Our time of trials is not yet ended but there is still much to do for all. The Citadel has gone through many quests over the years, some more successful than others. Over time, one thing has remained true: nobody has yet to complete all the Quests. It may be a feat that is never accomplished. But, for the next 2 months, that will be our goal. 

Let this Quest for Quests drive you to enter a Legacy Quest that has peaked your interest. At the end of the time, we will a random draw for more cash prizes. The more Legacy Quests you join, the more chance you have to win. Exact award amounts to be determined but will be no less than $150 to be distributed. You will be rewarded through comments, XP and, perhaps, even cash.

When you are under siege, you have nothing but time. But the abundance of time is just as much of a weight as the enemy outside the gates. It is time for the Citadel to develop a creative Stimulus Package to support the Strolenati during this unique time. After no deliberation and no votes, the following will be the procedures followed through the the Citadel Stimulus Quest. (Subject to change, amendment, and adjustment as needed.)

• Every Monday a minimum influx of $40 will be added to the Stimulus Package to keep the Creative Citadel Economy out of a Recession.
• The Stimulus Package will accumulate $40 weekly until there are 5 unique author submissions.
• Authors can write as many submissions as they like and each will be considered on their own merits.
• On the Sunday after the 5 author requirement is met, the 5+ submissions by 5+ authors will be weighed and measured by the Strolenati.
• Whomever is determined as the winner(s) will receive funds (as determined by the Strolenati) that have collected in the Stimulus Package.
• On Monday, if winners were awarded, the Stimulus Package will be re-established at $40 and the quest will restart.
• The quest will continue in this cycle until such a time that the Strolenati Council has deemed the siege over.

Current Stimulus Package: $40
Next Update: Jul 13
Contributors: Strolen, Murometz

Round 1 completed May 10: 7 Weeks - $280 in Stimulus reserves. Since it was the first round, and the amount was enough to pass around, we decided everyone who took the time deserved something. So sayeth the Strolenati.

Round 2 completed July 6: 8 Weeks - $340 in Stimulus reserves. Incresed funding and a stabilized creative force has allowed some increases in most awards. So sayeth the Strolenati.

First Ever Art Quest!

The streets are alive with talk of all the bards visiting the Citadel this month. Rumor has it that Jack Holliday has a piece of art that is being displayed and the person that can weave the most entertaining story will earn the praise of the Strolenati and prizes beyond description (custom Strolen Dice!).

All are welcome to participate and the top two submissions, that earn the most XP, will earn the top spots.

If there are 10 or most submissions, we will go to a round two where another picture will be offered. During round two, any submission from the first round (doesn't have to be your submission) must be weaved together and continue the story with the new piece of artwork.

Wnner of the second round will be the cumulative XP for their highest first submission and their highest second round.

Multiple submissions are welcome, but only the highest will count towards XP counting.

Second round, top two will also get dice.

For the overall winner (if we go two rounds), I will ask Jack Holliday to illustrate a submission of your choice!

See a Higher Resolution.

Throw out your highfalutin', artistic, aspirations for GOLD! Go Old School with win fabulous prizes and the respect and envy of your peers! We're talkin' nitty gritty dorito dust covered dice and crumpled character sheets hack and slash monster killing treasure finding artifact hunting dragon slaying Lord of the Ring's plagiarizing classic fantasy!

Release your bandits led by an Evil Overlord Drow Bandit King Cult Leader.

We want the traps, the iron spikes, the ropes, the taverns with bar wenches and all your magical weapon shops. Dig it all out and let us relive our glory days.

On top of all this Old School madness, Murometz has sponsored a $100 prize for the winner(s) of the quest.

In old school style, we will offer the prize in chart form:

NPCs, you can never have enough of them. And yet the ways to use and present NPCs differs from game to game. This month we introduce a new approach introducing NPCs. The "Organic" way...

Get your NPCs here. Hot and fresh with low sodium and fat-free. Suitable for a wide selection of homemade brews.

Tired of your NPCs loaded with Chemicals and antibotics? Try our new line of Organic NPCs....Say "NO" to NPCs forced to live in tiny cages! Let your NPCs roam! They are free-range and mostly cruelty free. Don't let them manufacture your next NPC in a lab. Our NPCs are gene-splicing free!

Not sure what constitutes an organic Npc? Never fear, our helpful staff is ready to assist.

Oft imitated, never equaled. If it doesn't say Strolen's Citadel then it is an imitation NPC.

Tattoos. So personal yet so public.

Spells are often written in scrolls, scrawled across doorways or inscribed into mystic blades. What effects would they have if inked into the skin of a living creature? Think of ways to expand the use of tattoos within your existing magic system, laws, culture or develop a whole new system centered around body art. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

This time of year often brings the summer doldrums to the Citadel. A time of slow updates and intermittent submissions. We may have passed the worst but until the summer ends, the weather changes and school starts again we may not have the action we sometimes have.

Because of that, we are holding the Doldrum Quest. I wanted it to be pretty open to most anything so we will attach it to the Guild quests again to allow people to branch out how they want. This also adds some incentive to join and progress in the Guilds. So go join a Guild now and if your submission goes towards your Guild accomplishments, it can go towards this quest as well.

Get us clear of the Summer Doldrums by joining the quest!

As unanimously decided by ChatBot, the quest has begun!

What holds more power over a human heart than fear of the unknown? For this quest we seek answers to the eternal questions of life and death, sin and deliverance. Whether you design an entire belief system or simply a backwater cult , modern or ancient, sci-fi or steampunk -- make your religion sing. Gods and prophets, demons, con-artists and mystic rites; from the humblest spirit to the greatest miracle, anything goes! This is your chance to put a new spin or twist on religion, and give us something we haven't seen before.

The idea for Strolen Citadel Guilds has been around since the site first began. There have been many thoughts about it and all of them revolved around A LOT of code with the features all, more or less, automated. Well, that won't happen so why fight my impulses.

So any submission that goes in for the next month with a Guild focused freetext will gain extra XP and the knowledge that you are here at the beginning of the Era of the Guilds!

Join or create a Guild today!

Scrasamax has thrown down the gauntlet of challenge at the Citadel.

I want to see Kaiju, or giant frakking monsters contest. Godzilla, Mothra, Mechagodzilla (which was built from the bones of the first Godzilla, according to canon) The monsters of the week fought by the last 12 years of the different incarnations of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, blown up to their giant size. Monsters can be born of radiation, beasts from another dimension, created by man (evangelion!) brought to earth by aliens, or any other possible explanation you can come up with. The only limitation: it has to be alive. No giant robots, no elementals, no constructs of energy. It's got to be flesh and blood.

And this doesn't just have to be the giant monster angle.

Plots on fighting the monsters, societies that worship the KAIJU or government agencies that track and hunt the massive beasts, scientists who are dedicated kaijuologists, kaiju conspiracy theorists, mega-weapons designed to fight the megamonsters, and the like.

Release the KAIJU!

Freetext: KAIJU

Underwater adventure is the focus of our spring quest. From alien submersibles, to hidden seas and lost aquatic cultures. Challenge your creativity and submit anything dealing with what lies beneath the waves!

Earn extra XP and glory for submissions meeting these requirements. Once the quest closes there will be a vote for the top 2 quests. Prizes for the winners!

In association with Johnn Four, and all the fine folks subscribed to his Roleplaying Tips Weekly mailing list, we bring you our second collaborative Quest!

Here's the required stat block template to use for your entries:

* Awesome Name
* Appearance
* Benefit
* Drawback
* Lore
* Twist

For an awesome description and guide to these stat blocks, check out Johnn's post describing it.

There will be three sets of *random* prize draws: Nov 7, Nov 21 and Dec 5 -- XP awards per normal as well!)

All entries submitted before each date will be eligible for each random draw. So enter early and often.

Thanks to Gator Games for their prize sponsorship!

Picture credit

This time it we have creative challenge.

Use the following freetext words and tie them all together in a single submission.

wastelands, hourglass, tea, duelist, blind, seer, criminal, scavanger, orphan, leech

There are no specific rules, however, you will loose creative points if you slap them all together like "The blind seer saw the scavanger through the secret hourglass in the wastlelands..."

Make sure to link your freetext in your submission! [freetext|wastelands]

Fallen Empires, monuments of old, sleeping kings and artifacts from eras long past.

Do you dare write of what crawls out of tombs and shambles out of ruins? What befell the ancient structures that still haunt the world. Are they truly abandoned or just awaiting a hardy soul to test their depths? Is the magic that destroyed the mighty fortress gone or does it seek its next victim. Only time will tell... Enter the Fallen Empires!

Monster.

The word itself connotes something wrong or evil. Natural, freak of nature, nurtured by a mad alchymist or simply the last of its kind. These creatures must be unique and... well, monsters!

Producing physical or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions. Mutants, mythical beasts, humans, flora, fauna, anything goes. Lets expand the boundaries and our established notions of what monsters are and can be!

Check under your bed before turning of the light!

Don't fear the Light!

Light elementals, Light Societies, Magical flashlights, lanterns that tell jokes, illuminated books and swords that shine like the sun.

Experience Points rewarded for every Light quest submission during the time frame with 150xp to the first place winner and 100xp going to second.

Let there be Light!!

All things Lovecraftian in flavor. Star-spawned beasts and ancient, perverse cults. And tentacles. Lot's of tentacles.

When Star-Spawned maladies invade your realities, you'll need nary a nudge to find yourself knee-deep in Shoggoth sludge.

Oh yes, what an unpleasant romp you'll have through the festering flesh-swamp of Rr'lavinav. And when you begin to see the fog thin, a monstrous worm of pus, topped with a fin, will rot you skull from deep within.

That is why we play these horrible games, not for honor or glory, but to see whose named can be attached to the death most gory.

Welcome to the Lovecraftian Unspeakable Horrors Quest. Unspeakable horrors, indescribable phenomena, unpronounceable names... Extra experience for each Quest submission with first and second getting 150xp and 100xp respectively.

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wagn'nagl fhtagn

ZOMBIES! (the apocalyptic kind)

Test your mettle creating all that there is to know and love about our zombie friends. Outbreak myths, weapons, strategies, zombie types...we want them all and more!

Experience Points rewarded for every zombie quest submission during the time frame with 100xp to the first place winner and 50xp going to second.

Let the Zombies Attack!!

'FIRE!!'

Summer may be winding down (in most places), but the fires of imagination still burn bright.
Thousands upon thousands of years ago, role-playing was invented by our ancestors. Long before the first wheel rolled down a hill, and long before the first loaf of bread was sliced, early humans sat around their caves regaling each other with tales of gods, creatures, heroes and villains, and entertaining themselves with impersonations, play-acting, and role-reversals. All this was made possible by the roaring FIRES inside their caves, which warmed their bodies, roasted their meats, and shone light on their faces.

This month we celebrate FIRE and Role-Playing!

'The Quest revolves around the element of FIRE. Water, Air, and Earth need not apply.
Items, Locations, NPCs, or Plots. All are welcome as long as FIRE is involved! Don your asbestos suits and enter with us, into the all-consuming inferno that is this month's Quest!'

15XP for each submission with 100XP for 1st and 50XP for second.

The Citadel and the Sea

The Oceans are vast and mysterious, givers of life and cruel destroyers. Men have plied the oceans in vast ships, explored it's depths, fought it monsters and given us epics of the Salt Road.

Give us you submissions of the Oceans, your serenades of the Sea and all that which is nautical. 15XP for each submission with 100XP for 1st and 50XP for second.

We have a lot of 30's around here.

In this Quest, choose any random entry from a 30 and expand it into a full submission. Pick something from The 30, The Other 30s, or through the 30 freetext. Don't use your own, there are so many you won't have a problem finding something.

Please make sure to link to the 30 that inspired you. The first place winner will receive a 100xp award. The second place winner will receive 50xp. Make the small ideas great!

Steampunk!

Any sort of steampunk at all from thaumatech to simple old-fashioned steamtech.

Wind up your imaginations and start the kettle boiling!

15XP for each submission with 100XP for 1st and 50XP for second.

Notice: Villains!

What more needs to be said? The Citadel has spoken. More villains are in order.

Scoundrels, Blackguards, and Miscreants! Bring on your worst!

The first place winner will receive a 100xp award. The second place winner will receive 50xp. Good Luck to All!

Notice: We have here on the citadel an astounding number of Intelligent Races. Now, the ultimate goal of a written race in a game is to provide both a wide cultural conflict within the setting, as well as to create Characters, either PCs, or NPCs.

What I would like to see is for people to write characters of races that someone else has written up. If the write up is sufficient to be used as a guide to create a well written character, then the write up has reached its goal. If the write up is not sufficient, the questions required to write a character will help fix any gaps in the write up - Good for everyone around. --Siren no Orakio

Winter. The final frontier. For who truly knows, if spring will ever come.

This months quest revolves around the concept of winter, in all its hoary splendor. Cold, death, decay, and torpid hibernation. Snow, ice, and frost. These are the ubiquitous images of the long, bleak season.

We are looking for the finest examples of winter-themed submissions. The winners of this major quest, will become worthy recipients of frosty mugs and glasses, engraved with odes to victory, courtesy of Scrasamax! Good luck to all. Don your mittens!

What Makes a Weapon magic?

And for that matter, what makes any item magic?

What imbues our swords with supernatural cleaving abilities?

Who allows our maces to smash through stone?

Why do our spears hum with bloodlust?

Where does one find this wondrous font of MAGIC?

How exactly are these weapons created?

Well? Now we will find out! We invite you to join Strolen's Winter Quest! Each entry will be awarded an additional 10XP!

The winners will be chosen in the first weeks of the coming New Year. Be the first 'winner' of 2008! For easy reference and further detail see the What Makes a Weapon Magic submission by one of our esteemed authors, MichaelJotneSlayer. Good Luck to All!

In association with Johnn Four, and all the fine folks subscribed to his Roleplaying Tips Weekly mailing list at, we bring you our first collaborative Quest.

Room One: Entrance and Guardian - There needs to be a reason why your dungeon hasn’t been plundered or why your adventurers are the ones for the job.

Room Two: Puzzle or Roleplaying Challenge - A trial that cannot be solved by steel alone.

Room Three: Trick or Setback - Build tension through tricks and setbacks and give them a double-dose of gameplay such as more combat or another roleplaying challenge.

Room Four: Climax, Big Battle or Conflict - The final combat or conflict of the dungeon.

Room Five: Reward, Revelation, Plot Twist - The dungeon is complete but what is it about this dungeon that made it different or memorable. What kind of mystery have they discovered, what kind of reward have they won, and what kind of information have they recovered?

Read Johnn's Full Article: 5 Room Dungeons for more tips and thoughts on how to write one, an example is the Library of the Ancients.

Submissions to the quest will each earn an extra 15XP can be inputted on the site as normal or can be emailed to Johnn at roleplayingtips.com.

Prizes for this quest include a D&D Icons Gargantuan Black dragon from Legend Games, MyInfo Personal Reference Software licenses from Milenix Software, DCC #46 Book of Treasure Maps – DCC #$7 Tears of the Genie - #50 Vault of the Iron Overlord from Goodman Games, and 1 on 1 Adventures #5 Vale of the Sepulcher - #6 Shroud of Olindor - #7 Eyes of the Dragon - #8 Blood Brothers - Advanced Adventures #3 Curse of the Witch Head from Expeditious Retreat Press. Winners for these prizes will be chose randomly so every submission has an equal chance of winning. Also, all the quest submissions will be combined and edited with what the folks at Roleplaying Tips come up with and they all will be offered back to the community.

------------ Strolen's Citadel Quest, Five Room Dungeon was an awesome collaborative success. The total amount of quest submissions between Johnn's Roleplaying Tips and the Citadel was a whopping 87 Five Room Dungeons! The winners of this set were chosen randomly so congratulations to all. But here are those that won a gift from the sponsors: Gillian Wiseman Tyler Turner Nik Palmer Daniel Burrage Uri Lifshitz Clayton Blanchard Jean-Christophe Pelletier Jason Kemp Pirate Queen Wulfhere Valadaar Thewizard63. Congratulations to Everybody!!!

The Five in One Challenge. The time to honor yourself will soon be at an end...Highness--Russ Crowe, Gladiator

The idea behind this Quest is to use five random submissions and craft one masterpiece from them. The point is to celebrate some of the forgotten posts of the past, dredge up favorites, and highlight your peers and colleagues' works.

Rules - Thou shall not use any of your own submissions.

-Thou shall have 1.5 months to craft your 5in1 submission. Yes, multiples are allowed. You cannot begin, until the Quest is officially posted on the main site (any hour now).
- The Five shall be picked randomly, ideally with the aid of Murometz, who will gladly generate them for you. However, those impatient of you may choose and contact any Citadelian of your preference, who shall thence produce them for you - the 'Random Submission' link on pretty much any page of the main Citadel being a good source. Refresh and enjoy.
- The chosen submissions shall not have a higher vote score than '4.5'. Even the seemingly less perfect submissions deserve love and companionship. Please, help them shine!
- (Optional) A sixth submission may be generated if you so desire, to swap it with another that you desire less.

Other than these guidelines, anything goes. The person who wins the Quest, will be awarded a set of customized Citadel-dice in addition to the usual laurels! If you can help it, try to avoid an epic novel.

For the next week or two we are looking for submissions of planetary proportions. We would like every Strolenite, authentic or not, to submit a planet. These can be stand alone submissions OR added to the Worlds and Planets Scroll.

This is sort of a mini-Quest: there will be no final winners. It is just a drive for more planet entries. So while you are creating submissions, let your imagination soar the deep black and boldly go where no one has posted before...

The hosts have gathered, legions eye barbarians across a barren field, the generals stab daggers into their maps, the WAR QUEST has arrived.

Welcome to the Sounds of War Quest. We will be rewarding a 12XP Bonus per submission with the first place submission earning 150 and second place earning 75.

The only important word in this Quest is War. Any category is OK.

Every society has their stories of mythic heroes. King Arthur. Hercules. The Monkey King.

Sometimes villians also get in on the mythic status action: Professor Moriarty. Sauron. Jack the Ripper.

In the end, every game world needs a fine assortment of larger than life people, if only just the stories of their exploits.

So this month's quest is Mythic/Historical NPCs.

This quest is Unique Lifeforms, jadies and lentilmen. I'm sure somewhere, in some world, you've got a creature that is the only one of it's kind. It's freak convention time! You'll get ten extra shiny XP for submitting, plus a shot at the coveted Strolen Medal of Honor.

It's Quest time once again!

This time, we want Dungeon submissions. Anything that would fall into the Dungeon category counts.

You get a bonus 10 XP for Quest submissions. What are you waiting for? Create Dungeon bits! Do it now!

The winners of the Dungeon Quest will be the first Citadellians to receive Strolen.Com T-Shirts!!

First Official Quest 12 week long quest with 10XP award per post. To get things really started here on new Strolen's I dug into the archives and recovered Siren no Orakio's old request for fresh ideas on the Shards of the Storm. The quest is as follows: What non-weapon can you make of the Shards of the Storm? Who among us can craft the most ingenious idea spawned from Siren's old masterpiece? Originally posted by Siren no Orakio:

Some time ago, I posted up the Shards of the Storm. In essence, they are fragments of a goddess's essense, containing a piece of the driven fury of the concept of the Storm. Much of their purpose, from a GMing point of view, is to provide a common thread for items of power. So? So, so far I have only been able to come up with two not-weapon items to make out of these, and I'd like to see what better minds than mine can do with them.