Another blizzard, the falling snow kind, has come to Duluth.

I see that HRA offices are closed.

In addition to all those events being postponed; Cathy at the First Presbyterian Church texted me a message to tell me that she cancelled the scheduled five PM dinner and bingo.

I found more abandoned food

I found this abandoned food next to the Encounter Youth Center Building that is the home to the Cozy Hen Cheesecakes.  Abandoned food is something that I think that I could find featured in Half-Life 2 and again in Half-Life: Alyx as a random food resource in City 17.

I have thought that Half-Life player controlled characters should be able to restore health by eating ordinary food and drinking soda pop.  There should be easy ways to measure hunger and thirst, as well as simple game mechanics for eating food and safe to drink liquids.

I found this State Farm advertising sign

This bus bench sign is next to the Plaza Shopping Center, located at Second South Twelfth Ave East in my home city.  I think there should be more private advertising that supports public transportation.

As for the graffiti, Susan Crawford’s winning her Wisconsin Supreme Court race is a beautiful victory for upholding the law, while protecting the basic rights and freedoms guaranteed to Wisconsinites under the Wisconsin state constitution.

I bought a bottle of Faretti Decadent Biscotti Chocolate Biscotti Liqueur

People love to eat chocolate cupcakes and those are a type of bread.

What I found posted on King Manor, fifth floor bulletin board for March 29, 2025.

I’m happy that my dear friend Barbara Findley will have a second "Celebration of Life Day” at the North Pointe Resource Center / Rainbow Center.

Heroes of the Borderlands, Part 17

In conclusion, a published module is a list of choices for the players to have a few hours of collaborative fun.  By expanding the number of player character choices beyond those offered by the original module, our storytelling games become more entertaining for everyone at our tables.

Moreover, if this module is part of a larger campaign that runs for months or years; a thoughtful game master should look beyond the pages of this module, imagining how this module fits into their wider world.

I ate my first meal at Rocket Deli

This is Rocket Deli’s company logo.

This is the description of the sandwich that I ate.

This is very tasty sandwich that I ate.

Heroes of the Borderlands, Part 16

16.  Someone asked me these thought-provoking questions:  “What is the Keep in the “Keep on the Borderlands” module protecting?  Why spend so much time, effort, and money to build a keep at that isolated location, so far away from major settlements and large farms, instead of somewhere else?”

What can a Dungeon Master do to give this keep an overall narrative purpose, other than being a safe fortress to rest and resupply the party?  A Game Master should look beyond the pages of this module and see how it fits into the wider world.

First, the fortress could be protecting the profitable fur trade in this area, the same way that the Fort William fur trade post protected the fur trade in central Canada.  DMs should put fur trappers and fur merchants as PCs and/or NPCs inside and outside the Keep.  This link can give DMs ideas on how to build their frontier settlement.  https://fwhp.ca/

Second, the fortress could be protecting a plan to harvest trees around the Keep, build a large sawmill, and then send cut lumber, in large rafts down the river to Lawful cities and towns.  There also might be veins of metals or layers of coal under the ground around the Keep.

Third, imagine that the fortress could be protecting the river valley, to prevent the river from being used by a flotilla of Chaos cargo and passenger boats from invading the Lawful cities and towns along the river.

Fourth, the fortress could be protecting the trade carts and stagecoach passengers on the road and boat traffic on the river.  Base this adventure on Fort Boise that was a major rest and resupply trading post for Oregon Trail Travelers.

Fifth, the mesa (an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill) that the fortress is built upon could be protecting a secret.  This secret could be an underground temple of Law that was abandoned by a surface Chaos invasion tens of thousands of years ago.  Or, the secret could be a rumored dragon’s hoard of treasures located somewhere within the mesa.  Base this adventure on the ongoing treasure hunts on Oak Island.

Sixth, the fortress could be a forward operating base to encourage Lawful settlements in once lawful territory that hundreds of years ago were overrun by Chaos.  Imagine that this remote keep could be just one of a dozen such remote fortresses in a Lawful master plan to push Chaos back, while expanding the lands of law on a wide national border.  Think of how the ancient Roman Empire expanded from a modest settlement to one of the largest empires of the ancient world.  A lawful royal family planning to drive Chaos back for dozens or hundreds of miles will give the player characters many opportunities for collaborative storytelling.

What I found posted on King Manor, fourth floor bulletin board for March 26, 2025.

I hope to attend this fun gaming day this Friday at the North Pointe Resource Center / Rainbow Center.  I plan to bring Twixt, my favorite board game, to the event.

Heroes of the Borderlands, Page 15

15.  After that, determine who legally owns the land the Caves of Chaos is under.  If these Caves are owned by the Keep, then have the PCs ask the Castellan of the Keep to purchase the Caves of Chaos.  Give an option for the players’ party to use these caves and the land over these caves as their Bastions.  Owning this land will give the players rights to harvest timber and animals on the land - as well as excavating any resources under the ground.

Bear and Bunny

I found this illegal street art on the side of an abandoned, DTA bus shelter on the side of the Temple Opera Block.

I saw “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie”

I am surprised that Saberspark likes this movie!

Heroes of the Borderlands, Part 14

14. Have the Castellan of the Keep give service medals to surviving player characters, while making arrangements for dead player characters to be buried in stone coffins at the Keep’s underground crypt, or be resurrected or reincarnated.  The Castellan will also write letters of recommendation for future employment.  These letters could open the way for more dangerous assignments, more dangerous foes, and larger rewards.

What I found posted on King Manor, fifth floor bulletin board for March 24, 2025.

I found fewer posters that are posted on this bulletin board.

This is my bread made with peach wine.

I love to eat bread that is made with wine.

Heroes of the Borderlands, Part 13

13.  Moreover, information of the evil priest’s background allows the party to know if the priest is willingly working with Chaos, or was his mind enslaved by a relic of evil.  If his mind was unwillingly enslaved by evil Chaos, have at least one option for the PCs to free his mind from that evil.  The priest’s family may pay the player characters money for the priest to be returned to them, dead or alive.

Within a dust covered book, there are records of where and who made Shrine artifacts.  The sacrificial altar was made with stone not found within or near the Caves of Chaos.  Thus, this large stone was made and then infused with Chaos magic somewhere else; then it was moved with great expense to the Chaos Shrine.  Likewise, the mundane artifacts such as the tapestries depicting obscene images, to the magical infused such as the 4 ancient bronze vessels designed to hold blood from sacrificed victims made to come from outside the Caves of Chaos.

Finding out where and who made these Chaos artifacts will be an important intelligence advantage to Lawful people.  For example, the maker’s mark stamped on the bottom of the bronze vessels will point to the craftsperson that made these vessels.  A maker’s mark is found on the bottom of a vessel, which is a stamped mark being a sign of the person or workshop responsible for its production.  This information will then trigger future quests, where the player characters are asked to seek out and then destroy workshops that create Chaos artifacts, while bringing those who make these vile Chaos artifacts to justice.

There could be humorous letters where the chief priest asks for money to build a stone wall around the entire ravine to prevent Lawful soldiers from walking into the caves.  There would be a large, tall gatehouse (a type of fortified gateway) between the ravine and the road.

In another letter, his senior priest or priestess wrote to him in arrogant and condescending words a reply letter denying building the wall due to lack of money and skilled stone workers.  The point is to show the players that Chaos has a limited amount of money and resources, along with making stupid judgments.

Note:  These eye-opening letters show the absurdity of Chaos that invests huge amounts of planning to build the Chaos Shrine around a crack in reality; investing the money, resources, and labor building the Chaos Shrine; but then rejects building a wall and gatehouse protecting the Chaos Caves from Lawful invasion.

Spilled food on the sidewalk

Why do people spill edible food on the east side of the sidewalk on North Second Avenue East?  Is being a public nuisance, such as feeding birds and rodents, listed on some brainsick bucket list?  I hate the idea that edible food given freely to the needy; would become a disgusting mess that other people will have to take time and effort to clean up.

Blue Face Art on the North Second Avenue West Parking Ramp

Decades ago, I remember my mother parking our family car within this big parking ramp.  That big parking ramp has been closed for many years.

 

I believe those graffiti vandals must have brought ladders with them to paint that large fresco.

Heroes of the Borderlands, Part 12

12. Search the Chaos Shrine to find the Shrine records.  (A Shrine this important to Chaos would create several important documents.)  In turn, the PCs will find out who his higher ranking priests are, (this evil priest needs to give monthly reports to and take new commands from higher level priests who administer the Shrine from a distance), plans on how the Chaos Lords plan to take over the Keep, (the Chaos Lords know that the inhabitants of the Keep are a threat to the Caves of Chaos), how the Chaos soldiers gets supplies, and when the Chaos soldiers are paid by a once a month payroll wagon.

(These Chaos soldiers are evil, yet they still need to be paid for their hard labor and to make up for their abysmal working conditions.  This is the reason why the hostile NPCs here are carrying money.  DMs should feature an amoral merchant and their merchant wagon loaded with trade goods; providing a market for the hostile NPCs to spend their money on.  The Caves of Chaos is a place few are willing to make their homes.  Taking over the payroll wagon before it gets to the Caves of Chaos will demoralize the Chaos soldiers, and encourage a few to leave for better opportunities elsewhere.)

What really grinds my gears in Duluth, Minnesota?

When I found this abandoned box full of strawberries on the sidewalk like this, that display of stupidly really grinds my gears.

 

First, this is a thoughtless act of littering.

 

Second, this wastes an entire box full of editable food.

Barbara Findley

Barbara’s happy “Celebration of Life” was held at the Harrison Community Center.  This building is at 3002 West Third Street, Duluth Minnesota United States of America.  I found this outside the Harrison Community Center.

I found this next to the front door of the Harrison Community Center.

I found this photo essay a few feet away from the front door of the Harrison Community Center.

Heroes of the Borderlands, Part 11

11. This module’s dramatic climax battle happens when the Shrine of Evil Chaos is conquered and thus unable to be used to offer blood and souls sacrifices to an evil immortal.  In this location, there is a tiny crack in the fabric of reality that connects the Material Plane to the Lower Planes.  That crack is an ideal location for the Chaos sacrificial altar to give blood and souls to an evil immortal.

If these Chaos sacrificial altars could be located anywhere; then why not build one under the Keep?  Documenting the main reason why the Chaos sacrificial altars are located here - could give Lawful people an edge on finding and then destroying other Chaos sacrificial altars.

Closing that crack will be a great benefit to Lawful people who live or travel within that river valley.  The long-term impacts on Chaos, if Lawful people destroy many Chaos sacrificial altars, are up to each individual DM to decide.

First, this destruction of a Chaos Shrine will attract the attention of both Chaos and Lawful immortals.  Second, this will lead the player character to seek out and then destroy more Chaos Shrines.  Will this one event start a war where Chaos and Law attack each other’s shrines and temples?

My idea for a graphic novel based on an online role-playing game

Background:  I would love to design and then play within full sensory dive virtual reality worlds similar to the fictional for now, Matrix movies.  Imagine playing in the Dungeons and Dragons world of Dragonlance / world of Krynn where the simulation allows you to visit the Inn of the Last Home, where you drink fine ale and eat spiced potatoes.

The one problem that I have with stories such as Only Sense Online or Sword Art Online is that each game company has only one game.  Real game companies publish several types of games.  Thus, my novel would describe a family friendly world similar to Friendship is Magic and a world for mature audiences similar to Game of Thrones, published by the same company.  All these gamers signed contracts that describe what experiences they are promised to have, as well as penalties for the game company for breaking their contracts.  These games last for one year at a time; due to the expense of hooking up a human brain to the VR world.

You ask me, where is the conflict?  An angry employee wishing to damage the VR game company sends gamers of the family friendly world to the mature world; while sending the mature world players to the family friendly world.  These two separated groups of gamers are able to send text and video messages to each other, while they deal with VR worlds that they are unprepared to live in.

I acknowledge that my idea is a slight difference to already successful stories.  But, my story would be fun to read about.

Image text:  Imagine a story about one, online virtual reality game company that makes two completely different worlds.  One world is a family friendly world, filled with cute PC - NPC characters, slice of life adventures, following the comedy genre.

The other world is a mature world, where injury and death is commonplace.  It is designed for the players to live in an amoral, dystopian, and violent world of the speculative fiction genre.  It is up to the players to decide if they want to reform this amoral society, or to indulge in this world’s ingrained antisocial behavior.

Heroes of the Borderlands, Part 10

10.  Create a table of special events for the Keep and another for the Caves of Chaos.  Special events include funerals, local secular and religious holidays, the arrival of resupply wagons, the arrival of traveling merchants, and weddings.  Two NPCs, an NPC and PC, or 2 PCs can get married.  Such an event would be a great role-playing event.  For example, the Castellan could marry a NPC or a PC creating a big role-playing event for the Keep.

For inspiration for holidays, review the “National Day Calendar” web site:

https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/

Note:  The Keep chapel is a “Union Station” of worship, where all Lawful gods are worshiped without favoritism.

Note:  A Giant Ant Queen decides to create an ant colony under the Keep; while another Giant Ant Queen decides to create her ant colony under the Caves of Chaos.  The more these ants eat NPCs, the more numerous the ants become.  The more numerous the ants become, the more they eat the NPCs.  Imagine the leaders of the Keep and the leaders of the Caves of Chaos cooperating to destroy the ant colonies that threaten the population of this river valley.

Spring Cleaning Checklist

This checklist is a useful to do and done list for cleaning my home or your home.

Spring cleaning presentation

Join Lilly and Madysen at the North Pointe Resource Center for a presentation about spring cleaning.  We will be going over tips and tricks, and the importance of spring cleaning.  There will be snacks and refreshments during this presentation.

My Snack N Waffles is made with Chicken Sausage and Cheese

I know this because it is written on the wrapper.

This is the waffle that seems small for an adult appetite.

Heroes of the Borderlands, Part 9

9. If you are a DM, please remind your player characters that there are a set number of days or weeks to finish an individual task.  Failure to meet that deadline results in dire and/or deadly problems for the inhabitants of the Keep as well as the travelers on the road and river.  The overarching goal of the module is to take down the Shrine of Evil Chaos, before it becomes a serious threat to the safety of the inhabitants of the Keep.

Keeping the Keep in Lawful control will cost much less in lives and resources, than attempting to retake the Keep from the control of Chaos soldiers.  If Chaos takes over the Keep, the entire river valley would be at risk of being taken over by Chaos.  Imagine the river valley being similar to the Columbia River starting from the headwaters in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, to the Pacific Ocean.

For a DM, starting characters should be assigned “Low stakes” assignments.  Low Stakes refers to a situation, activity, or assessment where the potential consequences or risks of failure or poor performance are relatively minor or insignificant.  As characters rise in rank, skills, and income raise their assignment stakes.

April events at the First Presbyterian Church of Duluth

I hope that my readers can attend these events.

My very tasty meal at the First Presbyterian Church of Duluth

This is my main course.

This is my dessert.

Heroes of the Borderlands, Part 8

8. Add sources of safe drinking water and latrines.  This gives player characters opportunities to capture inhabitants of the Caves of Chaos.  Once captured, players can question the inhabitants and/or bring these people to the Keep to be questioned by the Keep officers.

Heroes of the Borderlands, Part 7

7.  If you have Chaos spies in the Keep, then have Lawful spies in the Caves of Chaos.  It is up to the game master to determine if these Lawful spies trust the player characters with their lives or not.

This is my bread made with Risata Blueberry Semi Sweet Wine

This tasty Blueberry Wine bread is popular with my friends at the North Pointe Resource Center / Rainbow Center.

Heroes of the Borderlands, Part 6

6.  Any mining for mundane or magical metals should be located in the nearby Cave of the Unknown.  This mine should include ore-moving devices, such as mining carts on railroad tracks, rock crushers, a metallurgical furnace used for smelting, valuable metal ingots in a room with a locked door, and a slag heap.

I wish all my readers a happy Saint Patrick's Day.

My very good meal at the First Presbyterian Church of Duluth

I find this well-designed placemat art and message.

I also find this well-designed placemat art and message.

This is my tasty lunch at the First Presbyterian Church of Duluth.

Heroes of the Borderlands, Part 5

5.  From the map, we see that in some places the river is as wide as the Keep.  Thus, I see that the wide river would be used for transportation for people and freight.  Between the river and the Keep, create a boat and barge basin, cargo teamsters, and a passenger carriage for important people visiting the Keep.  Also, describe an enclosed, riverboat construction warehouse and a slipway, boat ramp.  For some money, a family of boat builders will be happy to build the player characters a riverboat to use as a mobile bastion.

In addition, have a boat owned by the national postal service.  The riverboat has a crew of postal employees that are responsible for both letters and packages to be delivered to and from the Keep.  When the boat is tied to a pier, windows in the hull allow the riverboat to become a mobile post office.

The player characters need to be able to send and receive letters and packages from their families, mentors, and/or leaders of a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) such as a temple or a community service organization such as the Harpers of the Forgotten Realms.

In addition, the player characters’ mentors, nobles, and NGO leaders could write the player characters letters of Recommendation to the Castellan of the Keep.  Such correspondence will give the PCs more credibility in the mind of the Castellan.

Imagine adding a road that follows the path of the river.  This road is for the transport of passengers and freight, and doubles as a towpath allowing wagons or pulling beasts such as mules to pull barges and riverboats.  The player characters can get part-time jobs in a road maintenance crew.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towpath

Heroes of the Borderlands, Part 4

4. Each faction within the Caves of Chaos would also have gardens or farms providing them with food.  Without gardens and farms to provide them with food, players that capture wagons or boats filled with food and other supplies intended for the Caves of Chaos would weaken the ability of the Chaos soldiers to fight the player characters.

Near the Caves of Chaos, plants and the food and drugs such as marijuana grown by the plants are poisoned by the evil energy of Chaos.  This Chaos poisoned food and drugs is so addicting that this food and drugs draws the inhabitants here and then their addictions keep them here.  Without these Chaos poisoned food and drugs, there is no convincing reason for the majority of the cave’s inhabitants to remain in the caves.  For all I know, Chaos has no national dental plan for their Chaos soldiers.  Therefore, the Chaos soldiers will leave these caves to seek better lives for themselves and their families elsewhere.

We read that the poison of Chaos unnaturally twists or kills any plants growing in the deep ravine.  This is one way to turn this background information into something that has an important impact on game play.

Toothbrush

I found this abandoned toothbrush in the DTA bus shelter at East Superior Street and North Thirteenth Avenue East.

Workers are making progress building Lakeview at 333 East Superior Street.

I love to see the building exterior façade starting to be bolted onto the Lakeview.

Heroes of the Borderlands, Part 3

3. Create planted fields, farm buildings, and farmers around the Keep.  One extended family of five adults and seven adolescent children is sufficient to grow all the food needed by the Keep.  The inhabitants of the Keep would need a food source.  This food would be easy to grow and Keep without refrigeration, such as rice, pickles, and freshwater fish caught by a professional fisherman and a fisherwoman from the nearby river.  They could hire the player characters for a few days of work.

Otherwise, all the food eaten or beverages drank by the inhabitants of the isolated Keep, as well as their draft animals, would need to be brought in by wagon, or by riverboat.  Such vulnerable supply chains would put the safety of the Keep in danger, by Chaos soldiers that siege the Keep.

Note:  There would be a grass and hay fields for gazing draft animals.  There is also a barn for keeping the draft animals safe at night.  Space in the barn would be provided for wagons and stagecoaches.

Pastoret Terrace, another view from First Street

I’m surprised that part of the outside wall of the Pastoret Terrace is still standing.