Neal Litherland
Bio
Neal Litherland is an author, freelance blogger, and RPG designer. A regular on the Chicago convention circuit, he works in a variety of genres.
Blog: Improved Initiative and The Literary Mercenary
Stories (338)
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Mistress of The Ardent Thorns
Caravor trembled. He was on his knees, and naked but for a sack over his head, and the manacles around his thick wrists. He heard footsteps in the room, and he felt his heart race. They stalked closer, the heels ringing on the stone floor.
By Neal Litherlandabout a month ago in Gamers
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Margrave held his sword in both hands. He was panting, and his face was a grimace of pain, but he stood as the last man on the practice field. Around him half a dozen others groaned, coughing, holding their ribs and clawing at their helms. A brass bell sounded, and Margrave lowered his blunted blade.
By Neal Litherland3 months ago in Gamers
The Gallowglass
There were four of them in the village square. Four men in hauberks with spears in-hand. They were confident in their numbers, and they'd let fly with insults they might normally have kept to themselves. They were baiting a bear, and doing it where all could see their foolish bravado in action.
By Neal Litherland4 months ago in Gamers
The Sanctified Killer
The arch deacon entered the chapel with no fanfare. She was not clothed in her ceremonial regalia, but only in her simple robes, the badge of her office emblazoned over her breast. She gestured for her two guardians to stay behind. Kostar opened his mouth to object, and the arch deacon raised an eyebrow.
By Neal Litherland8 months ago in Gamers
Waking Dogs, Part 3: War Hounds
(The first two parts of this story, Waking Dogs and Broken Chains can also be found on Vocal.) The Cage rang with the bellows of battle, the clash of steel, and the howls of those lost to frenzy. The space was lit by pyres of bodies stacked at either end of the arena, the burning dead filling the air with the smell of charred flesh and bubbling blood. Men and women fought and died, wielding bloody axes and spears, swords, mauls, and other brutal weapons. Some sparked with power fields, and others roared with ripping chain teeth, but others were older, cruder things. It didn’t matter in the end, for they all broke bones and rent flesh, letting out the rushing, spurting fluids that ran in rivers along the deck plates, dripping through rotting drains that seemed to greedily drink the offerings given to them.
By Neal Litherland9 months ago in Fiction
The Dispel Specialist
"Magic is both the sword and the shield. But it can be undone by more of the same." - Grigori Imoff, Master Unmaker Magic is one of the greatest tools that can be wielded in any roleplaying game. Not only that, but the higher one gets in level, the more and more of it they're going to have to deal with. From spellcasting enemies, to foes wielding deadly enchanted items, to dealing with the lingering arcane forces that lurk in ancient ruins, magic is a constant threat that adventurers have to deal with.
By Neal Litherland9 months ago in Gamers
