viernes, 1 de enero de 2010

FOTOS DE LA PRIMERA PARTIDA BETA

¡Hola a todos!

La primera entrada del año nuevo de una bitácora tan abarrotada como esta, o de cualquier otra ya puestos, es siempre recordada. Así que por eso he hecho trampas con el tiempo y retrasado la publicación de esta información hasta ahora.

A continuación os pongo las mejores fotos de la Partida "Beta" de mi juego de rol, que celebramos el pasado domingo 27 de Diciembre en casa de Adrián, uno de los dibujantes. ¡Espero que las disfruteis!

Aprovecho para dar las gracias, de nuevo, y por enésima vez, a todos los participantes. Amigos míos cuya presencia y sacrificio valoro mucho, y que me ayudaron a ver las muchas virtudes y (¡gracias a Dios!) pocos defectos de este ambicioso proyecto que tengo entre manos.

Las imágenes originales son el doble de grandes y poseen más resolución. Si quereis verlas todas, el enlace al álbum está al final de la página.

Los cuatro participantes de la partida. En los extremos están Adrián (izquierda) y Gonzalo (derecha), los dos dibujantes. En el centro Enrique y Bea, los jugadores invitados. Cada uno sostiene la miniatura de su personaje, todas de mi colección personal, haciendo honor a cada personaje. Gonzalo, además, sostiene la primera hoja de las cuatro que conforman la hoja de cada personaje, con un dibujo de su personaje hecho en el hueco durante los minutos de explicación de las reglas. La partida estaba a punto de empezar...


Primer reto: Explorar la entrada a la Base Espacial, abandonada tras una larga batalla (el resto de la información es TOP SECRET - CLASIFICADO) Enrique, el Enano, asume los riesgos de ir el primero mientras los demás personajes se mantienen en un discreto segundo plano. Nadie sabe lo que podrían encontrar en un lugar tan desolado...


Tras encontrar pavorosos restos que apuntan hacia desenlaces dramáticos y terroríficos, los personajes enfrentan el largo pasillo hacia la puerta de salida de este módulo de la Estación. Gracias a la visión en la oscuridad del enano saben que no hay nadie que se interponga en su camino. Al menos enfrente de ellos...


Enrique emplea el "Método Stanislavski" para interpretar mejor a su personaje.

El pasillo espera el momento más inesperado para revelar sus sorpresas ocultas... y que no será ahora. Esta foto se hizo cuando paramos para comer.


Detalle de la mesa principal -la mesa del Director de Juego. En primer plano tenemos los dibujos de Gonzalo. Terminó su personaje y se puso con la elfa, que tenía detalle... Claro, era -¡y es!- más "tentadora" que el enano.


¡Detrás de la pantalla del Director de Juego no había nada! ¿Por qué? Porque todo estaba dentro del ordenador. La magia de los USB, que hace innecesario cargar con libros -en este caso, además, porque los libros son documentos PDF de trabajo. Pero tener la pantalla contribuye a crear ambiente, a "mantener el misterio".


El portátil de Adrián. El USB de la izquierda es el mío. En pantalla tenemos, a la izquierda, la aventura en formato PDF. A la derecha, la lista de canciones. Me gusta poner música para crear ambiente para cada escena y combate. En total usé más de veinte canciones para todas las situaciones, entre las posibles y las inevitables.


Necesitamos dos mesas de playa enteras para el mapa desplegado y las fichas de personaje de Enrique y Bea.


¡Cuidado! ¿Qué sucede? Cuando los personajes están inspeccionando los mandos de la puerta de acceso al siguiente módulo de la Estación unos globos de luz beatífica aparecen detrás de los personajes, que se transforman en dos repentinas figuras...


... con aspecto de hermosas y bondadosas mujeres vestidas completamente de blanco. ¿Quiénes son? ¿Qué quieren? Empiezan a hablar y con su voz cautivan a los personajes. Los jugadores se enfrentan a su primera disyuntiva. ¿Deben hacer caso a las advertencias de estos seres desconocidos o arriesgarse por su cuenta? Bea sacó una extraordinaria tirada en Ocultismo y decidieron que era mejor despedirse educadamente y seguir cada grupo por su camino...


En las entrañas de la estación los personajes sufren una emboscada a manos de un número que casi doblaba el suyo, ¡y armados hasta los dientes! Pero la veteranía de los personajes de los jugadores se impone, y en el caos y fortuna de la batalla los personajes se alzan victoriosos. ¡Victoria! La guerra es un mundo cruel donde debes ser rápido y tener puntería. La batalla no llegó a durar un minuto dentro del juego; como pasa en la vida real cuando hay una trifulca entre tipos armados con ametralladoras a quemarropa. Las reglas de combate demostraron ser tan realistas como yo esperaba. Y necesariamente letales. Adrián se adjudicó el primer crítico en una tirada del juego, con una pesada ametralladora de plasma contra un pobre desgraciado... ni siquiera nos molestamos en tirar los dados.


Gonzalo Arrivi Duarte: Un artista compulsivo que lleva el "Arte" hasta en el nombre (Du-Arte)


El primer reto serio: Atravesar un pasillo de columnas con cuatro francotiradores expertos y atrincherados. El enano lanzó una redoma como una granada y entre una llamarada de fuego apareció un tipo armado con dos sables y experto en artes marciales que comenzó a limpiar el camino. Aún no había matado a nadie, pero os aseguro que el tipo de negro a su lado duró diez segundos, es decir, dos rondas.


Con dos tiradores muertos, los personajes se atreven a avanzar. Saben que deben limpiar ese nido de ratas con coraje y determinación. El hombre armado con dos espadas murió acribillado, pero mejor él que uno de los personajes principales, ¿verdad? Además, al enano no se le habían acabado los trucos...


... pues una hermosa y valiente valkiria emergió del fuego de otra redoma arrojada. Una guerrera en toda regla que contribuyó a despejar el camino.


Aquella hermosa aparición, nacida de los recuerdos casi míticos de tiempos pretéritos, no se asustaba del fuego de plasma y los disparos. Acuchilló a sus enemigos con velocidad y con fuerza, y a sus manos murieron muchos, impotentes ante la fiereza majestuosa de los golpes de su brillante acero. ¡Dios, cómo me emociono de recordarlo!


Los personajes principales se mantuvieron a salvo detrás de las columnas, con el soldado cibernético, Adrián, apoyando con los disparos de su ciberametralladora de plasma. A pesar de la dificultad intrínseca de los disparos consiguió alcanzar a varios; se notó la veteranía del personaje, y la habilidad con los dados de Adrián, que contribuyeron a conseguir la victoria de los personajes jugadores.


La valkiria atrajo los disparos, pero no consiquieron herirla apenas. Casi ella sola limpió el camino hasta la Sala de Control de la Estación.


Ya en la Sala de Control los personajes se enfrentan a un dantesco panorama de cadáveres salvajemente destripados. Dos mujeres con aspecto de magos guardan la entrada, y el jefe de la estación, armado con una espada, obedece las órdenes impartidas por un siniestro personaje: Un hombre disfrazado de Anubis, el Dios Chacal de los mitos egipcios.


El jefe de la estación, un respetable científico que era en realidad un sanguinario vampiro disfrazado, les asegura con un dramático discurso que la Oscuridad prevalecerá, que están perdidos, y que sus esfuerzos quedarán en nada... lo que asusta una barbaridad cuando te lo dice un tipo bañado en la sangre de sus enemigos, muertos a sus manos, y despedazados a su alrededor (¡y con la Banda Sonora de "Drácula, de Bram Stoker", sonando de fondo!).


Pero antes de alcanzarle, los personajes deben decidir qué hacer con las peligrosas bellezas que son sus guardaespaldas...


Los personajes de los jugadores se enfrentan a poderes sobrenaturales, a magos, hechiceros y adoradores de terribles dioses, capaces de desencadenar los más terribles y misteriosos poderes.


Se hace necesario pensar con calma el siguiente movimiento...


Mientras los jugadores deciden qué hacer los acontecimientos se precipitan: El hombre disfrazado de Anubis se esfuma a través de un Portal, pero no antes de arrojar unos enigmáticos polvos de los que brotan seis guerreros de Anubis, con pinta de pocos amigos.


Los personajes pasan a la acción: La elfa echa a volar y ataca con su espada mágica a la hechicera voladora; el enano lanza sus últimas redomas e invoca a sus últimos y mejores guerreros, que aplastan a los guerreros de Anubis; el soldado de Adrián contribuye a la matanza con su ametralladora. El guerrero en armadura de Gonzalo intenta electrocutar a la otra hechicera con su guante eléctrico y... ¡PIFIA! ¡De repente, su arma principal queda inutilizada!


El vampiro se teletransporta junto a los personajes rezagados dispuesto a poner a fin a esta situación por la vía rápida. Los personajes sienten la mordida del acero del gran villano; el enano es atravesado y el soldado a duras penas puede mantenerse en pie. La elfa y el guerrero de armadura potenciada deben acudir al rescate del último de sus compañeros...


... y en ese momento la pistola del soldado se encasquilla y queda inservible. Ahora debe confiar en su ametralladora, que consume muchas cargas, lo que significa que le quedan un puñado de disparos -en el mejor de los casos.


Una panorámica de la apurada situación: ¡A pesar de los golpes de las espadas de Gonzalo y Bea el Vampiro parece resistirlo todo! Es cuestión de tiempo que las malas tiradas del vampiro pasen, se sobreponga, y empiece a exterminar a los bravos protagonistas...


Adrián se lo juega todo a una carta: Ajusta el masivo cañón ametralladora para una pasada de ametrallamiento que consumirá las últimas cargas que le quedan de su batería, y además con penalizadores a la tirada por estar herido. Tira y... ¡CRÍTICO! El vampiro se ve inmerso en una lluvia de fuego de plasma que acaba con su vida justo cuando la situación parecía perdida.


¡VICTORIA! ¡VICTORIA! ¡LA VICTORIA ES NUESTRA!

La aventura fue tan trepidante y desesperada como he contado, o más, porque esto es un resúmen y no he contado la angustia y la tensión de las rápidas rondas, donde las draconianas -pero realistas- reglas de combate hacen de cada tirada un mundo... pero está bien porque mantiene despiertos a los jugadores, resueltos y alerta. Nada de D&D, donde a altos niveles las armas están pensadas para "herir"; aquí, aunque seas un supertipo te matan igual como te pillen bien pillado. Como en la vida real, vamos.

Para ver todas las fotos, incluso las borrosas, podeis consultar mi álbum:

http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd230/bohemiozzz/BETA%20LYOGE%20Domingo%2027-12-2009/?start=0

Espero que os hayan gustado las fotos y el resúmen. Si alguien tiene algo que comentar, que por favor lo diga. ¡Fue un placer vivir esta aventura, y espero que vengan muchas más! ¡Cuento con todos vosotros, amigos!

Estoy preparando una serie de aventuras cortas que tendrán como principal trasfondo e inspiración mi serie de dibujos animados favorita. Una que encaja muy bien con este estilo de juego de rol, donde lo científico, lo mágico, y lo espiritual se dan la mano: Ulises XXXI.

¡Cuento con todos vosotros para la próxima partida!

Ah, y ¡FELIZ AÑO 2010!

jueves, 31 de diciembre de 2009

¡FELIZ AÑO NUEVO 2010!

Aprovecho la última entrada del año para cumplir con mi obligación:



Gracias a todos por estar ahí y servirme de inspiración. Os adjunto un práctico calendario:


Prometo que la primera entrada del año será... inolvidable. Y muy digna. Tachán, tachán...

Charmed Wikia - The Source Of All Evil

Fuente:

http://charmed.wikia.com/wiki/The_Source_of_All_Evil

Información:

The Source of All Evil

From Charmed

The Source Of All Evil is the title that represents the most powerful demon and ruler of the Underworld.

Contents

[show]

edit Background

It appears that the Source itself is not any specific demon, but actually a very ancient ethereal entity of supreme supernatural evil and magical power. Its M.O. over the ages has been to move into the body of each demon that held the position of the Source, gradually absorbing/integrating the powers, personality, and memories of each said demon into itself. Therefore, each demon that defeated other demons to hold the position of the Source, including defeating a previous Source, would over a long enough period of time literally become the same Source possessing the new host and its body with all his powers. It does not appear that this was generally known to most Demons.

Each time the Source moves into a new host a ceremony must take place crowning Him/Her as the putative ruler of demon kind and in full control of the underworld. The coronation must be conducted by a Dark Priest and requires that The Source be touching the ancient and powerful demonic Grimoire, evil's equivalent to the Book of Shadows.

The first and most noted Source introduced in the series had a tattooed face that, as finally revealed on screen late into his time, was partially mutilated from battles with other Powerful Upper Level demons which brought him to power. ("Charmed and Dangerous") Among his many demonic powers: throwing fireballs,energy balls, teleportation (with flames), manipulating flame, shape-shifting, summoning demons and evil beings, mind control, and possession. He sent numerous demons after the Halliwell sisters. His greatest victory came when Prue was killed by his assassin Shax. ("All Hell Breaks Loose")

edit History

The show’s first season saw two warlocks, under the aliases Rex Buckland and Hannah Webster, stalking and attempting to murder the three Charmed Ones. In the episode The Witch Is Back, Buckland mentions having failed a mysterious “He”, after the 17th century warlock Matthew Tate, was unsuccessful in killing the sisters. The two agree that by outing the Halliwells as descendants of Melinda Warren (and thus, as the Charmed Ones) that it wasn't a complete failure, a feat which would buy them time to vanquish the sisters themselves. Following this, Buckland and Webster expose themselves as warlocks to the Charmed Ones, when they attempt to steal their powers, but fail in killing them. This leads to Webster being seen spontaneously combusting, screaming out in pain “wait, it wasn’t my fault. I didn’t fail”, whilst being vanquished by an off-screen and unknown force. It is likely, that these two warlocks were hired by the Source to kill the Charmed Ones, the mysterious “He” who vanquished them when they failed in their mission. "(Wicca Envy)" Even before their deaths, in the episode “The Wedding from Hell”, one can note that the two warlocks were invited to the wedding of Hecate, the so-called “Queen of the Underworld”, thus illustrating the fact that they were remotely connected with the royal hierarchy of the Underworld.

In Give Me a Sign, Litvack refers to the Source as his boss. After the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse failed to end the world, the Source vanquished them (though he was not actually shown on screen, as in "Wicca Envy", we do know that it was him because it was mentioned throughout the episode that only the Source could kill them and also at the end that it was the Source who was keeping the vortex open and killing them.) ("Apocalypse, Not")

The Source is talked about all through the season mainly by demons who he sends to kill the Charmed Ones. The first time he is seen, is during the third season finale, after his assassin Shax tried to kill a good doctor the Source wanted dead. In the end, he kills the Charmed One Prue Halliwell, destroying the Power of Three. ("All Hell Breaks Loose")


the source in the crystal cage

The Source renewed his war against the Charmed Ones after they were reconstituted despite his best efforts to preempt this by swaying Paige Matthews to his side. ("Charmed Again, Part 1") He made several attempts on the Charmed Ones' lives and their powers, including putting Piper into a coma in order to force her to give up her powers, ("Brain Drain") and taking in the Hollow, an ancient formless being which has the power to absorb all magic, and, if not contained, destroy the entire world. He was successful in stealing their powers, but Cole Turner took in The Hollow, and stole the Source's power when he threw a fireball at him. The Charmed Ones then vanquished the Source the only way possible: calling all of the magic from their entire family line. ("Charmed and Dangerous")

However, after his death, his powers and his spirit were absorbed by Cole (who was mortal at the time), and he possessed Cole, who eventually became the new Source. Cole had attained the full control of the powers of the source and in a ceremony that involved the evil Grimoire, the dark counterpart to the Book of Shadows he became strong enough to rule the underworld. The possessed Cole was killed by the Charmed Ones shortly after his official reign began. ("Long Live the Queen")

After Cole's first physical death, his widow, Phoebe, was carrying their child, whose darker half was intensified by a tonic potion created by The Seer and given to Phoebe (who was prevented from having the child be a powerful being of good that was of her and of Cole, via her unknowingly being bound in her "dark" wedding ceremony to the Source) grew powerful enough that he could control his mother from the womb. The unborn child was stolen by The Seer in her bid to become the new Source, but in the end both were vanquished for good. ("Womb Raider")


Four years later, an unnamed possessor demon invaded the body of a woman named Mandi, in order to manipulate Piper and Leo's son Wyatt. She then used Wyatt's incredible powers to bring the previous half-faced Source back from the dead (which would possibly be right out of the belly of the serpent-like beast of the Demonic Wasteland, but this was killed in Series 5 so there would have to be more than one.). This also again makes the point that Cole Turner wasn't the Source in and of himself, but was possessed by the Source (or Cole would have returned instead of the half-faced Source, when Wyatt's powers were used to bring back the Source). However, Leo, along with the Charmed Ones' protege Billie Jenkins, trapped in Magic School with no way to get home, realized the school has been taken over by evil, and discovered the demon's plan. Shortly after, they found a spell to return Billie, who warned the Charmed Ones, who in return went to Magic School to rescue Leo. Meanwhile, Leo stayed in the school to watch over Wyatt. Although he was disguised from the world, the Source sensed that he was in fact the Charmed Ones' former Whitelighter. The Charmed Ones arrived just in time, and Piper vanquished the unnamed demon, and with it the resurrected Source, as their magic was interconnected. ("Desperate Housewitches")

edit Spells

[edit] To call upon our Ancestors

  • Used to vanquish the Source
Prudence, Penelope
Patricia, Melinda...
Astrid, Helena
Laura and Grace
Halliwell Witches
Stand strong beside us
Vanquish this evil
from time and space

edit The Half-faced Source

The Source
Phoebe kicks the Source while levitating

The first host of the supreme entity of supernatural evil known as The Source encountered by The Charmed Ones. This Source had been in power and in control of the underworld for thousands of years, disfiguring his face in his battle to host the ancient entity.

Higher-level demons were able to communicate with The Source through swirling balls of supernatural fire, and all demons were able to sense his glory, as a reminder of his power. In turn The Source was able to sense and summon all of his subjects, especially if they focused their concentration on locating him, but few demons ever met this Source, and even fewer saw his disfigured face.

The Source had many powers including pyrokinesis, telekinesis, Immortality, Immunity, Regenration, adjusting, reconstitution, flaming, sensing and possession; was able to phase, appearing as a non-corporeal entity; cast flameballs and force blasts; could move at extremely fast speeds; generate electrical fields; shapeshift and even transform. The Source was also telepathic, able to read ‘souls’; and minds and project and hear thoughts, even across dimensions; create mental illusions; and cloud minds, subtly influencing them.

On the rare occasion that he was injured The Source gushed black blood, while his very presence was enough to momentarily disrupt electrical systems and lights.

[edit] Notes

  • He was responsible for incarcerating the powerful demon Zankou ("Witchness Protection") and the demon Tall Man ("Womb Raider"). Because of this, some speculate that the damage to his face in his battles for power may have been at the hands of Zankou.
  • He is also responsible for banishing numerous beings from the underworld, such as: vampires, wizards, Kurzon, and even possibly Hecate.
The Source about to throw a fireball.
  • On Charmed, when Hecate appeared, it was said that she was the Queen of the Underworld - meaning that it is possible that she was with the Source during that time. After the Charmed Ones defeated her, she fled back to the Underworld, and never appeared later on in the series. Possibly, this was because The Source vanquished her or banished her, but there could be other reasons. It is also possible that she simply considered herself Queen of the Underworld, and was in some sort of power struggle with the Source. However, this is most likely simply one of the many errors of the writers -- the Source at the point was considerably more powerful and experienced than the Charmed Ones, and thus the Source would have no problem defeating her, and probably would not respect someone as weak as her, not to mention the fact that there is virtually no mention of the Source or the Underworld until season two.
  • When the Source appeared for the first time in season 3, he was dressed in a red robe with a red hood covering his face ("All Hell Breaks Loose"). He had large wings attached to his back, and was holding a sword. In season 4, he was only dressed in a black robe with a black hood covering his face. He was also considerably less stout (as he was no longer played by Michael Bailey Smith).
  • The color of the Source's hands hands changed three times. From black to red, and from red to white.
  • His face remained covered until one of the guardians (the evil one) of The Hollow zapped him with a lightning strike. The Source then rose with his face finally showing, keeping the hood off since.
  • Only upper level demons and the Charmed Ones have seen his face.
  • The Source once shapeshifted the Seer so as to disguise her from the Charmed Ones.
  • Actor Peter Woodward, who portrayed the half faced Source, also appears as the demon Aku in the season seven episodes "Someone To Witch Over Me" and "Ordinary Witches".
  • The amount of power Zankou possesed may have been the reason The Source imprisoned him and didn't vanquish him: he may have simply been too powerful for The Source to vanquish given the amount of power he possesed and how he seemed stronger than The Source.

edit Cole Turner as the Source

When the original Source was vanquished, his evil and power had already been absorbed by The Hollow and were able to survive to be reborn within Cole Turner. With his demon half vanquished, a void was left within him until the entity of The Source filled it making him demonic again.
Cole after absorbing the Source's power.

After being absorbed into Cole by the power of The Hollow the weakened spirit of The Source only had subconscious control of it’s new body, but quickly gained both strength and power to completely subdue Cole’s personality, taking over his body near-absolutely. This first manifested itself when Phoebe asked Cole if there was something he wasn't telling her (at the end of "The Three Faces of Phoebe") but after some hesitation he replied no, in spite of the fact that he'd clearly been hiding something all day. Though it wore Cole's mortal body The Source was recognised by the flaming black eyes it would sometimes display to demons to gain their obedience.

From there, he would hatch a plan involving setting up events for Phoebe Halliwell to marry him in a dark wedding ceremony and conceive a demonic heir, then for him to take over the Underworld and kill the Charmed Ones (either in the process or afterwards). However, there was one piece of of Cole's humanity the Source was unable to overcome: the former Belthazor's now intrinsic love for Phoebe. This forced the Source to integrate that love into its being and work it into its plans. The results of this included helping to save Paige (who he intensely disliked at the time and vice versa) from the Vampire Queen who was coming after his throne, getting the power broker demon to remove the bad powers that were driving Paige insane (in spite of the fact that he was actually enjoying taking advantage of this to torture her), and, as Cole became strong enough through said love for Phoebe to force the Source to work with him, even a nearly successful transfer of the Source from Cole Turner to a crafty wizard. Ironically, it would be this same love returned by Phoebe which would cause her (along with the couple's demonic spawn inside her) to interrupt the transfer by destroying the wizard, forcing Cole and Phoebe to embrace evil together as the new Source and his Queen. Again ironically, as Phoebe could not fully immerse herself in the role due to hormonal fits and a just-as-intrinsic desire to be with her family and to be good, this ended up as Source Cole's downfall.
Cole and Phoebe as the Source and his Queen.

As other Sources had before him this Source possessed a great array of powers; including fireballs; flaming; molecular control; telekinesis; shapeshifting, immortality, regeneration, invulnerability, with almost no magical power able to permanently harm him; and telepathy capable of both reading and manipulating minds; but by far his most important ability was his shielding against the power of premonition. While his evil side held strong Phoebe’s power was completely useless on him, guaranteeing his true nature remained a secret from The Charmed Ones until his coronation granted him access to his full powers as The Source. This made it very useful that he was strong enough for a time to near-completely suppress the humanity within him.

The Source’s greatest ally was the Seer, though she closely guarded her true evil agendas. As the only supreme power in the Underworld, this Source brought about an unprecedented alliance between different demonic races while also finally eradicating the entire clan of Vampires that was after his throne.

The Source as Cole Turner was finally vanquished by the sisters: Piper, Leo and Paige orbed to Cole's loft and battled him. Piper blew him up twice but he reconstituted himself both times. Paige tried to encase him in a crystal cage again, but he stopped her. However, Phoebe rejoined her sisters and completed the cage. The three then vanquished him again with the same spell that they used the first time. His vanquish as Cole freed Cole from his power and he got absorbed along with all of his powers by the beast in the Demonic Wasteland.

edit Heir

The Source-child's power affects Phoebe.
The Seer appearing as the new Source.
Cole's widow, Phoebe, was carrying the child of The Source, who was transformed into a being of pure evil thanks to a tonic fed to his mother by the Seer. The child was now able to control his mother from the womb. The unborn child was stolen by The Seer, who placed it in her own womb, thus gaining the power of the Source's heir, in her bid to become the new Source, but in the end both were vanquished for good by the Charmed Ones when they forced the Seer to tap into the child's full power in her attempt to vanquish them. This power was too great for her to contain and the unborn Source self-destructed taking the Seer and the Infernal Council with him.