3 AM Whispers: Midweek Musings — The Orion Vigil

Thursday, December 18th, 2025

It’s 3 AM on the 18th of December. The Shreveport Cabin is shrouded in a mist so thick you could carve it with a bayonet, but looking up, the sky is doing something spectacular. Orion the Hunter is standing guard directly over the Red River tonight, burning through the haze like a celestial sentinel.

It’s fitting. After the week we’ve had, we need a hunter watching over us.

The Status of the Captain

I’m relieved to report that Captain Hedges has stabilized. The Silver-Scale Purge—that potent mix of Blood-Vine and D-Mannose I pulled from the Fenwood Forest—did what the ER’s "Antibiotic Trap" couldn't. His fever broke just before dawn yesterday, and for the first time in a week, his grip is firm. He’s a Level 20 Tiger Force Veteran; his soul is anchored deep, but even a Legend needs a Hedge Wizard in his corner when the Mites start burrowing.

The Fenwood Echo

The cabin feels different tonight. Ever since I brought the Iron Steed screaming back from the Barataria Hedge Portal, there’s been a lingering hum in the floorboards. That Fen-Wraith didn't follow me across the city limits, but the "vibration" of that unknown world is still clinging to my father’s Vietnam-era Tiger Force knife.

I spent the last hour cleaning the blade. As the oil hit the steel, I noticed something: the amber glow hasn't fully faded. It’s pulse-syncing with the stars. In the Tygerian Isles, we call this "The Echo." When you step into a world like Fenwood, a piece of it stays in your shadow.

The 12 Days of Wintermis: Day 7

We are past the halfway point of the 12 Days of Wintermis. Today is the day of The Silent Watch. In Tygerian tradition, this is when we honor the scouts—the Long Range Patrols of the multiverse who stand in the dark so others can sleep.

I’ll be sitting on the porch of the Shreveport Cabin for the next hour, watching Orion and keeping the Iron Steed ready. The sepsis is gone, the Captain is healing, and the Wintermis fire is still burning.

Stay frosty out there. The veil is thin, but the Tiger is awake.

🏹 Orion the Hunter: Celestial Attribute Profile

Stat Type	STR	CON	DEX	SPD	INT	WIZ	CHR	LK
Base (3D6)	25	45	19	21	33	33	19	21
Multiplier	x 5	x 6	x 1	x 1	x 0.50	x 0.50	x 2	x 0.50
Final Total	125	270	19	21	17	17	38	11

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Product Identity & Legal

The following items are designated Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. / The Adventures of Captain Hedges: The world of Zimrala, the Tygerian Isles, the Fenwood Forest and its Hedge Portals, the Tiger Force Shadow Saga, the specific "Hedge Wizard of the Shreveport Cabin" persona, the "Royal Cartographer" archetype, and the celestial profile of Orion the Hunter. Unique Items: The Iron Steed (1969 Mustang Mach 1), The Vietnam-era Tiger Force Knife, and The Silver-Scale Purge. Monsters! Monsters! and Humans, Humans (1st Edition) are trademarks of Ken St. Andre and Troll Godfather Press and are used with permission. The statistics and game mechanics provided herein are designated as unofficial playtest material for the Tygerian Isles campaign setting. © 2025 Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All rights reserved.