Conspiracy Monthly

 By Kieran/Kyra Barry

A Primer on Saurian Sprint (Dinosaur Racing)

by Jason "Aeston" Rosa

This coming weekend at Ashen Bounty, the Saurabian casino will once again open its doors to gamblers from across these great Realms. Saurian Sprint, known more colloquially as Dinosaur Racing will be amongst the game offerings. 

As the chief architect and purveyor of Saurian Sprint I have often observed that potential patrons wander over intrigued by the festivities and spectacle but are sometimes too overwhelmed by the perceived complexity of the game felt to get involved or too shy to ask questions. 

So I’d like to offer you all a primer on how to get involved in the game. If you’d like an overview of how the game works you can find it here on the Rhiassa web page but we’ll be diving a bit deeper in this article. http://www.rhiassa.com/games/gambling.html#saurian

Part 1: They’re Going for Distance

First of all let’s make clear the overall premise. There are nine dinosaur miniatures. They are racing down a track made of board-game-like spaces to establish a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner. 

The dinosaurs move via a roll of two six sided dice which are in a dice cage. 

The total that comes up designates which dinosaur will move one space forward. The white number at the top of the track is that number(s) that activate that dinosaur. 

Please note, the language on the left side about Lap One, Lap Two and Final Lap involves placing some bets, but if you're just looking to place the most basic wagers to get involved in the game, then you can more or less ignore those words and the white lines that break up the track.

There is also a smaller black number with a B that exists for most dinosaurs. That is their bonus move. It triggers if that dinosaur activates twice in a row. On the second successive move of that dinosaur it would move its normal single space PLUS the bonus number of spaces. This bonus is not cumulative beyond that. A third successive movement would not have the bonus but a fourth consecutive movement would.

So the main mechanism of the game is pretty straightforward. The Saurian racers move according to those above rules until there is a first, second, and third dinosaur that cross the white finish line and stop on the final space on the track. Metallic trophies designate winners as they finish. 

Part 2: Simply the Bets

Looking at the betting field on the Saurian Sprint felt can be intimidating at first glance but placing a basic bet on which dinosaurs will win is easier than you think. 

People are sometimes confused by the numbers that designate payouts. 

The number is a ratio. Think of it as a fraction that you will multiply to your bet to determine how much gold you will win.

Looking at the above examples.

• 2:1 means a multiplier of 2. So a bet of 1 gold means you would win 2 gold and receive your 1 gold bet back as well.
• 1:2 means a multiplier of 1/2. So you would have to bet at least 2 gold on this square and ideally will only bet an even number. If you bet 2 you would receive winnings of 1 gold and get your 2 gold wager back.
• 4:1 is a multiplier of 4. So if you were to bet big here on yellow with a 10 gold bet, you'd win 40 gold and get your 10 gold wager back too.
• 1:1 is a multiplier of 1. So a bet of 5 gold means you win 5 gold and get your 5 gold wager back.

Now that you understand the betting numbers, lets look at the parts of the table felt you need to know about to get involved.

If you just want to come along for the ride and wager on the winners, you just need to look at this part of the table:

The numbers of the dinosaurs are listed on the right of the betting field, and you can place a wager on any of the dinosaurs either Winning, Placing, or Showing. 

• Win: this Dino will come in first.
• Place: this Dino will come in either first or second. 
• Show: this Dino will come in either first, second, or third. 

Obviously the payout is better if you are betting on narrower outcomes, so betting on the black dinosaur to Win, for example, will get a better payout if it comes in first place compared to someone who bet on him to Show.

Dinosaurs towards the middle of the track have lower payouts because they are more likely to be activated by the roll of the dice and therefore more likely to cross the finish line.

Don't be fooled, however, into thinking every race is a simple bell curve of the innermost dinosaurs beating the outermost. Life, and random chance, is rarely that neat and simple. We consistently have some very surprising outcomes. 

The bets made on this part of the table are very straightforward. You pick one or more dinosaurs that you have a good feeling about, you put money down, and then you get to be fully engaged in the spectacle of the race, cheering for your dinosaur along with the crowd.

One last detail, because so much of the betting field can be covered with chips and various bets by various people, we keep track of who own which bet by using colored pawns as you can see in the below picture. There are eight colors of pawns total, and when you walk up to the table you can choose what color you want to use to represent your bets.

And if that's all you want to do, just try it out, yell at some dinosaurs for going too slow, and get swept up in the momentum, then you now know all you need to know to play Saurian Sprint. 

The following section will cover some more of the advanced betting options for those who want to dive in more deeply.

Part 3: I Wanna Get Better

The betting field is a lot larger than just the section that I have shown above. Taking a look at the expanded area to bet on winning, placing, and showing, we see another few columns:

That middle section that consists of two columns, and the rightmost section that has one column are also used to bet on the outcome of the race, but these are bets that can be placed after the race is already underway!

One the race begins and some dinosaurs start to create a lead over others, you can start to make some more informed predictions about who is more likely to win, and you can make more bets based on that information.

Recall that the track itself is divided up into laps and a final stretch.

Those while lines for Lap 1 and Lap 2 relate to making bets on the other columns on the table. 

After the race starts, as long as no dinosaur has crossed the white line under Lap One, you can still bet on the middle two columns above. There are, of course, worse payouts on those bets compared to betting before the race begins, that's the tradeoff for having more information to use when you are making those wagers. Also, the bets are restricted to Winning and Placing, you can no longer bet on Showing.

Finally, there is the single column of bets on the right. These bets can be placed as long as no dinosaur has crossed the white line below Lap Two and has moved on to the final stretch. These bets have the lowest payout compared to the other columns and you are restricted to betting only on the Winner.

In my opinion, these bets that are available after the race starts to develop are underutilized by casino-goers. In situations where a middle-track dinosaur gets off to a substantial lead, especially, a wager during the first or second lap is a great way to hedge your bets.

Part 4: Don’t Prop Believin’

The last thing to discuss is prop bets. The section of the table felt where the prop bets are made looks like this:

To put it simply, a prop bet is a bet you place before the race begins that is wagering on a specific outcome as specified in the boxes above. The specific outcomes that are more likely don't pay out as well as the ones that are less likely but they're all fun ways to bet on some of the randomness that can happen during a dinosaur race.

The prop bets themselves use colors and symbols to describe what you're betting on which might not be obvious at first glance, so here is a more complete explanation of what each prop bet is.

• Either Yellow Dinosaur gets first place - 3:2
• Either Green Dinosaur gets first place - 3:1
• Any Blue Dinosaur gets first place - 5:1
• The “6” Dinosaur finishes ahead of the “8” (tie pays nothing) - 1:1
• The “8” Dinosaur finishes ahead of the “6” (tie pays nothing) - 1:1
• The “5” Dinosaur finishes ahead of the “9” (tie pays nothing) - 1:1
• The “9” Dinosaur finishes ahead of the “5” (tie pays nothing) - 1:1
• Both Yellow Dinosaurs finish ahead of the Black Dinosaur - 3:1
• Both Green Dinosaurs finish ahead of the Black Dinosaur - 6:1
• The Black Dinosaur finishes ahead of all Blue Dinosaurs - 1:2
• The Black Dinosaur finishes ahead of both Green Dinosaurs - 1:1
• The Black Dinosaur finishes ahead of both Yellow Dinosaurs - 3:2
• The finishing order of the Dinosaurs is black-yellow-yellow - 25:1
• The finishing order of the Dinosaurs is black-yellow-green - 20:1
• The Black Dinosaur finishes in 2nd place - 3:1
• The Black Dinosaur finishes in 3rd place - 4:1
• The Black Dinosaur finishes in 4th or worse place (including ties) - 1:1
• The Black Dinosaur finishes in 5th or worse place (including ties) - 4:1
• The Black Dinosaur finishes in 6th or worse place (including ties) - 9:1
• Exactly two Blue Dinosaurs are tied with each other when the race ends - 2:1
• Exactly three Blue Dinosaurs are tied with each other when the race ends - 30:1

Part 5: All the Small Things

Below are some small side notes that didn't really fit anywhere better in the information above. 

• Some people wodner why the bonus (B2) on the outside blue dinosaurs are worse than those of the inside blue dinosaurs (B3). That’s to maintain a mathematical bell curve on which dinosaurs are likely to finish first. All four blue Dinosaurs have an equal probability of activating. The bonus difference gives a slight edge on movement distance to dinosaur 4 and 10. 

• You might notice that the track part of the dinosaur table felt gradually acquires small label stickers with the dinosaur names on them over the course of an event. The rule of thumb for how a dinosaur gets named is as follows: When a dinosaur wins first place, if someone has won money on that dinosaur they are allowed to name them. If more than one person wins money simultaneously they have to agree on a name.

• There is an upsetting rumor going around that dinosaurs that consistently lose their races are sold to a factory in Ashenmark to be processed into DAP (Dinosaur Adhesive Paste). The professionals at Rhiassa Games take no official stance on these back alley whisperings. But maybe those dinosaurs should learn to go faster. That is all.

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team

What You Missed - Feast of Blackwood

Written by: Mike "Swoop" Zajac    

Day 264 Sol 1025

The proud village of New Fjallhom stood fast against the tyrannical invaders. Through violence of action and countless sacrifice, the brave heroes of the Realms fought back against the menace erupting from the ground to save the patriotic citizens of the village.  Below is the totally accurate and not exaggerated for propaganda purposes account of events from your truly, Super Sergeant Swoop, newly appointed member of the Arcanum Corps.

 Local Time:12:34

Upon arrival at the area of operations, we were greeted by one Colonel Brusque ranking member of Blackwood’s recently established Arcanum Corps. By channeling the power of the Blackwood ley lines into ingeniously designed Arcanum towers, Arcanum Corps members are able to manifest powerful stratagems to dispatch enemies. From powerful weapons, devastating aerial strikes and elemental walls, the new recruits trained diligently for multiple minutes to master this advanced new technology. I myself decided to capitalize on the new technology and attuned my prophetic abilities into the new system, expanding my sight to nearby towers. I was accosted by visions of wretched green skinned creatures, villainously striking at fellow arcanum corps members. After skimming through the lengthy contract and agreeing that all our previous ailments were not service-related, we were given our badges of office and sent on our first mission: spread our glorious network of towers to the nearby town of New Fjallhom.

Along the way, I was tactically introduced to a fellow compatriot, one Lyssa of Blackwood. A powerful necromancer and devout follower of Marduath, her conviction to our cause emboldened the troops. Once we arrived at the village, the local populace was reticent to allow entrance to ranking members of the corp, as their local customs made them weary of our awesome new technology. After a quick survey of the local populace we found that travelers had been going missing on the road, being captured by a mix of kobolds and green skinned humanoids. When we heard that the town Skáld named Stark had disappeared under similar circumstances, we strode out heroically to meet these scoundrels on the road.

Local Time: 13:31

It didn’t take long for our daring heroes to be accosted by the scheming kobolds. We fought with such vigor that they swiftly retreated into their cavernous kobold holes. When we followed, we found they had captured a local water elemental named Sebon and had strapped a bomb to his chest! Sebon, a hardened veteran of being captured, stayed perfectly still while the best and brightest minds of the corp defused the device.

Local time 14:23

Upon return to the village, a greater threat emerged from the forest. Great green skinned beasts, surly and odorous, accosted us with evil weapons of war. A tough battle was fought on the town limits. Many unnamed but super heroic soldiers sacrificed their lives to push toward the source of these creatures: a foul mound of decay and wickedness, later found to be called a spore mound. Our cunning investigators found this mound to be an amalgam of tortured souls. With quick thinking, our intrepid heroes placed soul orbs, a local remedy from the nearby village to soothe restless souls, on top of the mound, which after a short time dissipated the unpatriotic assemblage. After that, we fought hard uphill against these Ork’nes to their repulsive cave.

Local time: 15:??

After a short reprieve and resupply of Blackwood’s finest cheese in grilled form, we ventured deeply into the hostile caves. After defeating many insidious Ork’nes and their lackeys, we discovered the illustrious and insightful Skáld Stark imprisoned. Once released he regaled us with epic tales of Domai runes and his quest to become the best Skáld of the land. Eager to help spread his patriotic message to the far end of the Realms, we followed him back to the village. With their Skáld returned, the village folk warmed-up to the deployment of our Arcanum Tower and allowed us to install one in the center of the square. Once online, I received a Super Prophecy from the tower, showing an army of Ork’nes encroaching on the village and our compatriot Lyssa getting sucked into the deep earth. It was time to mount our heroic defense!

Waves of wicked creatures poured through the town’s gate. Green skins, joined by their yippy underlings besieged us from mostly one side. They were also accompanied by a creature new to most of us, a bouncing headache known as spigs, which bounded over our heads and crushed any hapless enough to fall under their springy tyranny. They were commanded by a particularly cruel and noisy commander who rode atop a giant boar, who ravaged our vanguard with relentless charges. Thankfully with support from our arcanum tower, we conjured a shoulder-fired wand which shot 40mm magic missiles at the boar, filling him with patriotic holes. After the siege was lifted, we found my dire dream had come to pass and Lyssa had gone missing.

Local Time: 20:47

With a solemn deliberation in the tavern, the corp decided with a super vote to employ stealth to reach a location that the Skáld Stark relayed to us in ballad form. We clinged to the shadows and weaved through the darkness to make our way far afield, where more of the wretched greenskins were spawning from their wicked dens. The corp punched through, the element of surprise on their side.  While the wise amongst worked on a Domai rune based puzzle, we secured the area of the foreign invaders. Once the runes were deciphered, a languished scream and a burst of flame emerged from a nearby doorway. Much to our surprise, our compatriot Lyssa emerged in a flash, but drastically altered.  Her skin now green, her hands sporting dangerous claws, yet her mind was still her own. Though there was no doubt, she had become one of these Ork’nes. We fell back to the safety of the tavern to compile our findings.

Day: Sunday 

Local Time: [not military time anymore]

Sunday was a real treat, from fabulous dishes, entertainment and excellent prizes. Notable dishes included the Hungarian mushroom soup, the beef wellington, and a personal favorite was the dessert of apple crumble, chocolate trifle and lemon cheesecake bar. Mathies graciously hosted a bardic competition where multiple contenders, like yours truly, performed a dazzling array of songs and poetry. During court, Toah was promoted to Steward of Acteon, Liana was awarded a Blackwood North Star for general excellence in leadership, High Mage Irri was made an Elite in the Lunar Aegis and Tempest was asked to be their champion. Overall, much fun was had and I look forward to our next adventure in Blackwood!

Poems of Peace from Stonewood: Part 2 By the River

 By James Swift (Timothy Suitor)

By the River

Grey clouds overhead, the lid of a coffin,

Some days my labs grow dreary and dark.

The rain these years falls so often

It can be hard to find a warming spark.

Some days my labs grow dreary and dark.

Into Starhaven I must amble,

It can be hard to find a warming spark,

While others from the rain, flee and scramble.

Into Starhaven I must amble

To the cafe that knows me well.

While others from the rain, flee and scramble,

There’s a table where I can dwell.

To the cafe that knows me well.

Below their deck, by the riverside,

There’s a table where I can dwell

By barrels and loading dock, a place to hide.

Below their deck, by the riverside

I can listen to rain on the water, roof, and street.

By barrels and loading dock, a place to hide,

Where I can write or read, along with a treat.

I can listen to rain on water, roof, and street

A moment away, where I can just be.

Where I can write or read, along with a treat,

A bite, their scone of the day, a hot cup of tea.

A moment away, where I can just be,

To set burdens aside and rest.

A bite, their scone of the day, a hot cup of tea.

To keep me going until the last quest.

To set burdens aside and rest,

To take the sky as a blanket. Not

To keep me going until the last quest,

But I’ve found calm, I’m seldom fraught.

To take the sky as a blanket, not

Grey clouds overhead, the lid of a coffin.

But I’ve found calm, I’m seldom fraught,

The rain these years falls so often.

With the near constant rain these springs and early summer, I felt it fitting to write a Pantoum for this entry in my Stonewood Peace Poem saga. With a Rhyme Scheme of ABAB BCBC CDCD, etc, ending in JAJA, the repeating of lines from the prior verse until it ended in a repetition of lines from the first verse felt to me like it captured the weeks of rain beginning to blend. I practice poetry to train myself mentally for rituals, and have used one of these in a ritual to Chronos to display the cyclical nature of time. I enjoyed writing with a bit of focus on the punctuation. It would have been easier to make each line a self contained sentence, but by changing the punctuation around I was able to make it flow into other lines in a more organic way.

    Within the city of Starhaven, there are many restaurants and cafes. As our border city, and primary hub of trade, there is enough traffic to warrant a thriving food industry. I do my best to help these businesses in part because it is good to be seen about town, but also because I have yet to master cooking. I can burn water, and not in an impressive way, I can barely cook oatmeal or rice.

    But there is one cafe that I have grown fond of, a lovely place with a deck looking out over the river. They have a variety of teas and drinks, or little sandwiches and pastries, and they are always trying something new, experimenting. I respect that. At one point when the city was under martial law, and I was less popular among the folk, they tried to seat me someplace less obtrusive. That ended up being outside, beneath the cafe, by their back doors at a table used mostly just to hold cases as they were being brought off of boats and into the kitchen, and for cooks to throw dice when things were slow.

    It was quiet, out of the way, secure, and I’ve found a comfort there. In the summer, it’s cool from the river’s breeze, in the fall, the river reflects the lamplight and orange of the tree leaves in a way that looks almost like a crucible of bronze, in the winter you can watch the chunks of ice and snow drift along lazily like passing small islands by boat at sea. In the spring though, and most of the year these last few, I have been enjoying the rain there. It is soothing in its sound, and some days you can’t even see the other side of the river for it is raining so hard. I run warm, so the chill of it is kind to me, and allows me to enjoy even further the teas they serve.

    It may be one of my most comfortable places in the Realms. To no one’s surprise I feel like myself in my wizard’s tower, behind a podium, in a lab, or at a ritual circle. But surprising myself, a place I enjoy and find a calm and peace in, is at a table by the river, nestled between some barrels and crates, on a rainy midday or eve.

You would have my thanks,

-Magus James Swift

Why I Want To Go - Shadowlands

By: John "Potato" Peloquin

Why I'm beyond excited to go to the shadowlands. I have been waiting a whole year now to have a reason to return back to the shadowlands. I had a blast at the tournament Queen Karmha held. I even got a book that I can't wait to find out what it does. She even asked me if I wanted to sell my food while I'm there to help, mostly. Of course I said yes, I have new snacks and a fall (mock) ale for travelers to try while they are there to help with the bandits. Felt a bit bad for her as well for opening up to trade & tourism and already dealing with a bandit issue. I heard JB had a ginger addiction acting up, so I thought to myself how can I profit most off that. Then it came to me, I'll add ginger to the seasonings in the food I'll serve. There will be a nice hearty breakfast of potatocakes, french potato toast, bacon and panfries. Coffee and ale in the morning will be available as well to waken the senses in the raising adventurers. I'll make some gingersnaps, potatochips, rice krispies and water available during the day time to keep everyone going. At night after being treated to some deliciousBBQ, I'll bring out some smores supplies for around the fire. And finally I have the perfect treat just for JB. He won't be able to resist some special jerky flavored with ginger. Heard there's a special kind of meat he enjoyed, shouldn't be that hard to acquire on the way. I do have new magic and a friend named Spud to make it easier. Maybe my food will help with the corruption in his mind, or maybe not. Only one way for me to find out and see what happens. The three M's are important to the church of Shadow after all. In the end I'm sure we'll help JB. But I can't also help but have something else in the back of my mind. What are the shadowy figures and what are they searching for? Maybe they are the cultists from the Neden BBQ. If so, what could it be that they are searching for? But most importantly how valuable is it? Maybe if anything I could trick the figures into hiring me to find it for them. What a weird and fun time this adventure is going to be for Spud and I.

Fresh Faces with Hannah “Ryu” Boucher

Intermediate Adventurers

This week, learn some more about Hannah Boucher, who plays Ryu (both she/her).

You may notice that some of these questions are a little different from the standard Fresh Faces fare. While still directed at newer players, the Intermediate Adventurers answering these questions have been around a little longer than the newest adventurers, and their questions reflect the additional years of experience they have.

Photo by Matt Norris

1. How did you learn about and join The Realms?

I joined the Society for Medieval Arts and Sciences during my sophomore year of college when my Martial Arts class was canceled due to the pandemic. It started as just needing a PE class, but those virtual fight practices awakened something inside me. By the time the first socially distanced fight practice rolled around, I was hooked! Once things were allowed to go back to in person full time, I was able to dive into the Realms and I’ve loved it ever since.

2. Have you experienced any moments in the Realms that you think will be told for years after? What was this moment?

So no shit there I was, NPCing an obnoxiously French bombardier that had something to do with pomegranates and a French pun. Anyway my role was to throw explosive pomegranates at the PCs so they could juggle it and throw it back to me and blow me up. I wasn’t trying to blow anyone up specifically, but one of my pomegranates arced just right to hit poor Savage Sarah. Well Iawen was understandably pissed off and immediately started chasing me yelling “did you just kill my kid!?” I of course threw a bombagranate at them and was greeted with “Knight”. Terrified, I threw another one. “Dead… no wait! Knight again!” By this point an angry knight had just brushed off two fireballs in a row, so I ran obviously. Iawen hunted me down, gave my corpse death watch and said “If you ever hurt my kid again, there will be no hell worse that what I will do to you.”

3. Has LARPing changed any parts of your life? If so, tell us about it?

LARPing has given me about 3-4 new hobbies! But to be honest, I didn’t really make things before I started LARPing, even though I wanted to. Now I am an accomplished crafter and I’m shocked by how fast I’ve picked up skills. Not to mention I now have a very stable friend group which is awesome.  

 

Photo by Matt Norris

4. What is your character like? Where are they from? What is their species? What is important to them?

Saryun Goldscale (yes Ryu is a nickname!) is a half Gold dragon half human. Ryu has never met her dad, but some say he was a great bard who successfully seduced a dragon. There’s certainly some evidence for that. Ryu was raised in a large clan of Gold Dragons with a strong isolationist policy to protect themselves from humans and other mortals who, in the past, perpetrated  a massive war that killed a lot of Dragons. Safe to say, Ryu being half human is not a point of pride for her Grandmother, the Matriarch of her clan. After pissing off her Grandmother, Ryu was essentially exiled (at least for now) and so she decided to adventure, and see the world she missed out on for so long. While Ryu values her draconic heritage, so much of her life has been about balance and finding a middle ground. She will always look for a third option, given two bad choices, and she (and I) strives to become a knight someday.

5. What has been your most memorable event so far, and what happened?

Maybe this is a bit of a cop out, but Divine Intervention 2, which is pretty typical for my generation. After a year and a half with almost no in person events, everyone showed up and the event staff showed off. It certainly set a high bar for Realms events going forward, and it certainly helped that I got an award or two for helping control the front lines.

6. What things have helped to make you feel welcome in game?

The community is just fantastic, I really want to commend the people who always are willing to help out financially for those who are struggling, and with rides and other seemingly easy tasks. The time, attention, and guidance of “real actual adults” toward those of us who are still learning is incredible and I am so grateful for the help I’ve received.  

 

Photo by Kersten Prince

7. What parts of the game do you find most challenging?

Being patient. Pretty much everything in this game takes time and practice to be good at, and I’m not patient lol. It hard to explain to a first year newbies that “you’re not bad at this, you just haven’t been doing it for 10 years!” (It’s me I’m that first year newbie.)

8. Do you have any game-related goals (as either a player or character)? What goals have you previously accomplished in game?

Well, I had a goal to win the armor tournament at Queen of Hearts, and I did!! I honestly didn’t think I would on my first try. Related, I have a goal to be a General at Queen of Hearts one year. I don’t think I’m quite ready for that yet, but I think I’m getting there. My “secret” goal is to become Warlord of Chimeron. I guess it’s not so secret anymore lol, but I’m on my way to achieving that. My biggest and hardest goal is to become the Realms best 5’ fighter! It’s a lofty goal and I have some strict competition, but I have some amazing mentors and plenty of time.

9. Have you run or helped run any events? How did those go? If you have not yet, do you plan to run or help run events?

I have! I have helped run 3 events so far (not counting SMAS club events). The first event was the Founding of the Cerulean Company. For my first ever time running an event and planning content, I think it went rather well! The next two events were the current plotline of the Chimeron Questing series! To be honest, I’ve felt like those were a hot mess, but everyone keeps telling me that they’re great so I have no choice but to believe them.

10. What have you enjoyed most about the game so far?

Is everything an answer? I don’t know! I like everything from combat to puzzles to questing to roleplay, the only thing I can think of that I don’t enjoy is the hour commute I have to every event! Also I appreciate people with more refined palates and experience sharing your fancy alcohols with me! You are expanding my tastes and making me more adventurous! 

 

Photo by Brookelyn Tilton

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team

What You Missed - Exotic Items, Creatures, & Wares 5

Hello friends of the Realms, Chrysanta Morris writing first.

I want to start this off by saying that while I have not been myself since leaving Stonewood, I am glad to have been able to fight at my friends’ side and happy to share what was missed. It will also, hopefully, explain to those who have been to my shop lately and noticed some… visible changes. So, shall we begin?

After the hard work we did in Stonewood last week, we started our day with a ritual. Between collecting idols and being given guidelines, a good handful of us gathered together to assemble The Rite of Dissolution. The preparation was done during the week leading up to the day to make sure we did all of our research properly as it was told to us that accuracy was far more important than expedience. To further elaborate, this ancient rite had to be done in order to cut off our adversary, the angel known as Urzael, from the angel network to hopefully make him far more easy to combat against. 

According to our guidelines, there were three parts to said ritual:

The Challenge of Shape, The Challenge of Voice, and The Challenge of Exchange.

The Challenge of Shape had us wondering the type of shape to create for the ritual itself, we collectively decided on the shape known as Theta. Though, instead of the traditional one line, we had two lines. We then aligned the idols we obtained last weekend and correlated them with eighteen angels under the Goddess Solarus’ rule in said circle and two parallel lines. 

Which led us to the Challenge of Voice, naming said angels and then setting down their corresponding idols. Luckily for this part, King Hygar had a pronunciation guide for each participant in the ritual so they could properly call out the name of the corresponding angel in the ritual. We then, as one, set our idols down.

That’s where I came in for the final challenge: The Challenge of Exchange. A sacrifice had to be made which would return once Goddess Luna had finished another cycle in the coming month. It seemed only fitting that to symbolically cut off the Angel Urzael from the angelic network, I sever my own connection to the Fae Wylds for one month and a day. I have never been shy about my pride in being a Fae and thus it made sense to give that connection up for the ritual. Which, to my own delight and many of our friends, worked swimmingly. Though, I have to admit, I had a sense of deep loneliness when I saw my dear familiar Cinnamon suddenly fade into nothing. I knew he would leave but I did not expect it to leave such a hole in my heart… 

Though, I regret nothing. We were able to move forward and focus on our next task. 

After the ritual we all were on guard. Moments later we saw a figure approaching in the distance. We all readied ourselves as we braced for a fight we had been preparing for. As we started fighting Urzael we noticed no matter what we had done he was not staying down and continued to attack us. During that confrontation some of us found the opening of what appeared to be a tomb, we discovered upon entering something in the tomb stopped our healing which we would later discover was a Demi-lich deep within (or so I was told). Unfortunately, due to multiple of our companions needing to be healed, I was carrying them back to the opening and with the help of Liselle casting a healing circle right outside the tomb raising them. That didn’t last long as Urzael started to follow us into the tomb. Once he saw the angel blade I carried demanded to speak with his sister and gave chase to me, but thankfully I’m a nimble little otter and kept escaping him…until he started materializing through walls! The adventurers were momentarily pinned between the Lich and the angel. Urzael continued to follow me until I was reunited with Merrix whom I promptly hid behind and continued my escape from the tomb. 

As the day wore on and our battle of attrition with Urzael continued, the adventurers assembled had no choice but to split, some of us remaining to draw the rogue angel’s ire and others beginning the search for the Soul Crucible that was preventing his demise. I spent much of this time in the thick of battle with the reapers called to Urzael’s side, aiding those who were more suited to fighting as best I could. Every so often, the rest of our party would emerge from the woods, having proved victorious against the Death Maidens that stood in their way. 

After a long stint of battle, I turned my attention to locating the Soul Crucible. I ventured into the forest to meet up with the small group that was already searching, following familiar paths and forging new ones, fighting off the hordes of reapers that blocked the way. The air was different here, and comrades that fell could not stay down long, lest their corpses vanish (it was discovered that they had been returned to the edge of the forest, out of our immediate reach). We pushed onward, battling Urzael’s forces that attempted to surround us from all sides, until we reached a small clearing. There at the center floated a massive orb thrumming with power, so dark it felt as though it was pulling me in. Around it flowed an ever shifting mist and a spectral figure that seemed to maintain its power. One glance was all we needed. This was the Soul Crucible. 

As we stared, reapers began to close in once again, cutting off our only exit to the clearing. We beat them back, and a vision from Mistral presented exactly what we needed to do to destroy the Crucible, as well as a new problem: those who held the Horadric Stones had to render the Crucible, but most of them were far away from us keeping Urzael occupied. Nothing is so simple as an exchange, however - earlier, each of the Horadric Stones had bonded with its holder, and could not be passed to those already at the Soul Crucible. I conversed briefly with those present, and when an opportunity presented itself, sprinted out of the woods. The reaper I had slipped by gave chase, attempting to strike me down. By some miracle, I made it to those fighting in the field, informing Hygar of the situation. The call was made for all to return to the Soul Crucible, and we made our way back into the woods. 

We again faced opposition from Urzael’s forces, but managed to make our way back, those bonded to the stones readying themselves. As they began to render the Crucible, the spectral figure emerged again, attempting to restore it. It disappeared when hit with magic, and the Crucible was quickly destroyed, pushing us one step closer to our foe’s defeat. 

Throughout the day, while people were killing death maidens and destroying soul crucibles, another group kept Urzael distracted on the field in order to allow our friends to do their work unimpeded. It was during this time that we truly were forced to contend with his strength, as we could not kill him just keep him busy. 

During one of these encounters, Urzael managed to rip open Zula’s chest and remove the tear of Aurora that keeps him alive and functional. The Church of Vandor were able to come together in order to get him back up and running with a Shard of Remembrance, which unleashed a very vengeful Zula upon Urzael. This was equal parts inspiring and aggravating, as Zula continued to charge against the enemy over and over again, his spirit unwavering, even when he was needed elsewhere. 

Urzael also kidnapped Tulkhan, leading to cries of “not again!”, as my lycanthropy is the direct result of a previous attempt of Urzael to kidnap Tulkhan. Hygar managed to get Tulkhan back, but was stapled by the Sword of Kings in the process. 

And thus things went back and forth. People distracted Urzael. He rendered them. We saved our friends and went at it again.

In spite of the challenges faced, the heroes persevered. Both Urzael and the reapers who were brought to the field were faced with courage and honor by those who took up arms in the defense of humanity. And they were distracted long enough for us to finish the final phase of the fight.

Soon, we had yet another ritual on our hands as night began to settle in. For anyone unaware, being in Stonewood at night is usually not a good thing. 

So, we made haste.

While it was close to dusk when we arrived, a ring of blazing fire made it as bright as the morning. With Friend Merrix, Friend Mogar, Friend Tsura, Friend Margaret, Friend Odd and myself, we started a ritual to make it so the fire would not burn and harm us. It meant we had to concentrate mana alongside the ring of fire.

I cannot speak for everyone else but as the sun finally set in the sky, my brow covered in sweat and my head spinning with nightmares, my god offered me a boon. My skin began to glitter with stars and a powerful figure of celestial bodies manifested next to me, assisting me and my friends in completing the task as the wall of flames sizzled out. Soon, I was enthralled with the fight with the Rogue angel Urzael. I felt every nightmare I collected over the course of the day and used them to empower my friends and weaken our enemy. I could not wait to see that pathetic little fire bird fall as we descended on him with our final rending blows. When he was nothing but goo, King Hygar made sure his soul was placed in a secure space so we may offer it to the Goddess Solarus for judgement.

With Honor to the Realms,

Puddle Jumper Vaya, Lightbringer Margaret, Moon Shepherd Odd, and Dream Mender Chrysanta

The Voranian Scholars of Water, Fire, Earth, and Air

Why I Want To Go - Feast of Blackwood

 Hello friends, foes, and otherwise,

I am of the firm belief that when a friend calls for help, you answer. I am sure many of you feel the same way. Now a close friend of mine, High Mage Irri of Blackwood, has called to all of us for help in their lands. While there are always evils in the Realms that we seek to defeat, missing persons are a particularly odd case. These are usually left up to the towns and villages where the issues arise, but in this case, it seems that even with the High Mage’s strong divination magics, there are still many questions left to be answered.

Though I still consider myself a new adventurer, what I can say for certain is that an “impenetrable darkness” is never a sign of good times ahead. This is especially true when the impenetrable darkness is the result of scrying on serval missing people. While eager is never the right word to use when charging into danger and trying to save lives, I am hopeful that we will be able to head to Alonis and figure out what has happened to these citizens. I am eager to be able to help a friend and look forward to stepping foot into Blackwood as always.

If you are the type of person who is more extrinsically motivated, Sir Mathies of Blackwood has offered to host us all in Verglaz for a feast to our success in helping save these missing citizens. While helping a friend is enough, I will never say no to a feast after a long day of adventuring. As I imagine Sir Mathies highly believes in our skills as adventurers, a menu has already been posted to those interested in attending the feast and I have to say it makes me hungry to just read the menu. From Blackwood staples to new dishes found on the menu, I know all of the food Blackwood is cooking up for us will be absolutely incredible and if that isn’t enough motivation for you to help out the people of Alonis. There is also going to be a bardic competition which is extremely exciting, nothing beats good shows with a good meal.

All of that being said, we are slated for an incredible weekend of good times, good stories, and good food. I hope to see you all there.

Until the sun touches the sea,

Jasper Sherwood of Alifon

((OOC:

Hey friends! Let me be the first to say I am super excited for Feast of Blackwood. Blackwood events have a special place in my heart as they are always super fun and make for a great time (and I always end up with good stories to boot). With this being a sort of a two parter, with questing on Saturday and feasting on Sunday, there will be something for everyone. The plot sounds like it is going to be extremely interesting and using the other Blackwood quests I have been on as examples, it will surely be a good time. As for the feast, my experience with Blackwood cooking is always top notch and I was genuinely getting hungry re-reviewing the menu to write this article, so to say I am looking forward to it is an understatement. Be there or be square as the kids say, I’ll look forward to seeing you all then!))

What You Missed - Price of Gi-dom

 By Eric "Rosetta" Willisson and Kyra "Omri" Barry

Gi is one of those places I have often heard about, but seldom interacted with, and had never visited. The Risen Kingdom attacked my home in multiple ways, from creating the Iron Road which divided Faerie for a time, to several incursions into Chimeron. I was pleased and grateful that the Realms as a whole came together to drive them out, but was less available for the following war in which, I understand, the power of the Risen Kingdom was broken forever and the people of Gi granted a new lease on life.

I do know something about rebuilding a broken world, though. And I feel for the suffering of the people there. So when I saw the letter from Major Olive, I traveled to the portal to see how I could help. 

The night before, I had a strange dream, of a finely-crafted construct, humanoid but covered in an entire armory of weapons. I saw it scale a mountain, and slam the rocks with its hammer. The boulders fell to the ground and smashed into pebbles. Then, I realized that the construct was even larger than I had realized, for people who appeared speck-sized emerged to smash the "pebbles," actually boulders in their own right, down into even smaller rocks, which they finally dragged away on sleds.

The small party that entered Gi had a mix of experience with the land, and so some were prepared for the foul air. It was as bad as I had heard. Just when you think you are getting used to it, too, it gets worse. 

From the base in Praespero, we were appraised of the situation by Major Olive. It seems that the Resistance is the only force in Gi attempting country-wide coordination, while most villages have turned inward to try and fend for themselves. Unfortunately, this is not working for those villages: without the magics of the Risen Kingdom to provide basic necessities, Gi is currently all but uninhabitable, particularly through the cold seasons. Fresh water is scarce, as opposed to the ever-present sludge, and violent wildlife stalks the roads where patrols are too rare to hold them back. Isolation is likely to lead to death, but the hardy people have a difficult time seeing this with only the perspective of their own homes.

The Resistance (perhaps they should consider a new name soon, as they have succeeded and no longer have a kingdom to resist against) is stretched very thin, and picked out two top priorities which they asked us to investigate. One was a rumor of a dangerous agent of the Risen Kingdom somewhere in a collection of villages at the outskirts of one of the cities, and another was a village in desperate need of fresh water. A third mission, to settle a property dispute, would have been helpful for Gi's long-term stability, but we did not have enough people to travel there as well. 

The Resistance has a vessel called the Dreamliner, which I understand was captured by King Orion during the war, before being lent or given to the Resistance for their work. Apparently during the war it allowed for quick travel all over the land, but it is now at full capacity sending small groups outward. As such, we were able to quickly reach our destinations, but were warned that the return trips would have to be under our own power. 

I went with the group to root out the Risen Kingdom agent, joined by two Resistance soldiers on patrol. The wildlife of Gi is extremely vicious, and their blood inhibits healing, so we were forced to stick together and advance carefully. We progressed well, with a good line of fighters backed up by a hail of Magic Missiles from myself, Saka, and Irri, and were able to fight off the poisonous snakes and savage hawks. But it was the wasps that nearly overwhelmed us, scattering the party and decimating our morale ((This was, unfortunately, a real OOC nest of ground wasps. No medical emergencies to my knowledge, but a great many stings. Really, I am surprised I have not run into something like this before in the 18 years I've been playing, and it was only a matter of time. After everyone was treated, those who wished to continue playing regrouped indoors to play out the scene. Special thanks to Becky and Keith for taking charge of checking out everybody's stings and treating them as possible, and to Amber for knocking a truly terrifying number of wasps off my pants legs with her boff hammer.))

When we reached the village, one of a group of settlements collectively called Sombra's Tears, they were in the middle of a town meeting, making plans for the approaching harvest season. It seemed they had a somewhat-mysterious source of fresh water, and generally felt they would be able to make it through the harder seasons as long as nothing unexpected happened. Their plans were more about how to best position themselves, rather than truly desperate survival. 

Two people immediately stood out: Yvaine, who seemed to be leading the meeting, and a woman named Lyra who seemed to match the vague description we'd been told, who was constantly on the move, leaving to work on a millstone just as we arrived, making quick smithing repairs, planting seeds, and generally never resting.

Our presence was not welcomed. The village seemed very tight-knit, protective of each other and resistant to the idea that there could be a traitor among them. They were also very wary of the Resistance and seemed to expect to be "tithed" as the Risen Kingdom had done before. 

The meeting was adjourned and the mood became tense. As several of our party attempted to get to know the locals, we discussed among ourselves whether to jump at the obvious conclusion, and apprehend Lyra. I felt on sufficiently unsteady ground to attempt divination. We eventually settled on a Séance to Vesta, as Orion's presence in the war meant her influence had reached Gi, and the question "what could disrupt this hearth and home?" felt within her purview. J-B and Tarnisha joined in the ritual.

Vesta was not able to see very far, but she confirmed that there was "rot" in the "wood" of the hearth. New rot, not yet deep, but that it was there. Perhaps it would die on its own, perhaps not. She was unable to see farther, so distant from the Realms, and it was clear that we would be on our own to discover the lies at work.

With varying levels of reluctance, we made it clear to the people that we had to question them individually. With no tangible proof of our claims, this did not go over well, but there was little they could do. If I had not received divine insight, I doubt I would have been willing to see this through.

Saka led a more orderly questioning, and I followed one Reed who was feeling particularly antagonized by Makhta, among others. Reed told me a story of living there with their family for their whole life, having lost one of their two brothers to the workings of the local arm of the Risen Kingdom, House Xeraph. I grew increasingly suspicious of Lyra, who seemed to help everywhere but also to be associated with accidents. Sabotage, perhaps?

I considered how we might reveal any such activity, but we were already pushing our luck with the villagers. Reed was particularly defensive of everybody in the village, and seemed incapable of imagining that any of them could be secret traitors. The idea that an agent of the Risen Kingdom could be nurturing them to form a new core of tyranny struck a nerve.

Eventually, Saka revealed that his questioning had uncovered a key difference. Yvaine and Lyra's stories did not match up: they both claimed to have traveled together for some time since the war's end before coming to this village, but they claimed different starting locations, and Yvaine said Lyra had been a Risen Kingdom conscript, while Lyra said no such thing, even when directly asked whether she knew of anyone who had been forced to serve the Risen Kingdom. It was not much to go on, but at least it was something that could be brought up in a group. Magics worked off to the side seemed to confirm Lyra's history in the Risen Kingdom, and Tarnisha was able to summon a Vision showing how Lyra was out of place: first, seeing her working in a field, with Castle Chimeron behind her; then, seeing her going from place to place in the village, always using her advanced knowledge of how a non-ruined world could work, and seeming terribly frightened she would be caught.

It was not what I was hoping for, no secret spellbook or recruited cultists. Really, nothing that seemed to fit as the "dangerous" Risen Kingdom agent we had been told to expect. But, the risk was present enough to bring the truth out. In front of the gathered people, I asked Lyra if she had ever worked, willingly or unwillingly, for the Risen Kingdom.

When she said, forcefully, that she had only ever done what was best for the people of this village, we all knew what the evasion meant.

Nothing that followed was pleasant. She did eventually admit to her past. Yvaine did as well. It seems they both were Risen Kingdom conscripts. Yvaine says she was taken prisoner rather quickly after a single battle. Lyra, however, claims that, while unwilling, she did take part in "atrocities", including, in an admission that caught me fully by surprise, laying down a part of the Iron Road.

Despite all this, the villagers remained staunchly in defense of both of them. Apparently, their work over the past year had earned the people's trust. Caught between a rock and a hard place, I was not prepared to fight the village to take them, and began to suggest that the Resistance keep watch on the place. The Resistance patrol, however, quite reasonably argued that they did not have the right to let someone go free after such an admission.

Many tears were shed, particularly by Yvaine, but Lyra agreed to go with the Resistance patrol for questioning. She gave notes to Yvaine and other villagers on how to carry our her plans to make it through the coming seasons. I truly hope that she wishes for nothing more than to repent for her actions, and that the Resistance leadership sees this and agrees to allow her to return to the village. One of Gi's greatest vulnerabilities at this time is to fall to suspicion and infighting, after their bad experience with a forced unification. However, we were there at the Resistance's invitation, and it also would not do to override their intentions for how to handle former enemy combatants. Indeed, my own judgment regarding what to do with her should not be trusted, as she was involved so deeply at the strike against my home.

Irri courageously volunteered to stay in Gi and travel with Lyra, to ensure her safe treatment and fair return. She had her own magics prepared for just such an occasion, and ensured us that she would be alright.

With heavy hearts, we returned to Praespero and the portal to the Realms. Many mysteries remain about that village. How did they become so attached, so quickly, to the newcomers? Why do they still have a source of fresh water? How many of Lyra's and Yvaine's Realms-inspired farming experiments will work in Gi, and are they different from what the Resistance has learned from the Chimeron Militia? Will they ever forgive the Resistance, or will this experience cause them to turn even further inward?

I feel the story here is not yet complete.

---

The next night, I had another dream.

In it, I was Irwin, a member of a Resistance patrol. We were traveling to Camtoo, a village deep in what had once been the "industrial forests" that provided lumber for the Risen Kingdom's war machine. Since the Total Void Cascade, their water source had completely ceased functioning. I remember thinking that this village had it hard, but they had been largely untouched by the final stages of the war, and were decidedly ungrateful to the Resistance despite our hard work and dangerous activities to bring about the end of the Risen Kingdom.

I was accompanied by a healer-soldier, Myra I believe, and we were bringing a shipment of bonereed which could be fashioned into crude filters to get clean (enough) water out of the sludge. We were grateful to be joined by a party of heroes from the Realms, the people who had brought us to victory over the Fallen King. And they were essential: wolves fought us the entire way to the village, hounding our steps and surrounding us whenever possible. Some of the heroes took to rather alarming pastimes such as allowing incapacitated wolves to stay among us, despite the dangers that their leaking blood posed. But, with their help we were able to reach the village and slam the gate closed behind us.

We met briefly with the village elder, Sylvia, who took the bonereed and asked when we would be leaving. The heroes of the Realms had a slightly warmer reception, or perhaps were more dogged in their attempts to find additional ways to help. Some of them went back to harvest meat and blood from the bodies of the wolves they had slain. This seemed to warm the villagers up to them, at which point they divided into two parties. One party was taught to weave the bonereed filters, and I hear they produced two good filters, one packed with charcoal from a cooking fire to see whether it would be more effective. The other party was taken to plant "relon" seeds, for a type of melon that apparently grows in sludge, and is edible (besides its poisonous rind).

Myra and I went with the second group, as they would have to be a little farther outside of the village, and we kept hearing wolf howls. Thankfully, none attacked, and the heroes, particularly aided by Fern's horse, were able to plant a sizable crop of relons.

After both tasks were completed, everyone gathered to discuss the progress. The villagers seemed somewhat more pleasant now that they had seen the help, and that the heroes of the Realms did intend on leaving before twilight. The fear of new oppressors is strong in these people. The heroes made a point of introducing myself, Irwin, and Myra, to the village elder. They hoped to ensure that the village would be better disposed to future offers of help from the Resistance. Sylvia seemed to thaw slightly, though it is clear that the Resistance will have hard work ahead of them if they wish the village's favor.

---

The Resistance clearly has their work cut out for them. Between needing to support the people in a world left at the brink of collapse, while not replacing one conqueror with another, they have work that is both difficult and complex ahead of them. I hope to continue to help them when the opportunities present themselves.

OOC:

As one of the original Risen Kingdom staff, it is such an honor to see the world we created be taken up by another. Ryan has focused in on one of the parts of Gi that we weren't able to explore as much as we had hoped, due to the pandemic: the personal stories of people living in such harsh conditions. I am delighted that he is taking this mantle up, and look forward to future events. As you can see, this event had heavy roleplaying, while still including enough fights to make it clear that one cannot travel in Gi alone safely. It is a good mix, and I particularly like how we were given leeway as our NPCs to interact freely and naturally. It is a very promising start to a new era in Gi.

-Eric "Rosetta" Willisson

Dear Realms,

We were met in Prospero by Major Olive Pensnatch, a leader within the resistance, seeking to rebuild Gi after the fall of the Risen Kingdom. Their god king, the Fallen King, had been defeated the year prior in a push on the part of the united Realms, and had been tackled into the void by Jean Baptiste, leaving the body to be reinhabited by Jack, the child the Fallen King had once possessed. In the year since Gi has suffered for its freedom, as it had been heavily reliant on portal structures that are now defunct, and its previous form of governance had been overturned.

Understandably, its people were wary of us. Plus, the harvest season was upon them but with the portal system in Riskan City being down, there was limited fresh water for the crops. Most of the rivers and waters in Gi are sludge. Riskan City is as of the time of this report unbreached by Resistance, and it is unknown its state. It’s presumed abandoned.

The night before arriving I dreamt I was the very ground, beating and straining with much effort as blows rained upon me. My life blood beat out warmly on my skin (I believe this to be lava) as my body worked with effort. Then, as if a taut string was cut, the tension vanished and I could relax. My blood cooled, and my body rested, no longer battered and bruised.

Team Beta took the patrol heading to the town of Camtoo in the west, to bring resources and relief aide. We’d bring bone reeds, which can filter the sludge into potable water.

Team Alfa went south to one of the settlements of Somber’s Tears, where it was reported a “dangerous agent of the Risen Kingdom” was located. More on that later.

I was part of Team Beta, comprising of myself, Ryu, Griffin, Corvus, Crane, Serra, Leo, Jasper, and Fern. We were accompanied by Gisistance soldiers, Irwin and Mira. As I was somewhat adjusted to Gi atmosphere from my scouting missions into Gi then the months of work I put in helping it post-war, I was able to tell they sported some articles of bright clothing. Seems that Realms fashion is rubbing off on the Gidans. I helped carry bone reeds as we fought our way past exploding blood hounds. Irwin commented our meat was probably tastier smelling due to better nutrition, so the wolves were not easily deterred.

We finally reached the town and made it past the gates. The villagers were wary of us, initially turning down the offerings I brought to facilitate good will. Eventually they agreed to let us help with tasks, such as bringing the meat from the wolves back to help feed them, set up the Bone Reeds filters, and planting some melons that seemed to grow particularly well in the sludge even if the rind was poisonous and the fruit rotted quickly on the vine. We’d name the new fruit relons, for Robert “Robby”, the child who found the seeds and brought them back to the village. 

Robby also shared that he and his friends had encountered “The Wanderer”, a man in a tattered red jacket that healed Robby’s injuries with games. It seems that Jack is alive and well, and holds some potent magic still.

From how the villagers behaved and what they shared with me, it seemed to me the villagers didn’t want their independence undermined. I relayed to a few of them a similar feeling on my part, how an injury has limited my capabilities, and how me relying on my friends for help while I recover doesn’t undermine me or my independence. I’d like to think it helped, and that we left that village better than before. Especially that it will be better able to make it past harvest season.

---

Now, I was not there for Team Alfa’s mission. Yet, in a strange way, I was. Waking from an odd dream I confirmed that other members of Team Beta had had similar dreams, yet from different perspectives. I had dreamt that I was a villager in the settlement Team Alpha went to, a farmer named Reed. It was strange seeing my friends through the eyes of a stranger.

This Gidan was angry that strangers were there. Insistent that the community stick together, and that the settlement had no water or food to spare for elsewhere. Reed called the most of them thugs, as the Realms and Gisistance soldiers had the townsfolk stay in the meeting house as they tried to figure out who the “dangerous agent” was. Reed was convinced there was none, and resented the implication his neighbors would be anything less than trustworthy, even the new folk within the last couple of years. Reed compared the Realms and Resistance to the House Xeraph who used to rule over this settlement and kept them in line as they forced the settlement to send tithes to the capital. Reed even shouted at Makhta who menaced with her ax, and Rosetta who said there was a “rot” and that if it wasn’t taken care of the town would end up like House Xeraph. Reed really didn’t like that comparison. Eventually the Realms discovered an ex-soldier, who had been part of the “swords-to-ploughs” program in Chimeron, and had worked on the Iron Road in Fae. She had been the one the Gisistance was tipped off about.

Lyra, the ex-soldier, was taken away as her roommate Yvaine sobbed, and Reed watched distraught, leaning on his brother Al for support and partly not to run after her, and they begged the Realms not to do this. Irri went with Lyra to make sure she was safe, as Reed had begged her to help.

It is only thanks to the other members of my Team, and their dreams, that I know this isn’t the whole story. There was a Triskwater in town working as apprentice miller, went by the name of Arbor, with a couple of ex-Void Spinners working as bakers. He was angry that these newcomers, swords-to-ploughs folks, had denounced the Risen Kingdom. So he tipped off the Gisistance about one, Lyra. They want to rebuild some form of the previous power they had held, and plan to use the settlement to do so.

Lyra was not the rot. Arbor is. And they’re still in the village.

May your paths be lit,

Omri Azar

Flamekeeper of the Order of the Lantern

Monthly Toahscope - September 1025

 Hello friends, it's Toahscope time. Before I get into my predictions, I'd like to announce that I've started doing live readings. These will likely vary from these monthly readings and may be more specific to the subject of the reading. And with that, here are this month's predictions.

Air
Certain people will once again prove to have an important impact this month
Fall will see results among friends
Spring should look out for strangers
Summer will find some type of leader to be important
Winter may find an answer among relatives or other close connections
Day will see this person become an enemy, Night will keep their relationship the same

Earth
Colors will play a part in your future this month
Fall should look out for chartreuse (sorry Zarine)
Spring will see eggshell white
Summer will find mauve to have an impact
Winter may find purple will shape their future
Day will want to use this color in some way while Night will want to avoid it

Fire
Your fate this month lies in types of magic
Fall will be effected by abjuration
Spring should look out for a new type of magic
Summer should watch for illusions
Winter will see regional magic play a part
Day will use this magic themself. Night will see it used by an enemy.

Metal
This one is a little strange. These results were unspecified things starting with a certain letter
Fall should watch for the letter C
Spring will see something that starts with H
Summer will want to find something starting with U
Winter should look for the letter S
Day will want to look for an object with this letter, and Night will find a person or creature

Water
Creatures from other worlds will impact you this month
Fall will deal with something from an underworld
Spring should look for creatures from some type of afterlife
Summer will find a creature from an alternate reality
Winter may see a creature that comes from the stars
Day will see this creature as friendly. Night will find it hostile.
  

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team

What You Missed - Exotic Items Creatures & Wares 4.5

By: Joshua "Merrix" Bryant

When I recall my introduction to adventures in Stonewood the message that was reiterated to me, over and over, by everyone was “Have you read the pamphlet?” 

“Of course I read the pamphlet.”

“Who doesn’t read the pamphlet?”

“Váya for the love of the gods, find me this freaking pamphlet so people stop asking.”

Weirdly after I, of course (who wouldn’t), read the pamphlet everyone was telling me about I drew the following simple conclusions. Adventuring in Stonewood has four simple rules to follow.

1. Do not perform blood magick.

2. Respect the land and its gods.

3. Don’t be a dick.

4. Don’t wander off after shiny things.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that we need to traipse through the Stonewood countryside to complete, as J’ortsa eloquently put it, "fetchiest of fetch quests." Complete with 19 different shiny things that we needed to get in order to weaken an angelic servant of the  “Harbinger of Death.” Split the party? Sure… how could that go wrong.

However things did not go as badly as they could have. In order to find these items we delved into the poisonous dwarven copper mines to find an obelisk. We had soup at Jerrick Farms where we found a lion statue. A small group of us went to the Tower of the Gods to bargain with them for an icon of a Starburst Sun as the rest of us went into bat infested caverns to collect a bomb. The forces of the enemy dogged us along the way. Reapers, powerful angelic warriors, of the archangel attacked us many times.  There was a moment that it seemed the sky broke open and attempted to wash away our hard work, with impromptu lakes and rivers springing up from seemingly nowhere. But even this could not distract us from our task with Cappa, Váya and others fishing up (see what I did there) more of these relics.

In light of how many items were sought, retrieved, and the many epic battles I do not feel as if I could do them all justice. I will say what I can of these two moments that were important to me  personally. I was proud to stand with my pack in our struggles before the Dark Chapel to retrieve an item that holds great great importance and needed to be retrieved to protect our own angelic allies. Being able to close the Chapel doors as our enemy sought to open them was something I will not forget. Which reminds me I should thank Margaret for letting me borrow that toy… Also hunting in the woods at Silverglade forest with two members of my bloodline, by moonlight, against a magical, teleporting creature was a fantastic moment that I will not soon forget. 

When all was said and done we emerged from this “fetching fetch quest” having broken one of the four rules I was told to follow, having collected almost all of the items set before us. Components in a ritual, provided to us by Lord, Sir Elwin, to aid us in weakening our foe this coming weekend. 

J’ortsa wrote his missive about why he wanted to go on the “fetchingest fetchapalooza” that the date was Middas 3rd of Hearthfire by his calendar. Having done some research I can tell you that that was the day of Tales and Tallows, a celebration of Necromancy. A celebration of Death. Thankfully Death’s harbinger, though at our heels, did not catch us in our searching. I also find good omen that our next adventure to Stonewood is, in fact, between the 12th of Hearthfire, the day before we return, and is the celebration of Riglametha. A celebration of grateful offerings. And that the 14th of Hearthfire is the Fire Festival, the burning of King Olaf One-Eye. He, who was sentenced to be burned for betraying his city. I will see you all next on Loredas, the 13th of Hearthfire. This will be the day that we make our first strike against he who has betrayed his mother.

Merrix Oreryn

Magus of the Realms

High Mystic of Voraniss

Acolyte and Prophet of Vandor