Behind the Screens

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  • The Chronicles of Dengril: Cordelia’s Saga

    A castle on a bluff.
    A castle on a bluff.
    In Sigil, there’s a faction known as the Sensates. They love experiencing everything. I mean literally everything. If it can affect any or all of their five senses, they must partake. When I picked up my most recent client at one of their compounds, I inadvertently walked into the wrong chamber and caught sight of some kinky things that even normal kinky people would find too kinky. I will not talk about it further.

    Anyway, it was after this particular job escorting a frost giant who wanted to visit the elemental plane of fire and needed some protection from the elements that I met a young human bard named Cordelia. Whip smart and charming as hell, Cordelia was the finest player of her instrument I’d ever heard. Of course, until she told me it was called an “oboe,” I had no idea what it was and wouldn’t have known if she was actually the best or not, but it sounded fantastic.

    She had a most fascinating tale to tell and so I bought her a glass of wine and listened to her story of derring-do. I’ll let her explain.

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  • The Night of Unending Hail

    This is the front yard alongside the house. There's an icy flow of water heading away from me in this picture and coalescing in a run-off towards our backyard and the aforementioned lake. Noteworthy is you can see where the eaves of the house are by the long line of clear terrain.
    This is the front yard alongside the house. There’s an icy flow of water heading away from me in this picture and coalescing in a run-off towards our backyard and the aforementioned lake. Noteworthy is you can see where the eaves of the house are by the long line of clear terrain.
    For more than an hour, the pitter-patter of icy feet tapped danced on our roof here in Springfield, MO. Sunday evening, Mar. 13, 2016 will be a memorable date thanks to the three-hour downpour that dumped 5-inches of rain in the Springfield area that night.

    The power flickered a few time, but only once did it knock me offline, rendering hours worth of work moot. Thankfully, much of that work had been saved or auto-saved, so I didn’t need to redo anything.

    Yet, it was a night of activity. As the hail-soaked rain continued to flood our area, waters in the street across from our house rose. They were so deep and swift that one truck that tried to persevere got irrevocably stuck and no matter how they tried to get it out, it would not budge. For over an hour, the hapless and scientifically illiterate neighbors failed to part the waters so their vehicle could depart, waiting until the rain had slacked off and the waters diminished to free it from its trap.

    We had minimal damage, namely a quarter-section of our guttering came down. It had a problem collecting tree and plant matter anyway, so it’s not much of a loss. We’ll still need to have estimates done to see how much repairs will be and if our homeowners insurance will cover it (after deductible, of course).

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  • The Chronicles of Dengril – Introduction

    Map of The Vast
    Map of The Vast
    The name is Dengril d’Rouen. I came from a small gnomish community called Rouen located in the mountains south of Ravens Bluff; however, I’ve spent the vast (get it?) majority of my life living within that vaunted city’s borders. Staying out of Procampur is a goal, but seldom a reality, but I have to look at everything as bein for the greater good, even Procampur. These cities lie within a region known as The Vast (now do you get it?), which is part of the much larger world of Faerûn, a bountiful land filled with myriad adventures for those who enjoy them.

    Raised in the care of the priests of the Temple of Segojan Earthcaller, I learned how to speak with him and channel his power to the benefit of those around me. I’ve travelled with some of the most famous adventurers in Ravens Bluff and might even consider myself one of them were I really concerned with such things (sometimes I am).

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  • Adventures in Board Gaming: Pandemic

    Pandemic01Last night, my friends Dennis and Justin (more about them later) joined me in trying out a new board game I picked up called Pandemic. The object of the game is to prevent four mysterious diseases from spreading while racing to find a cure. Players take turns traveling across the globe to treat infections while finding new paths to move around the world. While this is happening, the diseases spread infection and outbreaks occur.

    For anyone who’s enjoyed movies like Outbreak, World War Z, Contagion or 28 Days Later, there’s a certain perverse pleasure in watching infections spread across the globe while those who seek answers try valiantly to stop them. Some games, like Plague, Inc. on mobile devices, want you to see if you can infect the world while scientists block your every attempt. This game, however, wants you to find a cure and save the world.

    This is a cooperative game, so we did our best to work together to solve the world’s problems. The game starts in Atlanta where the Centers for Disease Control is located. You each take on a random role in the game that gives you a special benefit in your attempts to thwart the nasty plagues that could wipe out humanity. You have four actions to perform each round, which include flying to new destinations, treating diseases, setting up research facilities, and discovering cures.

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  • Welcome to Behind the Screens

    This is the beginning. I hope to add more in the near future.

    This site will explore my personal observations, projects and other information relating to my passion for movies, gaming and more.

    By the way: my name is Wesley Lovell, I’m a film critic and insurance underwriting assistant. There is much about me you probably don’t know or may have guessed, but we’ll leave the revelations for later posts. Ostensibly, this site will be about what makes me tick. I’ll share my personal thoughts on various topics, and explore my philosophies on life, love and the pursuit of happiness. Of course, I may not do any of these things. For now, this site will be many things to me and we’ll see what ultimately develops.