Pages

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Why I Want to Go to Exotic Wares this weekend:

 by Tim Suitor (James Swift)


IC:

I have already reached out to the adventurers of the Realms for aid in this endeavor, but with the time drawing near, I call out for help again.  Sometimes we have the opportunity to do some good, or at least remove some evil, from the world.  We have the chance to purge the evil from a wretched sword, and remove several powerful and malicious beings from the world.  

The lands I call home are an… exciting place.  It will not be an easy day, a conflux of occurrences like this in Stonewood seldom is.  But if you can muster yourself to face the dangers, please join me, and help not just me, but the people of Stonewood.

I have sent what fortifications I can to the town to keep it safe for our arrival, and they should get by, but when we get there, we will be able to turn the tide of battle, and defeat the evils coming into our land, defeat the evil of the sword Shadow Fang, and seal the portal. .

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out, if you'll be there, please let me know so I can plan for it.


Yours,

James Swift

Magi of the Realms

Cofounder of the Loken-Swift Library

Head Counselor of Camp Hope

Stablemaster of Stonewood

Honorable Cardinal of Chaos



OOC:

 I am not on staff.  I am not a PC-NPC at this event, I am a full player.  And that for me is one of the big reasons I am as excited and nervous as I am.  Unfortunately, a tragic part of joining a nation is that you often end up NPCing for them forever.  I have NPCed and Event Held with Travis for years.  But I loved Travis’s style and events long before I joined his nation, and the giddy excitement and trepidation of going to an event where there are actual consequences for actions has had me buzzing for the last month and a half.

This event is dredging up an old event series because my character acquired an evil magic sword and is trying to make it less evil.  After a good while of working on it, the Marshal for this plot decided what I was trying to do was to big for just Roleplaying or even a miniquest, so Travis is throwing an entire event for it.  Which I hella appreciate.  To be clear, this also isnt Travis helping his buddy Tim out.  I’ve seen him do similar for other players who want to run with something particular from his plot, and I promise that this hasnt been easy, I’ve had months of homework I’ve been working on, which hopefully will all pay off, but also, I’ll be paying back In Character debts for the next year, including needing to write one of the Stonewood gods a 50 page novel!  But hey, I have the support of the god of Knowledge!

If you are interested, please reach out to me, and if you plan on going, the Event Holder Travis Wilcox does need full Magic and Item Prereg, or things wont work!

You want to earn a “James Swift: I owe you one”?  Come to Exotic Wares!

Quick Quiz - Cheese or City

Below you will find a 20 question quiz. Each question is a single word. You must determine in the ten second time limit if the word is the name of a city in Europe or is a type of cheese. Obviously some cheeses are named the same exact name as the city/town they originate from. None of those cheeses are on this list. Each is either only a municipality or only a cheese. Let us know your score on Facebook, but don't give anything away! If the quiz does not appear properly below you can click here


Answers are down below (way down below, no peaking until after you take the quiz!)


























































Roquefort - a sheep milk cheese from Southern France, and is one of the world's best known blue cheeses.

Palermo - the capital of the Italian island of Sicily.

Kashkaval - a type of Albanian yellow cheese made from cow's milk, sheep's milk or both.

Mondseer - An Austrian semi-hard, washed-rind cheese.

Burtrask - A small city in Vasterbotten County, Sweden.

Ljubljana - Slovenia's capital and largest city.

Zaragoza - The capital of northeastern Spain's Aragon region.

Remoudou - A Belgian cheese from the Land of Herve.

Kopanisti - A salty, spicy cheese, produced in the Greek islands.

Palma de Mallorca - A resort city and capital of the Spanish island of Mallorca.

Juustoleipa - A fresh cheese made from cow's milk, known in English as 'Finnish squeaky cheese'.

Dortmund - A city in Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia region. 

Varna - Port city and seaside resort on Bulgaria's Black Sea.

Cordoba - A city in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, and the capital of the province of Cordoba.

Wuppertal - A city in western Germany known for its monorail system.

Ogleshield - A British cheese made using raw Jersey milk.

Brunost - A Norwegian name for  the Gudbrandsdalsost variety of brown cheese.

Sleightlett - A fresh curd cheese with bright acidity from England.

Riga - Latvia’s capital, set on the Baltic Sea.

Chania - A city on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete.


Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Why I Want to Go to Exotic Items, Creatures, & Wares 3.5

Would you like to crush countless undead under the weight of your sword? Would you like to safeguard the venerable and storied nation of Stonewood? Would you like to help destroy a demonic blade and thwart the plans of the despotic beings working in the shadows? Would you like to rally to the side of the heroic and beloved James Swift and help him save the day?

Then it sounds like you, much like myself, want to go to Exotic Items, Creatures, & Wares 3.5

While there have been a few adventures since things have opened back up again, there are several of us who have yet to dust off our armor or our spell books and get out there back to the time-honored trade of killing monsters and taking their stuff. What better time than now? And what makes all of this extra exciting? A brand new event site! A Theatre House in Vermont? Consider my curiosity piqued!

It looks like it is going to be a perfect day out so throw on that autumn garb, grab your gear, and lets save a little village in Stonewood, beat on some bad guys, and advance the overall plot towards it’s demon-filled conclusion!


Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Morning Coffee Break

Got your morning cup of coffee and a few minutes? Great! We're trying out a new feature at the View - we're going to be asking a series of questions and we want to know your answers! The question is posted below. So while you sip your morning beverage of choice, ruminate on this one:


Thinking about Ben's article from last week, what's something important you learned when you were a squire, or something you learned while you were squiring someone else?


Head on back to Facebook and let us know in the comments!

Monday, September 27, 2021

Meme Monday

by The Meme Team






 

Friday, September 24, 2021

A Squire’s Challenge: By Pilpus

A Squire’s Challenge


I began my journey in the Realms as a scared kid who didn't know who he was or what would become of him.  In my comparatively short lifetime I've suffered many cold winters and cruel summers alike, but who was once an illiterate farm boy writes this account to tell you what it means to find a home, or at least what it means to me.


Amazing experiences are few and far between, and amazing people even rarer.  In the last decade, I have been graced with a plethora of both.  Being a part of Blackwood, even as a petitioner, has been chief among the blessings I count every night before I rest my head. When I received my shield I was barely a man, in age and words alone, but the people of Blackwood put in the effort to respect me anyways, and treated my happiness, well being, and progress as paramount, so I made sure to repay their kindness with the effort I felt it was due.  When that loyalty and time spent made me a Squire I was elated.  To know that the Knights I looked up to considered me worthy of special trainings and their sage advice brought me a joy even I hadn't anticipated.


Like many other people in this world, I'd worked countless hours  towards a variety of goals, and it was in that moment that Sir Mathias wrapped his belt around me that I suddenly felt something I'd never felt before- Acknowledgement.  


Acknowledgement seems similar to respect in concept but in my brain, they exist separately.  There are people and things that you respect but never feel the need to say aloud or expound upon.  Respect is a given, but Acknowledgement is a choice.  Having Acknowledged many other people myself since then, the distinction is that to Acknowledge someone, you are moved  deeply enough that the respect you harbor has transcended the innate expectation.  The fact that someone who looms so large in our world looked at my relatively miniscule actions and saw something worth supporting and taking a stand for moves me to this day, and fueled me in every endeavor beyond then. 


To be a Squire is to pay the debt of gratitude to those who care enough to pluck you from the metaphorical rabble and pour their time, energy, and resources into helping you build the foundation of your very being in many ways.  For me, it's my sworn duty to prove that I am worth that investment.  Making connections, fighting wars, educating oneself; everything one does from the moment someone champions them in this way is in some way a service to the people who you one day might rank among.  


It becomes your duty to become not what the order or your Knight wants, but what the order needs.  A squire is one whose duty is to reciprocate trust with innovation.  A knighthood that needs fresh blood is not a knighthood, but a club, so as a Squire it is your job to become something unique and useful.  Whether the knights you service need craft training, insight, or strength, to truly be someone's squire is to support them the way they support you through any weather that may confront you as a team, and face it head on.  Being a squire is not only to follow your Knight into battle, but forge on where they cannot, or have never been before.


It’s on those path’s never walked that one’s final task starts, and it’s in this unspoken assignment that one defines who they are, not just as a knight but as a person.  It’s on this road that one must realize that the reason this whole process begins with Acknowledgement is because this process ends, or more accurately continues on forever, in setting an example.  Attention is called to you in the beginning because from that moment forth you are expected to be worthy of having Attention on you at all times.  And that is why you must learn, so that the others walking behind you may do the same.


My last action as a Squire was fastening the Knight Commander's Gauntlets to my own knight’s wrist.  I was blessed enough to watch him rise to command two different cohorts of Knights in my time as his squire, and I've seen him win victories and suffer hardships as he was gracious enough to let me stand behind him.  We've fought alongside wolves, treated with Roawns (both metaphoric and literal), drank with demons, and together battled the very gods themselves in some cases.  I've walked in the footsteps of a few gallant heroes and far more morally gray men with good heads on their shoulders, but without taking the weight from each of the rest of those steps, I would not be half the man I am now without Sir Mathias' love and guidance.


My knight has always told me that of the belts he wears, His Knights of Blackwood Belt is not only his most treasured but his most important and I'm fortunate to echo that statement.  In becoming a Knight I have been so deeply moved by the notion that the pillars who hold the nation I love on their shoulders have asked me to stand with them, but even as a belt I get to call my own is fastened to my waist, I tell the Realms to know that I plan to be proving my worthiness of this  leather until my bones are ash in the soil.  I entered that feast hall a battletorn, soulless husk but I left proudly bearing the future of our order and nation on my shoulders and around my waist and I've truly never been more excited for what comes next.

 

For King and Country, and For the Realms.

Sir Pilpus Jainrose

Knight of Blackwood

Steward of Eroewan

Thursday, September 23, 2021

What You Missed at Feast of Blackwood

By: Thoril Chorster

September 17th 1021

We arrived in The Four Kingdoms in the early evening at the domain of the Avatar of the Breaking. It was my first time meeting him but at first glance he seemed like a genuine and decent man, friendly enough for a person with god-like power. Today apparently was a holiday of sorts, where typically the four courts had their seasons. This particular day was to honor the Avatar who keeps the breaking at bay. The King of Summer Nuhnook (I apologies if his name is spelled differently but I never saw it in writing or had him spell it for me.) and his Son. There were also several individuals from the Fall Court including an Ambassador.  One such Gentleman was called Guy who was having people fill out Family Trees so that as per their customs they could call upon ancestral spirits to bless and watch over the festivities. I could not remember my family as those of mine before the realms are locked behind a mental door by my Goddess, Luna. Guy was able to look into my past with his rights and divined some of my ancestors names for me so I could fill it out still though which was mighty entertaining. There were two particular servants who were passing around some delicious cupcakes themed after night and day. I could not help but take part in both for...the sake of balance you understand.

I overheard them speaking that whoever got rid of the most cupcakes  would be able to have a single gold and that they may even be able to afford socks with that money. This disheartened me a little to hear  and before they disappeared for the night I tipped them both some gold each for the delicious treats. Nuhnook wanted to see how strong I was due to some goading of fellow adventurers  and wanted to throw his boulder at me. I was not keen on this  idea as I had some rather annoying things to fix if they broke but ever the people pleaser I made sure there was a healer nearby and gave my valuables to my friend Avendar and went outside. I remember the boulder hitting me in the chest and then waking up on my back looking up. I had apparently caught he boulder but then proceeded to fall and be crushed and died. Nuhnook and the Avatar were pleased all the same though and I retrieved my belongings.

The rest of the evening went smoothly, there was a gambling game we were taught involving cards and balancing seasons, elements, and night and day. People chatted and I signed up for  trials to try and be the Champion of the Fall Court along with a few other people including James, Tempest, and Rillan. Things got interesting later in the evening when Guy had finished his ritual and called for the ancestral spirits and each adventurer became host to one, we were still ourselves but we were drawn to certain things and had specific tasks we felt like we had to do. We then went out and performed some tasks in little groups and retrieved boxes and chests, bringing them back up to the tavern. A lot of the items in them actually helped some of the spirits complete their tasks such as a wrench, some gauze, recipes, there was some jewelry that divided out to people. I waited for people to go through things before poking around myself. All there was that looked interesting at the time was a wrench which I gave to someone for their spirit task and a metal ingot with a vein of red through it which I pocketed to look into further later. 

A little later after talking, feasting, and drinking someone suddenly grabbed  Nuhnook and pulled him out of the hall’s doors. Adventurers and even the Avatar himself tried to pursue but were stopped by a barrier of magic that was equal to even the Avatar’s strength. We found out that apparently some of the ancestral spirits had played a part in this scheme and were tied to the barrier. After some deduction and regional magic we uncovered that it was the ancestral spirits inside of Karma, Elric, and Gray who through no fault of the adventurers themselves had poisoned Nuhnook and powered the barrier to make this scheme possible. After being identified as the culprits the spirits vacated those adventurer’s bodies and the barrier fell. 

We made our way to an outpost guarded by some individuals dressed in grey which quickly escalated into combat.  While combat was going on I felt my pouch tugging me into a certain direction so I grabbed James Swift and we went to where I was being led. We found a pit with chunks of metal inside of it, after some magic from the both of us we discovered the metal was strong but had a strange sense of evil to it, not like the normal malicious, corrupt your souls and possess your mind type of evil we are used to in the realms. This evil was more inert; it did not infect, possess, or corrupt; it was just innately evil in almost an elemental kind of way. I handed James the large chunk for safekeeping as we would try to see if we could not purify the metal of its evil nature later and we returned to the fighting. When we returned the fighters were trying to break down the door with armor piercing blows and even to see Little Tempest throwing Nuhnook’s boulder at the door but it held strong. It seemed likely we would need to use the metal chunk we found to break down the door. James was understandably unwilling to use the evil metal but understanding the metal would not infect, possess, or corrupt me I had no such issues with using it. James handed me the chunk and I wound up hurling it at the door and that cracked it deeply, I threw it two more times and the door shattered allowing us to rush in and clear out the outpost. 

We found papers indicating that a ship would be leaving shortly with “cargo” and we assumed this would be where Nuhnook had been taken. We rushed to the shore to see a boat leaving with a man taunting us as they left and on the beach between us and them was a large Kraken. Now I am not sure when but sometime between A and B James found himself a harpoon gun which he was firing at the creature. We eventually killed it after some trial and error  but it was too late and the boat was too far for us to get. However this did not stop Rillan who removed his clothing and took to the water like a salmon and swam after the boat until neither were in sight. Unable to retrieve the king or Rillan, we returned back to the hall and called it a night. We would continue tomorrow and try to pick up some leads.


September 18th 1021

The next day I am afraid I do not have the full details for as we were less grouped up over all but I will do my best to give what I recall. If I remember correctly we went to the Avatar’s hall in which a senate was called which consisted of the Avatar and the four leaders of the seasonal courts with Nuhnook’s queen acting in his place.  It seemed that Guy, the individual summoning the spirits for the festivities the prior evening, was in chains and was taking blame for Nuhnook’s capture. However we were to go out as independent investigators to the other kingdoms and look for evidence either damning or clearing Guy’s name while looking for leads as to the whereabouts of Nuhnook.

 After the Senate I was handed a token and told that the trials for the position of Fall Champion were to begin. The first task was to get the same token from another member of the trials whose name was given to each of us privately. Outside the hall I met a woman and her daughter selling potions. They told me they were made unhoused and now had to make money to try and buy their house back in an auction. This broke my heart to hear, I told them that when the auction was to occur to let me know and I would buy their home back for them. It would likely empty my coin pouch but I just could not in good conscience allow a mother and their child to  become un-housed and homeless. I would later find out that the unhoused are essentially treated as currency and slaves which, a large portion if not all of which go to live in the Avatar’s domain as his personal servants. When asked about this he himself stated that as unpleasant as it was that the other kingdoms needed  a lower class to push around and use as labor. That he could not directly intervene as he would not so as not to end up placing himself as a god king in the lands instead of its mediator. We will return to this topic later. 

At some point in the day a bunch of us stumbled across a library in which I and a few others obtained a library card. Elric was working on a puzzle by a door in the library and with the help of some others unlocked the door to find a room scattered with books on the floor and what looked like some kind of Hag in the center skulking about. We carefully walked around the room, the hag keeping her distance but creeping closer here and there as we got closer to books. While its back was turned I looked through a book and found a notepad with titles and page numbers in it. I spoke out the  numbers and titles and we found that there were specific words circled on those pages. We became more active in searching books as I read them out, however, the hag did not like this and immediately started attacking people. I will admit I did not expect her to shoot out lightning bolts and fireballs in a library. 

My group died and were raised as undead minions. We disappeared from the area as another group came in and we found ourselves in a room  called the Forbidden Library. Inside were  what would be identified as a bunch of phylacteries containing the spirits of court stenographers. On a pedestal in the middle was a strange hat with multiple eyes on it, on top of a rotting head with a ball gag in its mouth. The hat wanted us to open the phylacteries and pour some of the contents into it Karma opened the first and it revealed the record of a minor hearing in which after the meeting the stenographer was killed and put into the phylactery, this is apparently a common practice of keeping court records. A lot of them were minor crimes and oddly enough Dinner plans between the Banorettes which are like lordly knights I suppose? Jack and Jericho also opened a jar for the hat and left  taking the cipher I picked up and that had followed me after death to get it back to the party. I used some regional magic to learn the contents of the remaining jars to find one that had a different crime called the Treason of the Water Banorette that was all I got however since the records were sealed and only those of the stenographers house or those with a writ from the avatar could be privy to the information within. 

Once out of the and back to the group I disclosed what I found to  the party and once the  book cypher was completed we all headed out from the library to our own ends. In particular James, Gordon , and myself went to the Avatar to get the information required as we felt it necessary for the investigation. I can not disclose what we found out from the phylactery as we swore secrecy to keep the information protected. I then asked him about the strange metal we found and he really didn't like it, wanting us to get rid of it and either destroy it or put it somewhere hidden and safe. I put it away for the time as I had a feeling we would need it or it would come in use later. 

I left the conversation after my inquiry and walked around. It turned out a bunch of people either lost their tokens for the champion trials or dropped out and after some barter and diplomacy with James who was my target and dropping out himself it was just me and Rillan left, who had shown back up soaking wet finding out that the ship headed towards the lands of the winter kingdom. Our next task was to find two teammates for our task. Rillan got a couple people who, I apologize, I did not recognize and I got Avendar and Elwin on mine. I thought it would be a fight between us but we ended up needing to fight particular specific monsters. We each successfully beat all three monsters set before us so we tied that task. During this I saw a large group of adventurers going with the mother and daughter who were selling potions and after asking it turned out  the adventures were going to help get her house back, I could not leave mid trial but I knew that knowing the realms they were getting that house back one way or another and they did, with violence but that is par for the course really isn't it?

Because we tied me and Rillain both had to do the next task; it was a battle of endurance in which we had to fight an opponent until either us or the opponent caved in and admitted defeat. Both me and Rillan fought past the five minute marker in which the opponent surrendered and then we fought each other. The fight between the both of us lasted about 9 minutes of straight swinging our weapons and calling where they landed.  It was a rush to hear the other adventurers cheering for us  but I just could not hold out or catch my breath and I just raised my hands in defeat and collapsed where I stood and fell on my knees. It was the hardest I ever fought  and I will definitely challenge Rillan next year to a rematch to see if I improve but he won and was granted the title of Champion of Fall.

Later another Senate meeting was called and with the information gathered it was decided that Guy was free and was released from his chains and made a prompt exit from the hall. One of the court attendants then told us that there was reason to suspect the Water Banorette and that we should go to their keep to investigate. We did as such immediately and when we got there we were met with suspicion and hostility by the Banorette and her people which then broke down into violence. As we made our way to the keep we saw a very familiar Kraken creeping over the castle walls which only confirmed our suspicions in our mind and egged us on. Once we took out the Kraken once more the Banorette herself  and her guards came out to do combat The guards were easy enough to handle but the Banorette was understandably tough, they were a skilled fighter and every time they died everything in an area around them died and they would rise back to their feet only to repeat the process with the area of effect getting bigger each time. 

I watched as the Banorette made her way each resurrection to our back lines with our healers and nothing the others did would keep her down so I did what I thought I had to at the time and used the chunk of metal I had and hit the Banorette with it once and it seemed to affect her unlike anything else that was tried and so without thought I hit them again and again until they went down and this time they stayed down. 

We found papers talking about our deeds throughout the day in which we came into conflict with members of other kingdoms and how we were not to be trusted. James and Gordon  said something to each other about the Avatar and went running off at a near sprint towards the Avatar’s hall in which I quickly followed them. We found the Avatar shuddering and angry, at me in particular as it turned out one of the bits of information he had not mentioned was that the Banoretts are imbued with pieces of his soul and that the metal existed as a counter to himself thus using the metal on the Banorette irrevocably destroyed that piece of his soul weakening him and making him unable of declaring a new water Banorette. I was told to leave his presence and I did. Though I still listened in when I could, though it seemed we had been deceived and played by the enemy who was a group called the Silenced. 

I came back from gathering and having some dinner to find out I apparently was going on Trial, luckily my Lawyer Dresden O’leary was with us on this quest and defended me in court. I avoided Imprisonment or execution via, as the Avatar liked to put it, “Organs on the Outside.” Dresden is worth every gold I spend to keep him on as my lawyer and if you are reading this Dresden you will be getting something nice for Yule this year. My punishment was to continue with the adventurers and finish the job before us to bring those who tricked us to justice and to hand over that large hunk of metal over to the King of the Winter Court which I did without argument. 

We were told that the enemy’s hideout was tracked to the lands of the Winter court. We headed out and eventually found our way to six statues who told us their stories. After hearing them out we realized they were all people who spoke out against the way things were in the 4 kingdoms only to be made unhoused which I remind you makes them nothing more than slaves or currency or outright killed. These statues were placed here as a warning to others who would think to do the same. After reading parts of a paper we found earlier to the statues Tempest and Avendar disappeared in a puff of smoke which sped off and we followed. This led us to the Leader of the Silenced, to each of his sides stood Tempest and Avendar. His name was John and he told us that The Silence was his house. They were a rebellion trying to overturn the corrupt system in which his people, the unhoused, were sold and traded, with little to no rights and no say in their lot in life. Choosing who I felt it was more just to fight for I stood next to Avendar next to John. Avendar spoke to the other Adventurers proclaiming how this was the side we should fight for, that the powers that be had not convinced us they were in the right and even having Vandor proclaim that John was not evil. 

More Adventurers took to the side of John at the very least willing to fight for his cause. Myself and a couple of other adventurers as a sign of conviction took the oath of the Silenced to join John’s house and to aid him and his rebellion in any way we could. In return for our aid John was willing to give us Nuhnook and let us destroy a maliciously evil weapon he had been making to aid his cause. It would turn out that the Silenced took Nuhnook because as the Avatar himself had mentioned to a few of us earlier that The King of Summer’s powe is the only power in the Four Kingdoms that his does not understand and that makes it useful to fight against the Avatar and his Banoretts. We entered through a large door to find a large twisted clone of Nuhnook which hit like a runaway cart to only see another Nuhnook who we thought was the real one floating in a tank. While Elric and others worked on ways to free him from the tank, a portion of us fought the large monstrosity and other minor creatures of flesh and bone. It took time and coordination but we finally “Slayed” the beast by removing its large head and putting it into a furnace, breaking the furnace in the process. It did not get back up but I am unsure if we will have to fight that thing again, something was off. John told us that the Nuhnook in the tank was just a clone as well, that the Spring court had taken him. It was the Spring court that  had hired them to take the king, and gave John the cloning devices. So next time we are in those lands we go after the Spring Kingdom to retrieve our friend Nuhnook and we begin our revolution. The Avatar seeing us pick our side snapped us out of the Four Kingdoms and put us in Blackwood once more.


September 19th 1021

The next day back in Blackwood we had the feast, I particularly enjoyed the little quiches and the steak tips. There was gambling WHICH contrary to what Tao said I lost more money then I normally do. There was a lovely shop selling all sorts of knick knacks in which, surprise surprise, a piece of the staff of the wheel showed up and I purchased it. It is no longer in my personal possession and is in safe hands. The main thing about court that I remembered is that Pilpus became a Knight of Blackwood. I do apologize again. At this point my mind was rather frazzled and buzzing with other thoughts. Then there was the raffle in which I won a few things and immediately handed most of those things to other people. Keeping a lovely book for myself and then headed out for the long trip back home.


Closing Statement

If you have read this far I would like to thank you. I know this was rather lengthy. I would also like to say that I know there is no clear-cut bad guy in this endeavor like we adventurers are so used to and the Avatar of The Breaking is a decent man  he has done what he can to keep balance and to not fall into the Divine Tyrant god King Role. But he refuses to step in and fix the system he stands above and I can not stand by as people become property and treated like trash and those who would speak out against it  are turned into currency or slaves or killed by those corrupt and in power. It is my personal belief that the God Change put his hand in the intertwining of our planes because he knew of the corruption and stagnation within the Four Kingdoms so that we can bring change and hope for a better tomorrow and grant a voice to those downtrodden and forgotten in their society. I would ask those of you who are willing to stand against this corruption to help in any way you can. There is much we still need to learn and prepare for. Let us be the change that these Kingdoms need in order to put an end to these heinous crimes.

Until next time I am Thoril Chorster and I am a voice for the Silenced.


Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Quick Quiz - Middle Earth or Mid Day Meal

Below you will find a 20 question quiz. Each question is a single word. You must determine in the ten second time limit if the word references a location in Middle Earth (taken from novels, atlases, and indexes by Tolkien) or is a regional food from the real world written in the language of the region where it is eaten. Let us know your score on Facebook, but don't give anything away! If the quiz does not appear properly below you can click here

Answers are down below (way down below, no peaking until after you take the quiz!)





















































Frikadeller - Meat patties made of ground beef, milk, and eggs from Denmark

Barbagiuan - Pastries stuffed with chard, ham, and cheese from Monaco

Verna - Verna was an obscure location in southwest Beleriand near the Mouths of Sirion

Mamaliga - Maize porridge cooked into bread from Moldova

Dal Bhaath - Stewed lentils topped with clarified butter and chili tempering from Nepal

Yozayan - a name for the island of Elenna or Númenor, meaning 'The Land of Gift'.

Pavlova - a meringue-like dessert with a crisp cornstarch-based outer crust from New Zeland

Hithlum - Hithlum was a region north of Beleriand near the Helcaraxë.

Andunie - Andúnië was an important city and port in the realm of Númenor.

Bigos - A stew of white cabbage, sauerkraut, and several different meats from Poland.

Kibbeh - Deep-fried meat dumplings from Syria

Karningul - Rivendell in Westron (language of the Dúnedain)

Mittalmar - Mittalmar was a pastoral region of grassland and pasture that lay in the central parts of the island of Númenor.

Rhosgobel - The "old home" of Radagast the Brown

Ambuyat - Thick tapioca starch eaten after wrapping it around long bamboo prongs from Brunei

Verivorst - Shallow-fried blood sausage with sour cream from Estonia

Farikal - Mutton pieces cooked with cabbage in a pot from Norway

Tolfalas - Tolfalas was a large island, that stood beyond the Ethir Anduin in the Bay of Belfalas.

Thieboudienne -  Fish, rice, tomato sauce cooked in a pot from Senegal

Kiril - An alternate spelling for Ciril, the third of the Seven Rivers of Gondor.

Saltah - Brown meat stew served with rice from Yemen

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

What You Missed - Feast of Blackwood 2021 (photos)

 
Waiting for the adventurers to arrive

The Winter Bannerette waits



Release the kraken!


"The what?!"




A variety of trinkets and wares for sale



Belle is gifted some land to call her own


Pilpus is sworn into the Knights of Blackwood




 

Monday, September 20, 2021

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team



Friday, September 17, 2021

Rumors for September 1021

[Across the Realms]

All those who have ever crossed over the Vanfrost to Norlund continue to experience the vague dreams they have been having for months. Threads spill out over the multiverse to an impossibly large loom. Those in the dream have found that they have the ability to lay their hands on the loom and move the shuttle, realizing each time they pluck a thread the reverberation spreads throughout all the lands of Norlund. Perhaps with a bit more practice, they think, they can make their will manifest. But the dream never lasts beyond this thought.

[Chimeron]

Militia scouts report the Mysts have receded from the lands now known to have contained the village of Red Water. At least one of their missing compatriots was found alive and is recovering from the experience at home.

~~~

Peasants in northwestern Chimeron have reported a brown bear politely walking up to them and asking for food. With words. Those wise enough to gift the bear with food report not having their limbs eaten.

[Teng Hua]


Rumor has it that the Trainer's Association of Teng Hua is considering a rule change to allow mainland trainers to participate in the Spring Yosei Tournaments. 

~~~

Ginger was seized from a ship leaving the Outside Passage in Teng Hua.  The export is strictly prohibited and no one has heard of any attempt to do so in decades.  Elders grumble and blame the mainlanders. 

~~~

A sudden unexpected storm damaged much of the Sato family's fleet. Rumor has it that Wujen may have influenced the weather. 

~~~

Tea and flower valuations unexpectedly increased last season.  These commodities were expected to do poorly as the recent wave of illness caused many festivals to be canceled.  However, the Yoshida family is highly regarded so many chose to buy extra elaborate tomb flowers to support them.  Nobel women also appreciated the excuse to buy expensive fragrant oils from them. 

~~~

Rice and vegetable prices are up, but profits are still down.  Lack of labor may result in a portion of this year's harvest rotting in the fields.


Thursday, September 16, 2021

Morning Coffee Break

 Got your morning cup of coffee and a few minutes? Great! We're trying out a new feature at the View - we're going to be asking a series of questions and we want to know your answers! The question is posted below. So while you sip your morning beverage of choice, ruminate on this one:


Replace one major Realms hero or villain with an appropriate muppet (from any Jim Henson franchise) and explain how that would go.


Head on back to Facebook and let us know in the comments!

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Why I Want to Go: Feast of Blackwood- a Tale of Two Feasts

 “Why I Wanna Go: A Tale of Two Feasts”

        By: Sir Tempest 

Off to Blackwood I always go

Taking the paths in stride and toe

Watching for Bee’s with every swift move

Walking with the tree’s breezy grove

Why do I go to Blackwood?

Oh, well, they’re misunderstood.

Every year they make a feast for us 

A kitchen lead strong by Sir Mathies

But, something they always forget to tell us

A problem they wait til Friday night to discuss

A problem in Blackwood, oh me, oh my.

Adventures there to hear the nations cry,

For aid Prince Saegan calls,

“Come adventures crawl, run, kick, don’t stall!

I need help from far, wide, and all!”

Of course we come, as true we are,

A problem in Blackwood is never bizarre.

We will solve it no doubt, 

In no time you see.

Because Sunday is for Family.

Friday we fight

Saturday we trek with fuel and might

Sunday we dress, drink, and reserve our right,

To laugh, love, and talk well into the night.

Why do I go to Blackwood?

You see…

It's tradition to save the nation with spells, 

weapons, and…

family.

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Throwback Tuesday - Events from 1997

 

In Winter's White 1

In Winter's White 1

Feast of Min 7

Feast of Min 7

Feast of Min 7

Queen of Hearts IV

Queen of Hearts IV

Queen of Hearts IV

Queen of Hearts IV

Feast of Blackwood III

Feast of Blackwood III

Feast of Blackwood III

Feast of Chimeron V

Feast of Chimeron V

Feast of Chimeron V

Feast of Chimeron V


Monday, September 13, 2021

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team



Friday, September 10, 2021

What You Missed: Tales of Teng Hua

 Troubles in Teng Hua

By Rowan (Brookelyn Gingras)

Even amidst dark times of festival cancellations and travel restrictions, Teng Hua remains an immersive place filled with many places and things to see. Yosei, art, haikus, games, fried rice, temples, quests, ceremonies - so much to do, and so little time!  Do not tarry; there is time to experience everything if only you do not linger.

To those who have not yet had the fortune of visiting, the first thing to know is that Teng Hua is a land of elemental spirits. Specifically, the seven elements - fire, water, wind, and earth, yes, but do not forget wood, metal, and void. We encountered many of these spirits as playful Yosei, and others as violent, disrupted elementals in need of balance. 

Yosei collecting and battling is a hobby for some, but a passion for many. The act of attracting and appeasing spirits of the various elements is an art form. But for some, the real excitement comes from battling. Yosei love to play, and to them fighting is just that. A few people have devoted their lives to the study and understanding of these boundless spirits. Doctor Professor Blossom is one such devotee, and my fellows and I enjoyed our time assisting him with research tasks. That was until we returned to find a gang of our fellow adventurers harassing poor Dr. Professor Blossom! They accused him of holding the Yosei against their will and using them as slaves to do his bidding. As if any one could keep a Yosei, a fickle and quasi-immortal spirit, against their will - let alone command them to do anything more than their own desire! A laughable notion really, but sadly one that threatens to marr the sanctity of Yosei battling. Jerrick stood resolutely to the Professor’s defense and even succeeded in communing with the Yosei spirits before the crowd in an attempt to ease their fears. I don’t know anyone who has a more true and pure connection to the Yosei than Jerrick. In truth, Yosei are eternal beings that seek out fun to fend off the boredom of immortality, and as we adventurers can relate, a good spar is one of the best ways to pass the time. 

The events of the evening and the following morning were, to put plainly, a librarian’s worst nightmare. A precious library ransacked by a ghost army, tomes and scrolls tossed about in a vicious hurricane, an infestation of hungry bookworms, every shelf out of order, noisy adventurers talking over haikus, and dodgeball played with books! Truly horrific. (At least we managed to catch up to the pillagers in time to rescue most of the museum’s collection...). The spirit who presides over the library is a haiku-speaking bird known as Crane, attended by his staff of foxy assistants. I only hope that their hearts were as warmed as mine was when our party happened upon the ransacked library and, before a single word was uttered, began picking up the scattered books off the ground to return to their rightful place on the shelves. Although I must say that I am still unsure what the correct shelf placement was, as it seemed that every time we returned to the library we were tasked with re-organizing the collection by another method entirely. Separate by size, or color? Alphabetical or decimal? I’m glad I’m not a fox.

We finally departed the library for the (hopefully) last time, and peeled our more well-read comrades away from the precious books (“what are you reading?” I asked Rosetta. “EVERYTHING,” he said, not taking his eyes away from the hurriedly turned pages). Ahead was a field of stars. We fought our way through a maze of bridges, unlocked the paths forward and at last confronted the General on the hill. The General of Wind was a fearsome foe capable of manifesting gusts and tornados, but in the end he was slain in honorable combat with a skilled adventurer.

The following morning I visited the temple with a renewed sense of purpose. A second general has been defeated - first water, now air - but the others remain, and they will stop at nothing to revive their infamous leader. My companions have been taking on their own quests throughout their time in Teng Hua, learning from healers or samurai. Now I have found a path that speaks to me - achieve balance with the elements and with myself. The path is long and the tasks for each person are unique, and perhaps on this path I might learn something that our adversaries have not. 

Signed,

Rowan

Friend of Yosei