to admit something that I have been in denial about for so long. I started out podcasts with me narrating choose your own adventure games for a guest player. That is something I still want to do but most of my plans for more games are likely not going to happen. The pandemic has made social distancing a priority, and many of the guests I had planned are graduating and moving on with their lives. I am hoping to find time to continue Mysteries of Baroque and Runt of the Litter, but for now, I am going to have to put most of these projects on hiatus.

However, that does not mean I am done with podcasts (I call myself Chance the Podcaster for a reason). My series, Running Curse of Strahd, will continue, with the next podcast expected to air later in the month. While episodes will be limited given that its based on an adventure module with a set ending, I likely will look into talking about other adventure modules afterwards, which will be announced when it is official.

Moving onto videos, there was a small delay in collecting footage when I received a new computer, but not only is that delay over, but there will be a better video quality with future videos (I still have some footage from my old computer I’ll be using but afterwards, it’ll all be new). Now that I have adjusted to college living, I am ready to return to the computer lab (practicing the rules in place to limit COVID exposure) and get to editing the Iron Man Series and Overwatch highlights.

With the website layout, my main focus will be getting all of my old and new content somewhere on this website. I will look into making the layout more easy to use in future months, especially when the semester break approaches.

As I said, I wanted to leave off on some good news, and that good news is the announcement of two new projects. The first is tentatively named Gravoll’s Expedition Log. It will be a series of writing entries made from the perspective of Gravoll, an orc fighter, as I play him through Tomb of Annihilation. As with the Journal of Darius Ballester, I will only write about a day’s events after the day is over, so I cannot give a time on when the first entry is up. Additionally, the dungeon master did warn me player death is very likely, and although I am confident, an early death would either cut the series short, or lead me to rebranding the series after a new character.

I am still working out the details of the second project, but I am going to talk about the background. I am enrolled in a radio program where I do get to have my own radio show. You can catch updates on The Tonight Show with Chance Prosser on my Twitter, such as when to listen. Given that this is a in-the-moment kind of deal, I am looking for a way for people who are busy to catch up on my show, and I’m thinking that it will be done in form of a podcast. I have no intention of just making a podcast showing the music I play (that would fall under copyright, I assume) but I am interested in taking my talking, when there is no music, and compiling it all together for a podcast. This is just a rough idea that I am hoping to test out, which could be as soon as next week.

2020 is almost over and I am glad for it, but I am going to keep up with the content for everyone to enjoy.

Until next time.

The Monthly Agenda (August 2020)

Welcome to this month’s agenda, and there’s going to be quite a bit to discuss.

To start off, I’d like to just take a quick moment on the House of Virgil, the book I published last month. It is a big success on my part and I look forward to what comes next. I intend to take some time advertising the book as much as I can, to get it out there for more people to read. In addition to advertisement, I have already started working on a sequel as well as another story. While I do not have a specific time in mind for when to expect either, I’d like to think that they’ll both be out 2021.

There was a bit of a delay with the next entry of the Journal of Darius Ballester. Not only was there a character death to take into account, but two players dropped out of the game, so I needed to bring in two new players. Writing about that took a little bit more thought, but now that I have written it, I should be able to continue, as long as the campaign itself continues.

Unfortunately, between the traveling and the celebration over my book, I have fallen behind in several other areas, such as continuing to improve the website’s layout and posting more podcasts and videos. Thankfully, moving on, that shouldn’t be a problem, as I will be moving back to campus towards the middle of the month, where I will have the resources to record podcasts and edit videos. In the meantime, I will continue writing scripts for the podcasts and record game play for the Iron Man Challenge series. I won’t say that there will be more content immediately after I move back, but the transition will be there.

Finally, I’d just like to say that August 10th is my birthday, where I will be turning 21. It’s going to be a pretty big deal. How will this effect what goes on in the site? Well, I’ve thought about making an announcement regarding a new project, but I’m kind of divided on the subject. On one hand, I feel like it could be a nice tradition to have each year. On the other hand, I am very much behind on a lot of another projects. I’ll be thinking about it, so there may or may not be a post on the 10th. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Summer break is about over, but I’ll still be hard at work providing content for everyone to enjoy.

Until next time.

The Journal of Darius Ballester, Day 3

It is with a heavy heart that I write the events that took place today, as it was earlier today that everything started to fall apart. How I wish that I could go back to more simpler times, away from this cursed land, for I would still have some of my old friends by my side.

Disaster struck when we woke up and searched the rest of the house for possible treasure. In one room, we found a statue of a man holding a dark orb. Titus reached up for the orb as the boy touched the statue. I’m not sure what triggered it, but afterwards, we were assaulted by five shadows. They surprised us and focused on those two and I, as I fought to protect them, with Eliza and Len firing magical spells.  We had to be careful when facing their blows, or else they would drain us of our strength. 

During the battle, I was left with a choice: I could choose to save Titus, who was drained multiple times by a single shadow, or save the boy, who faced two of the creatures at once. In that moment, I fought to aid the boy, hoping that I could deal with his shadows fast enough to save Titus. In the end, I was not fast enough to save my old friend, who fell to the ground when he no longer had the strength to support his armor, and was promptly struck down.

The shadows were defeated but we had lost one of our own. We made the decision to leave the house with Titus’ corpse in tow. That proved to be difficult as the house tried to kill us by emitting poisonous smoke from the chimneys and trying to cut us down with spinning blades at any doorways. It was rough but the four of us managed to escape, although we were injured. We were outside, freed from the house, which turned back to normal. Strangely enough, we found a gift basket with a bottle of wine, welcoming us to Barovia.

My companions made the choice to take some of Titus’ belongings, as he had no longer needed it. Although I do not approve of taking what belonged to my former comrade, I did decide to grab a letter from the guild he served at. It was my intention to bring it to his family or friends away from Barovia to let them know what happened to Titus. Then, we set his body in the house, and set it all aflame. Although I thought Titus deserved better than to be among the ashes of a cursed house, I knew that a shadow would emerge from his body had we not done it. I took some comfort believing that the house was destroyed for good and that we were saving others from it.

We sought out the tavern so that we could rest and recover in peace. It was at the Blood on the Vine that we learned how terrible this land was. While we drowned out our sorrows with wine, two adventurers overheard us: Balli, a pragmatic dwarf warrior, and Kolkori, a half-orc of few words. They told us that they too had lost their companions to that house a month ago, and while they burnt it down to the ground, it came back. It tore me apart to hear not only that my efforts to keep others safe was doomed to fail, but that there was no escaping Barovia either, under the cruel rule of Strahd von Zarovich.

Another man, a native to Barovia named Ismark, told us that the letter that had sent us to Barovia was fake, and gave us the letter the real burgomaster sent for us. He tried to warn us away from Barovia, as his family was haunted by a vampire, but alas, it was too late for us. Ismark suggested we go to see Kolyan, as it was not too late to save Ireena, and gave us directions to his house before leaving. My companions and I decided to rest before going to see him, with Kolkari and Balli agreeing to join us. 

We met later that night at the tavern, although we were now short two. I do not know where they went, but Len and the boy were missing. All that was left of my old group was Eliza. The loss of Titus weighed heavily on me still, even with Eliza to comfort me. Then, there was the idea of who would lead us now that he was gone. I do not think that Eliza wants to lead while I am still uncertain on if Kolkori or Balli will follow us. With that in mind, the duty of leadership may very well fall onto me, although how I will do with that is beyond me.

The four of us left for the burgomaster’s house, only to find it in shambles, as it had seemingly endured many attacks. We met Ireena for the first time, as she kept the doors closed for us, accusing us to be spies of Strahd. Our attempts to change her mind failed, and it was only by the intervention of Ismark, who revealed himself as her older brother, that we were granted entrance into the house. Ismark’s heritage wasn’t the only secret he kept from us: that Kolyan is dead within a makeshift coffin, as his heart couldn’t bear the constant assaults from Strahd’s minions. 

They explained how Strahd had already bitten Ireena twice, and upon their next meeting, he would turn her into a vampire spawn. Ismark asked us to escort him and Ireena to Vallaki, a town which opposes the reign of Strahd. Ireena insisted that her father is buried before leaving, despite the threat to her life and Ismark’s comments that the church’s priest, Father Donavich, was quite mad. Although he couldn’t be buried until dawn, per the religion they followed, Ismark led the way so that we could carry the coffin to the church.

On our way, we met two strangers. The first, an old native to the land named Morgantha, was seen giving baked pies and taking children. There was some debate on how we should handle that situation, which I learned was normal in Barovia. While I wanted to strike her down for her evil ways, I was convinced otherwise, with Balli and Eliza coercing Morgantha to release the child. The second was a fellow adventurer, a half-elf woman named Stephanie who was “chosen” by her goddess. She was timid and easy to startle, and as she was on her way to the church as well, so she decided to join us.

We dropped off the coffin and entered the church together. I realized that Ismark was quite right with his assessment of Father Donavich, whose voice was hoarse from praying for his son, who was chained up in the basement, screaming. The priest explained that his son, Doru, joined a mage who attempted to overthrow Strahd, but returned as a vampire spawn a year ago. This led to a rather large debate among the group on how we should deal with Donavich and Doru. Balli and Stephanie thought that Doru could be saved, while I wanted to strike him down, for vampire spawn are evil, and my oath to Torm requires me to strike down any evil I come across. Eliza pulled me aside and convinced me to hold my blade for now, although I am not sure how intact my oath will be if I continue pushing aside slaying creatures of darkness.

Donavich promised that he would bury Kolyan come morning, and that we would come to the funeral. On the way out, Stephanie purposely sought out Morgantha, who she met prior. I stayed away from the conversation, as I did not want to have the conversation of whether I should act or not a third time tonight. From Morgantha, Stephanie learned of a temple in the mountains which held ancient lore, which could possibly have the secret of saving Doru. Stephanie agreed to join us to Vallaki, as it was on the way to this temple. We retired back to our rooms to sleep until morning.

I do not know where my path will take me, for I’ve been told there is no escape from Barovia. I believe this may all be a test from Torm, as to how my oath will remain in this land of darkness, as well as an opportunity to deliver justice upon the forces of darkness. Although I have lost many friends, I now have a new quest before me, and that is to protect the children of Kolyan. I just pray that when the time comes, I will be able to stand against Strahd himself.

House of Virgil Announcement

As promised, I am here to announce that my first novel, the House of Virgil, has been published on Amazon.

I’ve dreamed of being a writer for most of my life. I’ve worked on various writing projects through middle and high school, but most of the time, I left one project incomplete to move onto the next one.

Back in November 2018, for National Novel Writing Month, I decided to write the “origin story” of one of my characters for a roleplaying game. I managed to complete it in time, and afterwards, I thought I had a good story that was worth sharing. The editing process may have taken me a bit of time, and schoolwork kept me busy, but at long last, the House of Virgil is up on Amazon (which provided me a way to self-publish my work).

I’d also like to thank Rebekah Nelson for creating the wonderful cover. Idefinitely wouldn’t be able to do something like that on my own. I’m a writer, not an artist.

The House of Virgil is up on Amazon for $9.99. If you’d like, I would really appreciate it if you could share the news with your friends. 

The Monthly Agenda, (July 2020)

It’s the first of July, summer break’s just about halfway over, and it’s time for a new monthly agenda.

I’m still working on the website’s layout. I am pleased to announce that there is a search bar, which can help search for previous posts. At the moment, it is a good way look for posts until I can find a way to show all the posts. Continuing to improve the layout of the site for easier access is still a top priority.

Regarding videos and podcasts, as you may have noticed from a recent Twitter post, I have launched the Iron Man Challenge video. At the moment, I am going to try to focus on posting videos and podcasts directly on the site. Between the renovations going on at my house and the dogs barking with the Fourth of July approaching, recording new podcasts and editing videos isn’t viable (the video mentioned previously was mostly done with editing to begin with). When everything clears up, I will get back on these projects, and until then, I will write the scripts for podcasts and record more game play on my computer.

While I did say that the House of Virgil would have been published last month, there were problems that came up. During formatting the template, there was an error to save it, and I had to do it all over again. The manuscript is done and I am working with my cover book artist on finishing the cover. Provided nothing pops up and Amazon allows it, the House of Virgil will be up this month. I will provide an update post when it is up for sale.

Finally, progress on the Journal of Darius Ballester is going well. A lot of exciting stuff has happened during my playthrough of Curse of Strahd, and I can’t wait to write and share from my character’s perspective. Expect more updates over the break.

I hope that everyone is enjoying their break and I look forward to sharing more content here.

Until next time.

The Journal of Darius Ballester, Day 2

We’ve awoken in the house, and continued on with our investigation. Sure enough, we found a secret door leading to an attic, and there, we found the children’s room. The children, Rose and Thorn, were locked in their bedroom and starved to death. It sickened me to realize how terrible their family was and hoped they found some peace in whatever afterlife awaits them.

Sadly, that is not the case, for their spirits haunted their bedroom. They were supportive of us and showed the way to the basement, which can only be accessed through a secret door. When we tried to leave, Rose and Thorn grew agitated, for they were afraid of being left behind. Rose ended up possessing Eliza, and I was possessed by Thorn. 

I am thankful to say that the possession still left me in control, but Thorn left a notable impact in my head. I was suddenly afraid of everything, including the stairs that led down to the basement. Titus chided me for my childish fear, and I do not blame him at all. I hate to share the details even in my journal about my fear of everything, but I will say that there were times where I broke into tears because I was so afraid. As a paladin of Torm, who took an oath to destroy any evil plague that threatens the common people, this was highly embarrassing. Eliza was of great help during this shift of personality. I am certain her possession made her more assertive and she helped me through my fears.

Thankfully, our possessions did not last for long. We ended up finding the tombs the children were supposed to be buried in. We brought their corpses to the tombs and laid them to rest, and the ghosts left us be. I am thankful that my courage returned to me and pray to Torm for forgiveness for my weakness. I hope that I may never experience such overwhelming fear again.

We searched the remaining tombs, which belonged to the rest of the family. We were briefly assailed by a swarm of insects. There was an extra tomb, which had Titus’ name engraved on the door. The tomb was empty, although Titus swore that his corpse was in the coffin. I hope that my companion was only just seeing things, although I’m not sure what that means for us.

Over time, we explored the rest of the basement, with ominous chanting keeping us on our toes. We encountered a grick, which Len and the boy were able to deal with their magic. Titus unlocked several treasure chests of treasure belonging to the cultists. Titus deemed that the silver shortsword would go to me, which I am sure will prove to be valuable. We both chided Len for wanting to wear an eyepatch with a gem and use a hairbrush with silver bristles. They were treasure to be sold, not to be used, and I am sure that once we find a merchant, we will have plenty of gold coins to go around.

We grew closer to the source of the chanting after encountering a pack of ghouls that we dispatched with ease. I still hear the chanting in my head at night. “He is the Ancient. He is the Land.” We went deeper into the house’s basement, to find a room of shallow water blocked by a portcullis. I lifted up the portcullis for the group, and we arrived on a platform with an altar. The chanting changed as spectral figures emerged. “One must die! One must die!” The spirits of the cultists were calling for us to sacrifice one of our own.

Of course, given our bond from our shared adventures, and our will to live, we would not entertain the notion of sacrificing one of our own. In turn, the cultists unleashed a beast upon us called Lorgath the Decayer. We were tired by this point, so we knew fighting it head on would not help. Titus and Len led the group to a secret door that served as a better exit than the sealed portcullis. I realized that Lorgath could attack us as we entered, so I made the choice to hold the line against the monster so my companions could escape.

Lorgath and I traded blows. Even with a portion of Torm’s divinity strengthening my blows and powers, Lorgath was too strong, and he nearly downed me in a single blow. Titus told me to run through the door, which I told him that I couldn’t do so and close the door in time. Len would close the door for me as I slipped through Lorgath’s grasp and entered the secret room as Len closed the door.

We were not safe yet though. I could sense Lorgath heading towards the portcullis, and after enduring a single strike from the monster, I knew it could easily tear down the metal gate. I healed myself to the best of my ability as I quickly rushed over to join the fray. The rest of the group was wearing down Lorgath the Decayer with everything they had, but the monster approached to the point that Titus and the boy were running by the time I arrived. Lorgath would continue to stalk us as long as it lived, so I knew that I must destroy it for good. I called upon Torm’s blessing for one last time, and charged forward with my halberd. With a single strike, I utterly destroyed Lorgath, which was only made possible through my companions weakening it down for me.

The group congratulated me on my victory, which I am thankful for. We then decided to rest for the night. I wanted to leave this cursed house after everything we’ve been through. Titus, however, was insistent on searching a few remaining rooms for any treasure. I hope that whatever treasure we find will be worth our time.

The Monthly Agenda (June 2020)

It’s the start of another month, which means it’s time to discuss the agenda moving forward.

I set several jobs for myself last month. I have taken small steps to improving the site’s layout, including adding my Twitter to the page site. There is still a lot that needs to be improved, but those changes will be made as I move along. I hope to continue to take steps to improve the site.

As of yesterday, I have published the first creative writing piece for the site. The Journal of Darius Ballester will be of my paladin’s account of the events that take place during his adventure through the Curse of Strahd. The campaign is going slow right now, as we are in the middle of having players come in and out. Still, I am confident that will be a continuous series, provided that Darius doesn’t die.

I would also like to provide a quick update on my book. To start off, the title has been changed to the House of Virgil, as I thought the previous title was too long. At long last, it will be up on Amazon later this month. The cover art is nearly done and I have been hard at work finishing last minute editing and formatting. As said before, there will be a separate post to announce the book when it is up.

Regarding the videos, there is good news, bad news, and some extra news to balance the bad news. The good news is that I will be posting my Iron Man Challenge video within the month, and hope to provide further updates. The bad news is that I will be postponing the Dungeons and Dragons character creation video. This was a school project, and although I received a good grade, I am not happy enough with the final product to post. I hope to work with some of my friends sometime in the future to improve it. To balance the postponing of the series, I will be posting a highlight reel of some Overwatch game play during the anniversary event.

Just a quick update on the podcasts. I may not have been able to record more during last month, but I do have plans to continue them. There will be more podcasts as I record them, and I intend to update the site to show all previously recorded podcasts on Anchor.

Summer break will be a time to relax from school before I have to go back to campus. Still, I hope to be able to complete some of these projects for your viewing benefit.

Until next time.