Shenanigoons
“Valdara, a land of kings, of monsters, of heroes, is being dragged kicking and screaming into a modern age. The Birchfield Institute, a shining beacon through the smoke, leads the way, merging science and magic to improve the lives of those who can afford it.“
ShenanigoonsHELP FOLKS FIND US!
Can’t commit to a subscription right now? That’s okay! There are plenty of other ways to support our show:
Nerdsmith is only as strong as our community! Get updates, keep in touch with fellow fans, & interact with us on our discord server!
Every little bit of enthusiasm means the world to us. You ARE making a difference!
creators and characters
(she/her) | Singer, story-teller, writer, collector of snails and cephalopods, gamer, baker, and overall tempest in a teacup. Tessa has been actively involved in entertainment for 24 years. May or may not also be a dice dragon always looking to increase her hoard.
Tessa is a roleplayer on the Shenanigoons, the storyteller on Allison Underland PI, an actor on WAND Radio, the co-host of Married to the DM, and can also be found singing on Charm and Trouble.
she/her || Heather has been actively embracing her nerdier and geekier tendencies her entire life. She was started down this path at a young age as she was raised on a well-rounded diet of British humor, science fiction, fantasy, musicals, video games, and Saturday morning cartoons.
Her parents always supported her love of learning, allowing her to devour reading material quickly and voraciously. This included driving her around so that she could work her way through entire Science-Fiction/Fantasy sections at her local libraries and a few book stores. It also included depriving her of non-school related reading materials as punishment, rather than grounding her (no joke folks—this is truth).
Heather’s foray into her geekier side became a full-blown submersion after playing Dungeons and Dragons with her friends her freshman year of college. She immediately loved it and has been playing RPGs ever since.
She is also an avid animal lover with a special affinity for felines and has worked at a cat-only veterinary hospital for over 12 years. She can definitely be classified as Nerdsmith’s resident “crazy cat lady”. She may be a few polyhedrals short of a full set, but to be fair…the cats stole them…
Heather is the host of Geek Thyself, a roleplayer on Countless Heroes and Shenanigoons, and a singer on Charm and Trouble.
(he/him) | 20 year veteran D&D player and 15 year veteran entrepreneur. Mixing his passion for creating and his passion for gaming into one, you get Nerdsmith. A master of bringing people together and doing the thing, Logan needs to know if the bird really is the word.
Logan is the storyteller for Shenanigoons, an actor on WAND Radio, and the co-host of Discover RPG.
Mike is a genius, that is really all you need to know.
Mike is a roleplayer on Shenanigoons.
she/her | Angela’s one true love has always been storytelling, in all its forms: she’ll play you a song as soon as write you a screenplay. A devout believer in the power of music, art, and the written word, she is eager to share the wonderful worlds and characters kicking around in her head.
Angela is a roleplayer on Countless Heroes, Final Rites, and Shenanigoons, a host on Discover RPG, and the writer and a voice actor for Threads In the Vayl
Support Angela with her Amazon Wish List
(he/him) | Kyle has dabbled in the trappings of nerdery since he was young and doesn’t show any signs of stopping. Actor, playwright, musician, and paladin only begin to scratch the surface of the myriad roles he switches between, and he is always on the lookout for his next great tabletop adventure.
Kyle is a roleplayer on Countless Heroes, Shenanigoons, and a host on WAND Radio.
Half-Orc Cleric (Grave Domain)
“I do not fear Weuna’s embrace. Death eventually comes for us all and I will greet Her with open arms.”
Valeria, or Val, was born in the small village of Horsforth to a human mother. Her mother, Calla, is a paladin of Weuna and a member of the Knights of Joy and Sorrow. Calla always made sure to encourage Val to embrace her orc ancestry. Her father is the leader of the RedFang Tribe which once fought beside the Knights against a horde of Undead. Calla spent a night with him after the battle high and never saw him again. Eventually, Calla married a fellow Knight, an elven paladin of Weuna named Folwin Elaven, and had Val’s half-sister Belladonna. Val was raised amongst the Knights from an early age and idolized her mother and stepfather, who is also a Knight. She grew quickly, as half-orcs do, and went into her first battle alongside them at the age of 14.
Val has travelled to a few different outposts during her duties as a Knight. Always working hard to increase her skills with both her scythe and her healing magic, in an effort to prove herself. She strives to be as accomplished a Knight her mother and stepfather. Wanting to leave their shadows and stand on her own. Her most recent assignment is in the city of Ashport. A much larger town than she had been to before. She has been there for about a half a year, her longest assignment since becoming a Knight of Joy and Sorrow.
Aquatic Half-Elf Bard (College of Swords)
“It’s just like the old stories say!”
Bonnie was born to a young human mother and a visiting elven sailor who never returned. Her mother married soon after Bonnie’s second birthday to a kindly dockhand who happily raised Bonnie as his own. Ever since her youth, there was nothing more that Bonnie wanted than to explore the world beyond her island. Growing up in a tiny isolated fishing village, the elders would weave tales of pirates and treasure waiting to be found off the shores of Ashnar’s Tooth. She took the stories and shanties to heart, earning extra coin with the embellishment of tune or tale at the fireside, burning the magic of them into her mind. She spent her days working on the docks and in the shipyards, learning the craft of carpentry, dreaming of the day she would be able to captain a ship of her own. A lady pirate, bold and daring, charming, coquettish, fierce of heart. And maybe meet her father, whom she imagines to be a dashing pirate captain himself. When she finally came of age, Bonnie boarded a ship bound for the mainland with her parent’s blessing, ready to make her mark on the world. Her parents give her a month before she returns home, certain that Bonnie will come to her senses someday.
Halfling Rogue (Thief)
“The best lies have a kernel of truth.”
Marric has never known life outside of the crime families of Ashport, and he has never wanted anything else. Adopted at a young age by Lyara Strider, Matriarch of the Lotus Pad crime family, Marric was raised to be a consummate thief, spy, and sometimes assassin in service of the Pads. While he takes serious pride in his ability to contribute to the family and in his skills as a rogue, his attitude and demeanor are jovial.
Human Warlock, Hexblade
“I’m going to live forever, or die in the attempt.”
Arthur spent his life travelling with his parents, Gunther and Harriet Dunbar, who are archaeologists known for contracting with different museums and historical societies all around the continent of Valdara. That is, up until recently, when he began to become restless and decided to venture out on his own. Seemingly unknown to Arthur, his parents had similar desires for him and encouraged his idea, falling just short of packing his bags. His arrival in Ashport provided him with purpose that coincides with desire and the rest is, as they say, unfortunate history. He enjoys long walks in underground ruins, bird watching, and stealing from the dead. In no particular order. They say that a wise man can learn a lot from a fool, and Arthur may be your greatest teacher.
Human Fighter (Arcane Archer)
“Skill holds far more weight in this world than luck or good intentions.”
Adelaide is a native to the city of Ashport. As a child, she tore into any book she could get her hands on: stories of adventure and heroes, histories, tomes of science and arcane magic. She absorbed as many as she could, wanted to master it all and one day find her own name within their pages. As a young woman, every hour was spent tirelessly working to be the best archer and scholar she could be. Determined to reach greatness in something. Her family drilled into her that the world was not a fair place, and that one could only rely on one’s own strengths to get by.
Which is why, against her family’s wishes, Adelaide leapt at the opportunity to become one of the Proctors, a private arcane police force run by the Birchfield Institute. Proctors were just about the closest thing to adventurers there was to be found in Ashport anymore, and they earned respect and fame while protecting the people of the city. A perfect fit, she thought. But Adelaide’s audition did not go as planned. Rejected from entry into the ranks of the Proctors, this proud and talented young woman was forced, for the first time in her life, to contend with absolute failure and shattered dreams.
A ray of hope appeared in the form of a recruiter, Roben, who offered her a job as a ‘Fetcher,’ a mercenary hired to do the Institute’s less savory work. These bounty hunters didn’t get paid as well, didn’t have the Institute’s resources, and didn’t get the prestige of hunting down magical artifacts or monsters. But Roben promised she could apply to the Proctors after a few years if she proved their talent. And Adelaide was ready to do just that. Though, she didn’t plan to take that long…
for our subscribers
