Raven Crowking's Birthday Mathom 2013

Raven Crowking's Birthday Mathom 2013: Hizzzgrad, Daemonic Lord of Crawling Things, was written by Daniel J. Bishop and illustrated using public domain art using Wikimedia. The publisher is Raven Crowking.

Disclosure: I am the author and publisher. I was responsible for layout and design.

On 22 April 2013, I announced the first birthday mathom (although I didn't use that term, I did reference the hobbits' tradition of giving away presents on their birthdays in J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings).

Mathom isn't really the correct term for a gift one gives on one's birthday. It is actually an old gift, of forgotten usage, that continues to be passed around the neighborhood because one is unwilling to just throw it away. It comes from an older word, meaning a treasure. The reader will have to decide whether or not any of these mathoms are treasures, or just something old and not very usable!

In any event, the email that went along with this mathom read:

My dear people. My dear Goodmans and Purple Ducks, and my dear Brave Halflings and Mystic Bullls, and Thick Skulls, and Land of Phantoms, and Purple Sorcerers, and Stray Couches, and Chapter 13 Presses, Dragons Hoard Publishings, IDD Companies, and also my good producers of DCC material that I welcome early to the fold....May you soon produce some great products!

Today is my forty-seventh birthday! I hope you are enjoying yourselves as much as I am. I shall not keep you long, I have called you all together for a purpose. Indeed, for three purposes! First of all, to tell you that I am immensely fond of you all.  I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve. 

Secondly, to celebrate my birthday. Thank you very much for coming to my little party. 

Thirdly and finally, I wish to provide you with Hizzzgrad, Daemonic Lord of Crawling Things, enclosed herein.  Although not released under the GG DCC license, may you use him to the consternation of players and judges alike for a long time to come!

I have no Ring.  I have no nephew named Frodo to pass it on to.  This is not Goodbye, despite my cribbing from Bilbo.  I hope that you will continue to support these little projects for a long time to come.

Thank you!


Daniel J. Bishop

This first mathom was a complete patron, which was later edited a bit an included in Creeping Beauties of the Wood. As a result, although the mathom itself is no longer available, the content is.