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Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Conspiracy Monthly: Special Anniversary Edition

 Collaboration by Kieran/Kyra Barry, Kelly Perfetto, Ethan Goldman, and Dustin Mack


Astute readers may notice that stuck to the back of today's View from Valehaven blog post, and this month's Conspiracy MONTHLY, are several pages shuffled from the last year's of Conspiracy MONTHLY articles.



Mythical page 2s for celebrating the anniversary of Conspiracy MONTHLY??? No, it can't be. That was in June. Unless the missing edition from last month was somehow in preparation for this???

Kieran/Kyra: These articles are the "full version" of articles only hinted at thus far in Conspiracy MONTHLY. I would like to extend my thanks to the people who contributed and thus made it possible for this special edition to come to life. I am grateful to have made Conspiracy MONTHLY for one year! Here's the anniversary edition, in July. Ironic considering last year I didn't do one in July. Now I've done one, makes up for missing last year (ignoring I had to skip June this year to do so). Thank you all for reading this far, and have a great rest of your morning!











Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Sir Tao's Rhiassan White Steel AD

**Posted in Taverns across the Realms**

For sale:

Rhiassan White Steel

Sir Tao “found” some of that new Rhiassan steel that may have slipped off a teamster’s wagon along the way or something. That point aside, for only 20 Gold his find is also your gain, and you TOO can own a stick suitable for making a fine weapon with! Pay in all Blackwood currency for a 5 Gold discount! Seek out Sir Tao for all inquiries!



No description available.       No description available.   Open photo




OOC Note: The Rhiassa Tube [W] are 3 foot sticks with the required 5/8 thick wall. 


Monday, July 29, 2024

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team




Friday, July 26, 2024

What You Missed - Exotic Items, Creatures, & Wares 4

Written by: Emma "Chrysanta" Harvey


Hello Friends!

If you haven’t met me, I am called Dream Mender Chrysanta Morris, Oathsworn of Voraniss! You may not know this but I have been quite timid but eager to write on The View since I am still very new to the Realms! Please forgive me if my account is a little fuzzy at parts as my main form of worship to the god I follow, God Galbash, is sleeping. I will give the best account a sleepy Faun can give!

Now, to start us off, we have been fortunate enough to know that a lot of Voranians have good rapport with many of the Novem, the Stonewood pantheon of Gods. So we made sure to remind everyone to keep their needs, feelings, and any special offerings in mind during our time searching for Horadric Stones, fragments of memories of Horadrim passed on. We also did a lot of fighting against undead as we started this search through many rifts. Seven in total!

(Not all at once, mind you but let me get back on track–)

Once all of that madness was over, most tucked in for the evening but Voraniss and a few others participated in a Voranian Wish Burning ceremony. For those unaware, it is a time to wish for something before the coming harvest in the autumn. Not everyone shared their wishes but I will share mine: I wished for continued strength for our family, our pack, our nation!

The next morning came to us with the brave nation of Invictus leading a charge against Mana Golems! It was so scary and loud, I had to excuse myself to the little Faun’s room… However, Invictus was more than able to fight through! And won! Yay!

That’s when it came to our attention that we had been taking too much from the Novem and not giving enough. The Novem are very persnickety when it comes to asking for their favor and I knew exactly what to do! That’s when I made sure to organize a ritual circle to offer a sacrifice to them, thanking the gods for their continued assistance while we were in their lands. (A quick thank you to my mentor Friend Merrix and his adorable familiar Friend Váya, Friend Zula, and Friend Tao for participating in this ritual. It was the first time I felt confident in leading a ritual and I am very glad to have had all of your help!)

It was then time to start going through the rifts, we were led by a Horadrim (was it…. Joseph? Jordan? I am so sorry, Friend!). Each rift had its own… let’s say, unique quality to it. With Dire Bats [Friend Rowan, you need to help control your bat friends!], Undead, Demons, and many more! All of the rifts contained one of the seven stones we needed, including a different trial attached to each rift, but before nightfall, we had at least three of the seven stones.

I was only able to observe through my dreams the events of that night as I had already seen in a Prophecy of a powerful item known as the Soul Crucible being guarded by a minion of The Rogue Angel Malthael known as Drygha. Luckily, my friends were more than capable of destroying such an awful thing and defeating that horrible minion! There was also this very scary Demon simply known as “The Butcher”! Very scary! Though, from what I understand, there was a price to pay for the safety of Friend Hygar who almost lost his life to the Soul Crucible and now everyone physically present now has to owe God Thane a favor.

As morning came once more, we were able to finish with three more rifts and gain three more stones. Trials that felt more difficult than the battles against the bats and undead… Before we thought we were to enter the seventh and final one, a leader of the Horadrim known as Friend Deckard Cain appeared before us with a familiar face. Friend Deckard Cain then informed us of what our other Horadrim friend, Friend Jacob (I remembered his name!) used to be the champion of Justice and the previous owner of the sword El’Druin?! (Very powerful!) So he went to the final rift while we were away and helped us get the final stone as a thank you for obtaining the other six.

While my report comes to a close and I reflect on this weekend, I want to quickly say thank you to all of our friends who showed up as everyone was a wonderful help no matter how little they believed they contributed.

I have been meditating more and more on the concept of “Good and Evil”, something that I only know mostly through fairy tales and other stories from my home back in the mors of the Fae Wilds. I know not everyone is truly good nor truly evil, if I’m honest. After all, The Rogue Angel was once a being of good: an angel. I say this not to point fingers at who is ‘good’ or ‘evil’ in our realm, but to reflect that even those with the purest of hearts can easily be tainted. We all need to reflect on that, even me.

We need to stick together. We all are fighting for one cause: to protect the Realms we live in. I am but a Faun navigating a world who hears I am Fae and assumes the worst. I understand many of you are hurt from what people of my birthplace have done. I cannot change that past for you nor can my apologies wash away the blood they spilled. What I hope to do is let you know that I am a friend to all who wish it and I am here to mend the world. One dream at a time.


Sweetest of Dreams,

Dream Mender

Chrysanta Morris

Friend of the Realms

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Why I Want to Go - Rise of the Gi-sistance [Part 3]

My name is Sir Jean Baptise, let me tell you my routine.

I wake up every morning at 6:30 AM to the same nightmare. I feel sick, but I had ginger for dinner, so I held it in less not to accidentally purge myself of the sacred herb. I get up and lather myself with a bodywash of apple cider vinegar and 11 different herbs in spices. I place one sprig of organic herbs in my mouth to ensure my flesh remains tender and optimal on the secondary market. After fiddling with the shower door with my stump hand I pull my blood stained clothes out of a disinfectant mixture of grain alcohol and cheap, gamer body spray and hand it to dry. Still dripping, I then attend my quills and contemplate the next headache I can give Starblade.

There is a idea of Jean Baptise, some kind of abstract collection of unspent resources, but you may look into my empty eyes, talk to me, and even find our quest experiences somewhat similar. I truly, am not there.

Welcome to Rise of the Gi-Sistence, it’s a lot like a war tourney, except this time the war is actually real.  Apologies for my lacklsiter grammar i am typing this with my only remaining hand and i gind the experience taxing to my patience. Why do  mi have a hand missing. Dony worry bout that camp. Let us talk about

Gameplay
The gameplay is simple, see bapyise the clown, he will chear u up

But tara, the man cries, water flooding his sockrets, im baotise.

Everyone laughs, roll on snare drum, curtains

Otherwise, simple! Two armies, a red one, a blue one, locked in forbidden love, painting the map with each movement, tearing the lands apart like a broken household. Until they clash, and then, each pc pretends to be a multitude of 50-10000k npcs each with a fun power or skill. Some of those skills? Dying, dying alot, and eating the dead. And imbue.

Every battle a war tourney, the stakes, the armies themselves. Because after all, your armies dont come back, why would they? Its war.

People die, they die and die forever… or should, most likely they will exchange their second class citizenship for a third class eternity as a Chained Labor caste, tearing apart the conquered lands for copper wire to power their void batteries.

Its all very exciting, and im sure many people are very excited. Me? Im a bit put out of war, last time i commented on war, people got quite peeved at me, so instead i just sit outside and stare at them through the window.

Instead, let me introduce you to, the crimson path. Simply go outside, and sneakily (or boldly since no ones ever outside) collect the wooden intel token and you get a free story shard. What can story shards do?

Problems, lots of problems. Raise a army, raise a child, forge the true name of a dead god into a sword. Eat yucky candy so you dont have to later. (Unless you get sad) Or even, take a trapping and get a worse version of a spell everyone already has.

The power is yours.

Whats that? You want a story? You need a plot to get excited over?

One, It’s a war tourney no you dont. And two, okay you little scamp

Inhale

LONG AGO IN A ALIEN LAND A GOD TRIED TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD AND GOT EXTRA KILLED FOREVER FOR REALISES. HOWEVER A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PLANET WITH VOID MAGIC SHOWED UP FOR FRIENDLY TRADE. SEVERAL SALTY FAILED TYRANTS ASKED THE VOID TRADERS IF VOID MAGIC COULD SAY… BRING THE DEAD BACK. AND THEY SAID “SURE I GUESS, IF YOU HAD LIKE, SOME CHILD TIED TO THE VOID, WHY” AND THEN THE TYRANTS KILLED THEM. ONE BUTCHERED CHILD AND A GAME OF DOUBLE JEOPARDY LATER AND GI IS NOW GROSS AND SHI-GI. BUT THSE WHO WANT MORE NEVER FIND MORE, THE GOAL POST ALWAYS MOVES. SO GI INVADED AND INVADES AND INVADES AND UNRAVELS THE PLANETS OF ALL THAT COULD’VE MATTERED IN EXISTENTIAL INDUSTRIALISM.

THEY TRIED TO DO THAT TO THE REALMS, THEY FAILED, NOW WE ARE INVADING BACK TO STOP THEM FROM TURNING OTHER PEOPLE INTO REALITY MINES.

Listen ive written the book on this 3 times, and this is the last event.

Now you might wonder, why make the LAST event a war tourney with numerous chances of defeat, what happens of we lose.

Darkvale happens, we just lose, and stay lost for years. Maybe we’d get to try again.

But we probably wont. So we better win now!

Maybe I can make a plague bomb…

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Recruiting for the Heroic Complement

By: David "Tirvanel" Rubenstein


Adventurers and Questers of the Realms, we are still looking for heroes and those otherwise adept in our craft to bolster our numbers for our impending battle in Gi beginning this weekend. We understand that many of you have not felt that you can contribute to the cause, but please know this is not the case! We are assembling a specific Heroic Complement to accompany our armies. This Complement will be fighting a reasonable amount per day, and evacuation measures are already in place for your safe retreat should the battles become too dangerous. Please reach out to me by the end of the day Friday for further details.

~ Tirvanel


OOC:

The event this upcoming weekend is partially run as a tabletop war game. Some battles will happen “off-screen”. The marshals have kindly allowed us to create a mechanism where PCs not present at the event may add themselves to a unit called the “Heroic Complement”. The movements of this Heroic Complement will be determined by people playing the tabletop war game. The powers and benefits of the Heroic Complement will depend on who volunteers for said unit. Volunteering for this unit does not confer risk to your character. “If their army would be destroyed, they will retreat to the [base]. If they are at the [base] and would be killed there, they will retreat to the Realms.”


Your character is eligible if you are:

  • Unable to attend the event for any reason.o
  • Do not want to attend the event for any reason.
  • Are planning to attend the event as an NPC or otherwise staffing/helping OOC.

Once again, please reach out to me by the end of the day Friday for further information if you are interested. You can find me on discord or Facebook. Every bit helps.

~ David

Why I Want to Go - Rise of the Gi-sistance [Part 2]

Written by: Sean "Eamon" Finn


Fellow Adventurers,

        It has been some time since I last interacted with the Risen Kingdom, the last time being in 1018 (2018) When we wrested control of the portal between Gi and the Realms from the Risen Kingdom.

Since then much has happened in the Dreaming with Dreamliners (Dreaming ships?) and between the Realms and Gi that others who were present could better inform you of.

However, what has been brought to my attention is the call for aid from a resistance movement within the realm of Gi. For anyone unaware, Gi is the main base of power it seems for the Risen Kingdom. On Gi they have a large number of portals, some connecting to other realms like our own, some interconnecting different areas of Gi, and one of import to our mission in Gi, one to a Realm called Morodyne, the source of the Risen Kingdom’s power.

The Risen Kingdom had been using the portals throughout Gi to access other realms, conquer them, and then mine them for their resources and process Void Corruption and power. They then channeled that power and resources through Gi to their Capital, which houses the portal to Morodyne as well as the seat of power for the “Fallen King”, ruler of the Risen Kingdom.

This weekend, at the behest of the Resistance of Gi (The Gi-sistance) and the request of Sir Orion of Chimeron, we gather our forces to push through the portal into Gi and assist the Resistance with deposing the “Fallen King” and ridding Gi of the Corruption polluting it.

This will be a large-scale operation requiring the full force of everything the realms can bring to bear to fight the remaining armies of the Risen Kingdom in Gi. Ultimately, our main strategic goals are the capture of a number of portals in Gi, including finally the portal to Morodyne in the Capital.

Once we have secured the required portals the Resistance is supposed to start a process that is being called “TVC”. Now I know that sounds ominous, however, we have been informed that it should be relatively safe for us in Gi itself. As for what will officially happen as a result of this we have our estimates, but I will keep it vague so as not to give away the final “surprise” in case any Risen Kingdom spies are reading this.

In preparation for this operation many adventurers and even entire nations have come together. Many of us are bringing our own technical and tactical experience to the forefront. Some by performing numerous scouting missions into Gi. Some by preparing supplies and performing rituals to grant additional abilities to those venturing to Gi. While others have mustered the forces of their nations to bring entire armies of troops to the fight.

Hopefully all of this preparation will be enough as we will have several (in character) days in Gi to accomplish our goal. This will require many of us to take the field in battle, much like what we practice for in our War Maneuver tournaments yearly. While others will be needed to maintain our forces' morale and supplies. In addition we will need a dedicated command staff to help our forces navigate the lands of Gi and accomplish our goals before it is too late.

I look forward to seeing all who are willing to join the fight this coming weekend. We will take the fight to the Risen Kingdom, ending their threat once and for all and in the end. And with that end, we help free the Gidans to rebuild and live their lives without the crushing weight of the Risen Kingdom and their corruption.


With Hope and Determination,

Sir Eamon Azzamean

Knight of Blackwood

Knight of the Steward

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Why I Want to Go - Rise of the Gi-sistance

Field Report
Allied Gidan Command
23 July 1024, B.M.R.

Sir Warlord,

Final preparations are underway at the portal war camp. Despite the bands of troops stationed down here, the caverns are remarkably quiet—there is tension in the air, the kind of tension one applies to the string of a bow to ensure that your first shot lands true.

I admire the way our friends and allies have answered the call to arms. You know as well as I do that this war is an unusual one, being that we are the aggressors entering a foreign land. The threat to our lands posed by the Risen Kingdom was brought to an end when we captured this portal in 1018. We could have stopped fighting when we drove the wretched enemy from our sovereign kingdom and rightfully celebrated our victory. Gi could have become a dusty memory, a curious name remembered only in the stories we pass down to new adventurers.

That might have been good enough, but then we realized that we weren’t just fighting for ourselves.

I already knew that Gi had some humanity, given that I had put in a great deal of effort towards rehoming and rehabilitating the enemy’s soldiers who were left stranded in our world when we captured their portal. They were, as many soldiers are, regular people with regular lives who became wrapped up in the ambitions of their commanders. (And sir, I assure you that the dual-edged nature of that particular statement is not at all lost on me in this moment.) But for better or for worse, their lives in Gi had been supported by crumbs of the Risen Kingdom’s wealth.

River was the first Gidan I ever met outside of a battlefield. A civilian, living her life on her own terms. We saved her from a pack of giant cats, and out of gratitude she offered to introduce us to her village.

I remember thinking to myself, astonished: “There are enough people here to form a village?”

In my report to you, I counted three buildings and five citizens in this village. A trivial place in any other setting, but in Gi they were five more people than I ever expected to meet without my sword drawn. That’s not to say that we weren’t on guard during this first meeting. I also remember discussing the high likelihood of ambush, and how our expedition was likely being set up by agents of the enemy. And yet despite the reputation of adventurers, we spilled no blood that night. These people offered us their meager hospitality and they MEANT it.

I also reported to you a conversation I had with their mayor. The description was brief: she told me about her brother, who had been called into service by the Risen Kingdom and marched through the portal to do battle in an unknown land. I chose to reveal my role in that conflict to her, and rather than hating me for it she asked me to look for her kin. What I have not reported to you, sir, is how that conversation still haunts me to this day. There are people—real people!—who despite every curse inflicted upon this plane by the Fallen King still insist on calling Gi their home. No, not just calling it home. Making it their home.

When describing Gi to other adventurers who have never been there, I often describe it as a wasteland devoid of most life, where even the dust has been mined out by the Risen Kingdom. And although this is true in a broad sense, I have to admit that I have been doing a disservice to the Gidans. There is quite a lot of life in Gi, and you can find traces of it everywhere.

We are no longer fighting for ourselves. We are fighting for the Gidans.

Brother sir, I hope to write to you again soon to describe the means of our victory in Gi. If I do not, please understand that I did the best I could.

By my own hand and seal,
And in the name of Gidan Freedom,

Sir Orion

Monday, July 22, 2024

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team



Sunday, July 21, 2024

Realms Cros-Sword #1


Welcome to CrosSword Sunday! A new custom Realms related crossword puzzle, kick back and relax as you prep for your upcoming week!

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

Like any of our other puzzles feel free to chat and share your results on social media but no spoilers!


Thursday, July 18, 2024

What You Missed - Blackwood Tournaments XI

 Written by: Crystal "Cressida" Welch & Nathan "Aelias" Carr

Dear Realms,

FRIDAY

This was my first time at Tournaments of Blackwood and it was incredible! Friday night was a night of pushing your luck, trying not to laugh, and plenty of games as the Sweaty Owl Carnival, led by Hedda, created a fun atmosphere for drinking and catching up. I myself came ready to participate in as many games as I could sign up for! I started my night by spinning the Wheel of Fate and feeling the ground give way while I desperately clung to the bar (usually that takes a few drinks first, but the wheel expedited the process). While I waited for the effects to wear off, I decided to tackle all that the Carnival had to offer including Temorse’s Tablets, a memory match game where speed was key; Guess the Bones, where I felt a little extra competitive so I attempted to guess the total and the amount per color; and Mini Shot Pong, the hardest game at the Carnival where you had to get the ball in the very small cups before time was up. Once my feet were safely back under me I was recruited for a new Blackwood business venture: Saegan’s Wigs Inc. Turns out, despite having the new King’s name on the business, Saegan didn’t know about this and we were told to covertly style wigs without the King being the wiser. I styled a beautiful formal wig and roped in my friends Evie and Kara to also style some stunning wigs. Later on the King was filled in on his new business and asked to judge the styles (hopefully we will get a full breakdown on all the weekend’s winners soon!). 

A quick shout out to some of the competitions I did not get a chance to partake in, but looked like fun: Beer Pits, Blackjack, and Stacked Deck! It looked like a very competitive atmosphere for all three. Also shout out to Omri’s party hat in honor of Blackwood’s 15th Reclamation Day! It was very cool and featured a big sparkly duck and hanging silver celestial bodies. 

Throughout the night there were several other competitions running that I did participate in. Stoneface was one of two new competitions, where a group of four competitors read a script aloud while trying not to smile or laugh. My group’s script was all about the King’s furniture going missing and was quite silly! The other group gave a news report about a new creature appearing on Blackwood’s farms. While the room laughed along loudly, the competitors held their composure like professionals. I hope to see the return of this game in the future! The other big head to head competition for the night was Nay, Poxy, Knave, the game of correcting the misinformation before your opponents. The categories were General Realms and History of Blackwood for the two competing groups. For future competitors, remember to buzz in quickly and start your correction with “Nay, Poxy, Knave” or else you may have your correct answer stolen as several of us did. 

There was also an Open Mic for Bards, which to no one’s surprise I performed in. We got to enjoy the puppetry stylings of JB, the comedy story telling of Omri, and the beautiful singing of Tulli. I enjoyed telling some improv storytelling where the crowd helped me get to the bottom of the secret tunnels under Voraniss and just what JB has been getting up to down there. 


SATURDAY DAY

Waking up bright and early, I was ready for the numerous tournaments that were prepared for us on Saturday. There were many fighting ones and I am not the person to ask about those. But you can hear all about the less fighty ones from me. My first one of the day was Blind Grab Improvised Ritual, where you had two randomly grabbed items, a scenario, and 60 seconds of prep time, before delivering a theatrical filled ritual. My scenario involved a tarot deck, a dagger, and magic quickly draining from the world around me. I only wish I could have seen the other rituals, but it was a packed day and I had to get moving to my next event: the Fishing Derby. Much like the last contest, you had 60 seconds, but in this case you needed to use a fishing rod to retrieve treasure from a well. I managed to break the fishing rod… my bad. I will say I saw some very creative fishing from fellow competitors Swift and Tulli who used the fishing rod, in the fresh two pieces I had split it into, to chopstick the items out of the well. I have a feeling one of them may have won it! I was whisked away from fishing to a very different experience next, Vesper’s Famous Shoot House. I say “famous” because I have been bragged to many times by Orion about just how fun this game is. I was excited to finally try it myself, armed with nothing but a dagger and 3 magic missiles, I was tasked with retrieving a stolen book of Elizah’s, destroying 3 weapons caches, and destroying almost every Kobold that got in my way, with the exception of 1 that I was to take hostage. Turns out, I should leave the shoot house to Orion because I definitely just killed all the Kobolds… oops. I did however recover the book and destroy the weapons caches! 

After an exhausting run, I took a quick break before Musical Mugs began. Musical Mugs is Musical Chairs meets Corsican Mug, and it was wild! We were all armed with one full cup of water and a chair circle, a few chairs short of butts in need. I witnessed a chair being snapped in half from the sheer competition as two competitors tried to claim the chair at the same time. I ended up out about middle of the pack and Griffin took it all home in the end with his defensive style paying off. Speaking of Corsican Mug, my final tournament before the dinner break was my first Corsican Mug. I had a lot of fun competing against Jericho as we kicked off the tournament. We were out there for a while, fairly evenly matched, but finally Jericho was victorious. The entire contest was thrilling to spectate as every set chose wrestling over a single short version. 


SATURDAY NIGHT

Dinner Break was a fully customizable pasta bar skillfully prepared by Tempest and Elizah! Multiple pastas, sauces, meats, and toppings were available and then heated up on the spot for a quick and delicious dinner. After dinner there was one more competition: The Fated Arena. Now this is one fighting tournament I was willing to compete in. Myself and 12 others volunteered as tribute to enter the arena, a shrinking landscape filled with weapons and supply caches where we were expected to survive traps and each other all in pursuit of being the last victor standing, all with none of the weapons, armor, or magic we usually have available to us. While this took place spectators could place bets on who would win and pay gold to send gifts to their favorite tributes. The arena was an intense experience, dark, lonely, and filled with blood thirsty monsters. With nothing but 3 lives and my wits, I went in with a plan, I found as many people as I could to sponsor me, and with their gifts I was able to make alliances. I may not be the strongest fighter, but I am charismatic as all get out. When the game began I ran as fast as I could away from the pile of weapons in the middle, I knew getting trapped in the center meant death to faster players. I eventually snuck back and found a single weapon still left, a dagger. I stowed my dagger and started investigating magic caches, finding a few potions and luckily a sword, and then a second sword, ya girl was ready to florentine! My sponsors sent me another sword, so I used my spare sword to make my first ally, the clever Evie. The two of us figured our odds were better if we stuck together, harder to sneak up on two people. Then we picked up Swift, whose excellent stealth had allowed him to pick up tons of weapons and potions. The three of us were separated for a bit when I faced my first death of three to a trap: a prey driven werewolf. 

When I respawned, I found Evie had made a new alliance friend, Shader. Together we took out the werewolf that had felled me earlier. My sponsors sent me some armor repairs which I gave to my alliance since I had no armor and a tip about not running from werewolves, it was far too late for that tip, but thanks anyways guys! Now Evie had some high rolling sponsor as she was sent: Daekara! We promptly gave him a sword and shield as our alliance now had a human shield to keep the rest of us from losing lives. Just when we were gaining the confidence to start picking off our competitors, the bees came. I have never sprinted as much in my life as I did from those bees. We attempted to fight them, but they were flying too high. We ended up mostly separated, Shader lost a leg and was hopping, so I knew what I had to do, I turned threw the one javelin I had taking out one of the bees and used my swords to keep the rest at bay long enough for Shader to get away and use a potion. My second life went to yet another trap, and this one stung. 

My final respawn and I was alone, I knew I needed to find my people. I managed to join up with Shader, Evie/Daekara, and Swift, where we befriended with potions and added the final member of our squad: Eldritch. Now, I know we were stacked, but the Fated Arena was pissed at us and punished us by sending what seemed to be the embodiment of wrath against us. It's hard to know, it was all so sudden and terrifying, the arena screaming at us for joining forces, BUT we would not be deterred…but we would be separated yet again. I ended up in a tight situation between a player and this vicious embodiment of the arena, fortunately Swift had given me a potion that allowed me to poof back to a respawn point safely, I was forced to use it. 

Re-entering from respawn yet again, but very alive this time, I found the alliance just as the arena shrank into a small circle. We could see the eyes of all those who remained in addition to ourselves, there were three others who had formed an alliance in addition to ours and we were informed we all were on our final life; it ended here. Daekara was poofed away from us in an instant, turns out the Fated Arena has time limits on gifts that are overpowered. But we were confident, we were a fierce team of 5 strong. We picked off the first guy, then the child with a javelin to the back by Evie. It was the final member who proved to be the most formidable, it took our entire team to take them down as they had managed to find full armor, resist deaths, and other helpful items and potions. During this fight we lost Shader right at the end, then there were four left: Eldritch, Swift, Evie, and myself. Evie, Swift, and I had an agreement, we went down together no matter what. To be fair to Eldritch we made sure his armor and body were healed up before all of us tried to best him in honorable combat. Swift fell first, then myself, leaving Evie who requested no armor and single short only, Eldritch of course honored this request. The fight was incredible and very close, but the winner of the Fated Arena was none other than Eldritch, a well deserved win. I felt pride in my third place finish as I returned to the betting area and learned that I had helped some people win gold that night by doing as well as I did. Though to be honest, my biggest take away: I couldn’t be more proud of our team. They were all incredible and each of us came together from different nations to represent my favorite part of the Realms, how much butt we can kick when we work as one. I will never forget the Fated Arena and my first Blackwoods Tournaments.

Much Love,

Cressida

_________________________________________________________________


So the first thing I will say about Tourneys of Blackwood: There was so much to do! What really made this event special was the grand variety of activities, ranging from combat tournaments to Vesper’s shoot house to calligraphy. It was evident the amount of effort that the event staff put in to make sure players of all varieties had plenty to do.

Although I could not make it there Friday night, I heard many good things about the activities, which included a poker tournament, wig styling as well as a riveting game of Nay, Proxy, Knave.

Saturday was the bulk of the tournaments, with individual and group tournaments all contributing to the titles of Slayer, Archmage, and Skald. The atmosphere of the day, while competitive, was also somewhat laid back, allowing us all to have fun.

Sunday, the intrepid adventurers solved many puzzles, ranging from nonograms to colored golems, in order to save Sparrowsong.  NPCs did a great job in their roles (Keith as a robo-Sparrow was hilarious), and forced us to think and use our resources to get through the dungeon. Really appreciate the staff recalibrating the quest due to the oppressive heat. 

I have to admit, the phrase “Daekara the Archmage” was one that I never expected to hear…

I greatly enjoyed this event, and am looking forward to going back next year.

What You Missed - Blackwood Tournaments XI - Photos

Photos by: Dustin "Toah" Mack


Calligraphy with Sayeh

The fishing tournament

Musical mugs, a mix of musical chairs and Corsican mugs


Bridge Blitz

Corsican mugs

Kobold Commander at Vesper's Shoot House

Eamon being Knighted to the Knights of the Stewards!

 

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Why I Want To Go - Exotic Items, Creatures, & Wares 4

Written by: Adrian "Cronin" & Matt “Zula” Daviault

Once more my countrymen prepare themselves, to meet doom and destiny in the lands of Stonewood. A place that has welcomed adventurers for decades, in an intricate plot which continues to build upon the past while creating exciting opportunities for the future. I’ve brought many first time eventers to Stonewood in the past, all have carried grand stories home. Similarly Stonewood is a great place to return to if you’ve been taking time off from adventure and need to remember why we all do this in the first place.

Travis and his team are dedicated to their values and hold strong to them. Immersion, difficulty and excitement are paramount in their design but safe fighting and safe mechanics are just as important to them. They’ve had decades to balance their approach and the wisdom of experience shines through.

The Stonewood Pantheon is exciting to deal with because they often send their champions(or come themselves, though sometimes uh oh) to speak with adventurers in their lands. This gives non-seer folk the opportunity to interact directly with the gods. This is particularly great for fighters who often rely on casters or puzzles for all of their information which can make one feel disconnected at times.

My first Stonewood event was in 2017. It was in the aftermath of saving  that village from an undead invasion, that I formed the Broken Spears Free Company. Not long after, we joined Voraniss and they gave me “Azurewrath”, without even knowing how hooked I was on Stonewood plot. I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of battling against evil with it ever since.

I want to go because I know it will be hard but rewarding, and I will have the strength of the pack at my side. I want to go to support an event holding team I believe in. The wolves march north. Will you join us?

-Cronin

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Laughing Gods in the Eye: Fun Times with Old Runes!

 



You know I almost followed the Beast instead of Dark One way back in Feast of Autumn. Would I have been more or less annoying?

Monday, July 15, 2024

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team





Friday, July 12, 2024

What You Missed - Creathorne Grill and Games [Photos Edition]

By Dustin "Toah" Mack, captions by Kieran/Kyra "Omri" Barry

"A handy sign to inform attendees what to expect."

"Back shot by Saegan onto Pilpus."

"Nos and Freesia go toe to toe. Or Nos is just saying hi."

"Grilling and no chilling in this summer heat."

"Sword and board against florentine."

"Every fighter needs a caster buddy and every caster needs a fighter buddy in spirit and sword."

"Orion flees Saegan's blows."

 

Thursday, July 11, 2024

What You Missed - Creathorne Grill and Games

Written by: Benjamin "Pilpus" Lacasse 

    Events like Creathorne Grille and Games are the type of events that make The Realms The Realms.   It's always amazing to watch the outpouring of support from all corners of the game come together both as players and staff to make casual and fun events feel full, alive and approachable.  From an Eventholder's perspective, we often find ourselves delving deep to find new exciting experiences to entice our player bases, both old and new, but even more often we find ourselves so inundated with new beginnings that we forget that the simple classics hit just as hard as when you yourself fell in love with this game.  A good burger with good fights in a public park surrounded by good people on a beautiful (if not a little warm) day proved to be the perfect way to spend last Saturday.

  The other thing I'd really love to highlight is the generosity of the event staff.  They easily could've charged a small cover for this event and none of us would've batted an eye, but to purposefully decide to make our game as accessible as possible is always a noble endeavor, and this is the perfect kind of event to do it with. To see this relatively green staff give so much back on their first go around was so refreshing.   Might I also say that their  charitable attitude immediately bore fruit, as we had 3 brand new adventurers to train up in between tournaments as well.  When the time came to quest, like the rest of the day of classics, Creathorne had us assist them in taking down some goblins that had managed to take root within their hold. They fell easily and just in time for some delicious dessert!

  When everything was said and done, when all the tournaments had wrapped, it'd been another great weekend in Creathorne.  I hope to share the fun with all of you next time!


Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Why I Want To Go - Blackwood Tournaments XI

Written by: Lani "Gwen" Jones


Greetings my friends, and, currently unknownst to me, adventurers of the Realms,

 I am here to entice you into journeying to the lands of Shadowdragon this upcoming weekend for Tournaments of Blackwood XI. First of all, the Roman numerals are doing a lot of heavy lifting here for me: this is the eleventh opportunity Blackwood has had to perfect this event, and I know that this EH team is relentless in their desire, ability, and follow-through in reflecting on and improving their events. It is with utmost  confidence that I trust this experienced EH team to deliver an epic and enjoyable long weekend for you: regardless of your preferred play style, skills, or experience. It is clear that the team has prioritized providing fun and engaging content for EVERY adventurer in the Realms by including a simply dazzling array of “thinky,” “fighty,” and camaraderie challenges. The mechanics for scoring points highlights this--your points earned are totaled throughout the weekend and three winners will be awarded based on this cumulative scoring mechanic: “Slayer”, “Archmage” & “Skald”.

 Although my “Why I Want to Go” quill is a little dustier than usual, I hope that new readers will still appreciate my tried and true top three reasons bullet-list format. I cannot say enough that it would be impossible for me to expound on the myriad reasons I think you should venture out to the field this weekend. I highly encourage you to check out the thoughtful and well-planned event description on realmsnet.net for more specific details.

Fun

While this may come to a surprise to many of you, I love events that don’t focus solely on food. For me, it’s all about the fun. As I was thinking about the reasons the Realms should turn out this weekend, it felt appropriate to mention that I was recently treated to a questing experience that demonstrated that Blackwood cares about making sure you, as an individual, walk away from any of their hosted content and experience saying, “Wow! That was great!” This weekend is no different, and I am the most excited to witness “Zombie Kisses” and hear the rules to “Nay, Poxy Knave!” 

Players should know and appreciate that tournament rules will allow some availability to swap up your character path/spells to accommodate your desires to participate in various tournaments over the weekend. Please be sure to check the Event Description for a more thorough understanding of these details.

Lastly, just because Blackwood Tournaments doesn’t focus solely on the food, doesn’t mean they aren’t going to treat you right. The Blackwood kitchen staff is excellent and will be providing light snacks throughout the day, as well as a full meal for Saturday dinner break that is sure to satiate and delight.

Competition

“The Fated Arena” says it pretty well, but please, allow me to expound. This Saturday night experience is not one you want to miss out on. I promise you, tales of individual valor, strategy, and strength will be told about this night around campfires for many years to come. However, you may have already tired yourself out during the day, as the weekend will feature a large variety of individual and small group tourneys. King Saegan is someone that I look up to for his fierce competitive nature balanced by his commitment to ensuring fights are fair, so I know there will be some really great opportunities for those of you out there itching to get out and put your skills to the test.

If swords aren’t your thing, there will be various other competitive amusements available for you, including the coveted points offered in the Stacked Deck Tournament Friday evening.

Camaraderie

To be completely honest, I think this event is going to have it all going on. It really reminds me of my first events that really hooked me into this community--it’s going to have a little bit of something for everyone. And so, for the final point of why I think you should put yourself out there this weekend and show up on the field rocking and ready to go for Black Tournaments XI, I’ll leave you with this: this is the kind of weekend where new memories are going to be made, old ones will be shared and cherished, and you are going to have a great time if you choose to be a part of it. After all, Realms wouldn’t be Realms without the shared magic that we all bring to it. As my dad would say, “Have fun, be safe, and watch out for animals!”

With love,

Lord Sir Gwen


PS. Please be respectful of the mission to “carry in/carry out” for garbage--it really does go a long way in helping event staff maintain relationships with event sites. Also, bring plenty of water/ hydrating beverages as well as a few extra snacks/dinner options for the weekend. The EH’s always doing their best to provide everything to everyone, but it really is important when planning for a long weekend to make sure that YOU are taking the responsibility of taking care of YOU. And as always, don’t forget to pack extra socks! 

Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Hedda's Helping Hands Kitchen: Recipe #3

Created by: Anna "Hedda" Hewitt 


Introducing a new series featuring handcrafted recipes directly from Hedda's kitchen brought straight to your table. From drinks, treats, sweets and more, Hedda's helping hands are sure to serve just what you're looking for!

Monday, July 8, 2024

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team



Friday, July 5, 2024

What You Missed - All Hail the Gloom Father/All Hail Dream

Written by: Arthur "Aiden" Granger & Kieran/Kyra "Omri" Barry


Recollections of the Blacksmith

So in the scope of things, it was like any other day of traveling: show up to a tavern, find out what's wrong, fix it and move along. This was slightly different, however, as I had stumbled near the Dreaming realm and that is never a normal day around the forge. 


The first person I came across was a young adventurer that was waiting for others; they explained how the night before the questing party had kicked things off in the Dreaming. Things sounded bad as everything they had encountered seemed to be off in one form or another. In the Dream realm, this never ends well. Thus began the day of questionable choices and actions. As the tavern came to life, the other adventurers gathered to give their attention to the “Queen of Hearts” who was talking about the games, and the potential rumors of the area. 


I started my day with gathering supplies. In the Dreaming, something being around one moment does not mean it will be there the next second. The tavern was surrounded with mushrooms, and with the help of Bogen of Chimeron, we began our work. The next thing we noticed was grass grown taller than our heads! We quickly realized that eating the mushroom in the Dreaming was something to avoid and began chasing after our friends. This was no easy task, however as we were three inches tall and everyone else was not. Fifteen feet may have well been fifteen miles. In time, we caught up to Ryu of Chimeron and after we got her to speak softly (as she was blowing out our little ears with every word), she agreed to help us. Helping Bogen to his Duck Familiar and myself to her friend Girving the dragon who were normal relative size, we were off to find a cure for our disposition. 


In transit, we happened upon JB of Neden and Griffen of Chimeron, who had fallen to similar fates and also taken to their own mini mounts. It was at this moment we happened upon a chicken, a small stream, and other critters requiring aid. To the regular sized adventurer this would be child's play. For us, it took a little longer, given our state. From here we found ourselves at the table of the Queen. She invited us to her tea party which upon drinking the tea we were returned to our proper size. 


Returning to the main group, Ryu had been working with the others to attempt to repair damage of wayward fairytales. Peter Pan, the caterpillar, you get the picture. With the help of Omri and others, we began solving riddles to save Girving as he had now shrunk to the size of us. It was at this moment that Peter Pan jumped into the group, asking for aid. I found this strange because he had just left with a small militia composed of Chreathorn, Chimeron and Riverhawk members. Pan had returned alone and wanted us to follow him. Feeling suspicious, I let Ryu know I was going to investigate this as it was strange. Into a clearing it was made evident the first group had been cursed. Joining forces with Captain Hook they attacked, killing myself and Peter Pan. Thankfully in the Dreaming, a bad idea can quickly turn into a good idea and this broke the curse, returning half our ranks back to us and stopping the wayward dream in progress. 


Returning to the Queen of Hearts and the tavern would be a repeated process throughout the day. My mystic forge was set up as a permanent fixture to return to for the sake of refilling fighter supply. Ryu and Myself had frequently reminded the party throughout the day to reserve resources and repair armor at the forge whenever possible. The paths where regularly filling up with demons, and other forms of hell beast. With a clue of what was to come, we worked together to maintain shield walls, and keep casters on the fighters that needed front line support. It was at this point we came to Destruction, a being who carried a large hammer to be used with the Dream Forge. With his aid, we were then given four choices of Dream Creations behind four doors to confront based on the door we chose. I selected “Risktaker” which could not have blown up in my face any worse. No risk, no reward; these things happen. I was turned fae, on the surface not the worst thing to happen. However when you commonly carry cold iron, salt, and fae stones on your person…..not a good time. 


At this point the party was separated. I found myself in a bar. There were demons and games and cookies. What could go wrong?  I only go broke any time I sit at the poker table so let’s play some games. A few bar fights broke out, rending blows were won and lost cookies were bought… you know the drill. A lot of this point in the evening is a bit of a blur. Intoxication led to bad deals on my part led to being rended. By the time I was brought back many in the party had reunited and were in preparation to make a path for the Dream Forge.


After a tedious battle with demons and other hellspawn, we came to the chained figure of Morpheus. He was bound as his creations were running havoc with the forces of hell. After some discussion, we agreed to help him push back the forces of hell from the Dreaming to put an end to the chaos. After a short introduction and purging of the fae in me, I agreed to take up the mantle of Champion/Acolyte of the Dreaming in return to be allowed study of the Dreamforge, as smithing is kinda my jam. The first thing forged with the help of an intervention from other casters was to repower the casters in our forces (spell reset). With this, we rallied to expel the forces we found bringing several of Morpheus creations that had been twisted by hell to a weakened state. In doing so, we had accomplished our mission however, Some of the creations seem to have deeper ties to hell and were expelled for their crimes. This can't possibly turn out badly down the road, right? Returning back to the tavern weary and drained, several members of Chimeron joked about how Ryu and I treated the questing party regardless of what tabard we saw with “Mom and Dad energy,” keeping everyone on task with a mix of silliness and gruff field commands when needed. We joked about how unlikely a pairing we are considering our many differences. All in all, it was a chaotic day in the life that I look forward to the next journey to the Dreaming. 


-Aiden


-Friday night:

Kicked off with meeting Charlie. He had a staff that I had seen in Strathmore's hoard last year, which immediately piqued my interest. I would later learn this staff shot fire and would protect its wielder. In exchange for one of his 'special' maps he asked for a lot of stuff from our group, the cost split amongst several people.

We were transported to a maze, guarded by several sort of sentries. One type which would roam and attack, the other which would turn you to stone. Both types required stealth. Personally I had some training from a Gi resistance fighter, Col. Robert Vinsin, and Onyx had some resistance to stone that he could pass along. Together we did reasonably well until we unwittingly ran right into a guard's path, then we booked it. At the center of the maze was a being later we'd learn was called Destiny, who let a handful of us read from their book at a time, never the same page. There were three pages we could read and so three groups could read from the book, and we got progressively better at noting down what was on the pages. I was a bit discomforted to discover a passage regarding me, stating I'd realize the stones I was to retrieve would be key to save someone.

In fact I had not yet mined these rocks. Griffin had destroyed a roving sentry and took its face and wore it for disguise and kept one off my back, but the mists were rolling in. My friends had to leave while I worked. I ended up being able to return due to things I could not speak of, in time for the next part of our night.

Into Danica's wand we went, and blindly we travelled, as eerie voices whispered about us. Holding onto a tether protected by others such as Ryu who remained outside the wand. At the center? was a lantern and candles, and we took turns lighting it. Rudely, Jean Baptiste was rebutted despite his efforts, but most of the rest of us made an effort and were able to light a candle.

Danica the angel of Aurora was freed and guided us back. Except we were besieged by sentient darkness, and Soul Taker, as he had been 1000 years ago. He pulled one of our numbers off the tether, who had to be resurrected later.

All of us were able to escape the wand, the darkness now gone.

Aiden writes pretty much what happened the next day. I'll fill in what I recall of it.

-Saturday:

Robin popped up, being his usual eccentric self. Said some cryptic stuff, passed along hellos. A lot of our party was not pleased with him, due to events of last year. We needed to enter the wand last night because of a deal Margaret made with him to get a wand of light and he fulfilled that deal by giving her a wand with an angel in it, who then needed saving. I think he used me as a looking glass? I'm unclear on how we passed into that strange world. We appeared in a mushroom filled world where a queen of hearts demanded to know why we were interrupting her games.

As some friends fought in their games, several others had vanished. I managed to find Aiden who had shrunk, and warned me not to eat the mushrooms. Talking with the doctor, a cat-urpillar, she shared that she had several ways of dealing with ailments, and couldn't give me the cure for my friends but gave me more mushroom, which I kept for later.

There was a lot going on. As some of our friends were shrunk, I checked in on them periodically but hesitated to join them without a way to turn back. They ended up managing. I had tea with the queen in the interim, then they did, and turned back to their usual size. 

And there was a White Rabbit Hatter who revealed it's all a book. Or that may have been what I gleaned using my methods of investigation, if he didn't outright reveal it.

We faced a manifestation of a nightmare, in two beings, Kord/Cordelia, who sought to spread Despair. And also sought the wings of Ryu's friend Girvin the dragon. Ryu had it rough, first we had to prove ourselves friends of Girvin to get him back, then we had to rescue Griffin from a vampire. I was dead most of that fight after armlessly tackling the vampire lord in the hopes that Ypnn could beckon his corpse back to safety, they didn't care about anyone else.

Blue Coyote was around, in a half animalistic state. He paralyzed me when my diplomatic efforts failed and started eating me alive and Aiden had to rescue me along with others. Despite this, and his actions last year, he was just desperate for survival. A group trying to help Blue Coyote stayed behind when we later traveled to the Fulcrum, and Ypnn, J'ortsa, and Bogen would release BC's spirit and soothe his pain.

The Queen of Hearts would end up being the Lord/Lady of Change, who had entered our world last year through a nightmarish door. This door remains in our waking world as a window. She would transform into a being named Delirium, and lead us to her brother Destruction. Even her very presence caused madness in fits and bursts to those of us around her. Wandering the Fulcrum, we ran into a son of Garm, Gimnisnal, and would gain his company via honorable combat, which I did on Pawldo's behalf.

Destruction gave one amongst us the ability to wield his hammer to free Dream. Destruction left with Delirium as the Fulcrum fades, and Gimnisnal took Destruction's place, all of us making a choice on who would be our method of leaving. Deathdealer required eulogies for those that chose him, Soultaker made deals, Robin "asked" for a favor, and Aiden outlines above what Risktaker required.

We found ourselves in a Hellfire tavern, with demons jeering for games and bar fights. A being, an emissary of Dream, sought us, and had a few of us travel to where Dream was, and call him out of his stupor. We shared our dreams and nightmares, then the hunt began. A creature in the dark, a twisted game of red light green light as it honed in on movement and sound. If its sights were upon you, better not move or else agony and death. We had methods to combat it, and we collected the candles needed to draw Dream from the dark, though he could not yet hear us.

I believe others were fighting demons while we were on this quest, though what led to that I could not say.

When we were finally able to free Dream, with Destruction's hammer wielded by Onyx, we promised to be his Nightmares for the night against his foes. Dream needed his items of power, one a helmet from the demons, and one a ruby from Soultaker's nightmare. We played 'tag' with Soul Taker, as he would search in a small space for us for a short period of time, rendering stillness an ineffective tactic. Jean Baptiste and Margaret would be caught. I used heavy objects as tricks and my aforementioned stealth training. There were also freaky eyeballs that zapped people with pain and blindness. Did not like those.

When we had all the items Soul Taker was thrown into Hell by Dream, since Dream couldn't completely undo Soul Taker since in his thousand years absence Soul Taker had become a servant of Dionin. I promised Dream to fix the Smith whose soul resides in the stone pieces that I had found the night before, the smith who was the one who had first used the Dream Forge.

The night ended optimistically, with Dream going to work to undo the changes The Champion did in a thousand years, such as no more Dream Demons, except for The Dream Demon.


-And Sunday there was a zombie clean up, with fireball wielding zombie and much group effort. RB of Creathorne ended up winning. Although I hear in the future there may be more Neden zombie clean ups.

    -Omri