Hey Everyone! Just a quick word-- there was going to be another guest written piece today, but due to some last minute changes, that has been moved to next Saturday, the 29th! Sorry about that! Zachariah O 

sandstone legs high tunnel fog in October my mind feels far away chicken kisses in the AM I still think of you everyday just another farm girl's wishes now can you keep my winter crops warm? I'm thinking of cold blood and cracked skulls sunberry stains on my right forearm your cattle line the streets there still waiting for my passage by school explosion on the drive home half legs around the bomb stove fire just a cluster of red dots to all of them I hope one day they'll see pawns and prey and bugs alike maybe it's all we'll ever be I'm just the same as you, though soft heart but iron bones incense smoke lures me closer I'm scraped pure on sandy stones deafening when I see them hanging these hollow iron shells they let your kin bleed out there damned the rest to living hell I'll wade through murky river depths please wash my red hands clean I'm desperate, I beg you every night erase these things we've seen my likeness sells postcards on the road...

 Hey everyone, Happy (nearly) Spring from the sunny and exotic Pacific Northwest! I hope we are all learning to endure the never ending horrors and bullshit of 2025 doing well in these interesting and trying times. This is mostly a broadcasting and service notice that... it's Guest Writer Month here at Roll for Writing! For these two coming weekends, we have two pieces from writers that really get to some important human truths, and I am excited to share them with you! This coming Saturday, 3/15, will be the release date of Sandstone Legs by Char (who also did my amazing book cover for Tales from Port Astor!). The following Saturday, 3/22, will be an essay by Nico, another writer here in the PDX area who writes about their experiences transitioning, and how their life has provided context for this process. Stay tuned! Thank You & Very Respectfully, Zachariah O

      While the Duke governs internal affairs and the Naxian Guard, the Demoarch and Despot Council oversee foreign matters and commerce. As such, they control the famed Naxian Navy, and the feared Naxian Marines.     The Naxian Navy is mostly comprised of small, fast ships-- typically sloops, which suits their strengths and purpose of anti-piracy. In home waters and allied ports, they will post enormous carracks as floating fortresses to defend, rarely to attack. The sloops tend to only come with modest deck gnus, while carracks are an entire battery.     The real weapon, though, are the marines. Naxian Marines specialize in boarding and ship-to-ship combat with extreme aggression, favoring close range or melee combat. Their secondary focus is fighting in rough terrain or urban settings, after nearly a century of lessons learned in Thrace.     The perception of the Navy and Marines is generally positive amongst the common people. They are se...

      Just as many civilizations in the world, crime and other dangers are a factor in Naxian life. In ages past, it was the duty of the Despots to enforce laws and preserve order. After the Collapse and through the Merchant Republics, these local guards and militias garnered a reputation for wild corruption and brutality.     When the Reclamation came and Basileus was crowned, he gained dominion over all internal affairs across the archipelago. One of the first things enacted was the creation of the Naxian Guard; a military force that would assume all law enforcement roles in Naxos, and act as a homeland defense army loyal to the Duke.     The Naxian Guard is famous, or infamous, for its nearly-fanatical loyalty to the Duchy, being as close as incorruptible as is seemingly possible. They undergo an entire year of arduous training to hone body and mind. Entire families have devoted themselves and their lines to the Guard, even goin as far as to promise...

      Until the Reclamation, Naxians worshipped an entire pantheon of gods and goddesses that rules domains that covered all aspects of their lives. But when the Synodic Church was created, and the worship of Poleon became the state religion, many Naxians turned to solely worship their founder.     Starting first in some of the smaller temples across Naxos, these disparate shrines combined into the Society of Astrologers were small temples dedicated to oracles who played integral parts of life since even before the life of Poleon. The oracles would divine futures and see in the past to answer questions posed by their petitioners.     Today, the Society of Astrologers fills a very similar role, albeit with a veneer of being a scholarly institution. However, this change has provoked ire from the College of Naxos, who views them as little more than charlatans and street-mystics, and the Synodic Church has no more love for institutions that would compete f...

      Another cornerstone of Naxos is the revered College of Naxos, which produce the feared and respected Sofos; wizards famous for their knowledge, might, and egos. Prospective pupils come from all over the world just for a chance of entry.     Those who are granted admittance look forward to 10 arduous years of intense study and servitude to their teachers. These students, called malachitis, assist in research and perform tasks for their sofos, who often have "better" things to do rather than be concerned with such petty concerns, like the safety of their students.     The ones who are rejected are often given a choice of joining the Arcane Corps, soldiers and guards of the College trained in both physical combat and some simple magic, or to join the Anazitites; agents of the College who explore dangerous places to retrieve items or information. While no where near as prestigious, such paths allow for their own training and educations.    ...

    Biscuits are an important part of any dish, and can really tie a meal together! Whether you put a sweet spread on them, dip them, or smother them, no one can doubt their versatility. This recipe comes from my grandmother, who told me that she got it from hers!     When I was a little girl, I spent many Summer nights helping my grandmother cook supper, often making biscuits, and she'd tell me about so many things. For all the times I saw her, I never saw my grandfather. I remember asking about him once, and all I was told was that he was very faraway, but "he would always be in the blood". I thought that it was a weird way to say it, but she was raised in Europe after the war, so I thought that explained it.     It's been a long time since I have thought about my grandmother. She loved the color red, and most of her clothes were a striking red. I remember one dress she had, a deep crimson one that had stars on it. It always struck me as a church dress, a...

      Just as much as they love the arts, Naxians love competition and feats of physical ability. For over a thousand years, the Naxian Games are held to wreathe the best practitioners of their chosen sports.     The most famous sport, however, is Naxian Wrestling, which focuses heavily on grappling and pain, rather than on permanent damage. That said, Naxian wrestlers, called palaistis, also often train in traditional unarmed combat; over a hundred different schools produce these talented fighters to compete in games, or even to act as more traditional bodyguards and mercenaries.     Aside from martial arts, all manner of sports are played and practiced across the islands, with running and swimming being particular favorites. Some regions will conduct triathlons where athletes must race on foot, in water, then climbing a tall cliff or small mountain. Winners of such things are local celebrities, venerated by their communities as symbols of local pride...

      Naxos has a long history, rich in many traditions carried on since even before Poleon. Both physical and performance arts are highly valued in Naxos, with a particular love of theater and sculpting.     Naxian theater is a timeless art, famous globally. Comedies that leave audiences unable to breathe, and tragedies that bring even the most stoic zilotis to tears, and legendary dramas that enthrall any who see. The undisputed masters of this are the ithopoiou; performers that train from a young age to master the stage, along with song and several instruments. A trained ithopoiou can find work anywhere in the world.     Just as much, Naxians adore physical art; statues, and murals commemorating ancient triumphs, elaborate fountains, and intricate facades across even the common buildings in cities. Painting has also taken off in the last few centuries-- centuries ago, an elven artist named La'Vin came to Naxos and fell in love with the city, and cr...

Hey everyone, I hope that the kickoff to the holiday season has gone as well as could be expected this year. I'll be level; I meant to get so much more done this month than I have. My initial goal was to resume with the entries on Naxos after the mini series last month, but then the election hit, and my will to live be productive with my pieces went straight into the toilet.   I'll start again with the Naxos entries next week, and I am trying to scrounge up enough energy to write a new piece for December, but I also might simply focus on next April's stuff. Anyway, cheers, and I hope that everyone has a wonderful rest of the holiday season. Thank You & Very Respectfully, Zachariah O

    Raquel's old sedan shuddered and shook in protest as she put it in reverse, and slid from her assigned spot at the apartment complex in which she lived. Her car was just as vocal in its seemed displeasure as she put it into drive, and set off. Raquel was on her way to Port Astor State University, to participate in a paid study. She had come up several-hundred dollars short on rent, and had felt saved when she saw the ad in the paper for the study. It was at one of the post-grad schools at the university-- something about philosophy? Religion? She couldn't recall, although it didn't really matter what was what. If she had to sit through several hours of students taking themselves entirely too seriously, and ask her overly vague questions, so be it.     And perhaps, she needed to talk to some of those types. Recently, she had had some problems enter her life, and she had no idea how to address them. Specifically, vivid dreams of church, of all things, and aversion ...

      Hello Dr. Zann,     I hope that this missive reaches you in good health in these trying times. It has come to my attention that you still fully intend to commit to your planned procedure regarding certain properties of physical translocationality, despite our spirited conversation held previously in happier times.      I implore to once again: reconsider .     As was covered in that conversation, and repeated again here for emphasis, what you plan to do will react poorly with at least several other goings-on, which will in turn affect certain aspects of material resonance of our vaunted Stone Hall. As such, we cannot know or even pretend to know what would come of your sundering of the local environs, no matter how "mitigated " or " contained ".  To put in even more stark terms; should you do this, we would have no idea where you would even go, and there would be no rescue. Just as well, this is to say nothing of the suspect...

      Port Astor State University is the premier higher education facility in the State of Jefferson, and every year, tens of thousands flock to the City of Secrets to "begin their futures". Most prestigious of all is the post-graduate program, the Doctorate of Applied Metaphysics & Philosophy, which is by invitation only. While many openly desire to enter the program, few could even begin to explain what the exact criteria of admittance are, let alone what is actually taught within.     The program itself traces its lineage back to the university founders, who ran a small college out of the original university building, The Old Stone Hall. It began as an almost chapel-like structure of rustic cobble, but over its life grew into a bizarre and sprawling web of eclectic neo-gothic stonework, contemporary wood and cement, and other, harder to describe styles not seen before by any of its students.     This was the heart of Port Astor Academia, until t...

 Hello there! We are once again at the most wonderful time of year, and so we return to Port Astor during one of its most troubling and tumultuous times times, The Plague of '30 ! This year, we explore some irregularities around Port Astor State University, and the staff... Like last year, starting next Saturday there will be a new piece of the story released until the finale on 10/26. Below is the schedule! • Part 1: The First Port Astor State University / Releases 10/12 • Part 2: An Unsent Letter found in PASU Archives / Releases 10/19 • Part 3: Sending Scouts / Releases 10/26 In addition to this, I will be at the Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland, OR this weekend (yes, right now), as well as at the Oddities & Curiosities Expo!  And, last but not least, my first collection of short stories hits digital shelves Monday (10/7). If you've been keeping up here, many of the stories will be familiar to you, but there is a piece in collection that will never be released any...