https://www.homebrewtactics.com/tags/lexxi/Recent content in Lexxi on Homebrew TacticsHugoen-usSun, 12 Apr 2026 20:00:00 -0400https://www.homebrewtactics.com/journals/salen-freeblade/the-weight-of-the-shard/Sun, 12 Apr 2026 20:00:00 -0400https://www.homebrewtactics.com/journals/salen-freeblade/the-weight-of-the-shard/<figure><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DnD_Orc.png"><img src="https://www.homebrewtactics.com/media/images/DnD_Orc.png" alt="Illustration of an orc warrior with a sword and shield." loading="lazy"></a><figcaption> <p>Orcby <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:LadyofHats" target="_blank">LadyofHats</a>, 2019. <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/" target="_blank">CC0 1.0</a>. Unmodified.</p> </figcaption> </figure> <h1 id="the-weight-of-the-shard-and-the-strength-of-many">The Weight of the Shard and the Strength of Many</h1> <p>The Shard is gone. It hissed and popped under the holy water like a dying viper, and with it, the cold, insistent pressure in the back of my mind finally vanished. I argued to keep it—convinced myself I was the only one disciplined enough to manage its influence—but Zoot&rsquo;s logic was, as usual, annoyingly sound. My family, the Freeblades, taught me that the greatest danger isn&rsquo;t the enemy&rsquo;s blade, but the failure to recognize when your own tactical judgment is compromised. I almost failed that test.</p>