Meme Monday

 By the Meme Team

Regionals from Divine Intervention II

At Divine Intervention II, the players started with access to only Rexan regional magic, which was... unsuitable, perhaps, for guaranteeing their success. As they built and consecrated temples in the War Camp, however, they had the opportunity to gain access to regional magic from other gods and goddesses. They were able to write this regional magic themselves. Some of those regional paths appear below.

Aurora

1. Aurora's Light- Un-distruptable Light

2. Aurora's Protection- Aura of protection as per the spell but works with mega poison, if hit with mega poison the spell ends and cannot be recharged

3.  Aurora's Sacrifice- VC "Sacrifice" allows the caster to take any and all wounds upon themself from another recipient up to and including rendered soulless

4. Aurora's Last Hope- Divine aid as per the spell but will always be to Aurora, VC "Divine aid to Aurora"

5. Purity to Megapoison- Purity as per the spell but with Megapoison

6. Circle of Faith- Allows the caster to create a circle of healing with the spell combat raise dead within it. 

The Fae Courts

1.  Moth-Rider Contract - 1 use magic missle

2.  Selfish heal limb - 3 word verbal, self only heal limb

3. Fae Task - Order a lesser fae to complete a task, they must do it to the best of their ability

4.  Iron Will - Immune to any mind altering effects. Must be wearing heraldry of the True Court. A true member of the court cannot be swayed from their path.

5. Courtly Gift - Make a gift/sacrifice to the Tuatha de Danann, and they shall respond in kind to your gift.

6. Not There - Surprise! You were really a changeling the whole time! At any point, you can activate Not There and return to the tavern unharmed, even if dead or soulless.

Solarus

1. Tools of War- Items actively wielded are unbreakable

2.  Hymn of Restoration- Repair Armor with a 20 word verbal instead of tippity tapping

3.  Inspire the Troops- perform a grand speech for 5 minutes, and afterwards all listeners gain 1 call of "Resist Death"

4. Wrath of Solarus- 10 second rage

5. Back to the Fray- 30 words, cures anything front with you, raises you, and repairs your armor

6. Bring Peace through War- kneel 30 sec out of combat, 1 swing of Armor Piercing

Dionin's Regionals

1. Bleed Aspis - 1 use - render 1 Aspis soulless to regain 1 casting of a 1st or second circle spell. If taken in a higher circle slot, you may regain 1 casting of a spell up to 1 circle higher. Cannot recharge 6th circle spells.

2. Ultra Mega Poison - 1 use, prep with 5 wipes - Call ULTRA MEGA POISON on your next swing. It probably will not do anything, but you get a cooler combat call than the Aspis. Take THAT, Rexan!

3.  <missing>

4. Aspis Go Boom - this spell is like Magic Missile, but against Aspis . . . and other things. It's actually just the spell Magic Missile. Look, it fits the theme. Deal with it.

5. Dionin's Hand Manifest - 3 uses, 20 words - you may render soulless or break objects with similar blows 10x faster than normal. The spell ends if you go 30 seconds without striking a rendering or breaking blow. If you render at least 1 creature soulless while the spell is active, your weapon becomes charged. After the spell ends, the next swing of the charges weapon calls Disenchant.

6. Last Stand of the Death God - 1 use, 30 words - Cast this spell on yourself or another. Once the target becomes the only living creature they can see (look around), they gain a 30 second forced regeneration and must attack living things at all times. They may choose to first target enemies if they are available, but will attack allies if they are not. This spell can only be ended by rendering the target soulless or Disenchant. 

Vesta

1 - Pas, But It Works

It's Pas, but it works.

2 - Darning

Infinite repair armor, but you have to be sitting and 10 feet from weapons. A second learning lets you do two locations simultaneously.

3 - Stories Around the Fire

Better CoP, stays up for as long as the caster is telling a story (idk why we proposed this with unlimited uses... Cressida could keep a circle up forever)

4 - Raise Bread

Potion of Combat Raise Dead, but the MC is food and the effect triggers when the target finishes eating.

5 - Mystic Kitchen

Like Circle of Healing/Mystic Forge but can be charged with any Vesta Regional 5th circle or below

6 - Get Home Safely

Basically Second Chance that you cast on another person rather than yourself. Also it doesn't force you to drop stealable things or raise you afterwards.

Stories from Divine Intervention II - Part 2

Nearly a decade passed before Dalindana was free and Chan was coaxed back to the surface. Ultimately it was James Swift who made contact with Chan and drew him back to the Realms with an opportunity to undo the consequences of his negligence and to reclaim the lands of Darkvale.

The night before the war it was The Red Knight that suggested that if Chan sought redemption that he seek to right the wrongs he had done and to not leave the battlefield with any regret in his heart. Once the army had finally destroyed The Disciple and marched on Darkvale City Chan finally understood his role. The gods had provided a holy hand grenade to destroy Rexan once the evil god had been forced to take an earthly form. Chan said his goodbyes just in case. If anyone was going to fall upon that bomb to shield others it would be him. It was his choice. His path. His redemption.

Time came to face Rexan. His blade, Valor, felt extremely effective as he struck at the any heads of the evil god. Finally a tear was ripped into the stomach of the great beast and without hesitation Chan grabbed the grenade and rushed to lodge it deep within the beasts form. Others began to run, but Chan knew it was too late and accepted his fate.

A godslaying blast struck him and several others. Some narrowly escaped with the aid of their "Knight"ly powers. 

They were dead, but lingering in some form of limbo.

Chan looked about and saw many heroes of the past and newer adventurers of great potential and decided it was not their time.

He touched the Tear of Aurora he has been carrying in his pocket and called out to Dalindana. He pledged himself to her service as a member of her Silver Legion. He simply begged that she let him be a shield for the others. 

"You know that you cannot return to them if you do that. Not ever as a mortal. Are you certain."

"Absolutely. No regrets."

So lived and died Sir Chan Ottokar.

Sir Chan Ottokar, Justari's Benevolence

Knight of the Red Branch

Knight of the Crown

Knight Avatar of Chimeron

Angel of the Silver Legion

Avatar of Justari

I got to use the Vesta regionals for the first time. I had been planning to make them last all day, maybe ride a spell reset (or two!) and cast Orion’s Final Spell in time for the night quest. I soon realized that I needed to shorten that timeline significantly—get as much use out of my spells as I could as quickly and possible, because I was not going to make it to the next spell reset like this. My Militia and my Company needed me.

Actually, as I think on it more, there were some stand out moments on that field. I got a lot of mileage out of Pas, But It Works. I even discovered that I could cast it while dead! (Story: I was killed in the enemy backfield moments after I made a mad dash to help Cecil Get Home Safely. It worked and I’m content with that trade. I was at risk of being rendered out a third time when the NPC said “give us some cookies and we’ll leave your corpse alone.” I did, and they did. Pas, But It Works.)

- Ryan "Orion" Welch

As grueling as the battle was, there were a couple dozen times when I called out across the field to give instructions to members of our Militia, of Chimeron, or to our many friends fighting alongside us. Almost every one heard their name, realized their part in our formation, and followed instructions to work with their nearest allies and prevent a collapse of our line, capture a point, or get our dead or injured back for healing. Each time, I felt a surge of gratitude for their trust, skill, and battlefield awareness.(And of course, pride in Chimeron and the Militia, for them in particular).

- Pat "Saka" Bobell

In the flag battle i got to play rock paper scissors for some meat. Which was the either dead or soulless body of Sir Chan. It was fun. After the aspis tried to brake our accord but i pointed my axe at them and said I am a fae, you will not break a bargain with me. And they left, and i ran away with my well earned corpse.

- Zack "Bogen" K

I didn't know what I'd do during this fight [the bridge battle] as a one path. At first, I thought I'd be healing people but more dedicated casters had that covered with the infinite raise banner. Thankfully, I brought my big shield and dagger combo and Orion saw me and physically plopped me down in the front to block the pikes. I could keep my self up faster than the Aspis could hit me so Frontline shield worked really well with my one path build.

- Noah "Jogaiła"

Orion is a knight of many talents, but at his core he has the soul of military commander. Despite that, there have only been a few times in his career as an adventurer where he has so fully invoked his true nature.

As we reached The Cut, I called for our backfield circles to be set up in a hurry. Bridge battles demand a lot of supporting magic and we couldn't afford to waste any time. The healers, blacksmiths, and banner carriers knew how crucial they would be here and took their positions quickly. Confirming this, I turn to make my way to the front, but Cecil stops me.

"The Warlord is in the field. Sir Orion, this is your battle."

The change is instant. Orion is Saka's second, so I am more than prepared for this. Just as a soldier would draw their sword, I reach for the ears and minds of the army. My grip is steady; like a blade, the assembled forces of Chimeron and our allies become an extension of myself. We march forward, plant our feet, and the horizon of reality draws in close around me. There is nothing else in the universe beyond this narrow bridge. There is nothing beyond the enemy and their immense shields, nothing except the road towards victory. The Rexan's forces will not stop us. Rexan cannot stop us. This is my bridge. You are in my way, and you will die.

There is no room on this bridge for such trivial things as minutes, hours, and seconds. There is no space for numbers less than one or greater than two. "Head one!" "We need armor over here!" "Head two!" "We need armor over here!". Three makes room for itself. "On my mark, one step forward! Three, two one, MARK!".

People come off the line. People come on the line. We press forward yet it seems as if our backfield never gets any farther away. Tarnisha--bless her and bless her hammer--keeps the armor up. I put shields on the line, and pikes on the line. I drop them into position, each a brick in our mighty wall. "On my mark, one step forward!"

...

We crossed more than just The Cut on that bridge. We crossed a threshold. In the heat of battle, true heroes had been forged. Relentless, driven, unstoppable heroes. Every shield, every blade, every arrow, every spell--as we crossed that bridge, these things were blessed not by the gods but by our own mortal will. Rexan didn't stand a chance.

...

Looking back on it, I'm taken aback by the parallels between this fight and the one we faced in the Olivine Fields. Saka and I--brothers in arms and sworn commanders for our Kingdom--basically swapped placed. One of us was afield trying to get around the Aspis lines to subvert their defenses while the other directed the main power of the assembled armies.

Personally, there was another element as well. I said that Orion is a military commander, but there was something about this fight that made it different from any other battle he has ever been in.

When Cecil gave me that order, it was backed by a level of trust I've never felt before--not from Cecil, because I know he trusts me, but trust in myself. In every battle previous, I had been Squire Orion Mars, and I always had something to prove. But now I was Sir Orion, Avatar of Chimeron, and I had nothing to prove. That feeling was powerful and freeing.

- Ryan "Orion" Welch

I was on the front lines of the Battle of The Cut. Our advance was stalling out, and I was down on my knees, with pikes and swords crashing down on my shield and clashing right over my head. My world had shrunk to my shield in front of me, My borrowed mace held over my head, the bridge wall to my right, and Grarr to my left. We were getting pounded, and I was sure it was only a matter of time before the line broke, when I heard a voice pierce all that chaos:

- Zack "Anthony Warder" E.

I remember howling with the fury of a thousand fae, the hunt surging through my veins with generations and cycles pushing me to rip and tear and kill, and the song of my pack hunting with me and their blades tearing through armor and snake scale

- Hillary "Tara" Fotino

I remember being called upon by Ser Kovaks just after we broke through the door at the end of the tunnels. We were together when the adventurers circled the Disciple, and Ser Kovaks drew the knife in full view of the enemy. The Disciple was entirely focused on Ser Kovaks, paying no attention to the other adventurers that encircled him.

Including the Militiaman that stabbed him in the back 

After revealing the knife to the Disciple, Ser Kovaks passed it to me, then kept the enemy's attention. I circled around, at the back edge of the group, looking for an opening. When I found one, I stepped in and swung Redemption, rendering the Disciple mortal. Having spent the element of surprise, and armed with only a knife, I withdrew behind my comrades and let them attack. However, I later found myself near the still-living Disciple, so I stabbed him four more times in the back, after which he finally went down, and I returned the blade to Ser Kovaks to render him soulless.

- Zack "Anthony Warder" E.

Someone legit ran with the orb out in the open to the porch. I followed them to stop them from being stupid. Everyone died. Then I ran back to get reinforcements talking about how we’d been overrun and the orb was stolen and we needed to make a last stand. And as I grabbed the king and many members of the militia to stage a rescue, the party came back unharmed. Apparently someone regenerated, killed the snakes behind their backs, yeeted the orb into the pedestal, and then revived the others and returned.

- Bri "Margaret August" Marie

Five of us standing out in the back path defending a pedestal from wave after wave of Aspis as we waited for Vesper to return with an orb. We were surrounded many times but we were able to defend for a solid half hour without fail. We had back up show up after that and they were able to help drive back the Aspis for a time until Vesper arrived. Once he got there we dropped off the orb and made our way back to the main fight.

- Travis "Elwin" Wilcox

Around this time last week I was half asleep and stumbling to... I was well hydrated when I went to bed. From the boat house I was hearing dozens of overlapping voices "AP Poison, AP Poison" " Boulder, Poison boulder, Poison Boulder".  Was there an AP Poison Boulder too? Idk.

My thoughts: Thats a lot of equipment that is gonna be fragged. But I'm soooo tired!

I finished my mission, dragged myself back up the hill and fetched my spell book.

Still in only my chemise(white nightgown) and cloak, shoes loosely crammed on my feet; Still half asleep, I recognize his Majesty's voice in the dark. And have a direction.

I ask, sleep cracking my voice, "Your Majesty, do you need me to drop a Forge or something?" dreading the answer.

He replied, " Nah, we got this, we'll be fine. Go back to bed." Relief! 

If I wasn't so close to catatonic, I would have been thrilled. Looking back, I was as close to thrilled as I was capable of mustering at the time. Best King's Orders ever!

- Amber "Tarnisha" Fox

We teleported in, I wasn't holding weapons, and I opened my eyes/appeared and there was Tuilli to my left (good, safe!) and someone Fern didn't recognize (Alex, EH) to the right. Immediately my right arm went halfway up, I took a half step toward Tuilli (who was holding a weapon!) all between realizing there was someone unfamiliar and realizing they weren't a threat. Yay! Fighting instincts lol

And then that switched to trying to ID the gods, and keep up with the plot. I was going to try writing things down - I had only my journal after all, but even with my nightvision that wouldn't have gone great. Better to live in the moment. And not get called out by a god or something.

- Kelly "Fern"

At Clontarf Shuffle, I converted from a fighter into a 3-path, mostly divination, in order to learn as much as I could about the war. Every week I sent the EHs a long list of spells, carefully crafted and each with a guidance to unskew whatever the actual question was. From this I learned about the history of Redemption and how to reforge it. I saw how to help the civilians, and I had a look of insight into the undead stuff we dealt with before the Champion.

I'm not going to lie. I was stressed out. I had so many questions, and so many things I felt like I hadn't accounted for, and yet I didn't know what was left to uncover. So I cast the following:

Guidance #1: Divinations about me and my plans are not skewed. Is the statement written here true?

Yes

Prophecy: Kovaks is exhausted. They have managed to get a few hours of fitful sleep in here and there between forging weapons, making plans, gathering information, coordinating people, answering questions, scouting the borders, reinforcing the city of Brighton, and, of course, other divinations. They say into the cosmos and to The Powers That Be, "We have two weeks left. There is so much we know and so much we still don't know. I feel like I have done everything and I feel like I have done nothing at all. The king has told me that this is the most prepared he can remember an army ever being for a war, and yet I can't shake the feeling that I'm missing something obvious. Or at least something important. Clear my mind and help me to see what questions I should be asking, what preparations I should be making, and what is important to this fight that may have slipped my mind."

You see a duck, a mallard with its regal green head proudly held high. It walks a straight line, it fears no stones to trip over, it wastes no time considering the directions it chooses not to walk. Behind it walks a canvasback, strong and sure, loyal and brave. Behind it walks a muscovy, its red plumage a sight to behold. Behind it walks a plumed duck, looking fierce and free. Behind it walks a white duck, glowing with purity. Behind it walks a marbled duck, wise and prepared. Behind it walks a bufflehead duck, its thoughts are scattered but its mind is at ease. Behind it is a scaup duck, walking with confident steps, ready to strike at prey. Following in this straight line is duck after duck after duck, all of them making strides without faltering, all of them prepared for their trek. These ducks are in a row.

This had me laughing so hard when I read it, in the middle of fight practice. Some of you saw me there, passing my phone around.

I guess I was more prepared than I thought I was

- Becky "Kovaks" Baron

Editorial on Divine Intervention II - JB's Take

Hey there, Jean here. 

Quick question. What dies first, legacy or mortality? If, during the course of human events, every member of your nation has, like slowly over the course of generations, been replaced soul by soul, does the flag you wave still mean anything? 

What weight is carried in a grudge older then hero carrying its burden. And, when that score is settled, does it belong to the generation who wrote the grudge, or the ones who crossed it out?

Welcome to Darkvale, a stunning metropolis with no crime and full bellies. Because, there can be no criminals if there isn't a citizenry. The Aspis prosper, their minds empty of any thoughts, but the infinite coils of Rexan's fell plans, rendering the entire nation an aggressive example of a planned economy. Every member is equal in that every member is a facet of Rexan's will. You can argue with them, you can shake their hand, but the Aspis, aren't really there. There is only a concept of a Aspis, rendered in meat like a lesser man renders stone into a statue.

And yet some people have taken it upon themselves to ruin a perfectly good communist dictatorship, all because, if they didn't, the family dog would pee on the carpet.

Backstory: Rexan is the god of poison, deceit, and and snakes. The Autocrat of Assassinations, Master of the Hidden Death. He first showed up 30 years ago in the ascension wars, only to lose, because uh, no one really cared about him. Flash forward a few years and the Coiled Conscious had wriggled their way into Darkvale, using the powers of Dissension to twist the populace into aspects of his own conscious. Through cruelty and cleverness he had hampered, harassed, and griefed the Realms, taking their wholesome, family values oriented invasions, and making them significantly more inconvenient. Every attempt to thwart him has failed in one way or another, culminating in the Shadow Wars, where Rexan backed the foul Jonas Cooke, seeing the psychotic shade lord as another useful puppet to dangle on his string.

Except, that puppet didn't last. His power was taken from him, along with his life, by Shadow, in what is known to layman, as the Greatest Mugging in inter dimensional history.

Rexan, backed into a corner, did what any brave soul did. He got drunk on 3 cases of Crimson Viper Vodka, got in a drunken facebook rant about the Rogue build being discontinued, and quit the game, encasing the entire nation in a narrative firewall.

That was until Vawn, the world's greatest hero, decided to do something truly worth the Summerlands. With nothing more than a pen, and a wish from Santa Claus, he found a quest worthy of entering the hall of heroes. With sword in hand he rushed into the halls of Asmodeus, and freed the God of Balance from the traitorous hand of his own Avatar. A effort that cost Vawn his life.

This quest was met with complete ingratitude by the heavily neutered Wolflord, and the populace who now had to deal with the antics of the Anticless God. Garm, serving his role as the Moral Accountant of the Divine, had crunched  the numbers and what he found a deficit, not in the balance of good and evil, but in divinity itself.

To put it plainly, there were too many gods, and not enough people to give a shit about them. The multitude of wargods is as endless as species of beetles and yet the heroes, the faithful can only say "Um, I killed like, 3 gods last summer, why should I care about YOU Darkon Deathbringer?" This has created a Sellers Market on Sacrilege, with the going price of miracles having never been cheaper, with Divine Intervention having plummeted from a seventh circle spell to a sixth. With power cheaper than piety, the faithless threatened to outnumber the faithful, and heaven will fall from the sky, crashing, with the cold gravitational pull of reality.

Or... something. Look Garm is not a man of words, he is a man of action. And his actions were simple. Knowing the conflict driven nature of the realms he came up with an ultimatum. Start a holy war against one of the greater gods, the big faith guzzlers, pitting faithful against faithful, or Garm will, methodically, war with every god himself, killing every follower. Either the world was going to cut these empty platitudes, fighting for their divine, or they will not, and let all of them, even Garm himself, sink into oblivion. Either way, Garm's duty would be done.

Because, Garm put himself in the list, allowing the Realms to try to put the death knights back in their graves. However, the Realms didn't pick Garm, there were other enemies with older grudges.

Specifically Rexan, the eternal second string sociopath, and, as previously mentioned, the Realms can only fight what has inconvenienced them. Garm, made the inconvenience and finally Rexan could be put to task.

But how DO you kill a god?

Gameplay: Turns out killing a god is very simple. All you have to do is throw a ball in the hole. The only thing is you have to build the ball with the blessings of three different gods to create a Godwounder, and you have to carve the hole out of Rexan's flesh through blessed instruments. And all you have to do in order to do that is hold Rexan in place by casting Seven Holy Auroran orbs, each infused with the Mantra of the great saint Psy Gangam. And all it takes to do that is to ensure that Rexan's Champion is dead to ensure that Rexan would be weak enough to imprison in the first place.

Now things get VERY simple. Because the only thing you need to do is kill the Champion is to use a specially forged dagger after killing all three of Rexan's Avatars. And to kill Rexan's Avatars you simply have to win the chances to slay them in the most hallowed of God slaying traditions, the Green and Gold Tournament.

And of course  you have to build a fully functional war camp with the power of teleportation. It's so easy a child could do it. And I know this because, several children DID do it.

But to do that, you better know how to finger paint.

You see the Just God does not believe in a free lunch. He believes in a specific kind of lunch. The kind that is eaten atop a girder in black and white footage.

You see there is a glue stick on the table, and unless that glue stick is empty by the time he gets back, there are going to be words.

The Just God wants a tiny house, and by himself, if you want those regional spells, you are going to build that tiny house, or heavens have mercy on you. For the Slithering thought will not.

But how can you build a tiny house? With popsticks? No you fool, you use them with effort gems.

Effort gems are the manifestation of hardwork, using the only method that old people can conceive of it as, in shiny, economically stable transferrable currency, unaffected by the Blackwood Bacondollar.

Do you honestly think that simply because you hand stitched a flag that it means anything? Without the appropriate amount of capital harvested by picking it up off the ground? 

The fields of liberty must be watered with the bloods of patriots. Not your patriots of course, but the patriots of the rich, plentiful, effort filled torsos of the Rexan Apsis.

Coincidentally all arranged in a convenient natural hallway in the middle of the field, leading up to a single anvil integral to the formation of the only tool that can kill the Disciple.

Who is the Disciple, why only the champion of Rexan, you can tell because he has a funny hat.

I like that hat, it has a little snake on it. And the sheer, unfathomable drip exuding from that little snake works as a protective wreath, shielding his chad body from the feeble blows of the Incel armored red knight, easily piercing his feeble heavy plate armor as the Red knight's blades helplessly bounced off the Disciples single tshirt and blue tabard.

Listen it's called fashion, maybe the heroes should have spend some of those seer spells, on sourcing some gucci chainmail, and maybe, they'd have had a better time of it.

Instead, the group fled, their dagger securely in their grasp, and their pockets jingling with the stolen labor of the Aspis peasantry.

And thats what we in the Realms call, a typical Friday night.

The King's Awards - Divine Intervention II

Awards given by King Alexander Cecil at the battlefield court following the victory in Darkvale against Rexan and the Aspis:

- Anthony Warder was made page to the King in recognition of his potential.

- Bogen was named squire to the King in recognition of the trust the King has in him.

Tokens of the King's Esteem are an award given exclusively to Chimeronians who have done a great service to the crown. In gratitude for all of the actions of the previous day, from scouts, to leadership, to active combat in the battle to reclaim Darkvale, the King proclaimed that he would recognize everyone in the army as part of his Chimeronian family for the weekend, making the awards available to all. The following Tokens of the King's Esteem were awarded for exemplary service to the cause:

- Mayumi, for an army marches and fights on its belly, and she kept those bellies fed; in addition she was made a lady of the court and given permission to use the title Lady by the crown.

- James Swift, for much of the backend planning that lead to our success; given the title Royal Siege Engineer for the many devices he invented and brought to the field.

- Sir Elwin, for joining and aiding in the battle with the might of Stonewood and its army; in addition Stonewood was offered membership StoneSheild Alliance by the King and Baron Diamond.

- Sir Tao, for killing Rexan’s Knight in the Temple, and gaining access to Rexan’s Greatest Poison which was used to turn mortals to Aspis.

- Margaret, for extreme bravery in killing Rexan's Champion in the Field of Ghosts, and gaining access to Rexan's Skull of Death, in addition made a page by Sir Laika.

- Anthony Warder, for killing the Disciple with Justari's holy knife, Redemption, and gaining access to the Odious Head of the Snake. 

- David of the Barony, for his command of the rank and file militia.

- Elora, for carrying the hilt of Redemption to the forge, and being a direct target of the Disciple.

- Ryu, for stepping up as the field commander to defend the forge; in addition made a member of the King's 12.

- J’ortsa, for forging many maces for the war effort. 

- Leanna, Shiek, Kyram, Kirel, Irri, Cressida, for active support with of the army as blacksmiths and healers.

- Ypnn, for the organization and dissemination of knowledge through the Order of the Lantern; in addition made a member of the King's 12.

- Fern, for gathering information for new adventurers, and designing the recruitment posters that brought both heroes and morale to the war effort; in addition made squire to Ser Kovaks.

- Aranel, for meticulous and copious crafting prior to the event, helping to win the war with fabric and thread.

- DelHemar, for having the foresight to prepare the ability to heal the denizens of Darkvale who had been changed to Aspis.

The crown recognized Ser Kovaks, Lord of House Sorbus, as the rightful Count of Darkvale. They have been charged with making two of their followers into Barons to serve and lead the tamed and wild lands in Darkvale, now known respectively as the Sorbus and the Viridis.

Finally, the crown recognized two Knight Avatar of Chimeron. Dubbed simultaneously were:

- Ser Kovaks for a decade of effort to win back Darkvale for the crown

- Sir Chan, for wielding the weapon that killed Rexan and then sacrificing himself to save several others from the resulting God  power manifest; as an embodiment of both Justari's Cudgle and Salve, Chan has been named Justari's Benevolence, a title he carries with him to serve as an angel in Dalendana's Silver Legion 

Battlecry!

 Battlecry!

This is a weekly bulletin for practices in the Realms.  Practices are one of the most important facets to the Realms, it is a place where many people are introduced to the game, as well as a place to enjoy the company and meet new members of the community.  Even if you are not a fighter, it is still a great form of exercise, as well as a way to hone your combat skills, which is an important skill for helping out at events while NPCing.  A lot of what makes a great combatant in the Realms has to do with muscle memory and building a good intuition for combat, which can only happen with consistent practice, so make sure to try and stop by your local practice as often as possible

Monday

Camelot Summer Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1858)

7:30pm-9:30pm - Camelot Barn and Field, Berlin, MA

Details

• Practice consists of a mix of individual and group combat.

• Water refills are available if need be, bring your own container.

• Public restrooms available on site.

• Loaner weapons are very limited, plan on bringing your own.

• Masks are optional.

Important Notes

• This site is part of a neighborhood. Please be respectful of the people who live here.

Weather

• A high chance of rain this week, check in with the SMAS or Realms Discord server for updates to this week's practice.

Tuesday

Western Massachusetts Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1857)

6:00pm-8:00pm - West Street Playground, Ludlow, MA

Details

• Practice consists of a mix of individual and group combat.

• Loaner weapons are/are not available?

• Water is not available, bring your own water.

• Public restrooms are available on site.

• Masks are optional?

• This is outdoors and inclement weather is very likely to limit attendance.

Important Notes

• None this week.

Weather

• It is going to be a great day for practice, sunny and in the mid 60’s.

Wednesday

Nashua Blackwood Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1857)

4:00pm-8:00pm -Greely Park (Concord St), Nashua, NH

Details

• Practice consists of a mix of individual, squad, and line battles, as attendees prefer.

• Loaner weapons are available.

• There is no water on site, bring your own.

• Public restrooms are available on site.

• While a few people might be there around 4:00, 5:00 is a more likely time to get started.

• We set up near the grills and tables on the West side of Concord St, just off the access road to the north of the public restrooms.

• Masks are optional.

• This is outdoors and inclement weather is very likely to limit attendance.

Important Notes

• Considering doing some War Maneuver practice ahead of the upcoming war event this weekend, Divine Intervention 2.

Weather

• This week will have excellent weather; partly cloudy, in the mid to high 60’s.

Thursday

Central CT Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1860)

6:00pm-9:00pm - Rye Street Park, South Windsor, CT

Important Notes

• Practice consists of a mix of individual training and if attendees are interested, team combat and combat games.

• Loaner weapons available.

• Water fountains are available in season, best to bring your own drinking water however.

• Public restrooms available on site.

Updates

• None this week.

Weather

• It is going to be a perfect day for practice this week, mostly sunny and in the low 70’s to  high 60’s.

Stratham Hill Fight Practice (https://www.realmsnet.net/events/1859)

6:00pm-8:00pm - Stratham Hill Park, Stratham, NH

Important Notes

• Practice consists of individual combat for the first half, and ditch style team combat for the second half.

• Masks are optional.

• Loaner weapons are available.

• Water is available on site, but bring your own container.

• On-site bathroom.

Updates

• None this week.

Weather

• It is going to be a great day for practice this week, partly cloudy and in the low 60’s.

Featured Drill: Distance Training

Distance training is one of the most important, albeit boring, drills out there.  Distance training focuses on teaching combatants how to intuitively gauge distance between themselves and their opponent.  This drill works best with a larger group, and having a single person running the drill who isn’t fighting.  This doesn’t have to be a single person if you want to rotate between rounds.

This drill requires people to pair off and doesn’t involve any actual fighting.  The pairs should have mismatched weapon lengths, which I suggest using similar weapon lengths, like a 3’ and a 3’8”, a 3’8” or a 4’6” and a 5’, or a 5’ and a 6’6”.  The person running the drill will start the drill and run it for a random period of time, usually between 1 and 3 minutes.  The pairs will begin to move back and forth with the person with the shorter weapon leading, attempting to stay close enough where they could extend their arm and hit their opponent with their weapon, or far enough away to be out of reach of their opponent.  Their opponent will react to their movement, trying to keep out of reach of their opponent, while still staying in reach with their longer weapon.  After the 1-3 minutes elapses the person running the current round of the drill will call a stop or blow a whistle, where both participants in the drill will stop moving and checking their weapons, if the shorter weapon is within striking distance (without leaning or stepping forward) or outside of the longer weapons reach they win, while the longer weapon user wins if they are out of reach of their opponent while still being in range of striking them with their longer weapon.

I would suggest running this drill a few times and then changing pairs or at least changing who has the longer weapon.

Meme Monday

 Special guest video meme by Eric "Rosetta" Willisson, so it can be preserved forever.

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