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dead sea scrolls discovery story
dead sea scrolls discovery story - win
Excavations on the storied Judean cliffside revealed a new Dead Sea Scrolls cave, full of scroll storage jars and other antiquities, the first such discovery in over 60 years.
submitted by r4816 to worldnews [link] [comments]
Excavations on the storied Judean cliffside revealed a new Dead Sea Scrolls cave, full of scroll storage jars and other antiquities, the first such discovery in over 60 years.
Excavations on the storied Judean cliffside revealed a new Dead Sea Scrolls cave, full of scroll storage jars and other antiquities, the first such discovery in over 60 years.
Excavations on the storied Judean cliffside revealed a new Dead Sea Scrolls cave, full of scroll storage jars and other antiquities, the first such discovery in over 60 years.
This is an automatic summary,
original reduced by 61%.
The discovery upends a decades-old theory in the archaeological community that Dead Sea Scrolls were only found in certain caves at the Qumran cliffs, which are managed by Israel in the West Bank.
"Until now, it was accepted that Dead Sea Scrolls were found only in 11 caves at Qumran, but now there is no doubt that this is the 12th cave," said Dr. Oren Gutfeld, one of the project's lead archaeologists.
Pottery shards, broken scroll storage jars and their lids - even neolithic flint tools and arrowheads - littered the cave's entrance.
Over the last few years, researchers believe Dead Sea Scroll fragments made their way onto the antiquity black market.
This is likely just the first in a series of Dead Sea Scroll discoveries, said Gutfeld; they have hundreds of caves and many years to go.
"We are very optimistic after 60 years we still find new caves with materials that shed new light on the scrolls."
Summary Source | FAQ | Theory | Feedback | Top five keywords: scroll#1 cave#2 jar#3 Gutfeld#4 found#5
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Steam 2020 Winter Sale Megathread
This thread will serve as a daily discussion and a place to post questions and other miscellaneous comments about the sale.
Thread comments are sorted by New by default, but you can change the sorting for yourself if you'd rather view top comments.
Join in on active discussion over there with other community members on a bunch of different topics!
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Use the 'Narrow by Price' feature in a search! The search sidebar has other narrowing features as well. You can narrow by: Operating system, language, number of players, specific features and tags, VR support, special offers, wish-listed items, items you already own and ignored items.
This page will bring up an empty search so you can easily use the sidebar to customize a search.
View the top 20 games of each month this year, January through November.
Scrolling down to the bottom of these pages will reveal a short top 5 list of free games released during that month. 'Browse by genre' sale browsing feature.
This feature allows you to select a main genre so you can view games on sale in that genre, with a search section and more at the bottom of the page, you can even apply sub-genres!
Here is a list of all the main genres you can browse in this new feature:
Once you have selected a main genre to browse in you can apply a sub-genre. These sub-genres are different depending on which main genre you're browsing.
New: Give Awards to Steam Profiles and Discussions posts and replies.
You can now
give awards directly to other users on their Steam profile pages, and on Steam Discussions
posts and
replies.
You can read more about Steam Community Awards
here.
4 new showcases have been added:
Video Showcase Awards Showcase Completionist Showcase Featured Artwork Showcase Each
upgrade costs 3,000 points, and purchasing an
additional showcase costs 6,000 points.
The following showcases can be upgraded: - Rarest Achievement Showcase
- Game Collector Showcase
- Item Showcase
- Badge Collector Showcase
- Your Workshop Showcase
- My Guide Showcase
- Achievement Showcase
- Community Awards Showcase
- Completionist Showcase
An additional showcase can be bought for almost every type of showcase.
This badge can be bought for 1,000 points per level, to a maximum of 20 levels for a total of 20,000 points. Each level gives you 100 profile XP.
You can view your own progress
here! The Winter Collection has brings 4 new avatar frames, 1 new mini-profile background and 1 new profile background.
How to get Steam Awards 2020 Trading Cards: - Every ~$10 USD spent on the Steam store earns you 1 card during checkout.
- Crafting other game badges will give 1 card per badge crafted during the sale.
- Voting in the 2020 Steam Awards will earn you 1 card per vote.
- Earn 1 card a day by going through your Discovery Queue. This resets each day @ 10AM PST.
- Trading with users or buying them on the Community Market
Steam Awards Trading Card Badge FAQ
Q: Where can I see a full list of Emoticons and Backgrounds for the badge?
A: You can either look on the
SteamCardExchange page for the badge or browse The Steam Awards 2020 category on
the Community Market Q: Can I craft the 2020 Steam Awards Trading Cards into a badge after the sale is over?
A: The Steam Awards badge will remain craftable until the end of the sale. If after the sale has ended you have enough expired trading cards to craft the badge, you can do so at anytime.
For each category you vote in you will receive 1 Steam Awards Trading Card.
The nominees are as follows:
Game of the Year:
VR Game of the Year:
Labour of Love:
Better With Friends:
Most Innovative Gameplay:
Outstanding Story Rich Game:
Best Game You Suck At:
Outstanding Visual Style:
Best Soundtrack:
Sit Back and Relax:
The Steam Awards FAQ
Q: How much time do I have on me to vote?
A: Voting stops on 2021 January 3rd @ 9AM PST.
Q: When will the winners be announced?
A: All winners will be announced here on 2021 January 3rd @ 10AM PST.
Q: Can I make changes to my votes?
A: Yes, simply click on the Change Vote button on any other game to change your vote.
Q: How do I gain points?
A: Specific amounts are different for every currency, but give or take a few points: every $1 USD you spend on the Steam Store will give you 100 points to use in The Points Shop, this includes gifts and any other type of purchase on the Steam Store.
Q: When does The Points Shop close?
A: The Points Shop isn't closing!
Q: Will items I buy expire?
A: No! Everything except for the Seasonal Profile is yours to permanently keep.
Q: Why do I have points from before?
A: All purchases you've made after the 2020 Steam Lunar New Year Sale ended(2020 January 27th at 10AM PST) has been tallied up and added to your account. For more information you can view your points history.
As the points history page points out: you may also have received points in the shop because you received an award on a community post or a review.
Q: Will new things be added to The Points Shop?
A: Yes, new things that you can buy from The Points Shop will be added over time, exactly when we do not know.
Q: Can I sell or trade items I buy from The Points Shop?
A: No, any items you buy from The Points Shop are bound to your account and cannot be traded, sold or otherwise transferred.
Q: What happens to my Steam Points when I refund a game?
A: When you refund a game, the points you gained from that purchase will be deducted from your account. If that causes your Points balance to go negative your most recent items and Community Awards you've used points for will be removed until your balance is no longer negative.
Full explanation and FAQ here: https://store.steampowered.com/points/howitworks
Subreddit Meta
The following is mostly for individual posts, not comments in this thread.
- Please don't submit low-effort posts, or old/generic memes.
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Support Issues
We will maintain the support megathread as a sticky. If you have issues with Steam or a game, post them there.
Beware of scams!
During the sale(...and literally any other time) be vigilant of scams!
Want a tip on how to get wallet funds on Steam? Pay for it. There is no such thing as free wallet funds or free game codes. Never login to a 3rd party site if it asks for your password and authenticator code. If someone adds you as a friend and sends you a website or says they are from Steam/Valve or says you've been reported, they need to check your items, etc: block and report them, it is a scam. No Valve employee will ever speak to you directly through chat, they will only talk to you via a support ticket, and there's no such thing as a Steam Admin, and Volunteer Steam Moderators will not contact you about account issues.
Secure your account and educate yourself on scams!
Is your account hijacked? Read this.
If it sounds too good to be true... it's because it is.
Steam General Sale FAQ
Q: When does the sale end?
A: The 2020 Steam Winter Sale ends on 2021 January 5 @ 10AM PST. Click here to convert it to your time.
Q: Why are my downloads so slow?
A: There is severe load on Steams servers, both store and content servers. Just give it some time, and try again later. Also, don't forget to check the server status on the sidebar. If you're having these issues at the very start or very end of the sale it is par for the course as the store and product pages are transitioning over for the sale, and as the servers are being bombarded by loads and requests by users. Try to clear the download cache.
If you consistently have issues please post in the support thread or use this Steam Guide for information and as a troubleshooting tool.
Q: The store doesn't load, only my library works, images are broken, weird blue text, etc
A: The store not loading at the start and end of the sale is normal, and relatively slower load times is also normal, but if this is consistently happening try to clear the Steam browser cache and cookies.
If this doesn't work you can post in the support thread or use this Steam Guide for information and as a troubleshooting tool.
Q: I'm new to Steam! Where do I begin?
A: Welcome! Please read the Welcome to Steam page in our Wiki.
Q: Are the prices consistent throughout the sale?
A: Yes, sale prices will remain the same throughout the sale.
Q: Can I share games that I bought with family or friends?
A: Yes, you can do this through Steam Family Share. Keep in mind that games that you have bought are tied to your account. They cannot be transferred or exchanged between accounts.
You may also want to check out Steam Remote Play and Steam Remote Play Together.
Q: I can't gift a friend because of regional price differences, what do I do?
A: You can send your a friend a Digital Gift Card via Steam.
You can also gift games via a different, trusted and verified re-seller, like HumbleBundle.
Here is our full list of safe sites to buy Steam keys from.
Q: Can games be cheaper on other sites during the sale? What sites should I check?
A: Yes, games can be cheaper on other sites during the Steam Sale. Here is our list of safe sites to buy Steam keys from. There are many sites that sell Steam keys that practice in shady business, we recommend you only use the sites listed in that wiki page. For more information regarding key re-sellers please read this wiki page.
Q: My Wallet/Gift Card code is damaged and I can't redeem it! What do I do?
A: If your Wallet/Gift Card code is damaged, or otherwise can't be redeemed you need to contact Steam Support with a picture of the card.
Please note: If your code is printed directly on a receipt Steam Support will not be able to assist you, you'll need to return to the store you purchased it from for help.
Q: I don't like the game I purchased** or **a game I purchased a few days ago is cheaper now, can I refund it?
A: Yes, you can refund games on Steam, even if you bought a game a few days ago and you wan't to re-purchase it during the sale to get it for less.
To refund a game you cannot have more than 2 hours of playtime in it, and you cannot have owned it for longer than 14 days.
- If you have played game for more than 2 hours, regardless of how long you've owned it, you are no longer within your right to receive a refund.
- If you have owned a game for more than 14 days, regardless of playtime, you are no longer within your right to receive a refund.
Please note: Approved refunds can take up to 7 days to appear in your account. If your refund hasn’t appeared after 7 days, please contact your bank directly and ask about pending funds on your account.
For more information on Steam Refunds: Steam Refund terms -- Common Refund Questions -- How To Request A Refund.
A few related Subreddits you might find useful:
/SteamDeals
/SteamFriend
/ShouldIBuyThisGame
/SteamTradingCards
/GameScreens
/SteamOS
/SteamGrid
/SteamController
/GameDeals
/TipOfMyJoyStick
Please read this entire post before you make a comment.
Enjoy the sale everyone!
Project Blue Beam + IRL = Biblical Prophecy
Project Blue Beam was introduced by
Serge Monast (Journalist) who died (1996) of a heart attack, who lived without any prior heart issues.
Its (Project Blue Beam) purpose, to
create a false second coming of religious deities in order to create a one-world religion and gain total control of the world under one government, created by NASA and the UN.
Step 1 - Naturally unearth ancient religious artifacts that lead to the observation and acceptance of misunderstood. The ultimate goal is to discredit major religious doctrines. Destroy the world view.
Step 2 - Get Satellites all around the world to simultaneously project 3-D holograms in the sky. The projection of 3-D holograms, large, life-life representations of each religious diety as they merge into one false god.
Step 3 - Mind Control + Social Network Data. --- Use frequencies to project into the minds of each individual that their very god is speaking directly to them. This technique coupled with personal data will allow for the most personalized and convincing experience known as, Diffuse Artificial Thought.
Step 4 - Alien Invasion PLUS, BONUS Christian Rapture.
Both visuals can be created with the technology mentioned above.
Enter Arthur C. Clarke ----
Childhood's End - Several attempts to adapt the novel into a film or miniseries have been made with varying levels of success. Director
Stanley Kubrick expressed interest in the 1960s, but collaborated with Clarke on
2001: A Space Odyssey) -
wikipedia So how is this Biblical Prophecy?
Jesus said that many would come in his name and even perform signs and wonders that could marvel the elect in the New Testament, within the book of Matthew. Matthew 24:3-14 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.
5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.
6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,
11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,
13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and
then the end will come. We know this is prophecy because God only proves his existence through prophecy. Matthew 24:1-2 24 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings.
2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
Matthew 24:23-25 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.
The Return of the Son of Man (Mark 13:24–27; Luke 21:25–28) 26So if they tell you, ‘There He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.
27For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
29Immediately after the tribulation of those days:
‘The sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
b’
30At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven,
c and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.
d 31And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Conclusion: This is the prophecy of Jesus Christ. Who was Jesus? He was God in human form. His birth was predicted by 3 wise men who told King Herod they were going to see the King of the Jews. Herod WAS the king of Judea and to keep a baby from taking over, he had all the males under the age of 2 years slaughtered. Jesus grew up and was not the King the people were expecting, and instead of rising through political ranks, he defeated death through love and it is his love, God's grace, that can save anyone before the end END.
<--- That is the purpose behind the prophecy. To prove that he and his grace is real. Sounds like we are right on track, and it's just getting started.
That took me like four hours : / what do you guys think?
submitted by EngineerBig to conspiracy [link] [comments]
Bandits & Basilisks - A Ten Towns Bookstore (w/30 books)
Although Ten Towns probably isn't the most well-read location in Faerun, I still wanted to add a bookstore to my setting. There's so much you can do with books and the written word, and I wanted to beef up Termalaine so it had at least one unique location that wasn't a kobold-infested mine. So, I added this shop to give the town a bit more of a homey vibe. Feel free to move it wherever you see fit.
Please note that although the shop and most of these books are my own invention, there are a few that have crept in from other sources. Nos. 2, 3, and 12 on the Nonfiction list are adapted from
this d100 list, and No. 11 comes from a Dragon Magazine article. Also, some of my understanding of the lore may be imperfect (I enjoy rejecting the Forgotten Realms' reality and substituting my own), so use at your own risk. Also, this is a DM's resource, so some of the book descriptions do contain some minor spoilers.
Bandits & Basilisks Bookstore Exterior: As you make your way through Termalaine’s snowpacked streets, you spot a building of stately black wood, with plenty of candlelight illuminating each of its low and frosted windows, competing with the ice encrusted on each sash. Above the front door flanked by lanterns hangs a snow-flecked sign that creaks in the wind reading “Bandits & Basilisks Bookstore.” Interior: You’re greeted with a faint and largely pleasant musty scent from the collection of books within, from the colorful shelves of mystery, adventure, and romance novels nearest the entrance to the more sedate spines of works relating to culture, history, and the arcane occupying the rear wall. A well-built man with greenish skin and small tusks twangs upon a lute he holds behind the counter, frowning as he adjusts its strings before ultimately putting the instrument down and turning to welcome you to the establishment. “Hello and welcome! The name’s Chevy – short for Chevalier. Let me know if you need any help.” The Owner: Chefferwith “Chevy” Hundelfrinck runs this bookstore, and is clearly lying about the
Chevalier bit. Whoever in your party has the highest passive Insight can call his bluff – he’s a bad liar, and confesses his name when asked (“Wouldn’t
you lie about it too?”). He treats his customers with a rustic dignity and is otherwise honest to a fault. Few who know him have ever seen him run out of patience, but those who have whisper that there’s more to him than meets the eye. Chevy is a NG commoner who is also an amateur bard, and he describes himself as a quarter-orc (“My father was a human, my mother a half-orc. that makes me a quarter-orc!”). He grew up far to the south, but was inspired earlier in life by tales of the savage north, and on his first visit to Ten Towns was disappointed in the state of reading (and indeed, of
literacy) in the Dale. He decided to follow his muse and move here just a few years ago, shortly before the Rime, and curses his bad timing without regretting his decision.
The Store: B&B carries all type of fiction and nonfiction works, as well as some other odds and ends, including writing supplies, game sets, musical instruments, and even a few low-end spell scrolls. Chevy will gladly restring or repair instruments for a few coin. Books are priced at 25 gold for nonfiction and 15 gold for fiction. Many of the nonfiction books carry small perks to characters who purchase and read them, while fiction books do not, containing only the barest and most vague seeds of Icewind Dale plot points, if anything - but are, I hope, amusing.
d20 Nonfiction -
Each is 25gp and weighs 5 lbs. 1. An Adventurer’s Guide to Regret, by Astrix Wolstone. These memoirs make for a sobering read. They are the tale of an adventurer who succesfully coaxed a dragon out of its lair to sneak in and plunder its treasure, only to return to her village and find it destroyed by the dragon, and her family slaughtered as they tried to flee. It’s meant to be a cautionary tale to those who might let the quest for power and glory get in the way of protecting what’s most important. Imprint: 1490, no city listed, likely self-published. Note: Author is the dead tiefling atop Kelvin’s Cairn in the Mountain Climb quest. This is also my way of suggesting a certain course of action to my party in Chapter 4... hint, hint.
2. Cantrips for Dummies, by Preston Dijtayshen. This little book with a garish yellow cover contains 46 cantrips inside as well as ways to properly cast and creatively use them. Anyone who spends a short rest reading it gains one non-damage-dealing cantrip of their choice that they can cast once in the next 24 hours.
3. Goblin Grub, by Spellix Romwod. A nearly illegible guide to goblin cuisine, detailing its vast yet uneventful history, as well as how to make said cuisine with improvements to original recipes that make them nearly edible. Note: Only available after Karkolohk, if the author is rescued.
4. An Ode to the Knucklehead, by Karou Salafan. A cookbook filled with recipes for knucklehead trout, as well as a love letter to the hideous yet versatile fish. While beloved among professional chefs all along the Sword Coast, this book is a contentious subject among locals, as several recipes call for spices and vegetables that can’t be found in the Dale. Imprint: 1489, Bryn Shander. Note: Author is the cook at Caer Dineval.
5. Keeled Over: How to Build Ships while Three Sails to the Wind, by Hilda Belrun. These memoirs of a Targos shipbuilder are only partially related to shipbuilding – the rest of the book reads like an extended advertisement for Flamebeard’s Firebrandy. Imprint: Targos, 1489. The reader gains the ability to temporarily push past their drunkenness. While Poisoned due to alcohol, you can take twice as long to perform one action that requires a skill check, which as a result does not suffer disadvantage from the Poisoned condition. You must sober up for 24 full hours before attempting this again.
6. Tusk Polishing for the Modern Half-Orc, by Grark the Dapper. As you pick up this book, Chevy notices what you’re holding and calls out – “That one’s a good read! I can recommend it myself!” and rubs self-consciously at his tiny, immaculately groomed tusks. It doesn’t seem to offer any useful advice for the tuskless masses, but half-orc readers gain proficiency in Persuasion.
7. Children of the South: The Settlement of Icewind Dale, by Vellis Carmerian. This dense but scholarly work outlines the history of Ten Towns in its first two centuries, and remains even 40 years later the foremost scholarly work on the region, beloved by both academics and Ten Towns locals – at least, the ones with a high enough Intelligence score to slog through it. Imprint: Waterdeep, 1452. When a reader of this book makes a Ten Towns History check concerning events before 1450 DR, they may add their proficiency modifier to the check. If the reader is already proficient in History, they now have expertise on such a check.
8. The Wailing Glacier: Nomadic Tribes of Icewind Dale, by Sven Helfordsson. This book details the long history of oppression both suffered and perpetrated by the Reghed tribes of Icewind Dale, whose relationship with the settled peoples of Ten Towns was much more antagonistic in centuries past. You read quite a bit about the history of the four tribes of Reghed nomads – the tribes of the Bear, Wolf, Elk, and Tiger, the last of which the author describes as the most vicious and violent of the four. Imprint: 1484, Bryn Shander. Reader can add their proficiency bonus to History checks concerning the Reghed tribes. If the reader is already proficient in History, they now have expertise on such a check.
9. Sticking Things In Boiling Water: A Guide to Tea, by Smerdok the Goblin. This tome was penned by an erudite but nevertheless confused goblin who suggests, alongside classic favorites like green tea and sweet tea, multiple teas that are hazardous and perhaps even fatal. Any reader with proficiency in the Poisoner’s Kit learns a new recipe involving tea.
10. Aurora Cartography: Charting the Order of the Heavens. This book, anonymously attributed, alleges patterns in the night sky invisible to most. It’s become a cult classic in many northern regions, in both senses of the word. Ask the reader for a DC15 Intelligence saving throw; anyone who fails gains the following flaw as indefinite madness: “Whenever I’m outside, I stare up at the sky, wondering what it all means.” Regardless of success or failure, the reader can no longer become lost under open skies, except by magical means.
11. The Icedawn Syllabus, by Demetrius Whiteheart. This meandering work on the Frostmaiden is full of extremely large words. Imprint: Neverwinter, 1489. Ask for a DC10 Religion check – a way of asking for an Int check but allowing proficiency to ease the check. On a failure:
It has a lot to do with Auril. She’s one of the three deities known as the Furies, but a lot of the other parts go over your head. On a success:
The flowery language employed here strongly indicates that this author is someone who worships Auril and isn’t ashamed of it, but is trying to maintain some semblance of academic decorum for the sake of this work. He talks about Auril being one of the three deities known as the Furies, and her gaining followers by incorporating new domains in the wake of the world-altering Spellplague of a century ago. It relates the core of her creed: "Warmth and companionship are weakness... self-reliance is your only ally." 12. Great Escapes, by Redwald Bannister. Banned in jails and prisons as a security risk, this book is full of tales of daring and often successful prison escapes, some of them from high security prisons that were seemingly totally escape-proof. It is thought that a few copies have been smuggled into prisons and are providing secret entertainment for prisoners. The reader who finds themselves in a similar situation will have proficiency in all checks made in the process of getting them and their compatriots out – no matter how harebrained their scheme.
13. The Hellbent Highborn, by Reginald Harrow III. This notorious book is an exposé of several prominent noble families of the Sword Coast, alleging devil worship runs rampant within them. Several nobles had to resign posts in different city governments, and rumor has it the author had to flee for his life following publication. Imprint: Luskan, 1490. The reader will be able to better recognize a certain cult of Levistus, if they haven’t dealt with it yet. Note: Only use if you don’t have a PC with this secret!
14. Blizzard Beekeeping: A Practical Guide, by Kendrick Rielsbarrow. This slim volume is a meandering treatise about maintaining a beehive in subzero cold. Despite its promise of practicality, its main advice seems to be that you steal a beehive blessed by a frost druid like the founder of Good Mead's mead hall apparently did in 1386 DR. It offers no advice on how to pull off such a feat, however. 15. Ice Road Trackers, by Atenas Swift. Clearly a self-published work, with very little text and an extreme quantity of illustrations, this book nevertheless communicates effectively how to track creatures across the tundra, even if strong winds have obscured their tracks to the average observer. The reader gains advantage on Survival checks made to track creatures across snow and ice.
16. Where the Sun Don’t Shine. A ranting polemic against the Everlasting Rime, written in shaky handwriting and lacking a professional binding or any sort of imprint. In fact, this seems to simply be an angry note stuffed onto the bookshelf along with the proper books for sale. It contains no useful information but is, as the kids say these days, a Big Mood. Chevy doesn’t charge for this one, as he doesn’t recall stocking it in the first place.
17. Tales from the Black Cabin. This is a local anthology that contains a strange blend of B-grade horror stories from cut-rate authors mixed in with retellings of classic Ten Towns legends like the White Lady of Easthaven, the ghost of a rich woman sunk by her own treasure in Lac Dinneshere, and The Fog of Souls, a mist containing the spirits of the damned that floats through towns, stealing the life force of those who venture forth into it. The anthology itself is named after the Black Cabin, a legendary structure in the tundra that predates Ten Towns and is allegedly the site of hauntings and strange occurrences. Imprint: Bryn Shander, 1481.
18. The Bandits & Basilisks Player’s Handbook. This useful compendium of tabletop games, written by the bookseller himself, details exactly which dice to roll and when to roll them, as well as complex systems to determine whose dice are more important and when. The reader gains proficiency with dice. The reader also must make a DC10 Wisdom saving throw, gaining the following flaw as indefinite madness on a failure: “I must purchase a new set of dice whenever I see them for sale.”
19. Caring for Caers: Ancient Castles and You, by Jensin Brent. This exhaustive work details how to properly maintain aging stone structures, as well as helpful tips on positioning archers along ramparts, orc-proofing basements, and dealing with drafty dungeons. Imprint: Caer Dineval, 1362 DR.
20. Ballads of the Lakes, by Rinaldo. Details over a dozen traditional songs of the Dale, including their origins in folklore and how they have changed over time, and of course their lyrics and how to play them. Your bard is now slightly less annoying to the locals and slightly more annoying to the party.
d10 Fiction -
Each is 15gp and weighs 3 lbs. 1. Caleb Cleveland and the Case of the Ownerless Footprints, by Mackey Griffelrond. Kid detective and lovable rascal Caleb Cleveland is on the case of mysterious footprints left outside a ritzy hotel as precious items go missing! Will our hero solve the mystery in time, or will the forces of evil complete their sinister plan? Note: Yes, this series & author is an Adventure Zone reference.
2. Caleb Cleveland and the Sign of the Black Amulet, by Mackey Griffelrond. Everyone’s favorite detective is back on the case, and pursuing the origins of a shadowy group covering up their dastardly schemes with the trappings of an evil curse! Will Caleb fall victim to their schemes or bring the group to justice? 3. Caleb Cleveland and the Secret of the Pirate Treasure, by Mackey Griffelrond. The world’s greatest fourth-grade detective takes to the high seas in this nautical adventure full of swashbuckling thrills and spooky chills! When a ghostly ship haunts a distant shore, not all may be quite as it seems. Will our pintsize protagonist sink or swim in this maritime mystery? 4. The Age of Electrum, by Lucius Marrow. This novel is the first in what would become a popular series following the adventures of rogue archeologist and violator of scientific protocols Kate Innisfarne, who defeats enemies throughout the Lurkwood near Mirabar in search of forgotten treasures from the earliest civilizations of Faerun. Named for the greenish-silver coins favored by the original elven empires. 5. The Age of Electrum: Fall of Netheril, by Lucius Marrow. The continuation of the original Age of Electrum series, extending rogue archeologist Kate Innisfarne’s flagrant disregard for proper notation and chain of custody in her discoveries. Also, she kills a bunch of snakes and zombies in a tomb filled with hidden poison arrow traps, so that’s pretty dope. Details in the process the largely factual history of the ancient empire of Netheril, known for their floating cities and magical prowess among mortals. 6. The Age of Electrum: Dawn's Mythallar, by Lucius Marrow. This novel, the most recent money grab in the increasingly unnecessary Age of Electrum series, outlines the latest exploits of Kate Innisfarne as she steals an ancient Netherese orb of immense magical power in order to defeat her bitter rival with the ancient forces contained within. Not like that should have been the property of all people throughout the world as part of our shared cultural heritage, or anything. Nope. Just... go fight some guy in a cloak with it because he killed your sister. Whatever, Kate. 7. Icewind Nights: The Lonely Wood. What’s a lumberjack to do after a long day hewing his wood? Find out in this first installment of the series nobody asked for... Icewind Nights! 8. Icewind Nights: Knucklehead Love. On long winter nights, sometimes there arise within all of us some unconventional desires! Or maybe it’s just us, who knows. We won’t judge. 9. Icewind Nights: Torrid in Targos. The romantic harbor of the storied city of Targos makes the perfect backdrop for unspeakable acts we can’t describe on a dust jacket! 10. Icewind Nights: Auril Fixation. The latest installment in this shameless series pushes the boundaries of both blasphemy and good taste, and is sure to generate enough warmth to heat up even the coldest nights! Well that got a little silly at the end, but as you can tell from my TAZ reference, I do enjoy some nice goofs from time to time. Hopefully this helps inspire someone out there. Happy reading to you and your party!
Biblical Collectors Series (2006) 480p WEB x264 Dr3adLoX
 | https://preview.redd.it/dccoiwu4mgg61.jpg?width=666&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1976cdf8c64673273112806d870e7ace09c3f30d Info Hash Download: aea91b1072aa7d180fd9f27b21433ccc567d2556 The Bible is the most widely read book in the history of the world. Are the stories in the Bible an accurate historical record of events and inspired by God or the musings of mortal men and mere stories? Adam and Eve. Moses. Noah's Ark. Jesus Christ. Did he really exist? Is He the Son of God? These and many more biblical mysteries are examined in this series that asks: What is the real truth? - Biblical Collector's Series - Biblical Old Testament Mysteries
Did the legendary cities of sin Sodom and Gomorrah really exist? Were they destroyed by fire and brimstone? Did looking at the destruction turn people into pillars of salt? Archaeological discoveries include the findings of bodies encased in salt may answer these questions. Has the Tower of Babel been found? Have the modern sciences of linguistics, sociology and archaeology given us the answer? - Biblical Collector's Series - Biblical Prophecies
Approximately 2,500 prophecies appear in the Bible and 2,000 have been fulfilled. Did biblical prophets have special abilities that allowed them to foretell the future? Has modern technology actually created the devices for these ancient predictions of impending disasters to come true? Explore the predictions of the prophets, then decide for yourself: Are ancient prophecies today's reality? - Biblical Collector's Series - Biblical Women
Who was Mary Magdalene? A fallen woman rescued from a sinful life by Jesus or was she Christ's beloved disciple? Was she the source, perhaps the author, of one of the Gospels? An investigation into the mystery surrounding her identity produces startling insights. What message did the Virgin Mary bring to Fatima and reveal in 1917? A prophecy from biblical times? Learn the surprising answer. - Biblical Collector's Series - Biblical Adam and Eve
The story of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis is the most controversial story in the Bible. What are archaeologists, paleontologists, biologists and theologians saying today? Is the story fact or fiction? The evidence may shock you. Where was the Garden of Eden? What was it like? Does it still exist, if indeed it ever did? Explore the evidence and journey back to the original birthplace of man. - Biblical Collector's Series - Biblical Rapture
Since the dawn of the new millennium predictions of the apocalypse have reached a fever pitch. Some scholars believe the Bible tells us there will be a mysterious event called 'The Rapture'. Many believe in the 'second coming' of Christ. Will there be a 'third' coming as well? Could there be a formula hidden in the Book of Revelation? The answers are at once hopeful and frightening. - Biblical Collector's Series - Moses - Man of God
Two of the world's great religions, Christianity and Judaism, base many of their most important beliefs on declarations made to Moses atop Mt. Sinai. Are the miraculous stories attributed to Moses factual? After thousands of years of debate, scientists and archaeologists now add new contributions. Is there proof of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt? Did Moses receive the Ten Commandments from God? - Biblical Collector's Series - Biblical Authors
The Bible is the most widely read book in the history of the world. But does anyone know who really wrote it? What are the facts behind the creation of this immortal manuscript? New scientific research and theological insight may provide new clues. What can the Dead Sea Scrolls tell us about the origins of the Bible? Discover how modern technology may finally unravel this age-old mystery. - Biblical Collector's Series - Biblical Armageddon
Against all odds Israel scored a decisive military victory during the 1967 Six-Day War. How was this possible? Stories abound of the appearance of mysterious troops and sophisticated weaponry that aided the Israelis in their victory. Was the outcome of this conflict foretold by biblical writings thousands of years earlier? Is this just one in a series of events foretelling the End Times? - Biblical Collector's Series - Early Years of Jesus
Two thousand years ago Jesus Christ was born. Much has been written about the life of Jesus of Nazareth but even the Bible is silent about his early years. Since the moment of His birth, His life has been cloaked in controversy. Did He really exist? Is He the Son of God? Was He born to a virgin? Where did He grow up? What was He like as a young man? Why is the record of most of His life missing? - Biblical Collector's Series - Biblical End Times
The Bible warns of an array of cataclysmic disasters and an apocalypse that will fulfill the End Time prophecy. Is it possible the ancients foresaw the wars, natural disasters and strife of the 21st Century? What about the prophecies of others from, Nostradamus to Father Malachi O'Morgain? Are these warnings just stories from the ancient past or will we witness the End Times in our generation? - Biblical Collector's Series - Lost Biblical Treasures
The legendary Holy Grail, believed to be a relic of the Last Supper of Christ, has eluded searchers for 2,000 years and the quest continues today. Or has it actually been found as some claim and are its legendary powers real? Will scientists ever decipher the Copper Scroll found near the Dead Sea and learn the way to a 2,000 year old treasure? If so, will it be a triumph or a curse? - Biblical Collector's Series - Noah's Ark and the Biblical Flood
Nearly 200 ancient cultures recorded an all-encompassing flood; all with astonishing parallels to the biblical flood account of Noah's Ark. Was there a deluge of such proportion that it covered the entire earth? Was the entire population of the earth wiped out but for a handful of people? Is the artifact on Mt. Ararat really Noah's Ark? Has modern technology finally answered these questions? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3560874/ https://www.amazon.com/Biblical-Collectors-Series/dp/B00IJ6A7LE https://preview.redd.it/tk6nwmfbmgg61.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7e38801f9bcfe7652fd1871fb67573998e29491d https://preview.redd.it/rkyx0ofbmgg61.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=333792b6a9fd5a1fb02ee7885007547e15743d13 https://preview.redd.it/gnz726gbmgg61.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb81e3517ccc07fcecb4836a604153f2f272d9ea https://preview.redd.it/e05ovpfbmgg61.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bc697f3194028d1f2230ac0896c8633bbdeb89d9 https://preview.redd.it/p7vxokfbmgg61.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=76b3c318c9ed763e0864d06c630fb6d5bb7760f7 https://preview.redd.it/b0byf7fbmgg61.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=96f061daf51bef3eb35fff93e308741eb6e33cc4 https://preview.redd.it/tdnmlcfbmgg61.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b1a1d301746fc7b45f5b53eace9e0ef6042961a0 https://preview.redd.it/u0zbmmfbmgg61.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb67234145bdfdc91b1fc44c6e543222a9f0fde9 https://preview.redd.it/ifp90efbmgg61.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=14aaed3d0b4a19b51b22de6a4eacdbde700188a0 |
The Bible can be considered Historically accurate
Is the Bible at all credible as a historical Text?
In this Argument for creation I am going about it differently than most. The main reason some Christians believe in Yahweh creating the universe is it says so in the Bible (Genesis 1). If the Bible is completely inaccurate and had no evidence to validate itself then, the creation account at the beginning would be greatly diminished in its strength as an answer to the beginning of this universe. The reason for testing the veracity of the claim, the Bible being a credible historical text, is to at the very least create some dialogue to if creation by Yahweh is possible. If the Bible throughout its writings has been consistently historically accurate, it is reasonable to assume the creation account has some credibility. I will be going through the Bible to see if there is any evidence to believe what the books in it say is true.
Firstly, at the end of Genesis and then continuing into Exodus, the first two books of the Bible, there are descriptions of the beginning of the Israelite nation forming. From Genesis 17 onwards a man called Abraham is promised to father the nation of Israel. At the end of Genesis two generations after him his great grandchildren are said to have resided in Egypt though this was not their promised land. According to geologies in the Bible, Abraham should have lived around 2000 BC. Then his great grandchildren descendants around 18th century BC resided in Egypt for around 400 years. The area is called Goshen and is meant to be very good land for crops and farming. After that they left because of Moses leading them to the promised land. All this comes from the book of Exodus. Now is there any historical evidence for this, outside of the Bible? In 1990 and onwards the esteemed Manfred Bietak discovered an abandonment phase in todays Tell el-Dab'a (ancient Avaris). The area discovered was a palatial district with a Royal Precinct and an Asiatic (Foreigner) district, (Page 2 of
https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/jaei/article/view/16915/16645) he found in the mid-15th century BC there was a clear abandonment phase during 18th dynasty. This was an important area that had military bases and may have been used to stage naval expeditions to the Mediterranean Sea. Why would you leave this area? The sediment below the abandonment phase is most probably Semitic and seems to be Semitic for over 300 years (
https://www.academia.edu/37046281/M_Bietak_The_Many_Ethnicities_of_Avaris_Evidence_from_the_northern_borderland_of_Egypt_in_J_Budka_and_J_Auenm%C3%BCller_eds_From_Microcosm_to_Macrocosm_Individual_Households_and_Cities_in_Ancient_Egypt_and_Nubia_Leiden_2018_Sidestone_Press_73_92( says “Canaanite” which is where the Israelites came from in Bible before going to Eygpt). Now this is not concrete evidence to say the exodus is true, but It does bring some weight of trustworthiness to the book of Exodus. In addition, it brings evidence for the end of Genesis as it talks of Canaanites leaving their land long before going to Egypt and this is what we see in Ancient Avaris. Canaanites resided in Egypt for several centuries.
The God of the Israelites is called Yahweh and unlike many other ancient nations around them they only had one God. For example, the Egyptians had Horus, Seth, Isis and Anubis and so on. The earliest inscription for the name Yahweh is in the Soleb inscriptions. It was found in what would have been Ancient Egypt and dated to around the early 14th Century BC to the end of the 15th Century BC and another one in the 13Th century BC. There is no debate in what they say but some secular scholars hypothesize the ancient Edomites and Midianites worshipped Yahweh before the Israelites. However, there is no historical evidence for those nations worshipping Yahweh. There is some evidence of certain people from those nations but not the whole nation. People worshipping Yahweh from other lands during the Exodus would not be a problem for the Bible. It says in Exodus Moses Father in law, Jethro, was a Midianite who helped Moses figure out the Judicial structure of Israel. Yet there is plenty of evidence to show the Israelites as a nation worshipped Yahweh. For example, the Moabite stone shows the Israelite nation worshipping Yahweh. The Soleb inscription talks about a people saying the “Nomads of Yahweh”. The people are wandering around and do not have a city to identify them, so their God is used to do this. After the Exodus of the Israelites, the Israelites wondered the desert for 40 years before starting to conquer the cities of Canaan. This would count for Nomads as they did not have a land and were wondering around. How else to define them other than by the God they worship and identify with.
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/07x6659z In the book of Joshua, it talks of the conquering of many cities such as Hazor. If this were to happen the cities would likely tell their allies they were being attacked and request help. Well the Amarna Letters are Clay tablets, mostly from kings in Canaan to Egypt that they needed help as they were being attacked. These kings were subjected to Egypt. They date to the mid-14th century BC. This is quite inline with the Bible’s account. They mention the “Habiru” who were invading Canaan at the time and Habiru is very similar in sounding to Hebrew. Many scholars indicate this could be the Hebrew people. The Bible also accurately describes the conditions of the area at this time period having many city states in Canaan (
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1280&context=jats).
Finally, for this period I would like to introduce the Berlin pedestal. This is an artefact dated to mid-14th Century. It is an Egyptian name ring that lists 3 places, Ashkelon, Canaan, Israel. The ring for Israel is only around 2/3rds complete as part has broken away, however in 2001 Manfred Görg published that it should be Israel from what the rest of the symbols could be. This gives an inscription of the nation of Israel very early. This would indicate that it was not likely at all that Israel formed later in time as there is evidence to the contrary. These pieces of evidence are by no means exhaustive of an Early Israel formation date, in line with the Bible. Yet I have other periods to cover so will move on.
https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/jaei/article/view/83/87 Next, I would like to tackle the next few books of the Bible. Those being Joshua, Judges and the Samuel 1-2. I have already touched upon some evidence to suggest the Biblical account is not completely made up with the structure of the Canaanite political structure being made of city states. Now I will be looking at Joshua 11. It talks of Israel’s northern conquest of Canaan against the Jobin king of Hazor. In the chapter Israel prevails over Hazor who led a coalition of kings against Israel and burns the city of Hazor. Now is there any evidence for a City called Hazor in that time and that it was burn around the early 14th Century -late 15th Century BC. Well there are some Egyptian Execration texts, which name enemies of Egypt, that mention Hazor in the 18th century BC (
https://www.academia.edu/25340113/Do_the_Execration_Texts_Reflect_an_Accurate_Picture_of_the_Contemporary_Settlement_Map_of_Palestine ) Page 13. Moreover, the Mari archives mention Hazor in the 18th Century BC as an actual place and shipments of trade to “Ibni-Addad king of Hazor”. This is Accadian but in West Semitic form it reads “Yabni-Haddad”. Jabin and Yabni are the same name, just one is shortened. (
https://search.proquest.com/openview/688f4758a1fb7f3a55e7c4aaef134a3e/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=46246). In the Amarna Letters which I have already discussed it also talks of Hazor. Unlike many other communications in the Letters the king of Hazor does not grovel to the Pharaoh but mentions himself being a King. This aligns with Joshua as it describes Hazor’s king leading the collation against Israel suggesting he is the most powerful in that part of Canaan. Letters 227 and 228 refer to him as a king. There is also an ancient Babylonian tablet that mention Jabin and was found at Hazor in 18th century BC. So, what from these two conclusions can be surmised? Either Jabin was a title like Pharaoh or it was a name used many times such as Rameses. This all agrees with the Biblical account as it mentions Jabin twice, once in Joshua then in Judges. Judges being over 100 Years after Joshua. Joshua 11: 1 and Judges 5:6-11. The name being used for long periods of time in and outside the Bible is interesting.
https://www.baslibrary.org/biblical-archaeology-review/20/5/14. Two destruction have been found at Hazor. On in the late bronze age so 1550-1400 BC and another in 13th century BC.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/25609263?seq=1. Amnon Ben-Tor who leads digs even says this again in the Israel exploration journal 51 in 2001 page 238. There is evidence for temples being destroyed which if it were the Israelites makes sense, other religious temples were seen and unholy and would be destroyed. This does point towards this account be possibly historically accurate. Now there is a theory among secular scholars that Israel had a much later exodus date in the 13th century BC. But if that is true, Israel as a nation should only be mentioned after this time. Yet there is evidence of their God Yahweh which is written about over 6000 time in the Bible. And there is not enough time for an exodus and conquering on Canaan if the exodus is a later date. This is shown decisively with the Merneptah Stele. It is an Egyptian inscription mentioning Israel as a nation and dates to 1208 BC which means there is not enough time in those years of less than 100 years to have late exodus and the nation being established after conquering much of Canaan. This is all before 40 years wandering in the desert.
One key part of the books of Samuel is King David. In the 19th century and early 20th century secular scholars scoffed that he was historical but rather a myth like England’s king Arthur. Especially the fact that he had an empire and a dynasty that was considerable for its time. However, in 1993 the Tel Dan Stele was found. It is a victory Stele about most likely King Hazael defeating the king of Israel and his ally who is of the “house of Dave”. This is dated to around 9 century BC. This is historical confirmation that King David was indeed real, and he left a lineage. This is a largely undisputed fact that it is of the House of David. The Bible describes David’s Dynasty in it books Samuel 2 and kings 1-2 and Chronicles 1-2. This also reinforces the fact at the 9th century BC Israel indeed was a nation that its enemies had wars with. Furthermore, the Moabite stone also references David while recording the Events of 2nd Kings Chapter 3. It has been dated to around 840 BC and mentions the phrase the house of David. The Moabite stone has many alignments to the Bible. They both talk of the Moab’s God Chemosh, the tribe of Gad from Israel and the Israelite king Omri. If the Jews wrote the books of the Torah centuries after the events happened how could they know of the Centuries old Moabite god Chemosh? It is not logical to assume.
https://brill.com/view/journals/vt/52/4/article-p483_3.xml .
https://www.jstor.org/stable/27926300?seq=1 https://www.jstor.org/stable/1357179?seq=1 The matrix of evidence really points to the Bible not being some mythical tale, that has no basis but an account that is corroborated with non-Biblical texts. If the exodus was a late date in the 13th century or after it can not fit with other timelines of artefacts. It would mean in less than 350 years Israel left Egypt and wondered for 40 some years, then started slowly taking over Canaan. After that have judges and prophets protecting Israel. After this they would get the kings of which there were many and until you get to King Ahab. In the early 9th Century BC. There isn’t enough time if you believe in the dates of the Bible.
Now I will be going into the Kings of Israel. A key piece of historical evidence for there really being kings of Israel are the Assyrian inscriptions. The Assyrians named each year after a person calling them the Limmu. They are absolute dates and even have a solar eclipse mentioned in the year 763BC. This allows Biblical scholars to give absolute dates to the Kings of Israel. This helps in dating artefacts such as the Kurkh Monolith of Shalmaneser the 3rd who mentions King Ahab who fought against him in 853 BC.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/27925486?seq=1 Then there is the Black Obelisk showing King Jehu giving tribute to Shalmaneser in 841 BC.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/42613886?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=Black%20obelisk%20king%20jehu&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DBlack%2Bobelisk%2Bking%2Bjehu&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_SYC-5187_SYC-5188%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A9bfe9ec30049e46ae79c452df027d1d8&seq=1 . These show that these books in the Bible are not completely made up and have some historical accuracy at the least. There are many other examples of historical evidence of other kings of the Bible, but I can focus on that in its own separate post.
After the Kings of Israel, the empires of the Persia and Babylon in the Bible are said to have taken over Israel and Judah the two nations of the Jewish people. Then In the reign of Cyrus the Great he sets the Israelites free to rebuild their temple and walls at Jerusalem. This occurs in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Many older secular scholars did not believe that any king would allows their slaves to go free as it did not make any sense. Why would you let your labour go? Well the Cyrus Cylinder which has been dated to 539BC depicts just that. It is a declaration that the exiles to go back to their settlements and rebuild their sanctuaries. This clearly aligns with what occurred in the Bible. There are also the Babylonian chronicles, which mention the sacking of Jerusalem by king Nebuchadnezzar and dates it to 597 BC. These tablets recount the History of Babylon. This is what is said in the Bible in the book of Daniel.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3268761?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=Cyrus+cylinder&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DCyrus%2Bcylinder%26filter%3D&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_SYC-5187_SYC-5188%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A43cce9af3298485f1830bcb23acd07de&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1896-0409-51 Now the book of Daniel has had secular skepticism because it is quite a prophetic book. For a Biblical timeline he would have written early to mid-6th century BC. Some disagree, arguing that he wrote in the 2nd century BC, though there is evidence to suggest he was a real person writing in 6th century BC. Jerimiah 39: 3 mentions Nebo Sarsekim who was the chief eunuch. The Nebo Sarsekim tablet writes that the pottery belonged to a man with the same name. It is dated to 595 BC. Jerimiah was said to have lived in a similar time period as Daniel. Now if these books were written 400 years later then how would Daniel or Jerimiah know someone of the court of King Nebuchadnezzar II who lived in the 6th century BC. There was no internet and information was sparsely passed down, compared to the post printing press era. So, it is nearly impossible that his name was kept in Jewish records unless written at the time. Moreover, this book was written in Hebrew and Aramaic. If you look at the Aramaic used and Aramaic from the 5th century BC it is very similar. Here is a marriage certificate from 449 BC from a Jewish colony in Egypt
https://isaw.nyu.edu/exhibitions/wgre/highlights/marriage-document-from-ananiah-to-meshullam-aramaic for an example. Language changes over time. The Aramaic of the 2nd century would be different than the Aramaic from a few hundred years before. Another problem with Daniel in the 2nd century BC is the dead sea scrolls. Part of Daniel’s book which is in some of the earlier dead sea scrolls date to 150 BC. This is a couple of decades at most from when secular skeptics say Daniel was written. This would mean that the book was written, and then became widespread and popular in a mere couple decades. This is a very serious reach which is not logical.
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1541&context=jats. Lastly, in Daniel chapter 5 it talks of the King Belshazzar needing Daniel to interpret writing on a wall. Again, some secular scholars in the early 19th century did not believe that King Belshazzar was a real person, because for some time they could only find record of a man named Nabonidus as the king for this time period. It also is interesting in the chapter that Belshazzar says he will make anyone who is able to interpret the wall 3rd in command of the whole kingdom. Why would he say this if he is real and the king, why not second? Even ancient historians like Herodotus, Megasthenes, Berossus said that the last king of Babylon was Nabonidus. Well discoveries found that this chapter is telling the truth. For example, the Nabonidus Cylinder from Ur which says “Belshazzar, the eldest son—my offspring”, dated to around 550BC. Vindicating Belshazzar as a real person. More evidence is seen in the Nabonidus Chronicle which describes Nabonidus being generally living far away from Babylon and Belshazzar as crown prince. It is not unusual for a crown prince or someone high up governing the kingdom day to day to be called king. For example, King Herod in the new testament was not actually king in the Roman empire but was a leader for a certain region. If this were written centuries after the 6th century BC how would Daniel know Belshazzar was a real person, as even other ancient historians did not write of him? One last point to explore is the use of the name Nebuchadnezzar as father to Belshazzar. In the Bible when the word father is used, it does not always mean literal father but ancestor or someone occupying the same office. The prophet Elisha had Shaphat as a biological father but calls his mentor Elijah as “His father” in 2 Kings 2:12. Jesus was called the son of David even though he was only his descendent. So as Belshazzar succeeded Nebuchadnezzar to the throne it is possible, he was in the Bible called father.
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1547&context=auss Now there are many more pieces of evidence for the old testament being historically accurate, but I can make more writings on those at a later date. This is all good but how do we know the translations of the Bible over the millennium can be reliable. There are two prominent texts that I would like to explore. The Ketef Hinnom Scrolls and the Dead Sea scrolls. The Ketef Hinnom Scrolls reveal to be a very early piece of scripture. It was found in burial chambers and has the writings of Numbers 6: 24-26 which is the 4th book in the Bible. These date to the 7th century BC which is much earlier than some secular scholars claim the Torah was written. This would suggest that the writings occurred much earlier than the 7th century BC as they were only burial amulets. This also shows the accuracy of these verses being the same in todays Bible with something over 2600 years old. The dead sea scrolls are very important as they have basically every book in the Bible in scroll form and are dated from 3rd century BC onwards. There are 230 manuscripts that are completely biblical texts. For example, the great Isiah Scroll. Before this the earliest copy of the oldest complete Hebrew Torah was the Leningrad codex and dates to 1000 AD approximately. There is very little difference between these two writings showing over 1000 years of time not much has changed and the Biblical writings are reliable.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1647cmz?turn_away=true&Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=Ketef+Hinnom+Scroll&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DKetef%2BHinnom%2BScroll&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_SYC-5187_SYC-5188%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A0bdf526ea5d91d1c248b09fe4958ae33 https://www.jstor.org/stable/20787416?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=finding%20deadsea%20scrolls&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dfinding%2Bdeadsea%2Bscrolls%26filter%3D&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_SYC-5187_SYC-5188%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A8af891fbd8ba59f31db8755999728f25&seq=1 This last section will be focusing on the latter part of the Bible the New Testament. I have often heard people scoff that the central figure of the Bible, Jesus, was even real. It shows how little people know about him. His is one of the most documented ancient figures of his era, with similar historical evidence as Julius Caesar. There are multiple accounts of him being real from Christian sources, the Bible and its accounts from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. There are Jewish historians such as Josephus and roman Historians such as Tacitus who all talk about Jesus being a real person. Josephus was a Jewish historian who was not a Christian and describes that Pilate condemned Jesus who claimed to be the Messiah to a cross to die. He writes in around the year 93 AD. His book is called antiquities of the Jews. Tacitus a roman senator, also not a Christian, and historian also write of a man called Jesus who was killed on the cross by the orders of Pilate. Written in 116 AD in his book Annals. In addition, Babylonian Talmud writes about Yeshu being hanged for practicing sorcery and apostasy, Yeshu is Jesus. Lucian of Samosata also a Greek wrote of Jesus in the second century. Writing that he was a man worshipped by Christians who was crucified.
There are also many pieces of evidence that corroborate the text in the new testament. In John chapter 9 Jesus heals a blind man in the pool of Siloam. This very pool has been found to be real in Jerusalem. Pottery dated it around the pool is from old testament to new testament times. In the book of Romans 16:23 mentions a man called Erastus who in the Bible is the city’s treasurer or city official for Corinth where Paul wrote Romans. There is the Erastus inscription found in 1929 which said Erastus in return for his aedileship he paved with his own money. It is dated to 1st century BC and likely the same. There is also the Pilate stone which says Pontus Pilate, the man allowing the romans to kill Jesus, was the prefect of Judea from 26 AD to 36 AD. This is the time period when Jesus was killed. Another figure that is prominent in the death of Jesus is high priest Caiaphas. Archaeologists have probably found his Ossuary with his bones inside. Jewish Historian Josephus says high priest Caiaphas full name is Joseph Caiaphas. The box had on it, Joseph son of Caiaphas and had a 60-year-old man’s bones in it. This is another person in the Bible seen to be most likely real. In the book of Acts 18:12 describes Gallio was proconsul of Achaia. In Delphi, Claudius the emperor at the time inscribed Junius Gallio as a friend and proconsul. It is dated to 52 AD which is when the Apostle Paul would have lived. All these show the new testament to not be a fairy-tale but texts with real people in it.
https://legacy.tyndalehouse.com/tynbul/Library/TynBull_1989B_40_08_Gill_ErastusTheAedile.pdf https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/peq.1994.126.1.32?journalCode=ypeq20 https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/300013.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A9c11775a00371e0feab60357dfc9cd2b page 144
The resurrection of Jesus is one of the biggest parts of the Bible. It has some evidence at the very least that people of the time claimed that it was true. Firstly, if we look at the Gospels they describe Jesus being buried in a tomb that was just for him. This was after he was crucified and was not in a mass grave for criminals. There have been a couple concrete discoveries to prove people were indeed crucified along with the many writings. The heel bone of Yehohanan is a heel with a large nail driven in it by romans to crucify. The bone was found in a family tomb like what Jesus was buried in. This shows the possibility of the Bible’s account for Jesus having a dignified burial. Furthermore, the Nazareth Inscription heavily suggests that people at the time thought he had resurrected. This is because it describes a penalty of death for people who caught robbing bodies of family tombs and dated to the first half of the 1st century AD. Its language is directed towards the Jews and not the Gentiles according to Dr. Clyde Billington. Why do people care about taking bodies, normally it was the treasure with the bodies people would steal? This what happened to the Pharaohs. In the Bible it describes that the Jewish leaders made up the story the disciples stole Jesus’ body. It seems likely that there was talk at the time that his body was stolen. It is reasonable to indicate there is a link and possibly a strong one between this inscription and Jesus. Some people may also say that he never was actually killed. If you look at who was killing him it does not make sense. The Romans we thoroughly trained and did not want to lose their job or life. They would have made sure you died on the cross, 1000s of people died during the first century from crucifixion. Even driving a spear to your side to ensure it. After that Jesus’ body was guarded by Roman soldiers who would not have let anyone steal the body. Who can survive 3 days without water, that is the length of time Jesus was dead in the Bible before he arose? In John it talks of water and blood coming from the spear hole in Jesus, which is a medical phenomenon, what would have happened to someone after taking such a beating from the floggings and other torture. Fluid would build up around the heart and lungs and come out from a hole with blood at the same time. How could someone 2000 years ago know this if they did not see it?
The Disciples themselves imply some validity of the resurrection. Not just because in their writings or their eyewitnesses who claim to have seen Jesus but for what they did after. 10 of the original disciples, after definitely knowing if it was a lie or not that Jesus was resurrected as they would know if they made up the story, all were killed brutishly for their belief in the resurrection. Some were beheaded or impaled or crucified upside-down. Why would you live your life persecuted and killed for a lie you made up? There had been many other self-proclaimed Messiahs before and after Jesus but if they got killed every time their following would either diminish or find a new leader. This is not what happened to Jesus. Paul writes that 500 people other than the disciples saw and met a resurrected Jesus.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1461138?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=heel+bone+of+yehohanan&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dheel%2Bbone%2Bof%2Byehohanan&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_SYC-5187_SYC-5188%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3Ac7a734f3bab60059d39f4e0540184402#metadata_info_tab_contents About New Testament historical reliability to be the same as today I have seen a video that talks about it much better than I could. Here is the link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ksvhHEoMLM&ab_channel=RaviZachariasInternationalMinistries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9CC7qNZkOE&ab_channel=MrShazoolo Finally, how does all this relate back to creation vs evolution. Well I have tried to layout a series of evidence for the Bible being historically accurate. You may disagree with a few, but I would be very hard pressed to believe everything I have said is false. With so much pointing towards this text being historically reliable it brings up the possibility that we could start believing it. Especially give some thought to the possibility of its very beginning being true. I am not writing this to tell you, you must believe every word of the Bible. Rather that people should take it more seriously than a complete fiction. I also know that for some of my evidence there are skeptics that deny links I have proposed which is their freedom. I would just ask the question is that 100% because that is what the facts are telling them or is their disbelief in God being real what drives them in a certain direction. To conclude this is not a direct argument saying evolution is incorrect but that the book from where Biblical creation comes from is worth looking at as more non-fiction than fiction. Meaning that creation does not come from a fairytale and should be looked at the very least with some possibility with the rest of the book being historically accurate.
Thanks for reading.
Matthew was clearly the first Gospel written according to History
One of the most desperate attempts to discredit the Bible from angry and miserable atheists is called "history denialism", atheists in general are historically illiterate and stupid by default however they also tend to try to re-write existing history based on their insane religion of darwinism which leads to nowhere. Throughout the entirety of history Matthew has been known as the first gospel written, by Matthew the Apostle, one of the 12 Disciples of Jesus, but angry and bitter atheists try to make Mark the first gospel written in order to fit their darwinism religion of bottom-up process, despite the fact that we are seeing exactly the opposite everywhere, everything has been degrading over time and is heading towards extinction.
Additionally, the desperate darwinists advocating Markan priority tend to push back dating of most books of the Bible until after the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem, because they get completely deranged by living in a world in which Jesus could allude to so many prophecies before the fact. This is despite Josephus naming Jesus who did just that (Wars of the Jews, book 6).
Of course, to claim Mark was written before Matthew is to deny history, discount the Church Fathers as well as force imaginary stories on existing evidence. Contrary to the Markan priority theory, real history seems to be overwhelmingly of the position that Matthew was the first gospel:
- In his [Origen’s] first book on Matthew’s Gospel, maintaining the Canon of the Church, he testifies that he knows only four Gospels, writing as follows:
- Among the four Gospels, which are the only indisputable ones in the Church of God under heaven, I have learned by tradition that the first was written by Matthew, who was once a publican, but afterwards an apostle of Jesus Christ, and it was prepared for the converts from Judaism, and published in the Hebrew language.
- The second is by Mark, who composed it according to the instructions of Peter, who in his Catholic epistle acknowledges him as a son, saying, ‘The church that is at Babylon elected together with you, salutes you, and so does Marcus, my son.’ 1 Peter 5:13
Eusebius, Church History, Book 6 Origen [184/5–253/4 AD] noted that’s these four are the only indisputable ones. Origen, although not without his flaws, is a Biblical scholar whose magnum opus was a six language interlinear Old Testament Bible with commentary. He is well aware of additional gospels in circulation. He also is aware of what we currently know as the book of Mathew (as evident by existing fragments of his “Commentary on Matthew”) and cites that it was originally written in Hebrew (some claim that he means Aramaic). Origen places Matthew first. Clement (c. 150 – 215 AD) is of the same opinion:
- Again, in the same books, Clement gives the tradition of the earliest presbyters, as to the order of the Gospels, in the following manner:
- The Gospels containing the genealogies, he says, were written first. The Gospel according to Mark had this occasion. As Peter had preached the Word publicly at Rome, and declared the Gospel by the Spirit, many who were present requested that Mark, who had followed him for a long time and remembered his sayings, should write them out. And having composed the Gospel he gave it to those who had requested it.
- Eusebius, Church History, Book 6 Although elsewhere Clement ascribes the book of Hebrews to Paul and does not agree with Origen about the second gospel written, this reference to the genealogies being composed first fits nicely into the history of Christianity. After all, the Gentiles were not ministered until Paul came on the scene and Matthew is thoroughly crafted to reach a Hebrew audience. Any Hebrew would be obsessed with genealogies (especially in proving who the Messiah would be). This also fits nicely into the common assertion by the Church Fathers that the original Matthew was written in Hebrew.
- Papias gives also in his own work other accounts of the words of the Lord on the authority of Aristion who was mentioned above, and traditions as handed down by the presbyter John; to which we refer those who are fond of learning. But now we must add to the words of his which we have already quoted the tradition which he gives in regard to Mark, the author of the Gospel.
- This also the presbyter said: Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately, though not in order, whatsoever he remembered of the things said or done by Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor followed him, but afterward, as I said, he followed Peter, who adapted his teaching to the needs of his hearers, but with no intention of giving a connected account of the Lord’s discourses, so that Mark committed no error while he thus wrote some things as he remembered them. For he was careful of one thing, not to omit any of the things which he had heard, and not to state any of them falsely. These things are related by Papias concerning Mark.
- But concerning Matthew he writes as follows: So then Matthew wrote the oracles in the Hebrew language, and every one interpreted them as he was able. Eusebius, Church History, Book 3
According to Eusebius via Papias and Origen, Matthew was first written in Hebrew and then translated to Greek. Eusebius, most definitely had the Greek version we know today and equates this to Papias’ Hebrew text. It seems very early that the Hebrew Matthew original was translated into Greek and the Hebrew shunned. The diaspora and the world at large would only have use for the Greek version. Only a small Jewish minority would be able to use the Hebrew text. Hebrew text, of any kind, seems to have been used seldomly and not have been terribly well preserved. Before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the earliest Hebrew Old Testament texts (or of any kind) were dated in the 10th century AD. By contrast, “Premier among these ninety-four [Biblical Greek] papyri, however, are forty-three that are dated prior to or around the turn of the third/fourth centuries” [Bart Ehrman, The Text of the New Testament in Contemporary Research]
http://www.tektonics.org/ntdocdef/mattdef.php https://isjesusalive.com/did-matthew-write-the-gospel-of-matthew/ https://medium.com/@eriknmanning/how-mentions-of-money-in-matthews-gospel-confirm-matthean-authorship-a1e546d4e6df Matthew was the first of the Canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
One of the most desperate attempts to discredit the Bible from angry and miserable atheists is called "history denialism", atheists in general are historically illiterate and stupid by default however they also tend to try to re-write existing history based on their insane religion of darwinism which leads to nowhere. Throughout the entirety of history Matthew has been known as the first gospel written, by Matthew the Apostle, one of the 12 Disciples of Jesus, but angry and bitter atheists try to make Mark the first gospel written in order to fit their darwinism religion of bottom-up process, despite the fact that we are seeing exactly the opposite everywhere, everything has been degrading over time and is heading towards extinction.
Additionally, the desperate darwinists advocating Markan priority tend to push back dating of most books of the Bible until after the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem, because they get completely deranged by living in a world in which Jesus could allude to so many prophecies before the fact. This is despite Josephus naming Jesus who did just that (Wars of the Jews, book 6).
Of course, to claim Mark was written before Matthew is to deny history, discount the Church Fathers as well as force imaginary stories on existing evidence. Contrary to the Markan priority theory, real history seems to be overwhelmingly of the position that Matthew was the first gospel:
- In his [Origen’s] first book on Matthew’s Gospel, maintaining the Canon of the Church, he testifies that he knows only four Gospels, writing as follows:
- Among the four Gospels, which are the only indisputable ones in the Church of God under heaven, I have learned by tradition that the first was written by Matthew, who was once a publican, but afterwards an apostle of Jesus Christ, and it was prepared for the converts from Judaism, and published in the Hebrew language.
- The second is by Mark, who composed it according to the instructions of Peter, who in his Catholic epistle acknowledges him as a son, saying, ‘The church that is at Babylon elected together with you, salutes you, and so does Marcus, my son.’ 1 Peter 5:13
Eusebius, Church History, Book 6 Origen [184/5–253/4 AD] noted that’s these four are the only indisputable ones. Origen, although not without his flaws, is a Biblical scholar whose magnum opus was a six language interlinear Old Testament Bible with commentary. He is well aware of additional gospels in circulation. He also is aware of what we currently know as the book of Mathew (as evident by existing fragments of his “Commentary on Matthew”) and cites that it was originally written in Hebrew (some claim that he means Aramaic). Origen places Matthew first. Clement (c. 150 – 215 AD) is of the same opinion:
- Again, in the same books, Clement gives the tradition of the earliest presbyters, as to the order of the Gospels, in the following manner:
- The Gospels containing the genealogies, he says, were written first. The Gospel according to Mark had this occasion. As Peter had preached the Word publicly at Rome, and declared the Gospel by the Spirit, many who were present requested that Mark, who had followed him for a long time and remembered his sayings, should write them out. And having composed the Gospel he gave it to those who had requested it.
- Eusebius, Church History, Book 6 Although elsewhere Clement ascribes the book of Hebrews to Paul and does not agree with Origen about the second gospel written, this reference to the genealogies being composed first fits nicely into the history of Christianity. After all, the Gentiles were not ministered until Paul came on the scene and Matthew is thoroughly crafted to reach a Hebrew audience. Any Hebrew would be obsessed with genealogies (especially in proving who the Messiah would be). This also fits nicely into the common assertion by the Church Fathers that the original Matthew was written in Hebrew.
- Papias gives also in his own work other accounts of the words of the Lord on the authority of Aristion who was mentioned above, and traditions as handed down by the presbyter John; to which we refer those who are fond of learning. But now we must add to the words of his which we have already quoted the tradition which he gives in regard to Mark, the author of the Gospel.
- This also the presbyter said: Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately, though not in order, whatsoever he remembered of the things said or done by Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor followed him, but afterward, as I said, he followed Peter, who adapted his teaching to the needs of his hearers, but with no intention of giving a connected account of the Lord’s discourses, so that Mark committed no error while he thus wrote some things as he remembered them. For he was careful of one thing, not to omit any of the things which he had heard, and not to state any of them falsely. These things are related by Papias concerning Mark.
- But concerning Matthew he writes as follows: So then Matthew wrote the oracles in the Hebrew language, and every one interpreted them as he was able. Eusebius, Church History, Book 3
According to Eusebius via Papias and Origen, Matthew was first written in Hebrew and then translated to Greek. Eusebius, most definitely had the Greek version we know today and equates this to Papias’ Hebrew text. It seems very early that the Hebrew Matthew original was translated into Greek and the Hebrew shunned. The diaspora and the world at large would only have use for the Greek version. Only a small Jewish minority would be able to use the Hebrew text. Hebrew text, of any kind, seems to have been used seldomly and not have been terribly well preserved. Before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the earliest Hebrew Old Testament texts (or of any kind) were dated in the 10th century AD. By contrast, “Premier among these ninety-four [Biblical Greek] papyri, however, are forty-three that are dated prior to or around the turn of the third/fourth centuries” [Bart Ehrman, The Text of the New Testament in Contemporary Research]
http://www.tektonics.org/ntdocdef/mattdef.php https://isjesusalive.com/did-matthew-write-the-gospel-of-matthew/ https://medium.com/@eriknmanning/how-mentions-of-money-in-matthews-gospel-confirm-matthean-authorship-a1e546d4e6df Is the Bible historically accurate?
Is the Bible at all credible as a historical Text?
In this Argument for creation I am going about it differently than most. The main reason some Christians believe in Yahweh creating the universe is it says so in the Bible (Genesis 1). If the Bible is completely inaccurate and had no evidence to validate itself then, the creation account at the beginning would be greatly diminished in its strength as an answer to the beginning of this universe. The reason for testing the veracity of the claim, the Bible being a credible historical text, is to at the very least create some dialogue to if creation by Yahweh is possible. If the Bible throughout its writings has been consistently historically accurate, it is reasonable to assume the creation account has some credibility. I will be going through the Bible to see if there is any evidence to believe what the books in it say is true.
Firstly, at the end of Genesis and then continuing into Exodus, the first two books of the Bible, there are descriptions of the beginning of the Israelite nation forming. From Genesis 17 onwards a man called Abraham is promised to father the nation of Israel. At the end of Genesis two generations after him his great grandchildren are said to have resided in Egypt though this was not their promised land. According to geologies in the Bible, Abraham should have lived around 2000 BC. Then his great grandchildren descendants around 18th century BC resided in Egypt for around 400 years. The area is called Goshen and is meant to be very good land for crops and farming. After that they left because of Moses leading them to the promised land. All this comes from the book of Exodus. Now is there any historical evidence for this, outside of the Bible? In 1990 and onwards the esteemed Manfred Bietak discovered an abandonment phase in todays Tell el-Dab'a (ancient Avaris). The area discovered was a palatial district with a Royal Precinct and an Asiatic (Foreigner) district, (Page 2 of
https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/jaei/article/view/16915/16645) he found in the mid-15th century BC there was a clear abandonment phase during 18th dynasty. This was an important area that had military bases and may have been used to stage naval expeditions to the Mediterranean Sea. Why would you leave this area? The sediment below the abandonment phase is most probably Semitic and seems to be Semitic for over 300 years (
https://www.academia.edu/37046281/M_Bietak_The_Many_Ethnicities_of_Avaris_Evidence_from_the_northern_borderland_of_Egypt_in_J_Budka_and_J_Auenm%C3%BCller_eds_From_Microcosm_to_Macrocosm_Individual_Households_and_Cities_in_Ancient_Egypt_and_Nubia_Leiden_2018_Sidestone_Press_73_92( says “Canaanite” which is where the Israelites came from in Bible before going to Eygpt). Now this is not concrete evidence to say the exodus is true, but It does bring some weight of trustworthiness to the book of Exodus. In addition, it brings evidence for the end of Genesis as it talks of Canaanites leaving their land long before going to Egypt and this is what we see in Ancient Avaris. Canaanites resided in Egypt for several centuries.
The God of the Israelites is called Yahweh and unlike many other ancient nations around them they only had one God. For example, the Egyptians had Horus, Seth, Isis and Anubis and so on. The earliest inscription for the name Yahweh is in the Soleb inscriptions. It was found in what would have been Ancient Egypt and dated to around the early 14th Century BC to the end of the 15th Century BC and another one in the 13Th century BC. There is no debate in what they say but some secular scholars hypothesize the ancient Edomites and Midianites worshipped Yahweh before the Israelites. However, there is no historical evidence for those nations worshipping Yahweh. There is some evidence of certain people from those nations but not the whole nation. People worshipping Yahweh from other lands during the Exodus would not be a problem for the Bible. It says in Exodus Moses Father in law, Jethro, was a Midianite who helped Moses figure out the Judicial structure of Israel. Yet there is plenty of evidence to show the Israelites as a nation worshipped Yahweh. For example, the Moabite stone shows the Israelite nation worshipping Yahweh. The Soleb inscription talks about a people saying the “Nomads of Yahweh”. The people are wandering around and do not have a city to identify them, so their God is used to do this. After the Exodus of the Israelites, the Israelites wondered the desert for 40 years before starting to conquer the cities of Canaan. This would count for Nomads as they did not have a land and were wondering around. How else to define them other than by the God they worship and identify with.
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/07x6659z In the book of Joshua, it talks of the conquering of many cities such as Hazor. If this were to happen the cities would likely tell their allies they were being attacked and request help. Well the Amarna Letters are Clay tablets, mostly from kings in Canaan to Egypt that they needed help as they were being attacked. These kings were subjected to Egypt. They date to the mid-14th century BC. This is quite inline with the Bible’s account. They mention the “Habiru” who were invading Canaan at the time and Habiru is very similar in sounding to Hebrew. Many scholars indicate this could be the Hebrew people. The Bible also accurately describes the conditions of the area at this time period having many city states in Canaan (
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1280&context=jats).
Finally, for this period I would like to introduce the Berlin pedestal. This is an artefact dated to mid-14th Century. It is an Egyptian name ring that lists 3 places, Ashkelon, Canaan, Israel. The ring for Israel is only around 2/3rds complete as part has broken away, however in 2001 Manfred Görg published that it should be Israel from what the rest of the symbols could be. This gives an inscription of the nation of Israel very early. This would indicate that it was not likely at all that Israel formed later in time as there is evidence to the contrary. These pieces of evidence are by no means exhaustive of an Early Israel formation date, in line with the Bible. Yet I have other periods to cover so will move on.
https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/jaei/article/view/83/87 Next, I would like to tackle the next few books of the Bible. Those being Joshua, Judges and the Samuel 1-2. I have already touched upon some evidence to suggest the Biblical account is not completely made up with the structure of the Canaanite political structure being made of city states. Now I will be looking at Joshua 11. It talks of Israel’s northern conquest of Canaan against the Jobin king of Hazor. In the chapter Israel prevails over Hazor who led a coalition of kings against Israel and burns the city of Hazor. Now is there any evidence for a City called Hazor in that time and that it was burn around the early 14th Century -late 15th Century BC. Well there are some Egyptian Execration texts, which name enemies of Egypt, that mention Hazor in the 18th century BC (
https://www.academia.edu/25340113/Do_the_Execration_Texts_Reflect_an_Accurate_Picture_of_the_Contemporary_Settlement_Map_of_Palestine ) Page 13. Moreover, the Mari archives mention Hazor in the 18th Century BC as an actual place and shipments of trade to “Ibni-Addad king of Hazor”. This is Accadian but in West Semitic form it reads “Yabni-Haddad”. Jabin and Yabni are the same name, just one is shortened. (
https://search.proquest.com/openview/688f4758a1fb7f3a55e7c4aaef134a3e/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=46246). In the Amarna Letters which I have already discussed it also talks of Hazor. Unlike many other communications in the Letters the king of Hazor does not grovel to the Pharaoh but mentions himself being a King. This aligns with Joshua as it describes Hazor’s king leading the collation against Israel suggesting he is the most powerful in that part of Canaan. Letters 227 and 228 refer to him as a king. There is also an ancient Babylonian tablet that mention Jabin and was found at Hazor in 18th century BC. So, what from these two conclusions can be surmised? Either Jabin was a title like Pharaoh or it was a name used many times such as Rameses. This all agrees with the Biblical account as it mentions Jabin twice, once in Joshua then in Judges. Judges being over 100 Years after Joshua. Joshua 11: 1 and Judges 5:6-11. The name being used for long periods of time in and outside the Bible is interesting.
https://www.baslibrary.org/biblical-archaeology-review/20/5/14. Two destruction have been found at Hazor. On in the late bronze age so 1550-1400 BC and another in 13th century BC.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/25609263?seq=1. Amnon Ben-Tor who leads digs even says this again in the Israel exploration journal 51 in 2001 page 238. There is evidence for temples being destroyed which if it were the Israelites makes sense, other religious temples were seen and unholy and would be destroyed. This does point towards this account be possibly historically accurate. Now there is a theory among secular scholars that Israel had a much later exodus date in the 13th century BC. But if that is true, Israel as a nation should only be mentioned after this time. Yet there is evidence of their God Yahweh which is written about over 6000 time in the Bible. And there is not enough time for an exodus and conquering on Canaan if the exodus is a later date. This is shown decisively with the Merneptah Stele. It is an Egyptian inscription mentioning Israel as a nation and dates to 1208 BC which means there is not enough time in those years of less than 100 years to have late exodus and the nation being established after conquering much of Canaan. This is all before 40 years wandering in the desert.
One key part of the books of Samuel is King David. In the 19th century and early 20th century secular scholars scoffed that he was historical but rather a myth like England’s king Arthur. Especially the fact that he had an empire and a dynasty that was considerable for its time. However, in 1993 the Tel Dan Stele was found. It is a victory Stele about most likely King Hazael defeating the king of Israel and his ally who is of the “house of Dave”. This is dated to around 9 century BC. This is historical confirmation that King David was indeed real, and he left a lineage. This is a largely undisputed fact that it is of the House of David. The Bible describes David’s Dynasty in it books Samuel 2 and kings 1-2 and Chronicles 1-2. This also reinforces the fact at the 9th century BC Israel indeed was a nation that its enemies had wars with. Furthermore, the Moabite stone also references David while recording the Events of 2nd Kings Chapter 3. It has been dated to around 840 BC and mentions the phrase the house of David. The Moabite stone has many alignments to the Bible. They both talk of the Moab’s God Chemosh, the tribe of Gad from Israel and the Israelite king Omri. If the Jews wrote the books of the Torah centuries after the events happened how could they know of the Centuries old Moabite god Chemosh? It is not logical to assume.
https://brill.com/view/journals/vt/52/4/article-p483_3.xml .
https://www.jstor.org/stable/27926300?seq=1 https://www.jstor.org/stable/1357179?seq=1 The matrix of evidence really points to the Bible not being some mythical tale, that has no basis but an account that is corroborated with non-Biblical texts. If the exodus was a late date in the 13th century or after it can not fit with other timelines of artefacts. It would mean in less than 350 years Israel left Egypt and wondered for 40 some years, then started slowly taking over Canaan. After that have judges and prophets protecting Israel. After this they would get the kings of which there were many and until you get to King Ahab. In the early 9th Century BC. There isn’t enough time if you believe in the dates of the Bible.
Now I will be going into the Kings of Israel. A key piece of historical evidence for there really being kings of Israel are the Assyrian inscriptions. The Assyrians named each year after a person calling them the Limmu. They are absolute dates and even have a solar eclipse mentioned in the year 763BC. This allows Biblical scholars to give absolute dates to the Kings of Israel. This helps in dating artefacts such as the Kurkh Monolith of Shalmaneser the 3rd who mentions King Ahab who fought against him in 853 BC.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/27925486?seq=1 Then there is the Black Obelisk showing King Jehu giving tribute to Shalmaneser in 841 BC.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/42613886?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=Black%20obelisk%20king%20jehu&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DBlack%2Bobelisk%2Bking%2Bjehu&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_SYC-5187_SYC-5188%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A9bfe9ec30049e46ae79c452df027d1d8&seq=1 . These show that these books in the Bible are not completely made up and have some historical accuracy at the least. There are many other examples of historical evidence of other kings of the Bible, but I can focus on that in its own separate post.
After the Kings of Israel, the empires of the Persia and Babylon in the Bible are said to have taken over Israel and Judah the two nations of the Jewish people. Then In the reign of Cyrus the Great he sets the Israelites free to rebuild their temple and walls at Jerusalem. This occurs in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Many older secular scholars did not believe that any king would allows their slaves to go free as it did not make any sense. Why would you let your labour go? Well the Cyrus Cylinder which has been dated to 539BC depicts just that. It is a declaration that the exiles to go back to their settlements and rebuild their sanctuaries. This clearly aligns with what occurred in the Bible. There are also the Babylonian chronicles, which mention the sacking of Jerusalem by king Nebuchadnezzar and dates it to 597 BC. These tablets recount the History of Babylon. This is what is said in the Bible in the book of Daniel.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3268761?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=Cyrus+cylinder&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DCyrus%2Bcylinder%26filter%3D&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_SYC-5187_SYC-5188%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A43cce9af3298485f1830bcb23acd07de&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1896-0409-51 Now the book of Daniel has had secular skepticism because it is quite a prophetic book. For a Biblical timeline he would have written early to mid-6th century BC. Some disagree, arguing that he wrote in the 2nd century BC, though there is evidence to suggest he was a real person writing in 6th century BC. Jerimiah 39: 3 mentions Nebo Sarsekim who was the chief eunuch. The Nebo Sarsekim tablet writes that the pottery belonged to a man with the same name. It is dated to 595 BC. Jerimiah was said to have lived in a similar time period as Daniel. Now if these books were written 400 years later then how would Daniel or Jerimiah know someone of the court of King Nebuchadnezzar II who lived in the 6th century BC. There was no internet and information was sparsely passed down, compared to the post printing press era. So, it is nearly impossible that his name was kept in Jewish records unless written at the time. Moreover, this book was written in Hebrew and Aramaic. If you look at the Aramaic used and Aramaic from the 5th century BC it is very similar. Here is a marriage certificate from 449 BC from a Jewish colony in Egypt
https://isaw.nyu.edu/exhibitions/wgre/highlights/marriage-document-from-ananiah-to-meshullam-aramaic for an example. Language changes over time. The Aramaic of the 2nd century would be different than the Aramaic from a few hundred years before. Another problem with Daniel in the 2nd century BC is the dead sea scrolls. Part of Daniel’s book which is in some of the earlier dead sea scrolls date to 150 BC. This is a couple of decades at most from when secular skeptics say Daniel was written. This would mean that the book was written, and then became widespread and popular in a mere couple decades. This is a very serious reach which is not logical.
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1541&context=jats. Lastly, in Daniel chapter 5 it talks of the King Belshazzar needing Daniel to interpret writing on a wall. Again, some secular scholars in the early 19th century did not believe that King Belshazzar was a real person, because for some time they could only find record of a man named Nabonidus as the king for this time period. It also is interesting in the chapter that Belshazzar says he will make anyone who is able to interpret the wall 3rd in command of the whole kingdom. Why would he say this if he is real and the king, why not second? Even ancient historians like Herodotus, Megasthenes, Berossus said that the last king of Babylon was Nabonidus. Well discoveries found that this chapter is telling the truth. For example, the Nabonidus Cylinder from Ur which says “Belshazzar, the eldest son—my offspring”, dated to around 550BC. Vindicating Belshazzar as a real person. More evidence is seen in the Nabonidus Chronicle which describes Nabonidus being generally living far away from Babylon and Belshazzar as crown prince. It is not unusual for a crown prince or someone high up governing the kingdom day to day to be called king. For example, King Herod in the new testament was not actually king in the Roman empire but was a leader for a certain region. If this were written centuries after the 6th century BC how would Daniel know Belshazzar was a real person, as even other ancient historians did not write of him? One last point to explore is the use of the name Nebuchadnezzar as father to Belshazzar. In the Bible when the word father is used, it does not always mean literal father but ancestor or someone occupying the same office. The prophet Elisha had Shaphat as a biological father but calls his mentor Elijah as “His father” in 2 Kings 2:12. Jesus was called the son of David even though he was only his descendent. So as Belshazzar succeeded Nebuchadnezzar to the throne it is possible, he was in the Bible called father.
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1547&context=auss Now there are many more pieces of evidence for the old testament being historically accurate, but I can make more writings on those at a later date. This is all good but how do we know the translations of the Bible over the millennium can be reliable. There are two prominent texts that I would like to explore. The Ketef Hinnom Scrolls and the Dead Sea scrolls. The Ketef Hinnom Scrolls reveal to be a very early piece of scripture. It was found in burial chambers and has the writings of Numbers 6: 24-26 which is the 4th book in the Bible. These date to the 7th century BC which is much earlier than some secular scholars claim the Torah was written. This would suggest that the writings occurred much earlier than the 7th century BC as they were only burial amulets. This also shows the accuracy of these verses being the same in todays Bible with something over 2600 years old. The dead sea scrolls are very important as they have basically every book in the Bible in scroll form and are dated from 3rd century BC onwards. There are 230 manuscripts that are completely biblical texts. For example, the great Isiah Scroll. Before this the earliest copy of the oldest complete Hebrew Torah was the Leningrad codex and dates to 1000 AD approximately. There is very little difference between these two writings showing over 1000 years of time not much has changed and the Biblical writings are reliable.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1647cmz?turn_away=true&Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=Ketef+Hinnom+Scroll&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DKetef%2BHinnom%2BScroll&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_SYC-5187_SYC-5188%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A0bdf526ea5d91d1c248b09fe4958ae33 https://www.jstor.org/stable/20787416?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=finding%20deadsea%20scrolls&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dfinding%2Bdeadsea%2Bscrolls%26filter%3D&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_SYC-5187_SYC-5188%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A8af891fbd8ba59f31db8755999728f25&seq=1 This last section will be focusing on the latter part of the Bible the New Testament. I have often heard people scoff that the central figure of the Bible, Jesus, was even real. It shows how little people know about him. His is one of the most documented ancient figures of his era, with similar historical evidence as Julius Caesar. There are multiple accounts of him being real from Christian sources, the Bible and its accounts from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. There are Jewish historians such as Josephus and roman Historians such as Tacitus who all talk about Jesus being a real person. Josephus was a Jewish historian who was not a Christian and describes that Pilate condemned Jesus who claimed to be the Messiah to a cross to die. He writes in around the year 93 AD. His book is called antiquities of the Jews. Tacitus a roman senator, also not a Christian, and historian also write of a man called Jesus who was killed on the cross by the orders of Pilate. Written in 116 AD in his book Annals. In addition, Babylonian Talmud writes about Yeshu being hanged for practicing sorcery and apostasy, Yeshu is Jesus. Lucian of Samosata also a Greek wrote of Jesus in the second century. Writing that he was a man worshipped by Christians who was crucified.
There are also many pieces of evidence that corroborate the text in the new testament. In John chapter 9 Jesus heals a blind man in the pool of Siloam. This very pool has been found to be real in Jerusalem. Pottery dated it around the pool is from old testament to new testament times. In the book of Romans 16:23 mentions a man called Erastus who in the Bible is the city’s treasurer or city official for Corinth where Paul wrote Romans. There is the Erastus inscription found in 1929 which said Erastus in return for his aedileship he paved with his own money. It is dated to 1st century BC and likely the same. There is also the Pilate stone which says Pontus Pilate, the man allowing the romans to kill Jesus, was the prefect of Judea from 26 AD to 36 AD. This is the time period when Jesus was killed. Another figure that is prominent in the death of Jesus is high priest Caiaphas. Archaeologists have probably found his Ossuary with his bones inside. Jewish Historian Josephus says high priest Caiaphas full name is Joseph Caiaphas. The box had on it, Joseph son of Caiaphas and had a 60-year-old man’s bones in it. This is another person in the Bible seen to be most likely real. In the book of Acts 18:12 describes Gallio was proconsul of Achaia. In Delphi, Claudius the emperor at the time inscribed Junius Gallio as a friend and proconsul. It is dated to 52 AD which is when the Apostle Paul would have lived. All these show the new testament to not be a fairy-tale but texts with real people in it.
https://legacy.tyndalehouse.com/tynbul/Library/TynBull_1989B_40_08_Gill_ErastusTheAedile.pdf https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/peq.1994.126.1.32?journalCode=ypeq20 https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/300013.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A9c11775a00371e0feab60357dfc9cd2b page 144
The resurrection of Jesus is one of the biggest parts of the Bible. It has some evidence at the very least that people of the time claimed that it was true. Firstly, if we look at the Gospels they describe Jesus being buried in a tomb that was just for him. This was after he was crucified and was not in a mass grave for criminals. There have been a couple concrete discoveries to prove people were indeed crucified along with the many writings. The heel bone of Yehohanan is a heel with a large nail driven in it by romans to crucify. The bone was found in a family tomb like what Jesus was buried in. This shows the possibility of the Bible’s account for Jesus having a dignified burial. Furthermore, the Nazareth Inscription heavily suggests that people at the time thought he had resurrected. This is because it describes a penalty of death for people who caught robbing bodies of family tombs and dated to the first half of the 1st century AD. Its language is directed towards the Jews and not the Gentiles according to Dr. Clyde Billington. Why do people care about taking bodies, normally it was the treasure with the bodies people would steal? This what happened to the Pharaohs. In the Bible it describes that the Jewish leaders made up the story the disciples stole Jesus’ body. It seems likely that there was talk at the time that his body was stolen. It is reasonable to indicate there is a link and possibly a strong one between this inscription and Jesus. Some people may also say that he never was actually killed. If you look at who was killing him it does not make sense. The Romans we thoroughly trained and did not want to lose their job or life. They would have made sure you died on the cross, 1000s of people died during the first century from crucifixion. Even driving a spear to your side to ensure it. After that Jesus’ body was guarded by Roman soldiers who would not have let anyone steal the body. Who can survive 3 days without water, that is the length of time Jesus was dead in the Bible before he arose? In John it talks of water and blood coming from the spear hole in Jesus, which is a medical phenomenon, what would have happened to someone after taking such a beating from the floggings and other torture. Fluid would build up around the heart and lungs and come out from a hole with blood at the same time. How could someone 2000 years ago know this if they did not see it?
The Disciples themselves imply some validity of the resurrection. Not just because in their writings or their eyewitnesses who claim to have seen Jesus but for what they did after. 10 of the original disciples, after definitely knowing if it was a lie or not that Jesus was resurrected as they would know if they made up the story, all were killed brutishly for their belief in the resurrection. Some were beheaded or impaled or crucified upside-down. Why would you live your life persecuted and killed for a lie you made up? There had been many other self-proclaimed Messiahs before and after Jesus but if they got killed every time their following would either diminish or find a new leader. This is not what happened to Jesus. Paul writes that 500 people other than the disciples saw and met a resurrected Jesus.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1461138?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=heel+bone+of+yehohanan&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dheel%2Bbone%2Bof%2Byehohanan&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_SYC-5187_SYC-5188%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3Ac7a734f3bab60059d39f4e0540184402#metadata_info_tab_contents About New Testament historical reliability to be the same as today I have seen a video that talks about it much better than I could. Here is the link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ksvhHEoMLM&ab_channel=RaviZachariasInternationalMinistries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9CC7qNZkOE&ab_channel=MrShazoolo Finally, how does all this relate back to creation vs evolution. Well I have tried to layout a series of evidence for the Bible being historically accurate. You may disagree with a few, but I would be very hard pressed to believe everything I have said is false. With so much pointing towards this text being historically reliable it brings up the possibility that we could start believing it. Especially give some thought to the possibility of its very beginning being true. I am not writing this to tell you, you must believe every word of the Bible. Rather that people should take it more seriously than a complete fiction. I also know that for some of my evidence there are skeptics that deny links I have proposed which is their freedom. I would just ask the question is that 100% because that is what the facts are telling them or is their disbelief in God being real what drives them in a certain direction. To conclude this is not a direct argument saying evolution is incorrect but that the book from where Biblical creation comes from is worth looking at as more non-fiction than fiction. Meaning that creation does not come from a fairytale and should be looked at the very least with some possibility with the rest of the book being historically accurate.
Thanks for reading.
The Plane of Ash: We Are Not Shadows
Introduction
Welcome!
This post is part of the "Atlas of the Planes" Project. Come and stop by our announcement page here to view the full list of planes, the sign up sheet, and links to other posts of the project.
“Wrath is a natural reaction. It commands ‘change’ in roaring defiance of that which time hath delivered.”
Death, as herself
“Ash is the antithesis to Art.All tablets, arches, scrolls, scribbles, and stages fear the flames. Of that soot-tipped eraser. The greedy flames had a tendency to eat , you see, not only words and deeds, but those who would remember both.Perhaps this is why literature and other art forms shy from depiction and description of Ash. Sure, they embrace the fire, an analogy for will, or love, or knowledge; but to grip the hard truth of a handful of soot? The after ashes destined for an urn, or a scattering unto the wind? This is a greater talisman of the taboo. Search the libraries, the galleries, the temples, and you will see many vehicles of stories centered round the fire, the furnaces, the fuel, the soldiers… but to the Ash, the soot, the cinders left behind? ‘Tis a rare recognition, indeed.The dragon in the room boils down to one’s belief, which one carries at will or at heart, and it is this: do you consider Ash to only ever be a symbol of death? Of nothingness? The end of a great blaze, the last rotten chunks of skin to a carbon skeleton, adrift in the wind?Or…Do embers remain, perhaps even still lit and floating in the air?”
- Essay on Ash, by Warlock Hiros’ma Nagasi
Table of Contents
This post was made using Google Docs. As the post currently exceeds the Reddit character limit (59,841k / 40k), it is recommended to view this content via the link here.
DISCOVERY 5
Exposition [Textbook, AKA The Only Floating Star Wars Text] 5
Cast: 6
SURVIVAL 8
Flora Table 9
THE LOCALS 11
Sports 11
Cannon Monster Table 11
Fauna Rebrew, Monster Manual Table 12
Fauna Rebrew — An Ecosystem of Smoke based Prey 13
NPCs Combat Encounters 14
MYSTERIES 17
POLITICS / FACTIONS / RELIGION / CULTURE 22
Factions 22
City-States, Towns, and Villages 23
Sports Rivalries 30
Agendas, NPC Table of Personality Traits 34
TRAVEL 38
Prominent Locations 39
Generic, frequent locations 41
Planar Escapes 42
Flight — Four Final Defog-mations 42
Additional Notes 44
Artifacts 44
Relics 46
Homebrew Class Paths 47
Druid — Circle of Smoky Horizons 47
Ranger — Scorched Earth Archer 49
Rogue — Harbinger of Arson 51
Fin — Dedication and Thanks 53
DISCOVERY
“When an adventuring party wipes, who's to say the BBEG didn’t whip out a molotov cocktail or Fireball spell at the last minute?”
Death, tapping her nose, or lack thereof
Exposition [Textbook, AKA The Only Floating Star Wars Text]
- Except for Archmage Zythor’s Compendium of the Planes
The place of Ash borders the Planes of Radiance,
Dust, Ice, Magma, and indirectly, the Plane of Fire. While this plane is not an eternal resting place, it does transition the souls of the burnt to their next plane of existence. Reaching this plane can be achieved semi-permanently through death by fire, either through arson, cremation, civilian war crimes, natural disaster, or martyrdom, be it holy or a witch-hunt. Travel can be temporarily reached during the vigil and process of cremation, as well as a variety of botched attempts to travel to Elysium.
Objects and beings are not born on the plane of Ash. Instead, they are smoky reflections of what once existed on the Prime Material World. Permanent structures are uncommon throughout the grey wasteland, though settlements and ruins exist, usually through the replication and reconstruction of former buildings reforged with blocks of cinder ash, or cinderblocks. Additionally, many objects such as books, furniture, and relics destroyed by fire are found to have approximate mirrored replications within the Plane of Ash.
When speaking of structures, it is vital to discuss the layers of the Plane of Ash. The foundation of the plane rests on a bed of either ever-burning, smoldering, and / or dormant embers. While rarely in close enough proximity to the surface to provide light or heat, persistent shovelers may easily uncover the ore of living fire — even finding embers the size of boulders, mammoths, or giants. This is the
UMBERLAND, the under-embers, and footsteps echo like soft crunches in the snow, as footwear treads on the scorched and fragmented remains of old tree rings.
The middle layer is a swirling vortex of smoke and soot, named
ASPHYXIC. Wielders of higher intellects and temperaments are able to fly at will to, from, and within this layer, without flap or engine, simply by pointing their gaze in the direction they wish to persist. While largely free of structures, travelers must beware the sudden spire, cliff-face, or scorched husk and trunk of towering redwoods. Some regions have also reported strange black wires in the sky, though these legends of some sort of steampunk or spectral sky-spider are largely considered ridiculous by scholars. The weather of this layer remains plagued by updrafts, downdrafts, tornados, and oceanless-hurricanes, though never with precipitation. A unique bio-arcane lifeform in this layer, whose association thus far escapes explanation to scholars, is the appearance of sharks in the ashen sky, prowling between the smoke clouds.
The uppermost layer is mostly theoretical. Loss of direction is common in the layer of Asphysic, and external guidance is required to reach the horizon above the smoke. Portrayed as serene and filled with the dim glow of stars at twilight, the layer is conjectured to border a higher plane. Suggestions include Mount Celeste, a likely contender; the plane of dust, a realistic probability; the planes of steam or lightning, according to the world axis of light and heat as proposed by the Sorcerer Dejo Lee; and as an underdog theory, perhaps the intoxicating plane of Elysium. This layer is referred to as
SHO ’ EL.
SURVIVAL
“Hey, hey, easy. You must be dead, for you to be crying out loud, carrying about like this. What did you expect, orientation? Get a hold of yourself. Take a walk. You might find another fallout spirit willing to listen for a spell. But really now, I must be going. As you can hear, someone else has just burnt to a crisp.”
Death, as herself
“Thank the Moon for Darkvision, that’s a start. The spells GoodBerry, Light, and Daylight saw immediate use. Once, we came upon a traveling warlock, whose daemon companion possessed true sight. Pandjed saw this as ingenious, and pursued study of the spell.”
Damakos, Tief. Druid
“Breathing was difficult, even through my helmet’s visor. We tore some cloth from our spare clothes, and fastened them around our mouths and faces. I had to take off my helmet, and in the two minutes it was off, my face was covered in grime, and I felt the layer coat my skin like plaque against my tongue along the metal. The air tasted like a dirty piece.”
Naeris Nailo, half-elf Paladin
“We mistranslated the word apocalypse. It is not the end of the world or plane. It is a great unveiling, a revelation. The world continues.”
Seraphina Hilltopple, halfling translator
“In Brave New Colony, there were many abandoned shops and houses. As we reached closer to the center, we began to see other people among the falling ash. Their very skin seemed made of ash, though they maintained their race and complexion from whence they originated. Some neon graffiti could be seen in the alleyways. One of them spelt “FREE HK,” and it was flanked by two animated suits of scorched armor. I asked a shopkeep about it. Apparently baffled by my ignorance, the racist, he explained they were the initials of the Ashman, that he was imprisoned, and would say no more.
Therai, Teif. Rogue
“COULDN’T SEE A [censored] THING!”
Pandjed, Db Bard
Flora Table
| Name | Region | Abundance (1 low - 5 high) | Use |
| Awakened Redwood | RF | 2 | Sages of Lore, Forest Guardians, Mildly acidic / poisonous bark |
| Fallout Fern | RF, SD | 4 | Bioluminescent, including underwater |
| Creeping Spaniard Ivy | SD, SB | 3 | Used in high quality rope, as well as quipo accounting systems |
| White Ash Cyprus | DV | 3 | It’s bark is said to prolong life among mortals, as well as produce a calming buzz to entities of ash |
| Conifers of Cinder | SC, W | 5 | Lumber, durable |
| Black Pine | SD | 5 | Lumber, brittle |
| Singed Elm | SD, SB | 3 | Makes durable bows, sacred drums, and remains the de facto lumber used in airship construction |
| Anleaf Bush | G, SD, W | 4 | A long burning wood favored in incense production, highly insect and disease resistant. Mild acidity yields a light pesticide, often dissolved with body fat to produce caulking. |
| Scorched Shrub | SC, DV, W | 4 | It’s berries come in several spice varieties, and are used as paint. Subspecies include caffeine, cocoa, nutmeg, and hazelnut. |
| Hollow Oak | G, W | 2 | Acidic to livestock, favored in fences guarding gardens. Makes durable weapon hilts and bows. Favored wood for storing alcohol. |
| Withered Willow | SD, RF | 2 | Painkiller Bark, Prevent Soil Erosion |
| Ash Rose | SB | 1 | A rare herb used in many jealously guarded alchemical recipes. It’s use is underplayed to the uninitiated. |
| Twilight Coral (3-5 sub-species) | G, DV | 3 | A general herb used in alchemy, often as a bonding agent, especially key when combined with acidic ingredients. |
| Fallen Leaves (mutated flora-insectoid hybrids) | G, W | 5 | Pests of mild nutritional value. Flavors are surprisingly varied, and are a favorite of culinary experts. |
| Whitecap | W, RF | 2 | A mushroom capable of bio-degrading calcium. It’s known in alchemy to increase one’s resistance to Ice and cold. |
| Bark-Clingers | RF, SD | 5 | A mushroom mostly used for its edible flavor and nutrition. Many specimens grow to be quite large, some growing as long as forearms. |
| Snowshroom | G | 4 | A mushroom containing many anti-oxidants. Used in alchemy to soothe nausea, reduce headaches, cramping, muscle bruising and tension. Mild hallucigan. |
| Needleshroom | SD, SC, W | 3 | Extreme Hallucigan. Mildly toxic to many races. Used in Alchemy for manic insight. Also used by some local religions. |
| Blackcap | DV, SB | 1 | A mushroom capable of boring through chitan. An extreme pesticide. It is known in alchemy to increase one’s resistance to Fire and Heat. |
“What do you mean, there isn't any vegetation on the Plane of Ash? Have you seen all the things we smoke and burn?”
Damakos
THE LOCALS
“When a soul incarnated in ash dies, it disintegrates in a cloud of ash. It reincarnates near a token of its identity on the plane, such as it’s home base of operations, it’s most prized possession, or it’s most treasured loved one. An important distinction to make, in understanding this reincarnation, is that the Plane of Ash seems to be a transitional plane from a minor afterlife to a greater afterlife, perhaps only accessible through passing the barrier of
Sho’El.”
- Conrad Ungin, wizard of the bio-arcane
Sports
Please refer to
P / R / F / C for sporting rivalries and descriptions.
- Ballcourt (PMW Meso-Americana)
- Ash Polo (Sludge Water Polo)
- Aerial Lacrosse (held in ASPHYXIC layer)
- Improv Bowl (Intellectual, Artists)
- Cinder Disc Golf
Cannon Monster Table (see doc).
Fauna Rebrew, Monster Manual Table (see doc)
Fauna Rebrew — An Ecosystem of Smoke based Prey Table (see doc) (covers Appendix A, pg. 317-341)
NPCs Combat Encounters --
Table (see doc)
MYSTERIES
For a table on Locations*, see Travel. Some of these locations are given expanded descriptions in this section.*
Disclaimer: No Ash was harmed in the making of this text. Much, however, was produced in the process of.
Prominent Key: (Q): Quest; (E) Explore; (SQ) Sidequest
- Black Pyramid (SQ)
“It’s full splendor stays veiled behind smoke clouds. Hints of it’s dark majesty are mirrored in the interior, though even the spirits of the dead dare not study it, for in the near infinite dungeon like depths, that which eternal lies, and it is said that some abominations can not truly die, even by the cosmic inferno that set this plane asunder. What remains of the victims of these abominations is only the anti-matter of the void, conveniently beyond my own jurisdiction.”
- Grey Lake (E)
“It is a dead sea. A truly, truly, intentionally dead body of water. Oxygen and light do not penetrate it’s depths. And freed of thirst, the beings of ash will find little incentive for either venture or adventure along it’s shores. This is perhaps less true in the present, with the recent discovery of the Grey Lake Scrolls, and the book of San Waking.”
- The Tarred River (E)
“Here you will find no Charon, no ferry. One might say it is a pale reminder of what water was, is, could be, were it not for the singed sentiments polluting it’s purity. Such a reclamation would require legions of druids. And those — thankfully, I suppose — are rare indeed on this plane. For now.”
- Sheldon Theater (Q)
“The fiery hearts of actors — I’ve stopped saying actresses — are often found in unlikely places. Most of us are actors, in our own way, behaving according to how our ancestors wrote the lines of the great cosmic play we find ourselves in. This theater itself is in the middle of nowhere, and yet it somehow draws a full house for every show, even though both the audience and actors are a bunch of perceived hill-billies, nomads, and vagabonds. How spectacular; and how tragic, in its fall to the flames of bigotry and hate.”
- Throne of the Second Wind (Q)
“It was here that San Waking (San’Wa King), lord of the monkeys, was pinned under a mountain for five hundred years by the Jade Emperor. Following his pilgrimage of redemption with a mortal monk in his Journey to the West, the immortal ape returns to the plane of Ash to judge wanderers he deems commendable. He has been rumored to advise the living on how to return to the Prime Material Plane.”
- Burnout Dugout (SQ or E)
“Some monks and clerics perpetuate that it is faith before action that guides one’s path to the Light. If that’s true, these addicts are some of the most holy do-nothings in all the planes. Light it up, I guess, in our so-called den of hippies and thieves.”
- Silverwing Bat Colony (E)
“The tribal shaman kindly requests that nothing be burned in the cavern, so as not to disturb their neighbors on the ceiling. Their guano turns rather fiery when they’re annoyed. Best leave the sleeping bats lie.”
- Eagin Sungarain, meteorologist
- The Library of Lex Andrea (Q)
“Little is known of the Lex Andrea Empire, other than their hieroglyphic depictions of the Clockwork Gate, contact with the Netherese, and the Plane of Steam. The Empire fell midway through the second age to an apocalyptic catastrophe, which turned their lands to blackened swamps and radiated deserts. At least, that is what is known to Prime Material Worlders. The location of this legendary library is not yet known, but accounting for the historical records, and the laws governing the plane, its existence is all but confirmed.”
- Conrad Ungin, wizard of the bio-arcane
- Dragon Graveyard (SQ)
“Leave sleeping Dragons lie. This goes double for a Dracolich.”
- Monastery of Ash (E or Q)
“As the cavalry of conquerors crossed the western sea, the ninjas of Torii looked to their grandmaster for guidance. The monastery had heard the news of these wars in years past, and of their exponential, disproportionate violence. Grandmaster Lee brandished a torch, and held it to the walls of his own domain, he said ‘they have not burned their own ships, yet they will not hesitate to burn our own homes — and so we must outdo their determination.’ As the blaze spread, it is known that some monks chose to reenter, and perish among the flames. So began the Great Conqueror's War to maintain our newfound appreciation of independence.”
- Circle of the Witch-Hunt (SQ)
“Led by the cries of ‘It’s all just a witch hunt, It’s all just a witch hunt,’ cults of inquisitors form around many a demagogue. At first glance, it’s perhaps ironic that they too fall to the flames. But you must remember, the plane of Ash is not a refuge for the moral or informed, that is, enlightened, but for all who burn. At best, it’s a timeless refuge where one may still attain these traits. At worst, it is akin to Carceri, or Tartarus, where a riot has broken the peace between guard and detainee. On this hilltop, their political ring of stones is occasionally assaulted by specters of these hags derived from their own personal, psionic paranoia.”
- Coven of the Wyrd Sisters (SQ) (Terry Pratchet, full animated video available online for free.)
“The Wise Woman Ny’alana Moore taught me several lessons, a few of which I even remember. The first was that the older one got, the less magic they tended to use. The second lesson was that there comes a point where rules must be broken. And that there was a kind of spell that triumphed over magic in a different way, and that was the way of words. She also divined the location of my teenage journal reincarnated on the plane of ash, which my mother the dragon-queen Tethis burned in my youth.”
- Vaporized Facades of Wrath (VFW) Post 451 (E)
“If only laying the dead to rest /was as easy as cremation.”“If only peace could replace this battle fatigue /my only sacrifice -- a single burnt offering /Charred bones spread among the ash /Could they, would they, if only, reignite”
- Slaughterhouse Six — (E)
“Near an abandoned city lies this building within a meat shipping center. Notable spirits have been disappearing around here for weeks, and unless there’s been some sort of second wave of religion I don’t know about, I don’t think they’ve ascended. I passed a wandering Pilgrim raving about the Cult of the Djinni. Can’t say I’ve heard of them”
- Brave New Colony (E or Q)
“BNC is the main hub of the Ashen wasteland — both the Geechago Central School and Sheldon Theater are landmarks there. As far as landmarks can go in a plane of smoke. The citizens there are largely of a decent alignment, with notable outliers. A small faction broke away to form the New Richmond suburb, though recent reports indicate that it’s been pretty much destroyed.”
- Redwood Maze (E)
“Vermin is a broad term. Many imagine them as only rodents, but it encompasses almost all wild animals, including insects, worms, and parasites. In many societies, the term may refer to people.”
Seraphina Hilltopple
- New Richmond Town Hall (SQ)
“They called us what? Dead? Honey, not only has that ship sailed, it was burned by savages on another world. Sure we’re dead, but the jury’s still out on where we’re at.”
- Dridma Royal Palace (E)
“No señor cook, you don’t quit, you’re fired! What’s that? The Chief of Staff resigned? But that’s the tenth one in three years! Well get an acting employee to fill the position for now. What’s that? A crystal ball call for me? Oh, hey [REDACTED]. Hey, you had my back with that testimony, right? Oh yeah? Well [bleep] you too, you [bleep] Sonderland!”
- Geechago Central School (E)
“‘Who conceived of the attack?’ I bellowed, my bow’s length pinning him to the wall outside. ‘No, fuck that. Who said to torch the place?’ And the little twit had the nerve to roll his eyes. ‘You cannot judge us,’ he self-righteously replied, before looking skywards and somehow slipping from my grasp, as he rapidly launched upwards. With hardly a twitch of effort, he ascended with such speed and precision, on such a straight trajectory, the likes of which I'd never witnessed before.”
- Ocean Avenue (E or Q)
“Bartender, another round. Bard, another song. Friends, another hug. Tonight, we feast like it’s Valhalla.”
POLITICS / FACTIONS / RELIGION / CULTURE
Factions
Professional and Belief-Oriented Factions
Materialist’s Haven
- Cinderblock Concrete Alchemists
- Artifact Accountants
- Newground Engineers
- Big D Construction
- Bull Market Stock Trade Guild
Academy of Manifests
- Circle of Many Pantheons
- Alt-left Archaeologists
- Theater Troupe Union
- Cinderblock Artists of Inscription
- Word of Mouth Writer’s Guild
Governing Bodies
(KS) Keepers of the Soot (imperial bureaucrats)
(GD) Grey Deji (grey jedi)
(MCC) Mushroom Cloud Confederacy (indegenous)
(RBC) Raiders of the Burnout Crusade (pastoral nomadic pirates)
City-States, Towns, and Villages Table (see doc)
Sports Rivalries
- Ballcourt (PMW Meso-Americana)
- One Hoop in center of the ballcourt, fixated 15 feet from ground along wall
- Special cinder block flooring for ground stability
- Foam-like mats along the walls to prevent injury, slows down ball movement
- Very difficult to bounce the heavily weighted ball, esp. off of mat rebounds
- Universally favored sport across the plane
- Relevant Stats: STR, DEX, CON
- Ash Polo (Sludge Water Polo)
- Central Net across playing field
- Primarily held in towns and villages boasting docks
- Some locations boast artificial urban “pools” in landlocked regions
- Primarily favorite sport of mid or upper socio-economic class
- Relevant Stats: CON, DEX, STR, as well as capital investment
- Aerial Lacrosse (held in ASPHYXIC layer)
- J.K Rowling wasn’t that original — no broomsticks needed
- Favorite sports of races bearing a short stature (gnomes, halflings, dwarves)
- Arenas are filled with boiler-powered fans to defog field of view
- Beams of light mark hoops, upper and lower limits, and horizontal out-of-bounds
- Relevant Stats: INT, CON, STR
- Improv Bowl (Intellectual, Artists)
- Trivia games (history, theory)
- Favorite sport of academics and performers
- Timed rounds, generally 3 teams per round, up to 18 teams in a gauntlet (9 standard)
- Known as Knowledge Bowl in PMW
- Relevant Stats: INT, WIS, CHA
- Cinder Disc Golf
- Calling the sport “Frolf” will result in lifetime ban in many settlements and courses
- Favorite sport of the impoverished classes, despite mild investment and equipment turnover (losing discs)
- A highly scenic sport, with spectators welcome to view in the ASPHYXIC layer with minimal exhaustion
- One of the more weather prone sports, with allowances of gusts and debris to impede “athletes”
- Relevant Stats: WIS, STR, DEX (tee off)
Rivalry Table (see doc)
“Riots fill the streets. Arson be the smoke signals of the mobs' parades. The Playoffs must be over. Now, once more, the Plane of Ash is filled with
Fire — Walk with Me.”
- Therai, Harbinger of Arson Rogue subclass (homebrew)
Agendas), NPC Table of Personality Traits (see doc)
Inspired by Sid Meyer’s Civilization 6, and DLCs
TRAVEL
The geography of the plane resembles a crossroads. A misconception of the plane is that the place remains incarnated as pure ash, pure darkness. Not even death wishes life as so easily snuffed out. Are not the planes of lightning and steam at their darkest a dim grey?
As such, the travelers and inhabitants either live a nomadic,diasporic lifestyle, or live subterranean lives akin to hibernation below the smoldering ruins of once great cities. The four regions are as follows:
- (U) Umberlands — Default, including four subregions, as follows:
- (U-RF) Redwood Forest (leafless)
- (U-SB) Sediment Basin
- (U-W)) The Whitecaps, a mountain range
- (U-SD) Sludge Delta, where the Tarred River forms an Ashen Marshland
- (SC) Sunset Canyon — Borders Plane of Radiance
- (G) Greywaste — Borders Plane of Ice
- (DV) Duerma Volcana, aka, Ridge of Craters — Borders Plane of Magma
Prominent Locations Table (see doc)
Generic, frequent locations Table | Name | Location | Category: RPG, Dungeon |
| Scorched Towers of Lore | all | both |
| Razed Theaters | SD, SB, RF, G | Dungeons, small |
| Blackstone Amphitheaters | DV, W, SB | RPG, events, encounters |
| Netherese Greenhouses | SB, G, DV, SC | RPG |
| Firewatch Towers (Stations) (shelters) | SB, W, RF, G | both |
| Watchtowers | SB, RF, G, DV | Dungeons, small |
| Whitepaint Mineshafts | SC, W | Dungeons |
| Ruined Temples | all | both |
| Toppled Steeples | all | both |
| Singed Sepulchers | all | both |
| Ghost Town | all | Dungeon, surface |
| Mostly Abandoned City | all | both |
Planar Escapes
“Regardless of how the information is gleaned, there are four logical directions of escape from the Plane of Ash: through the three planar border regions of Sunset Canyon (Radiance), Greywaste (Ice), and Duerma Volcana (Magma); a fourth is thought to exist about the Whitecaps, in the upper atmospheric layer of Sho’El. Of these routes, only two seem survivable to living entities existing on the Plane: travel to the Greywaste by means of expedition, and travel to the Sunset Canyon in hopes of divine intervention. The puzzle of it boils down to one’s thermal resistance to ice and fire. Travel to the Plane of Fire or Magma usually leads to one’s incineration, unless in a spectral form or under powerful Magiks. And travel to the Plane of Ice is often as equally deadly. If there is a fourth escape above the Whitecaps, it seems reserved for the dead.”
“The only escape we knew was through the Greywaste.”
- Therai, Damakos, Naeris Nailo, and Panjed
Flight — Four Final Defog-mations
Exhaustion: “All living and spectral entities suffer 1 level of exhaustion for every ten miles they travel this way, refreshing upon a long rest.” [Hardmode: refreshing only 1 level of exhaustion per day.]
Conrad Ungin
Skill Check: “...Comparable to those required to cast Fly. I.e. 5th level wizard, 6th level sorcerer, 13th level rogue, 9th Ranger, etc. Note: fly does not require specific classes to access on this plane. Only “Wielders of higher intellects and temperaments are able to fly at will,” eg. spellcasting modifier (CHA, WIS, INT). Specialists of the modifiers STR, DEX, and CON may still cast flight with approximately a +2 modifier. Final homebrew ruling.”
Eagin Sungerain
Survival: “The largest threats to the living include atmospheric inhalation and encounters. Those, and sudden cliffs or towers. Pay attention, and don’t daydream.”
Death
Encounters: “By the sound of those screams, it seems that little runaway twit forgot about the Ash Sharks and Sky Spiders.”
Naeris Nailo
Additional Notes
Cannon materials from the 5e DMG and Player’s Handbook, with their currently rumored resting spots.
Artifacts (Table) (see doc) Relics (Table) (see doc) Homebrew Class Paths (3) Druid, Ranger, Rogue
Druid — Circle of Smoky Horizons
Druids of the Circle of the Smoky Horizon are active conservationists. While other circles may favor a certain environment, or bend to the whims and needs of a species or apex predator, this circle actively attempts to preserve all ecosystems as they are, despite the inevitable change brought by cycles of the natural order. In doing so, they strive for harmony and negotiation before all other recourses.
Not all attempts at pacification are successful — in combat, a CotSH druid prevents environmental harm and sacrifices healing utility in order to end a conflict swiftly. They may invoke spells to repair the landscape and their party outside of combat, though while in the thick of it, they create temporary spectral mutations to their original or wild shape form. They may still wish to cast earth, magma, or root-based spellcasting, though their mutations lend aid to their desires of self-harm before external harm.
DISCLAIMER: This homebrew attempts to compete with the Circle of the Moon and Circle of the Shepherd in terms of tier list rankings covered by Youtubers “Dungeon Dudes.” [citation: youtube.]
Leveling Peace Pipe: At the 2nd level — as your party and opposing humanoids roll for combat, you attempt to renegotiate, passing a peace pipe of tobacco to all members of the encounter. You gain a bonus of +5 to your initiative roll, and all non-undead entities within a 120ft radius sheathe their weapons upon a lower initiative roll than your own. Opposing enemies may likewise attempt to coerce their aggressive allies into compliance, or choose to exit the encounter individually. Shapeshifters, such as metallic dragons, may attempt to revert to their humanoid form, based on the DM’s interpretation of compliance.
Spectral Claws: At the 2nd level, you learn to mutate your forearms to replace your fingernails or similar appendage to grow spectral claws, adding 1d5 damage die to successful melee attack rolls. You gain 1d6 die at the 6th, 10th, and 14th level. Spectral claws are only considered magical by DM discretion.
Thick Skin: Beginning at the 6th level, you gain the passive ability to mutate your skin with a scaly, earthly (mud, rock), or crystalline substance. You gain an AC rating of +3. Additionally, surprise attacks against you are made with disadvantage.
Horns: Beginning at the 10th level, you learn to mutate your head with ashen horns or tusks, which vanish outside of combat. You gain 2d12 damage die, which you make seperate attack rolls for, as an additional double-swipe free melee attack. These horns are considered magical weapons.
Wings: Beginning at the 14th level, you learn how to mutate wings, which are granted 20 temporary hit points and can only be targeted with magical weapons. As a bonus action, you may attempt to grapple a target, lifting them up between 5 to 25 feet. Grappled targets may only be subject to successful attempts on targets equal to or smaller than your original or wild shape form.
Circle of Land Update — Table | Environment: Volcanic (Umberlands) | |
| Druid Level | Circle Spells |
| 3rd | Gust of Wind, Feign Death |
| 5th | Scorching Ray, Gaseous Form |
| 7th | Dominate Beast, Polymorph |
| 9th | Counter Spell, Leomund’s Tiny Hut |
Ranger — Scorched Earth Archer
Description: The Scorched Earth Archer hears the sacred drums of war and shoulder their spears, javelins, and polearms to answer the call. These rangers have a predisposition against mages, save for druids and clerics, often seeking justice or vengeance against a sorcerer, warlock, or wizard for a past spellcast gone wrong. As such, they are sometimes nicknamed “mage hunters” by the common folk of the PMW.
In combat, a scorched earth ranger utilizes their proficiencies with long handled ranged weapons, as well as drawing their blade tipped staves as melee weapons. Polearms may become a necessity in situations where a mage successfully calls a barrier or ward to discourage their missiled shots. While refusing to cast direct damage spells, a ranger may still cast spells of utility from the Driudiac schools of magic to gain an advantage. This subclass of ranger additionally draws upon Psionic energies in their secular crusade against harmful magics, though perhaps guided by — or swearing fealty to — a deity of the wild or natural order.
Leveling Psionic Missile: At the 3rd level, rangers gain a variant of the Magic Missile spell, retyped as Psionic energy. In opposition to gaining additional darts per expended spell slots, an additional dart is added at the 7th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels. The number of times a SE ranger may cast Psionic Missile is congruent to the number of 1st level spell slots they currently have available at their level, per long rest.
Psionic Enchantments: Beginning at the 7th level, your non-magical weapons may be imbued with the choice of 1 out of 4 augmentations, which you may switch upon a long rest, requiring a 1 hour ritual. Your spears, javelins, and polearms are now considered magical weapons once they are enchanted in this way. Alternatively, you may choose to retype this damage as a sacred fire, causing fire damage against non-magical creatures and humanoids.
- Binding Stake: Your ranged or melee attack forgoes damage in an attempt to mimic the spell Hold Person. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be pinned in place for the duration. At the end of each of its turns, the target can make another Wisdom saving throw. On a success, the target breaks free of the stake pinning them or their clothing to the ground. The ranger may continue to make other attacks on rounds while the target is successfully staked in place, with the target remaining under the effect of the Restrained condition. Usable twice per short rest.
- Psionic Rain: Your next 3 shots are made as wisdom saving throws in place of attack rolls. On a successful target of origin, a damage roll of 2d6 is made against enemies in a 10 feet radius. Upgrades to 2d8 at the 11th level and 2d12 at the 15th level. May trigger kinetic releases of energy on explodable or flammable environmental targets within range (i.e. gunpowder, HoA Rogue’s Flame Javelins). Usable twice per short rest.
- Psionic Spears: The damage of the Psionic Missile ability is doubled to (x)d8s.
- Concussive Shot: Rapidly fire 3 shots of blunted point tips against the target’s head as one action. Each shot has its own attack roll, and requires an additional +2 to succeed against a smaller subtarget of accuracy (e.g. you are no longer going for body shots). Each successful shot adds one level of exhaustion to the target, mimicking the effect of a concussion, up to a maximum exhaustion level of 4. Usable twice per short rest.
Spell Evader: Beginning at the 11th level, gain a passive bonus of +5 to all spellcasting based saving throws, but not against a creature’s legendary actions.
Conjure Shield Guardian: At the 15th level, once per long rest, gain the ability to conjure a shield guardian made of psionic energies, lasting for 5 rounds before dissipating.
Rogue — Harbinger of Arson
Description: The harbinger of Arson rogue specializes in civilian rioting, whether through the instigation, suppression, or prevention of said mob rule. The HoA rogue is not necessarily an anarchist, but rather a political or religious extremist. The leave negotiations to others as a whole, while still utilizing their charisma to recruit the like-minded to their cause. Assuming them to be a one-man army with or against a melee mob would be erroneous, as many policing forces deploy HoA rogues to assassinate the key targets of an embroiled riot, often attacking at a range in the shadows before leaping in to secure the mission.
In combat, HoA rogues observe from the shadowy outskirts and vantage points before announcing their attack with a
Spear Banner, perhaps following after a decisive sneak attack. These banners rally or provoke a mob outbreak by the banner’s predetermined coat of arms, inciting others to join in on their political or religious cause. They may continue their attack from a distance or elevation with the
Flame javelins, or leap into the battle fray relying on their dexterity. Additionally, they may use their flame javelins to mark or light flammable environmental hazards and boundaries, augmenting their encounter to their favor by means of zoning, smoke signals, direct or collateral damage through a successful arson spread.
Leveling Spear Banner: Beginning at the 3rd level, the rogue plants a banner as a bonus action, or launches it from a range of up to 60 feet. While in it’s range, this banner adds 3d6 die to the rogue, which may be expended as a bonus to landing attack rolls. These die are treated similarly to the superiority die of the Fighter Battle Master’s subclass, where a rogue regains these die after a short rest.
Flame Javelin: Beginning at the 3rd level, gain 3 charges of a fire-typed ranged attack of javelins, causing 2d12 damage on successful attack rolls. Alternatively, you may attempt to use your javelins to hold a target in place, replacing your attack roll with a dexterity saving throw and forgoing damage to non-cloth AC ratings (leather, mail, scale, plate). Regain your charges of the flame javelin ability upon a short rest.
Riot Paver: At the 9th level, you ignore all melee attacks of opportunity by tiny, small, and medium humanoids, as well as domesticated creatures (DM’s discretion on the latter).
Mob Maker: Beginning at the 13th level, your Spear Banner forces all onlookers and bystanders within a 120ft. radius to make a wisdom saving throw against joining the fray with bloodlust. Targets of bloodlust gain a +5 bonus to their initiative rolls, and act as conjured minions for the purpose of control by the rogue. After 3 rounds, the minions make another wisdom saving throw, whereby they may break free of the rogue’s commands of control (and go off looting), choosing to flee, or continue to fight of their own volition. Usable once per long rest.
Fireball Finisher: At the 17th level, you may cast the spell
Fireball as if you have 2 spell slots of the appropriate level, regaining these charges upon a long rest.
Fin — Dedication and Thanks
Thank you all so very, very much for reading. May we all play together some time in another life.
dead sea scrolls discovery story video
The Dead Sea Scrolls. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls was so important because it predated the earliest known texts of the Hebrew Bible by about a thousand years. The texts also predated the birth of Christ and Christianity, leaving their interpretation to have a profound impact on the history of the world’s largest religion. After 1956, more scrolls were discovered at other caves located in the Judaean Desert. New discoveries. As the 70th anniversary of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery approaches, Live Science has ... The first Dead Sea Scrolls were found in this cave, later called Cave 1. They were the best-preserved, said to have been protected by tall clay jars with lids intact. This seven-Scroll discovery revolutionized the study of the Hebrew Bible and the origins of Judeo-Christianity. Hidden in caves in the desert, the Dead Sea Scrolls were identified as ancient Jewish manuscripts—the only known surviving biblical documents written before 100 CE. On August 9, 1949, the London Times has news of a discovery. G. Lankester Harding, Director of the Department of Antiquities for Jordan, writes in about “the most important find ever made in… Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient, mostly Hebrew, manuscripts (of leather, papyrus, and copper) first found in 1947 on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea. Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls is among the more important finds in the history of modern archaeology. Study of the scrolls has enabled scholars 1. Teenage shepherds accidentally stumbled upon the first set of Dead Sea Scrolls. In late 1946 or early 1947, Bedouin teenagers were tending their goats and sheep near the ancient settlement of ... Excavation over the years has extended outside the Qumran area, south along the western shore of the Dead Sea, from the caves of Wadi Murabba'at and Nahal Hever to Masada. Additional Scroll fragments have been discovered at numerous sites. Today, all of these Judean Desert manuscripts are collectively known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. 1949- 1956
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