Challenge of the Penn winning entrant - Kovaks

Challenge of the Penn was a non-com challenge at the Tournament of Chocolate '26, as entrants were encouraged to complete a chronicle leading up to the event on a chosen topic. It was named in honor of Iawen Penn, the last Knight Commander of Eagle's Rook, whose love of the written word and stories was well known.

This was the description of the non-com in the event: "With the battles with Guthrevyn, our libraries have not gone unscathed. We beseech adventurers of the Realms to rise to the challenge and provide legible chronicles on the founding of Eagle's Rook. These should be turned in upon the start of tournaments or upon arrival. They will be judged on completeness and accuracy to the best of our experts' knowledge, as well as presentation and legibility as we take pride in restoring our libraries."

Challenge of the Penn

The Eighteenth Day of the Fourth Month of the One Thousand Twenty-Sixth Year

On the Occasion of the First Tournaments of Chocolate

In honor of Sir Iawen Penn, a great historian and Knight, I have taken on the Challenge of the Penn, to document the founding of Eagle’s Rook. Both Sir Iawen and I claimed the title of Librarian and historian. As such, I have chosen to complete this challenge with a compilation of letters as found in the View from Valehaven periodical without any interpretation. These documents speak for themselves and tell the story more completely and succinctly than I could over thirty years later.

I have transcribed these documents, but I am a better historian than transcriptionist. Please assume that any and all spelling errors are on the part of the transcriber and not of the original author or publisher. The exception I will note is that Sir Gunnar uses both Guthrefen and Guthreven as spelling for the one who ruled over Raven’s Loft. 

A chronicler’s note: the acceptable terminology has changed in the past decades. These letters contain words that are no longer considered correct, but are maintained for historical accuracy.

Yours in Service,

Kovaks of Darkvale

Master Chronicler of the Royal Court of Chimeron`

October 992

To the People of the Realms:

        While many of you are among my oldest and closest friends, I have never told you anything of  my origins or my reasons for coming to these lands. However my past has caught up with me, and I would now take your leave to fully introduce myself.

        My full name is Gunnar Artaec Guthrevnes. “Guthrevnes” can be loosely translated as “son of the War-Raven”. I am from Raven’s Loft, a land to the northwest of Fenmere.

This story begins with my youth. I was brought up in Raven’s Loft by Brecca, a servant of Guthrefen, my father. She told me when I was young that I was an orphan and had been brought to Raven’s Loft and taken in by Guthrefen when I was but a babe. Brecca said she had heard that my parents had been killed by Guthrefen’s guards for not paying enough taxes, and they had beaten me until their arms were so tired they could no longer lift them,... but I refused to die. The brutes brought me back to the keep, to show me to the heirless War Raven, and he chose to keep me and raise me up to inherit his lands as his son, for he was unable to continue his line. When I was young, I believed Brecca’s tale in its entirety, but as I grew older, I learned that she often stretched the truth.

Whatever my origins, my foster father’s cruel disposition led me to believe that I was indeed an orphan. Guthrefen was a fierce and powerful warlord, but I grew to learn that he was a most dishonorable and malicious man. Much of Raven’s Loft’s military strength came from Guthreven’s skillful deployment of his favorite military strategy. He would lead his forces to the site of a battle between neighboring lands and wait until the battle was gnarly over. Then he would swoop down upon what was left of the two armies and annihilate them, whether they were friends or foes, always making sure to hunt down and kill anyone who escaped from the ranks of either army. He would then strip the bodies of arms, armor, and equipment, regardless of their title or birth, and steal back to Raven’s Loft under cover of night. As far as I know, he still practices this strategy.

With the help of Brecca, I left my despised foster father and came to these lands to prove my honor and wipe the shame of the Raven’s Loft from my past. However, recently I received a demand from Guthreven to return to Raven’s Loft and serve him as his son and future warlord of his lands. I answered a sharp denial, and he returned with a challenge…

I am to journey to Raven’s Loft to fight him in honorable combat. If I defeat him, his lands are to be mine. If he defeats me, the Realms will never see Sir Gunnar of Fairhaven again. The War-Raven claims knighthood and has a squire, so in turn, my squire Myriel will join me on this adventure. I must face every encounter on the road to Raven’s Loft before anyone else, and alone. However, I bid you all come to my aid, for we may well need help finding our way, and even if we do not, you may well enjoy venturing to the land of Raven’s Loft, discovering what manner of beasts live in the wilds of that land

Sir Gunnar of Fairhaven

Knight of the Eternal flame

Knight of Fairhaven

February 993

To the foolish upstarts who claim Raven’s Hold,

You are encroaching upon my rightful property and trespassing upon lands that have been in my family for ages. I strongly advise that you remove yourselves from Raven’s Hold, the ancestral keep belonging to the heir of the lands of Raven’s Loft. The rightful heir shall soon be returning to his duties of training to inherit the position of Warlord of Raven’s Loft. If you have not ceased to be a problem by the conclusion of the Quest to Raven’s Loft, you shall be sharply dealt with. You need not worry for your lives. I assure you that I would never be so harsh as to deprive you of the eternal, exquisite, unending agony that will soon be your constant companion. Yes, friends, I shall make you immortal, though I doubt you will thank me for it.

Guthrefen

Warlord of Raven’s LoftMarch 993

To the People of the Realms,

At the first Feast of Min, I was knighted as the first Knight of Fairhaven by Dame Gil, Knight of the Realms. In retrospect I have come to the conclusion that I was inadequately squired and improperly knighted. The title of “Knight” felt as awkward next to my name as “Lady” might next to the name of a known prostitute. When the Knights of the Realms knighted me as a Knight of the Eternal Flame, I had at that point come to know my own worth and that I was indeed of knightly quality.

While squiring Myriel of the Eclipse, I have come to fully understand how to properly squire someone. In m y estimation, no Knight of Fairhaven has yet been properly squired. My squire is currently more worthy than many who claim knighthood, although she is not yet worthy of the knighthood I would bestow upon her. However, one thing is clear to me, in order to remain true to myself, and in order to bring my present and future squires into an order of true knighthood, I am leaving the order of the Knights of Fairhaven.

If my quest to Raven’s Loft is successful, I shall be founding a new land there. It shall be known as Eagle’s Rook, and an Ivory Tower on a royal blue field shall be its standard.

My loyalty stands, as ever, with the Kingdom of Valehaven, and so the Royal Eagle shall be centered on the standard. Any of my followers may remain in Fairhaven under the protection of Wulfric of Fairhaven if they so desire. They need fear nothing from me. However, any citizens or followers of Fairhaven are welcome to join me in Eagle’s Rook if my quest goes well and I indeed claim my ancestral lands.

Sir Gunnar Artaec Guthrevnes

Knight of the Eternal Flame

Heir of Raven’s Loft

Wielder of Devil’s Bane

June 993

To the People of the Realms,

Over one year ago, I was honored to be able to take as a squire Myriel of the Eclipse. She and I adventured to every corner of the known Realms, and I never once found any cause to doubt her dedication, her loyalty or her spirit. Then, this spring, my past caught up with me. The wretched cur, Guthreven, who would have had me as his heir, had me magically entrapped not long before I was able to quest to meet him in honorable combat. Word was sent to Myriel to complete the quest for me, and for Emmalcome, the Captain of the Guard of Raven’s Hold, to accompany her. Guthreven and his followers opened a gate to Faerie in the lands where Myriel and Emmalcome were departing from, they sent assassins after them and a message that I would be scalped if they did not arrive on time was delayed, making it near impossible for Myriel and Emmalcome to succeed. However, her spirit never faltered, and with the help of a few brave souls along the way, they succeeded in the quest, bringing my body back to the Realms… Myriel had not earned her Knighthood yet.

At Doomghaurd, I marshalled, and had the opportunity to observe my squire in situations in which I was not involved. On that day, she quelled the few remaining doubts I harbored about her ability to be a true Knight. Knowing that we might never emerge from Faerie, I decided that I could not lead Myriel to what might be her death without bestowing upon her the recognition that she had indeed made the transition from being a Squire to being a Knight. So, on the first day of the fifth month of this year, I founded the order of the Knights of Eagle’s Rook. Marking my assuming the role of Knight Commander and Sir Myriel’s accepting the title of Knight of Eagle’s Rook, the following oath was sworn: 

I shall tread only upon the paths of honor, for a true knight knows no other way.

I shall harbor neither fear nor self-doubt, for there is nothing I cannot accomplish.

I shall be true to myself, in word and in deed, in spirit and in arms.

The Knighting of Sir Myriel is the greatest memory I have since I left Raven’s Loft as a youth and came to these Realms. On that day, I was also honored for Gael Bahn (formerly known as Shadow of the Eclipse) to accept my offer to squire him into the order of the Knights of Eagle’s Rook. I am confident that he will prove as worthy and loyal a squire as Myriel did.

With the defeat of Guthreven, I inherited the lands of Raven’s Loft. I could not bear to live with the memories of that accursed name, so I have chosen to call my newly won home Eagle’s Rook, in memory of the royal Eagle of Valehaven that once meant so much to me. Before looking for any followers I knew that my path was meant to pass into Faerie, and I could not take the responsibilities expanding my lands when my future was somewhat in doubt.

However, now that my quest to Faerie is complete, I would like to extend a word to any and all warriors whose hearts are true, whose spirits are brave, and to whom honor is a way of life, and not just a card to be kept in our hand and played when it will prove most advantageous. To you, I say that if your current paths suit not you, I invite you to join us, and I would be most honored to fight by your side, and call you my follower. 

Death before Dishonor

Sir Gunnar Artaec Guthrevnes, KoEF

November 994

Eagle’s Nook: Tales & Poetry from the Land of Eagle’s Rook

I have taken refuge in the armory, to have a minute’s rest from the newest members of our country. Eagle’s Rook has grown considerably with their coming and I am happy they are here; they are just a bit hard to handle at times. I should take this time to explain the political structure of our government, so that there are no questions as to why our happy chaos has occurred. I shall be brief for I do believe I have little time

Knights - The Knights of Eagle’s Rook are the rulers of our land who make all decisions under our laws. Though all Knights have equal say, the Knight Commander has the final word on any matter. All Knights are bound by the Code (which is to tread the paths of honor, to harbor neither fear nor self doubt, and to be true to yourself in word and in deed, in spirit and in arms) which is the stem of our government. At the moment, there is only the Commander, Sir Myriel, and myself to guide our realm.

Squires - They too are bound by the Code and given close and personal instruction by their Knight. On any issue that may arise between the Knights, the Squire may voice opinion and question, but does not yet have a vote. We have no Squires right now, but that may change very soon.

Followers - A follower may either be a person who follows a specific Knight or Squire or may wish to join because of their belief in the Code. They too follow the Code, but with them the Knights are more lenient for they are learning the ways of the Code. They are given instruction by the Knights and their progress is noted. They fall under the responsibility of the Knight or Knights. If a Squire has a follower, he or she is still under that Knight’s responsibility. We have three followers. Gonf, who I hear from the Weapons Master has improved considerably (verily, I have seen it myself). Ragnar who has the spellcraft (much like my own youth, welcome aboard). and Bishop whom I hail most whole heartedly (I have seen within you and am pleased). I am content with progress on all of them and am happy with their contributions. Gonf has almost finished the East Tower and well before the snow. For Bishop I have given him my servants to govern, for a warrior must know affairs of management and of sword. To Ragnar, I have given a difficult task, which is to verse me on the ways of our residents (whom I shall write about in a moment) and to make sure they are comfortable here, for they are most welcome. 

Residents - When I came to Eagle’s Rook I came as a resident, one who likes Eagle’s Rook, believes the Code is valid but wishes no part in the governmental structure. They come for our protection and, well, because they like us. They are bound by the law and are encouraged to follow the code, but are given the greatest leniency. I would like to extend my hand to the Visitant Gypsies who have come under our protection. I believe they will be a valued part of our country (I hear one of them is searching for me in the outer rooms; I had better conclude soon). Lilith and I have been close friends since their entrance to the Realms and I am glad to see them in the courtyards below. She is still the head of the Gypsies and all problems with her children should be directed to her, but I stand behind them and take ultimate responsibility. In their mischief I have seen honor and good hearts and it is for this that I am comforted by their presence here.

Any member may leave at any time for any reason, though I would hope they would talk to me or Sir Myriel as to why (we do not believe in leaving on bad tidings). Nor has any member been forced under our rule; each one of our people volunteered to rally by our standard. Our borders are open to all new members on all levels of our society (save one must be a Squire before becoming a Knight) and may choose to raise or lower their status. I admit that much more is demanded the higher you go but as I have found fom going from the lowest to the highest that it can be very rewarding.

We are some twenty five people strong now (not including the servants and peasants whom I have undying gratitude for their help and patience in our times of trouble, you bring the goodness upon yourselves and we will bring to you what you have given us tenfold). I am pleased and am looking to the years ahead with gladness in my eyes. A HUZZAH! to you all!

Death before Dishonor

Sir Pyr

Knight of Eagle’s Rook

Neden BBQ - Tournament Results

Organized by: Ben Lacasse

Single Short

1. Shader

2. Radstar

3. Pike

5'

1. Nos

2. Aiden

3. Pike

Sword and Board

1. Shader

2. Nos

3. Cronin

Mixed Florentine

1. Pike

2. Eldritch

3. Aiden

Tug of War

1. Cronin

2. Ruby

Best Overall Performance

1. Shader

Sportsmanship Award/Honor in Combat

1. Radstar

Why I Want to Go - A Library in Fae

By Kelly "Fern" Perfetto

There were once ten Unchanging Places in Fae…

This is how I have begun telling this story for the past three years. Not long, but long enough for someone only beginning to adventure within the last five. I will try to give the abridged version, and not the fanatic professor version. I share this so that you may know some of the wonders and mysteries you walk toward, if you join myself and others in venturing through the fae wilds this weekend.

One of the Unchanging Places was the Great Library of Fae. Both the Library and the caretaker, the Duke of Knowledge, Duke Holophonese, fell to Bedlam.¹ From what I hear, adventurers of the modern era first traveled to this Library two decades ago. There they found that in order to wake the enchanted Duke, they must use the Library.

As many of you know by now, this Great Library was not one of paper or parchment books, but rather of what we have been calling memory flowers. Once one sniffs one of these flowers, they are transported into the memory that flower contains. When the adventurers played out the stories incorrectly, the vision would fail and they would find themselves in the positions they had ended the memory in. When played correctly, the adventurers would find themselves near the flower they had sniffed to access the memory.²

One of the challenges the adventurers faced in choosing and playing out these stories was that the names were present on the stems, but spelled in Ogham.³ These stories appeared to be a mix of significant events of Fae and Realms history, as well as the individual recollections of adventurers present. It is possible that Fae Belief Magic brought the stories the group would be most invested in close together.

From what I gather, the flowers of the Great Library of Fae were not seen for ten years after their destruction.⁴ Some tried to grow them from seeds, with limited success. And then some started appearing in the woods at Black and White of 1023. In 1024, some of us learned how to transplant these flowers.⁵ I know I carried one away with the notion that somehow we all would start up a new library, with the blessing of prominent fae. The large maroon flower you may have seen me bringing around to feasts is one of these flowers, carrying a tragic story, but innocent in of itself.⁶

With whispers on the winds and bees carrying invitations in the form of pollen, it seems that there is some new Library grown in the depths of the fae wilds, or perhaps the old one reemerged from hidden roots. What a wonderful thing, that there seems to be life where once there was only destruction. How delightful that there is a new chance to share information. These magical plants still live, they have not been entirely destroyed. I suppose I must wait, but I am excited to meet the new librarian, if one exists, and talk to them about cultivation and curation.⁷ There is an invitation handed out to all of us. While I will caution people traveling into the fae wilds, as I often do, what an incredible opportunity awaits all of us who go. The flowers want to share! Imagine what mysteries of the past we could uncover. There is more I have not shared, for fear of making this letter too long, but I will gladly share what knowledge I have of this. Come along with me on an adventure that promises some joy!

~ Fern Eberhardt

---

OOC:

It’s so refreshing to write a WIWTG for an event my character is just as excited to attend as I am! It’s not all doom and gloom and duty this time, folks. Fern might perhaps even be more excited than I am.

This event is drawing on Fae Plot (in capital letters) that started two decades ago now, as part homage, part callback. Expect to be playing your character, but kind of your character acting out other roles, as Fern tells us above. As much as I would have fun just wandering around and looking at flowers and sharing stories for six hours, I suspect we’re going to have a few challenges ahead of us. I really am quite excited though. Eric is an engaging storyteller who is (in my experience) happy to roll with improvisation. And I’ve heard through the grapevine that there might be other plots, stories, and marshals mixed in, to keep us on our toes.

If you’re on the fence about going, and you like roleplaying, I’d encourage you to go. And both Fern and I mean it when I say I would be happy to share what more I know, if there’s time!

~ Kelly

---

1 There are multiple variations recorded of the spelling of the Duke’s name. One alternate spelling I have seen is Holofernes.^↩
2 For example, if the memory had failed while people were running away from something, they might find themselves a distance away from the flower. However, if the memory succeeded, they would ‘wake up’ in the same place they had ‘fallen asleep’.^↩
3 This is the vertical line writing. If you know it, it would be good to brush up on, or bring a cipher book!^↩
4 There are multiple variations recorded of the spelling of the Duke’s name. One alternate spelling I have seen is Holofernes.^↩
5 I will note that in 1023, I personally made a terrible mistake by picking one of these flowers. The seeds should still be recoverable, but this is part of why I am so invested in helping the Library bloom.^↩
6 These little flowers do not seem to have the same transportative or group capabilities as the mature ones. We were only frozen in place as we viewed the memories, not playing them out ourselves.^↩
7 At B&W 1024, some of us used magic to speak to one who would be knowledgeable about the memory flowers. Someone answered, and we suspect it may have been the new, or perhaps cycled, Duke of Knowledge, though we cannot yet be sure. ^↩

Queen of Hearts XXXI - Aces, Crafting and Performance Rubrics

Hello all,

August seems like a long way off but planning for Queen of Hearts is well underway for our exceptional staff of marshals and contributors. This year Rhiassa has teemed up with the Kingdom of Chimeron, inviting them to put their own unique touches on this historic event series.

One of their suggestions was the importance of publishing all of the crafting and performance rubrics well ahead of the event so that entrants to those tournaments can have a greater understanding of how to best score points. So that's what you'll see below.

First, however, I'd like to announce this year's Ace's Categories.

Ace of Spades - Champion Ace

Ace of Hearts - Mage Ace

Ace of Diamonds - Bard Ace

Ace of Clubs - Ranger Ace

Some reminders of how we structure the Aces Tournament (from last year's Queen of Hearts website)

Aces is a 4-person "Champion" team. The four Aces are each trying to earn their own points while also helping one another earn points through various fights and competitions.

The Aces tournament is in three parts:

War Maneuver Showcases: Most Aces will be able to fight with their teams in most of the war maneuvers most of the time. In some cases, before the war maneuver takes place, all Aces will be called out to the center of the field and compete 4 on 4 (or less if some Aces are called away for something individual). These 4 on 4 fights are meant to be, in a sense, miniature versions of the war maneuver about to be fought. Although all available Aces will be fighting in these fights, there will be a random and rotating system that determines which Ace suit(s) the points will be applied towards.

Ace Individual Challenges: These competitions involve the two aces of the same suit competing against each other in combat and in other challenges that specifically relate to the theme of their Ace suit as listed above.

Ace Group Challenges: Some Ace competitions will involve multiple Aces from your team working together against the Aces from the other team in things such as multi-person combat or other challenges.

Now moving on to the non-com rubrics. The categories for this year were announced several weeks ago, but these rubrics will show you how those categories and overall these fit into the scoring that we will use. First, a review of the categories that we announced at the beginning of March:

Performance Competition:

A partner dance

Crafting Categories:

The theme for this year is “The four seasons”. Each of the four traditional seasons (summer, autumn, winter, spring) must be represented across the four of your team’s crafting entries. How you interpret these themes is up to the crafters on your team.

• Foamsmith Competition: a hand-and-a-half blunt weapon with a special emphasis on being “otherworldly”.

• Armourer Competition: a set of pauldrons with a special emphasis on being made of mixed media (at least three).

• Garb Competition: a doublet with sleeves with a special emphasis on being reversible.

• Artificer Competition: a source of light with a special emphasis on the incorporation of movement.

And now here are each of the rubrics we'll be using at Queen of Hearts XXXI

As always, the crafting and performance tournaments are an important and enduring part of the fabric of Queen of Hearts dating all the way back to the origin of the event. We look forward to the amazing contributions in these categories that our teams make every single year.

In service,

Jason and the Queen of Hearts Staff

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team

Realmsle #31

 

                       

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

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

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

What You Missed - Neden BBQ

by: Dustin Mack 

Once again, many of us traveled to the lands of Neden. And once again, they served up a solid day of fun. They held a handful of the standard combat tournaments. I believe I saw single short, sword and shield, and sword and marn, at least. There was also the traditional Neden cornhole. This had a standard tournament and, if I'm not mistaken, an open challenge against Syruss with various partners. New this year was a tug of war. This ran as 1v1 and 3v3 (technically. The children were mysteriously very strong). Some of the past Neden originals weren't held this year, such as Judge Dresden and Tournaments of Sobriety. 

 We were told early on that there were some small dragons trying to invade the area. Prizes were handed out in return for catching them. I couldn't find any but the children seemed to do a good job at it. Maybe since the dragons were small they were easier for small kids to find. Regardless, Neden should be safe from a dragon invasion for a while.

At some point a demon showed up, and not one of the many that are usually found there. I believe their name was Kissum (pronounced kiss-OOM). They seem to have a business of sorts acquiring things. It sounded to me like a useful service. I have their business card with my gear, I can pass along how to contact Kissum if anyone is interested. I did confirm that this was not the same being that appeared in Blackwood recently.

There was also a mysterious being in black that showed up. I don't believe anyone interacted with them so I have no idea what they were doing. By the time I had considered talking to them it was too late and they were gone.

Oh, I can't forget to talk about the food. Burgers, hot dogs, various pasta salads, and a variety of chips. I liked the burgers, but apparently JB may have done something to the hot dogs. I'm not sure what happened, but it seems eating a hot dog caused Makhta to transform into some kind of bat creature. This was clearly not a happy thing. It did lead to an impromptu Judge Dresden in an attempt to figure out what happened. Unfortunately I did not get to hear the results. 

That all brings us to the raffle. As usual, there were many items that have magic abilities within Neden. Honestly this is one of my favorite things about visiting there. I won a magic missile paddle and a magic microphone, among a few other things. Among the prizes were a very creative circle of healing, a glowing mushroom, some gnomes, a large bug, mystery pouches, and of course the coveted ribbon piece. For those that don't know, four of these ribbons can be used to turn a Neden in house magic item into an "actual" magic item.

Even with some traditional parts missing, this was still a good time. I know they had some hiccups throughout the day, but these guys do everything they can to ensure people enjoy themselves while visiting. This is an event I make sure to hit every year. Not just because its close and a single day, but because there's always something fun happening. If you haven't gone to one yet, you're missing out.

On an OOC note, I know Cal has shared this already but it's worth including here too. Our community once again did something great and raised over $1500 to help a kid with leukemia. It's always amazing to see what people in this game can pull off when there's a major cause.

Why I Want to Go - Tournaments of Chocolate

By Crystal “Cressida” Welch

I am excited to venture into the lands of Eagle’s Rook for the new event, Tournament of Chocolate, this coming Saturday. First time Event Holding is special and I’m thrilled to witness and enjoy all that Kieran has envisioned alongside their talented team of collaborators. I personally love dark chocolate and would happily try my hand at some of the non-com tournaments in order to win some delicious chocolate to take home. I look forward to seeing the variety of different competitions they have dreamed up and spending the day among friends as we take to the field and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. It is also rumored the Avendroth Fae will be making an appearance at the tournaments! I hope you will join me this weekend and of course win plenty of chocolate! 

What You Missed - Dying Light 1.5

Greetings mortals (and otherwise)! Here is an account of a rather odd nightmare that myself and others found ourselves in.

I don’t sleep the way many do, and as such, when I dream, it is usually with intention. As such, it was quite unusual when I awoke in a prison cell the other day. I was with several others, and we could see other cells across the room as well as demonic guards patrolling and taunting prisoners. Usually this would be where we break out and stab our way free, but our weapons, magic items, and magic powers were all gone. A few of us found magic scrolls (later learned to be a gift from a group of demon hunters) in our possession, though, and Randal the Light was able to send spellbooks to some folks in other cells. Lucky for us, the guards - which had many of our missing items in hand - didn’t seem to be the brightest. One almost traded me a weapon for a skull from the cell before a superior stopped them. Eventually, it was Timm who found a way to get the upper hand. A guard was lamenting being unable to do pushups with a weapon in hand, so Timm suggested they put it down for a moment. As soon as they did, he grabbed the weapon and stabbed them before hiding deeper in the cell.

As more and more guards grew suspicious of the ever-growing pile of dead guards in front of our cell, we slowly armed up with looted gear. Eventually an escaped prisoner from another cell brought us a key and broke us free, and we joined up with a party of roughly thirty Realms adventurers that had been imprisoned, as well as one unfamiliar prisoner who later turned out to be a demon in disguise. We finally could stab our way out, and recovered many lost weapons (though spellbooks were more scarce, and at one point we had only three heal limbs among the party). Unfortunately we were no longer in the Realms, though fortunately we weren’t in hell - we were in some sort of demon-made nightmare skerry in the Dreaming, and we would have to press on to return to the waking world.

Next, we were forced to choose some sort of roles or traits - I fittingly was ‘Dangerous to All’, for example, while Cronin chose ‘Rage’, and Ace was ‘Well-Intentioned’. We encountered a new demon as well, the sword-wielding Malficence (this may be a misspelling of Malfeasance or Malificence, but that was how I saw it spelled) who seemed somewhat friendly for now.

In the next room, we encountered blood-splattered walls and many tortured souls with canvases in front of them. These seemed to be victims of The Painter, a demon killed last year, and it seemed the only way to put them to rest was to paint their desires in blood. At one point I heard that painting for all of them would revive The Painter, but later I heard that this was not the case after doing more research, which I hope is correct. And as Rosetta reasoned, with this being a dream, the blood we painted with was not real, and thus it was not blood magic to paint with it. Either way we had to paint a final canvas to leave, so it was done.

Next, we were in a room with several clockwork marionettes controlled by a person on strings in the center. When these immensely annoying enemies were defeated, the person could be cut down, and the puppet controlling them taken. In this room was also a young gelatinous cube, which was befriended by Violet and named Jelly. In Jelly we put to rest the remains of three skulls (Jimbo, Jeff, and Jeronimo) that we’d found in the cells, as well as someone’s femur.

Next was a room where a woman, her face wrapped in bandages, wept as she looked into a mirror, surrounded by shiny mirror creatures. The mimics became attached to members of our party, copying their actions, and after much fun for some from this we killed them by killing those they were copying. People were also able to talk the woman into giving up the mirror.

Next was an angry mob chasing some guy, but then the mob all turned into werewolves, and we killed them as we retrieved most of the rest of our stolen items aside from The End of All Things. Then was a treacherous obstacle course over a deep pit. In the end, six people were stuck dead on the other side, and Ace saved them by calling on the power of Malficence through his infernal sword - a move criticized by much of the party, who took the blade from him and had a long talk on redemption (Ace’s case was not helped, of course, by Malficence taking his side to defend him).

We were presented with a board on which several words were written: Nightmare, Despair (crossed out), Stealth, Malficence, Delight, Rage (in parenthesis), and a blank spot. These correspond to a group of demons that have been encountered (Nightmare is Yumi, Despair was Rixa who is now imprisoned, etc) over the past year or so. We needed to add one more word to progress - but what could we put that would not be twisted into a horrible foe? Ultimately, with time running out, Laika wrote ‘Hope’. We’ve since received a message from ‘The Hope of Demonkind’, who will surely become a problem later.

One final room remained, where The End of All Things blocked our escape, and an invincible shadow creature was joined by hordes of demons. Around the room were several lights, each with a few of the traits from earlier written beneath. To activate them, the person for each trait had to press that button simultaneously, while we remained under siege by demons. When all lights were lit, the shadow became vulnerable, and after two cycles of this, it was defeated. Cronin retrieved The End of All Things, and the way opened. Yumi, Demon of Nightmares, appeared and thanked us on our way out for joining her little ‘game’ (to which Rosetta rightfully called a lien and obligation). Outside the nightmare, Malficence reappeared and took back Ace’s confiscated demon sword, likely to tempt others with it.

While we escaped unscathed, the experience proved a nightmare to remember, and left many looming threats. What does Malficence hope to gain by helping us? Who was the demon-in-disguise who escaped the cells with us? Is ‘Rage’ on the list of demons because it is the trait of The End of All Things’ wielder? What is the significance of the traits? What new threats will the Hope of Demonkind bring? I’m sure we’ll find out before long. I, for one, am growing tired of the meddling of demons in this world’s affairs.

From now until the end,

N

((OOC:

This event was a ton of fun! I totally called that we’d start the event with all our stuff gone, and it ended up adding a great sense of progression to the quest as we slowly regained our resources. The new site was excellent for a dungeon crawl, with a highlight being the many doors from which NPCs could appear. Maria, Nate, and all the event staff did a fantastic job, and I’m looking forward to the next installment of the series!

Dan H))

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team

Shield Stories with Justin Balanca-Hawkes

 Organized by James "Tao" Murphy

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

KFG is a medium sized punch heater shield painted white with a black unicorn chess piece on the front with the letters "KFG" underneath in black and has black taped foam around the edges.,

How long have you had your shield? 

I’ve had KFG for just shy of 2 years now.,

Is this your preferred shield style? 

Heater shields are my preferred style of shield largely because of the amount of time I’ve been using them as well as the simple reason of liking how they look,

Have you ever tried a different style of shield? 

I’ve tried serval styles of shields including rounds, coffins, doors, and bucklers, but none of them felt as nice as a heater shield to me.

Who made it?

KFG was originally started by Dave Hayden and was one of his last projects he had worked on. I was asked to help bring it over the finish line by Stephen Sanford and together we finished the shield as a memorial item to Dave.

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

I have made small repairs and standard upkeep to the shield, but am planning on refoaming it and touching up the paint job in the coming months.

What is your favorite move with the shield?

Do you have any interesting stories about the shield?

KFG has some very memorable moments for me so far. The one that stands out to me the most was the first time I used the shield’s power at Ghost of a Chance when we had to go to Hell to forge a hammer that was important for future success at the event. While we were there were being attacked by imps that would throw fireballs upon death and we were taking heavy casualties and bleeding resources as a result. I decided to use KFG’s power the next time I got hit by a fireball and because of KFG I was able to largely pull the attention off the imps to me so the rest of the party could work on forging the hammer. It was a very memorable moment for me and I’m very fond of it.

 

Q1 review of The Community S.P.A.R.K. initiative

Organized by: Nixon "Jasper" Showalter

Hello to the Realms Community! Welcome to the Q1 review of The Community S.P.A.R.K. initiative, looking to Spotlight: Passion, Achievement, Recognition, Knowledge and more with the intent to provide an anonymous place to shout-out our peers within the community. Each quarter, we will be releasing a review of all of the Sparks submitted so people can catch up and see what our amazing community members are up to! Below is the 2026 Q1 Review, containing all of the Sparks shared from January through March. Thank you to everyone who took time to recognize someone with a Spark, and to everyone who works to uplift and support this community. If you want to submit your own S.P.A.R.K. fill out the form HERE.

Arthur Granger / Aiden Penclaw

Both your crafting and role playing add so much to the game!

Casey Lemay / Karmha 

Story telling as an eventholder pales only to skills as a crafter and shopkeeper

Kathy Fae / Makhta   

Putting a hat on an already awesome hat with this one. 

Online RP has really taken off since Covid among our new generation, and you have jumped right in without reservation. Thank you for being open to this change and being such an amazing role-player.

Dani Lacasse / Elizah  and Crystal Welch / Cressida

Half-way through the Player's Meeting and you two are rocking it! Our bureaucratic system is a mess and you two are doing awesome. You are coordinated, keeping us focused, the tech is going smoothly. Keep it up! 10/10 no notes. 

Dani Lacasse / Elizah  and Crystal Welch / Cressida  

The players meeting went great! I really appreciate both your humor and gravity over a 11 hour day.

Pat Bobell / Saka, Amber Fox / Tarnisha, Nixon Showalter / Jasper, Pi Fisher / Alpacasaurus/Kwido and Greg Falconer / Daekara

I’d like to thank all of you for your help and feedback with my Masterwork Tool Proposal. Despite the proposal failing, I still consider it a success- I can’t wait to playtest and refine the draft for next year. 

Rob Ferullo / Gael    

I don’t think I’ve had a single interaction with you where I haven’t smiled.

Isaac Saff / 404    

Even when life is giving you lemons, you serve lemonade to people around you. You show up to fight practice with cookies because you felt like it, and you are first to volunteer when anyone needs help. Thank you for being you.

Josh Learned / Shandar    

Your moral compass and sense of justice as of late have been absolutely spot on and really wonderful to see. I feel more comfortable and safe at hard meetings knowing you'll be there to help keep everything on track and ensure a just resolution.

Justin Thibeault / J’ortsa

I have received many compliments of you as head NPC at SQ. People were surprised to hear it was your first time doing so. Way to go!

Ian Perry / Timm

I'm really proud of you for how hard you've worked on proposals this year. Spending months iterating and gathering feedback, and when ones you were passionate about failed immediately working to adjust and playtest those same proposals to increase the chances for next year. That is extremely mature and the exact right response to that type of setback. 

Becky Baron / Kovaks

You've been a shining example of service and integrity for years. And as of late you've been doing the even harder work of learning when to serve and when to rest. I've seen you make difficult choices to take care of yourself that when I first met you you wouldn't have done, and likely would've suffered more for it in the long run. Proud of you 

Kelly Perfetto / Fern

In spite of WPI and UML having "sibling clubs" there has been very little cross-attendance between the fight practices until now. Thank you for encouraging the WPI folks to go to Lowell practice.

Keith Cronyn/ Saegan    

You are a major inspiration and someone I look up to, both in fighting ability and community presence. It is incredible to watch you teach younger players and uplift all of those around you. I am extremely thankful to call you a friend and be able to learn from you.

The EH Community    

I was really proud of the rules changes at the EHC this year and how the room went about it.

So many important changes went through with so few hitches. 

In other words, thank you to the people who were there. You’re helping make the game a better, safer place.

Nixon Showalter / Jasper    

You have an excellent spirit which showcases itself in so many ways, but perhaps most recently in your dedication to doing the position of player's rep wonders. You do wonderful things for this community, and I look forward to seeing what you'll do next. 

Anna Rufus / Hedda    

You go after every task with the ferocity of an arrow, it's great to see, and perfectly inspiring. You're a wonderful part of the community!

Dani Lacasse / Elizah    

You did an amazing job organizing the EHC, and even when things got hard you looked into the face of adversity with the decorum of an absolute boss. Keep it up!

Pi Fisher / Alpacasaurus/Kwido and the OEC    

Additionally, we're happy to share the [Omnibus] draft with the general Realms community, as EHs do not have a monopoly on pedantry and careful eyes.

This quote is so excellent. 

Thanks for having a finger on the pulse of the Realms and being egalitarian.

Dan Hudon / N   

 Dan, your interesting character concept has blossomed into a wide-spanning plot that’s engaging more players all the time.  Thank you for the gift of your time and creativity in offering a depth of lore for us to explore, both online and in person.

Crystal Welch / Cressida

Crystal is such a sweet and caring person all the time. They constantly do check in when she knows that their friends are struggling or going through a tough time, and is always so enthusiastic and willing to lend a hand when needed. Many may not see what you do behind the scenes, but I do and I love your for it ❤️

Kai Yang / LukeJohn

I just wanted to say thank you to Kai for being a work horse yesterday and continually asking "how can I help?" throughout the day. From running out to get more supplies when the kitchen realized they were down on a few things to helping take trash out and more. You're appreciated!

Rob Ferullo / Gael

Gael always brings around such a wholesome and positive energy that can be super uplifting amid all the chaos and stress. It can be felt by others how kind and genuine you are, and it's good to have you around, keep up the great work!

Why I Want To Go - Neden BBQ 1026

by: Keith "Saegan" Cronyn

 Over the last several years Neden has done an amazing job of serving our community in various forms, often involving charities and merry making. 

The Neden BBQ is a fine example of that, being held on a nostalgic site to the realms, where many a war has been fought, there is a lot of history there. 

I think it was Temorse that coined the term camp chair tournaments, for me, but the Neden BBQ is a great example of that, everyone coming out, setting up chairs, and engaging in some wonderful, casual competition. While it’s not the only activity to have made an appearance in past BBQs, it’s a staple. 

Other activities, including, but not limited to, cornhole, the tournaments of sobriety, and poker. 

A favorite of mine that I hope to see an epic return, would of course be Judge Dresden. A game where crime always wins. Or finding clever ways to bribe the judge. I love this tournament, as it shows a truly unique, and interesting culture within Neden.

Lastly, I want to say I’m excited to find out what the prize table will have this year. In previous years, it has done really well to outshine many of the prizes in the realms, and is kind of a great well kept secret. With anything from in house magic items, to unique, but mundane weapons, to superb crafts, and just wonderous trinkets. The prize table never disappoints. 

I hope that does well to shine some light on why I’d want to go to Neden BBQ, and hopefully we’ll see you on the field!

What's it do? What's it do?

 In this continuing View feature, we show you a picture of a theoretical magic item. Then you go back to Facebook and in the comments, invent your idea for the powers that this item would have.

Here is this week's item:

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team

Realmsle #30

 

                       

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

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

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