The Midderlands

A green-hued, dark-fantasy, old-school mini-setting and bestiary set in a twisted middle-England. Situated in the middle of Havenland is an area known by the ancestors as the Middle Havenlands. They don't use that name much anymore, preferring to talk lazily, and skip letters. In strange accents, often misheard and little understood by those outside of the central region, they call it 'The Midderlands', and themselves 'Midfolk' or 'Midderlanders'. Everywhere though, the Midderlands is tainted by a green-tinged menace that rises from 'Middergloom', the deep and mysterious realms beneath the surface. It affects nature and order. Sometimes subtly and sometimes catastrophically. Middergloom is often described as hell bathed in green fire and flames. Green-tinged, viscid slime; noxious, acrid vapours; and miasmas of hopelessness creep upwards from below. Amongst them, viridian-coloured demons, lime-green tentacles, and other malachite horrors claw their way to the surface to wreak havoc. The Lords of the land are always working to keep things at bay. They fight endlessly as if holding back a torrent of despair. Things stir in this viridian-hued landscape. Evil eyes blink and watch. Teeth and claws scratch and sharpen. Gaping maws slobber and drool. All is not content in the Midderlands.

Deep beneath the ground, in those regions where the echoes of mankind's feet are seldom heard, where even firelight is a bizarre intruder from a long-forgotten place, the foes of mankind breed and multiply. It is a realm of dark chaos - for these creatures of the echoing deeps count each other as rivals and enemies. It is a place without peace, a place without virtues, a place where every countenance of evil is to be found in sluggish torpor, stirring restlessly in dreams of cruelty and hatred. These dark and deadly provinces are known as the Under Realms. Most named regions in the Under Realms are quite distinct from each other, whether by geological formation or by the types of inhabitants that have established themselves in strategically important areas. Characters who enter this area expecting to find drowic elves, deep gnomes, and other "normal" features of the Under Realms will swiftly discover the error of their thinking. The Vaults of the Sunless Sea, located to the north of the Cyclopean Deeps, might fit that description, but the Cyclopean Deeps are a different and decidedly more unpleasant area into which the denizens of the Vaults seldom venture. This series of adventures forms a mini-campaign in the depths of the earth, suitable for a party of 4+ characters with an average level of 10-12, or 8+ characters with an average level around 7. For Swords & Wizardry.

The full story of the infamous double murder featured on Discovery’s FBI Files—includes photos. In this book, former South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) forensic photographer Lt. Rita Y. Shuler recounts twenty-eight days of terror and shocking developments in one of the most notorious double murders and manhunts in South Carolina history. Shuler shares her own personal interactions with some of the key players in this famous manhunt and investigation. Also included are Bell’s chilling calls from area phone booths to the Smith family, along with his disconcerting interviews and bizarre actions in the courtroom, which show the dark, evil, and criminal mind of this horrific killer. This is a comprehensive account of the case that has been featured on the Discovery Channel’s FBI Files, in the CBS movie Nightmare in Columbia County, and on Court TV’s Forensic Files.

Safire has lived within a community of dragons for five years, ever since a band of raiders wiped out her village. When the King of Argrisia declares war on all remaining dragons, her community is forced to flee and she finds herself traveling with a small band of warriors to seek an oracle. Each of the five companions has their own secrets, which are revealed one by one as they travel. Safire finds that she is a changeling and has already developed the ability to transform into a dragon at will. When they reach the oracle, Safire is told that she can play a role in bringing the burgeoning conflict between dragons and humans to a peaceful conclusion. But her first step will be convincing her companions she can still be trusted in spite of her frightening abilities. In the course of their journey to the dragon king's mountain home on the orders of the oracle, all five travelers become united in their desire to see peace restored in the Midlands. But even peace will require sacrifice.

Featuring cartoon-like illustrations that aim to capture the warmth and humour of the East Midlands, this work is a celebration of the dialect spoken in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and South Staffordshire.

THE story of the ill-fated liner Titanic is one that has been told and retold countless times – it is hard to imagine that there could be any new stories or twists to the tale. Yet Titanic’s strong connection with the Midlands is one such story that is not so well known. The ship may have been built in Belfast, registered in Liverpool and sailed from Southampton, but over 70 per cent of her interiors came from the Midlands. This pivotal piece of research from Titanic expert Andrew P.B. Lound explores the role played by the people and the varied industries of the Black Country in the life of the most famous ship in the world.

Association Football did not magically begin with the formation of the Football Association in 1863: for centuries before, leather and rag balls had been kicked about, often as a smoke-screen for a jolly good brawl amongst the ruffians of the town or village! In medieval times, the common people from all over the Midlands would chase after a stuffed leather football, sometimes from dawn till dusk, from one end of town to the other. Football, in all its various forms, was the game of the people. Centuries later, in England's universities and public schools, the game was brought under a unified set of rules by middle and upper-class young men who formed exclusive football clubs for their fellows and tried to keep the Association game between themselves. Back in the Midlands, however, pioneering men started football teams for the working-class society, and within a decade, there were hundreds of such teams from Worcester to Sheffield. Football had been given back to the common man. This book gives an insight into over sixty small clubs who were the mainstay of organised football across the Midlands from the embryonic 1860s to beyond professionalism in the 1890s. Many new details and photographs are being published for the first time, as the author travels all over the eight counties of the Midlands to find the lost grounds and the Lost Teams of the Midlands. In This Book, Author Mike Bradbury Brings together a history and description of over sixty of the most prominent lost' Midlands football clubs from the Victorian era, many defunct even before 1900 Discovers the location of the lost Trapezium Ground in Wednesbury Discovers the location of the Shrubbery Ground where Tipton FC played in the 1870s Establishes four of the grounds used by Derby Junction and other Derby teams Establishes the site of Derby Midland FC's lost ground near the railway station Discovers the true origins of Walsall Town Football Club Unearths previously unpublished pictures of Wellington St. George's and their Shropshire ground Discovers the previously unknown team colours for over twenty teams featured in this book, including Notts Olympic, B'ham Excelsior, Calthorpe, Derby Junction, Staveley Unravels the mystery of the two St. George's football teams in the Birmingham area Finds out what became of Walsall's oldest team, Rushall Rovers Publishes unseen photographs of Birmingham's oldest team, Saltley College, and their ground within the college Discovers the first two grounds of the early Bloxwich FC (Strollers) Presents maps showing the lost locations of the grounds of Rushall Rovers, Smethwick Carriage Works, Lozells FC, Wednesbury Strollers, Crosswells FC, and others Unearths the 1873 advert where players are asked to form the Walsall Football Club Discovers the lost' football ground at Aston Cross, used by Aston Shakespeare and Aston Victoria Finds and gets access to the lost' ground of the Willenhall Pickwicks, seven-times Staffordshire Junior Cup finalists Photographs all three grounds of pioneering Birmingham club, Calthorpe FC, and unearths their colours and their link to Aston Villa Discovers the lost' Vulcan ground used by early Derby teams in the city centre Has created a web site featuring over 100 photographs and maps of teams, players, and grounds, details of which are given inside the book

The combination of country walking with visits to battlefields is a most rewarding experience. The Midlands has played a prominent part in the military history of England and the events that form the basis of the 22 walks in this guide range from the 13th to the 20th centuries, from the Battle of Evesham (1265) to the bombing of Coventry (1940).