Why I Want to Go-A Very Merry Yule at Uncle 'Crazy' Cecil's Tavern 2: FOR THE SHINE GORG!!!!!!

by Lani "Gwen" Jones

I can hardly believe that it’s the time of year again to celebrate Yule, but here we are. This is a flagship event for the Realms community, and some of my very best memories in Realms have come from it. If you’ve already decorated everything in your own space and you just can’t get enough, come out Friday to help trim the tree and transform Ye Old Commons into the cheery, festive environment we all look forward to. And if you’re a gambler, stick around for the 50 gold poker tournament on Friday night.

Saturday day there will be questing that I’m sure you won’t want to miss. I’ve had a ton of fun in the past both as a PC and NPC, and I know you will too. I love to see the questing party come in from an epic battle, warm up for a few, scarf a delicious snack, and head back out into the grounds for even more adventures. It’s also a great way to get some last minute exercise in before you stuff yourself silly with food and drink later in the evening.

And of course, it wouldn’t be Uncle Cecil’s without the appearance of Pater Yule and the gift swap. I love watching people unwrap thoughtful gifts and share in the merriment of giving. If you missed the opportunity to get in on either of these, then I encourage you to ooh and ahh over the things our amazing community shares with each other during this season. In the spirit of giving, don’t forget to participate in the auction for War Dogs Making it Home. You can also earn tickets by bringing unopened pet food to the event!

Ultimately what I love most about Cecil’s is the silliness and the love that we all share. Responsibly enjoy a few adult beverages, hug your friends, sit for epic pictures taken by the talented Matt Norris, wear your fanciest headwear, gamble the night away, and relax. Yule is here, and there is no better place to celebrate that then at Uncle Cecil’s.

Arc Sphere Distortions Continued...

By the View Staff based on the Steven Matulewicz series

Rumors for December 1018

[Across the Realms]

The Children of Lloth have been stirring. Spells and questions have been pointed from them to gods outside their realm, indicating an interest upon the Realms at large.
~~~
There has been a woman with orange eyes walking in the midst of the storms this past month. What has drawn attention is that her attire is not appropriate to the cold, and so most are wary to approach her, since the weather has not proven to bother her in any way. Any that have spoken with her claim they do not recognize her accent of the Common tongue, she will call them by name even if it is not given, and claim she is searching for something long lost.

[Blackwood]

Word around castle Clontarf is the Misses is not happy with Duke Tao. He was overheard after Tournaments of Artemis saying something about how his kids did great. Of course none of his natural born children were at the tournament as he keeps them away from the adventuring life. The misses has also been heard to say the castle is not her home.

[Chimeron]

Some old guy wearing a strange light brown hat and clothes with lots of pockets has been puttering around and scribbling in a notebook, then fleeing or jumping behind nearby objects upon making eye contact. After concerned peasants reported the odd behavior to local Militia, a brief investigation concluded that this strange traveler named "Matt" is likely harmless. His notes were largely incomprehensible, though there were frequent mentions of his nephew, exploring "outer space", and collecting "rollies."
~~~
In response to the defacement of Sir Iawen’s pylon project in Chimeron City, nighttime patrols around the work site have doubled.
~~~
Despite a hard year, a seemingly unconnected smattering of disparate families all around Chimeron seem to be living quite comfortably this Winter. Local gossips mostly attribute their neighbors' good fortune to a burgeoning crime operation, bargains with supernatural beings, or responsible bookkeeping and frugality.
~~~
A message from the Temple of Deidre: There has been a stirring within the Pantheons. Old gods thought long dead have been evoked. The universe stirs. The War against the Slaugh and the Strangers has begun to take shape, and to bring attention to the Firmament.
~~~
Over the past two weeks a variety of spherical objects have been reported missing. Most have been of no significant value, and thus far the ongoing Militia investigation has found no other connections between the missing items or their perplexed owners. Any information about these items' whereabouts or regarding further disappearances should be reported to the Militia immediately.

[Rhiassa]

A group of Jomsvikings were reported to have an audience with the Lords of Rhiassa. Shortly thereafter, dozens of adventurers descended on Cold Springs with the purpose of studying a document which was left by the Jomsvikings. The tome in question appears badly damaged, but seems to describe the operation of some kind of magical ship.

[Wendmor]

Following reports of magical trouble in the Free City, the Captain of the Chimeron Militia personally led a small response team to investigate. The soldiers seem to have taken up temporary station on their peaceful mission in the city, although the Captain has not yet issued an official report on regarding the incidents.

Ten More Questions- Tom Gallagher

10 More Questions with Tom "Aven Dar" Gallagher

Photo by Robyn Nielsen

1. What achievement either in or out of character are you most proud of?

The creation of the god Vandor. I feel that it has added to the game in a positive way and has provided many with some great roleplaying, it’s amazing to see people embrace an idea I came up with and give it a life of its own. Also squiring and knighting Kindrianna.

2. Are you a fighter or a caster? Have you always been? How did you choose?

I bounce back and forth based on what I feel like at the time. No matter what, you can be an effective combatant regardless of your restriction or build.

3. Have you ever owned an artifact, memento, or magic item that has meant a lot to you, and why?

I've had several, but two stand out. I earned the elven cloak at a summer fest years ago, and it was a defining moment for my character. Azurewrath, an angelic 6’6”, I made it an extension of myself in combat, if I ever needed to choose a weapon for a truly dire situation it would be Azurewrath.

4. What group of people do you spend the most time with and why?

That's a tough one, I have lots of friends all over the realms, Rhiassa, Folkestone, Voraniss and anyone sitting at the poker table I guess. There are many more such as Sir Vawn, Sir Radstar, Sir Iawen, Boom, my squire Sir Rillan. I could go on and on, but that's a good chunk of them.

5. Who is your best friend in character and why?

Over the years I've become very close to several people who are more like family than friends. Sir Vawn and Khol, my best men, Kindrianna and Hygar are like my kids. Velvet and Liselle my sisters. Elwick, Aeston, Malaki, Phoenix, and Faelinn, my work buddies.

6. What event or moment had the greatest impact on you as a player?

Sadly the death of a good friend, Buddy Wolfhope. It made face my own mortality and forced me to reprioritize my role and hopes for the realms. I'm going to play as long as I can and try to enjoy every moment of it while trying to improve it for my children, should they grow to love it as I have.

7. What event or moment had the greatest impact on your character?

It would be a tie between the building of my nation, Mythguard and the moment I had to accept that Mythguard was gone. Both have had the greatest impact on who I am today. Youth gives you so much and time slowly takes so much away, you can grow stronger from the pain or give in to it and die.

8. What is your most embarrassing moment, either IC or OOC?

Sorry. I don't really get embarrassed, nervous, or excited. I wish I did, life would be much more interesting I'm sure.

9. What is the best piece of advice you'd give to other players?

People are just people, no matter how important they seem to be, never let others decide your worth, learn who you are for yourself and then improve yourself and never stop. The only one who can stop you is you.

10. What is the most important thing you've learned through the game?

The experiences I've gone through in realms have collectively shaped so much of who I am I couldn't separate out the lessons. I think without realms I would be someone who hasn't saved his friends, led an army, hunted people in the woods for food or sieged a castle. Realms has made me and most importantly led me to my wife and then my children. Realms has made me and my family.

BONUS QUESTION #1: Who would you like to see the next interview be with?

Cronin or Artair

BONUS QUESTION #2: Anything else you'd like to take the opportunity to put into print?

All heroes die, by the sword or by the eye. All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.

What You Missed - Tournaments of Artemis VII

Huntress Team Captain Bree (Siona Gouthro):

Nataliya pushed me to run a Huntress team this year and I cannot thank her enough. This is the realms at it’s best. I spent the event with some of the best people I know. I was pushed by the other huntresses beyond what I thought I could do. I was taught that I know my teammates both better and worse than I thought I did. And the attitudes between the teams was wonderful. This is what I want to do. I want to spend time with my friends, be challenged by my peers and leave thinking these are people I want to know better than I do. I want to do this all again. Just not for awhile cause it is Monday night and it still hurts to move. 

Team Bree (and Killian) (photo by Jason Rosa)

Huntress Team Captain Kite (Alexa Lecko):

First off, I want to say thank you to Damien, Daegan, Sean Angus and Ranger for being on my team and wading with me into the fun chaos that was this event. I couldn’t have done it without you guys’ tireless support and I couldn’t have asked for anyone better in my corner. I also want to thank Shader, the marshals, and everyone who worked hard to make this event such a success. This year’s Huntress Tournaments were incredible in many ways. I’ve only just recovered range of motion in my limbs for how hard we were all fighting—that battle for the point was brutal and exhilarating. I haven’t fought this hard in a long time, and despite battling a cold and borderline anemia I really enjoyed going all out. 

The energy at the event was great—highly competitive, yet full of warmth and camaraderie. Fight after grueling fight, we all had nothing but friendliness and praise for each other. Bree, Kara and I struggled together as much as we struggled against each other, laughing with every surprising result, wild strike, and floor wipeout (mostly on my end). They were welcome and very formidable rivals. My only wish for next year is there to be a little more streamlining of the background activities between tournaments, as we ended up running a little behind in completing them. Otherwise, this was an energetic, challenging event, and I am very excited for its next iteration. Plus, I got a knife and a dragon! 

KFSS 

Kite

Team Kite (photo by Jason Rosa)

Huntress Team Captain Kara (Emily Murphy):

ToA was amazing this year! My team consisted of Torolf, Saegan, Gordon, and Daekara (who was added to help keep the teams even while still having people playing and having fun) and I couldn’t have asked for better people, both fighting wise and general personality wise. The other teams were phenomenal too! They worked clearly as a unit and were very clean throughout the entire day. But, the entire event wouldn’t have even happened if it weren’t for the staff. They put in time and work into making ToA really fun this year. The tournaments were well designed and the non-coms were really fun to play! I would also like the thank Eldrich (Neil Kusleika) for bringing food. In short, ToA was great this year, and if your thinking about running a team next year: Do it!

Team Kara (photo by Jason Rosa)

Event Photos:

Photo by Paul Tilton 

Photo by Paul Tilton

Photo by Paul Tilton

Photo by Paul Tilton

Photo by Paul Tilton

Photo by Paul Tilton

Winner: Kara! (Photo by Paul Tilton)

Why I Want To Go - Rhiassa Presents: Echos of Ragarok VI

By Ryan “Orion” Welch

"You can see the squares of canvas dancing over the horizon"

I’ve wanted to go to this event from the moment it was posted simply because Rhiassa’s annual UConn event is always going to be a good time. But a few weeks ago, I read the full event description and that’s when I knew I *really* wanted to go. A mission to the Moon? On a spaceship?? How could I possibly say no to that???

"You can hear the shanty wailing to the heaving of the men"

This will be the fourth time I’ve participated in an event that uses mechanics and themes centered on boats. All of these events rank among my favorite events that I’ve played in or helped run. I love “boat rules” events because of the way they inspire teamwork and cooperation from the entire party. There’s something intuitive about being part of a crew that operates a complex machine towards a common purpose that I have rarely experienced anywhere else.

"You can feel the seas up to your knees and you know the sea is rising"

With so many different plots active in the Realms right now, it’s hard for any one person to feel invested in all of them. I mean no offense to the Rhiassan event staff when I say that I have not given my full attention to the story they are trying to tell, because it is in no way their fault (anyone who knows anything about Orion is aware that most of my in-character attention has been focused on stopping the Risen Kingdom). With that said, though: I have been to almost every event in this plotline and I have enjoyed them immensely. The event staff is very skilled at providing a diversity of content to their players and making sure that those of us who are along for the ride still have plenty to do. My friends who are deeply engaged with the plot also enjoy playing in these events, so it’s pretty hard to not have a good time.

"And you know The Clipper’s day has come again!"

As every one of its predecessors has done, this event will combine exciting combat, interesting puzzles, and an immersive world under the skilled guidance of a veteran event staff. And when you add to that mix “boat rules in space”, the result is an event for which I am super excited, perhaps more so than any other event in my Realms career.

Arc Sphere Distortions Continued...

By the View Staff based on the Steven Matulewicz series