Rumors around the Realms May 1026

 

Rumors around the Realms April 1026

Blackwood

Overheard at Clontarf Castle. 

Yes, Tell Sir Magnus HeavyHammer thank you very much for the coin, yes it will be in the auction, yes, I am sure it’s real. Yes, it is still worth 30 of [fades out]. 

~

There’s been some curious talk that the Crown’s little Ward has a habit of… wandering. Vanishing from for a day or two, only to turn up again safe and sound. Folk are starting to say the fae might be borrowing the little one for their own amusements.

Various Locations Throughout the Realms

Travelers speak of faint digging heard at night in places where no living hands should be working, as though unseen labor has returned to forgotten ground. In villages near old burial sites, locals whisper that the dead are not rising in force, but being quietly rearranged and accounted for...less an army being rebuilt than a process of correction unfolding, as if past failures are being methodically amended one grave at a time.

Kenkilit, Voraniss

Preparations are underway at the Church of Aurora for the wedding of Priestess Lightbringer Margaret August and Champion Sir Tirvanel Fuller. Foreign guests have slowly begun to arrive in anticipation of the event, and Templars of Arius can be seen scouting out the venue and adding their own protections to that of the Aurorans. In Mirador, money exchanges hands over the potential of an invasion or kidnapping. But in spite of these somewhat morbid bets, the atmosphere is joyous and cheerful. 

near Blackwater 

Some early crops have been withering no sooner than planted, along with trails of sickened plant life found here and there in the forests and swamps.

Chimeron

Rumors of sent letters going missing have spread, with some people wondering if they can still reliably send letters and expect them to arrive. Despite these rumors, Chimeronian officials have been unable to verify this, saying that mail audits have shown no abnormalities. 

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team

What You Missed - Tournaments of Chocolate

by: Eric "Johan" Stegehuis

*puts down piece of chocolate cake*

We started the day in the lands of Eagle’s Rook being introduced to Avendroth fae and signing up for all of the tournaments at once, which I highly appreciate because it minimized downtime between formats. Combat began with a double elimination 2pt armor single short duel extravaganza which was quite fun, but did take a significant amount of time. Thankfully, the event staff realized this and moved to unarmored combat for the rest of the day and played with double versus single elimination until they found what I believe to be a good balance of double elim no armor with one or two fights running at a time. Side note, I am extra happy we didn’t do armor for the double dagger contest because I would like to keep my knuckles. We had a litany of marshals, many from Eagle’s Rook and one of them looking suspiciously like if Saegan had anime hair, who helped the day run very smoothly and explained the format to every combat. Everyone fought honorably (including the weather) and seemed to enjoy the fights and the rounds of snacks and food produced by the kitchen to keep us sustained.

Throughout the day, adventurers took part in the alchemy dungeon (I don’t remember its actual name) which tested your creativity and knowledge of alchemical recipes as well as magical thinking. I love these kinds of  “escape room” puzzle tourneys and look forward to seeing the next evolution of this. The other noncom tournament was due before the event started and challenged us to recall the history of Eagle’s Rook, the winning contestant of which I believe was published earlier this week.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the dog on the field. His name is Camo and he is everyone’s best friend, they might just not know it yet. He got to meet so many people and was the perfect little fluff (ignore that he’s not that little) to go cuddle with between fights. Seriously it was nice to see adventurers taking turns walking around or playing with the dog friend. I love him.

Eventually, it was time for the final tournament: any combo double elim and points are awarded based on how many kills you get before elimination, which is interesting and fun if you ask me. As for winners, I believe Shandar won most of the tournaments and so deservingly got first place overall; the reward for which was first pick of the many chocolate treats laid out by the event staff. I picked out a large piece of flourless chocolate cake made by Fern and it was absolutely delicious. Other participants took their picks and eventually everybody who wanted a treat got one. I look forward to more events hosted by Eagle’s Rook! Anyways, I gotta finish this cake.

*picks up cake again*

Oh btw did I forget the mention there was a dog?

Why I Want To Go - Tournaments of Artemis XIII

Organized by: Dani Lacasse

Written by: Various noted authors 

I have been trying for years to go to Tournaments of Artemis and I am thrilled to finally not only attend, but to compete with my team, Team Princess! I received a beautiful letter inviting me to take part and I immediately replied and started building a fierce team. Tournaments of Artemis highlights the many incredible women and gender minorities across the Realms and gives them a stage to show off their fighting, casting, and leadership. These tournaments are about tactics, command, and strategy as well as honor. I know I am excited to meet my fellow competitors on the field and have a great time with the many different tournaments being run by the illustrious Huntress Guild. There are several new tournaments this year including I Choose the Bear Pits, Pigeon Tea Time, and Gridway to the Danger Zone! I absolutely cannot wait to find out what those entail. In addition to small team fighting, the participating huntresses have been asked to bring a banner with either their team or personal heraldry to promote team spirit and help make the tournament field look fabulous! I am looking forward to showing off the Team Princess heraldry and admiring the many stunning banners. Whether you are competing, marshalling, or cheering from the sidelines, I look forward to seeing you this weekend at Tournaments of Artemis XIII!  - Crystal “Cressida” Welch

I am looking forward to Tournaments of Artemis this weekend and fighting alongside my team! This is an excellent time of year to get back into the swing of fighting against worthy opponents. At these tournaments, I have come to expect an atmosphere that is simultaneously lighthearted and competitive, in an excellent mix that I have found to propel me throughout the day. ToArtemis was in fact the first tournament event I went to (less difficult to achieve in 1021-1022) and while I’ve had to take a year or two away from this event, I’m excited to see what new games and challenges the Huntress Guild has come up with. Perhaps there will be some returning favorites as well, but we shall have to go to find out! - Kelly "Fern" Perfetto

Firstly, I wanted to say thank you to the entire staff that runs this tournament every year and for creating a space in which each and everyone of us can have the grace and presence to show off our skills. Now as to why I want to go to Artemis. It's an inherently crucial event to me both in and out of character as it's the first tournament I won almost a decade ago, and not only that; it's the event that I became a part of Invictus and earned my black wolf. It defines not only my achievements as a fighter, but has helped me realise that beyond everything else.. Beyond competitiveness, beyond the wins and losses, and beyond every problem we have going on in the outside world…We come together and do this to build and uplift a community and make new (hopefully life-long) friends. - Madi "Lupa" Neal

I’m really excited for Tournaments of Artemis this weekend as it will be my first official Tournament! I hope to have a lot of fun with my team and as the leader of the team, I am looking forward to learning more about strategy and leadership on the battlefield. I’ve also heard much about how this is a fun tournament where learning and sportsmanship is valued and I’m glad that my first tournament will be in such a lovely environment. There are also new fun sounding tournaments with goofy names that I’m looking forward to participating in such as Pidgeon Tea Time which sounds absolutely delightful. Overall, I think this will be an enjoyable event where I can hang out with my friends and learn a lot about how to improve my fighting skills and I’m psyched to participate! - Fin "Second" McMurtrie

Why do I want to go to Artemis. Oof, thats a bit harder to answer than most events. Combat is one of my favorite parts of the community, and the more people involved in that, the better. But because we have so many talented fighters in the community, it’s difficult to get involved and not feel like you’ll never do well. The Huntress Guild providing a place to help women and gender minorities learn and participate is one of the most important missions we have in the community. WGM often require learning a different style of fighting and training, and having a place where they can come together to learn from each other and share tips can be so valuable.

Tanja/Katasha founded the first Huntress Guild the year I started playing, and I had the privilege of spending a lot of time watching and learning from Tanja, and seeing the things she did differently and had to adjust. I don’t think she ever knew how much I looked up to her. Then years later, when Diana helped Alysha restart the Guild, I was lucky enough to be involved and help through her. It let me be on staff as a marshal, train at practices, and contribute in other ways. I always wanted to jump in and help as much as I could, but I was worried about trying to force myself into a place that, at the time, I didn’t belong.

In recent years, I became less involved. It was harder to be around and so desperately want to say I belong, while struggling with the feeling that I never would. So why do I want to go this year? This year I can finally go as a Huntress. I can finally go and say I belong. There’s no way this won’t be one of the most memorable events I’ve ever attended. It’s still surreal to me that it’s happening. I keep fighting the imposter syndrome that makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong. And part of what’s made me excited to go is how supportive the community has been in making me feel welcome and helping me get over that struggle.

I’m excited for a day of fun tournaments with many of the people who’ve helped me the most, including my team, who I wouldn’t be on that field without. I want to go and watch and face all the younger WGM in the community who’ve gotten more involved in fighting in the last few years. I want to go because it feels like starting a new, exhilarating chapter in my realm’s career, one that I finally have a chance to write. - Josh "Shandar" Learned 

Realmsle #32

 

                       

This custom Wordle-adjacent-puzzle features a 5-letter word that is particularly relevant to the Realms.

If the embedded page isn't working below you can click this link to get to the puzzle.

Like regular Wordle you can copy your result's (but only if you follow the link), so paste them or a screenshot onto social media to let us know how you did. But no spoilers!

Shield Stories with Adrian Cronin

  Organized by James "Tao" Murphy

Please physically describe your shield; style, Heraldry colors etc? 

It’s a round, punch shield made of foam. The heraldry was designed by a dear friend of mine, artist Cindy Murray, in 2016. It features a golden bull with a broken spear in its mouth. Behind the bull are the colors of “The Broken Spears Free Company” Purple and Gold.

How long have you had your shield? 

Not long at all. It’s a new addition to the Broken Spears armory.

Is this your preferred shield style? 

I do prefer the round shield. It allows for me to cultivate my signature left handed style. I also enjoy leaving my legs open as bait for my foes.

Have you ever tried a different style of shield? 

I have tried most shield styles, I am aware of how much of a menace I would likely be with an appropriately sized tower or coffin shield and will likely make one in the future for war maneuvers and team fights.

Who made it?

Tom/Sir Avendar. It was an unexpected gift, after a tumultuous year. It represents a new chapter for myself and my company.

Have you ever had to fix/repair/refoam it since it's original creation?

No ,however I am looking into ways I can preserve the fine art work before committing it to the front lines too hard.

What is your favorite move with the shield?

I have a “goofy” move I have been showcasing in practice recently, where I cross my arms to appear right handed and rest my sword against the shield. It allows for an awkward attack that is difficult to prepare for which cuts across the opponent midsection and prepares me for a series of follow ups while my opponent is caught off guard by the strike. It only works with a round shield.

Do you have any interesting stories about the shield?

I debuted it at Neden BBQ this weekend and managed to pull third place in sword and shield. I love that it starts great conversations about my group, the Broken Spears Free Company.

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team