Ask Syruss of Neden

Ask Sir Syruss

Sir Syruss is a seasoned adventurer with over 10 years of experience slaughtering undead and charming the ladies, beating up bad guys, frustrating good guys, and grossing out the ladies. So if you have a question no matter how bizarre, weird or funny (the funnier the better, then we can sell more issues of the View), consider asking the man who loves to tell you how to live your life……..even though no one tells you how to live your life. (OOC- Questions for Sir Syruss should be sent to View staff at aearlegray@gmail.com)

Dear Syruss,

What do you do when you find yourself in the middle of a quest you have no reason to be on and don't care about? Do you pack up and head home? Find something to keep you entertained? Or do you cause trouble and make your own fun (because you know I hear you do that sort of thing)?

Your Friend and Secret Admirer,

Questing Troubles



Dear Un-Entertained Explorer,

Great question! Are you finding yourself killing more rats in a basement this weekend? Or perhaps you are sick of running this guy’s letters to this store clerk who gives you another package to give to his wife but she won’t sign for it until you find her long lost pen which somehow is being guarded by rats in the basement (fetch quests am I right?).  Or does this sound familiar: you fought your way through the castle, slaying all the minions, only to find the princess is in another castle? (Man I hate that).

Sometimes you find yourself stuck on cruise control in a situation that feels like deja-vu: you have been here and done that, you don’t care that the evil wizard released a curse to send a small village to foreign lands where they all forget their memories and need to be saved by a child and a book - YOU JUST DON’T CARE!!!!!!

So what do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO?!?!?!?!?!?!?! (Oh yeah, this is my part!). Here are a few things I do.

 1. What got you to go on this quest? Perhaps it was a fellow countryman’s idea. If so, why are they here? What’s important to them? More importantly, can you help them solve their problem or find their thing fast and get the heck out of there? If you are questing for the sake of a friend, it is good to help them finish up their goals. Remember why you said you would be there in the first place: the Magic of Friendship. Plus, if you can swallow the fact that you are helping them kill 100 rats today,  maybe they’ll owe ya one and go on a quest with you. (So one thing to try is helping someone today so someone can help you on a future quest).

2. How are the fighting forces of this quest? Does it seem like the Eastern Front is doing better because you didn’t split the armies correctly? This surely means the countries guarding the Western Flank are being pummeled with siege engines and dragons and all kind of exciting stuff. So if you are bored because the quest is a cake walk, go help the Western Flank - I guarantee they need the help. (Next thing you can consider, helping the Western Flank).

3. Perhaps you like more of a challenge, and frankly this gorilla monster throwing flaming barrels on you so you can save a princess is too easy and thus less fun. Make this more challenging on yourself! Perhaps you are the greatest hand-and-a half fighter who ever lived, but have gotten knocked out in the first round of every sword and shield contest you have ever entered, EVER. Well, take this opportunity to learn a new style. Maybe you have been relying on those seer spells to get you the answers you need for the past year, and your brain needs more of a challenge. Try seeing what others can come up with for clues and try solving the problem based off of other people’s information (or sometimes lack of information). I guarantee this is harder and more challenging. So break out your magnifying glass and start sleuthing your answers to solve this mystery! (Third thing to spice up the event, try something new and challenging. It may be a new fighting style, a new support casting build, perhaps a new roleplaying schtick. Either change is good as it keeps things fresh and it rounds you out as an adventurer).

4. Lastly, cause trouble!!!!!!! That’s right,  go nuts, but probably not too nuts. Make a deal with a bad guy, accept a contract to assassinate someone, steal that box of gold no one is watching. Do other people hate you? Sure. But hey, you’re having fun now right? Just remember the age-old adage: don’t take that thing if you can’t handle being hunted down by a collective army. (Last thing you can try, wait did you try the Western Flank yet? You did? Ok then, yeah, the last thing you can try is some good old-fashioned mischief - nothing crazy but enough to keep things light, friendly, and interesting).

There ya have it folks, some great things to try when you’re bored out of your mind. Remember it just like Lord Sir Nymbous O’Leary the Great and Powerful (he wants me to start using his titles) always says - “When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things.”

I hope this helps, sorry if it doesn’t but tune in next week for another adventure of ASK SYRUSS!

Love,

Sir Syruss O’Leary (now of NEDEN, Brand new look, same great taste)

Knight of the Potentium
Knight of the Blue Rose
Question Master Extraordinary
Master of Microphones
Order of the List
Apex Predator of the Realms
All-around good guy

Gray Erikkson’s recollections of Green vs Gold

Good evening, gentlemen.  Gray Erikkson am I, sorcerer, shipwright, sea captain!  This seems a fine drinking establishment.  Mind if I slide in here?  Good of you young fellow.  Now, if I could just get a mug of that mead…

You wish a tale?  I suppose I can provide.  Indeed, I’ve just been to one of the Realms’ most lighthearted romps, Green vs Gold, a tournament pitting the young and strong vs the old and treacherous!  There’s a tale worth telling, I wager!

I arrived at the tourney grounds with the members of Mayerling.  I’ve sort of taken them under my wing, doing what I can to assist them in their mission.  Among other things, I transport them aboard my ship, Stormseeker, as they travel the lands and seas in their search.  Fine folk, even if they do have a tendency to call me “demon”. On this particular day, I found myself in the company of their captain, Charwindle, the elven healer Camilla, and Darvan, a young and energetic fighter.
Anyway, due to my association with those red-clad archers, I found myself being assigned to the Green team.  Those Mayerlingers are indeed in possession of some powerful magic – they made me young again!

Yes, old gaffer, I suppose I am young compared to you.  Dirt is young compared to you.

So, the Green team was graced with the presence of many of the Realms’ up-and-comers, including some young lads just taking up the sword.  Perhaps the spirit of the event infected us, but we wound up electing the youngest participant our general – Tuilli’s son Kyram.  What he lacked in strategic acumen, he made up for with enthusiasm.  In order to assist in the organizing, Wrath of Grimloch became his de-facto assistant.

Come to think of it, Wrath makes up for lack of strategic acumen with enthusiasm too.

Having selected our general, we then set to for a day of martial contests, which began with open field battles, then moved on to fighting over bridges, capturing objectives, squad skirmishing, and bear pit fights, sprinkled with the occasional surprise Chaos Ninja Battle.  Though the Green team fought with heart and vigor, the wily veterans of the Gold team proved up to the task of testing our mettle.
I like to think the Green team gave a good account of ourselves (except trying to battle across the two bridges, where the Gold team held us off for the better part of an hour!), but I can only imagine the Gold team proved ultimately triumphant.  Still, we left the field in the spirit we stepped onto it, in the spirit of camaraderie and friendly competition.

We also left the field having worked up a powerful appetite, and a good spread awaited us – grilled meats and fresh green vegetables.  While we ate, the Knights of the Eternal Flame took the opportunity to attend some public ceremonies, including inducting Sir Guilliam into their ranks.

There also seemed to be some tension within the ranks of Grimloch.   We were warned to keep weapons handy, but violence did not ensue during dinner.

Good thing too, those grilled sausages were delicious!

As night fell over the tourney grounds, the Adventurer’s Guild began offering commissions.  I poked my nose into this on behalf of my Mayerling friends.  They had a number of missions they were offering payment for, so I selected one purported to be negotiation, thinking Charwindle would prefer rational discourse over force of arms.  Joining us were the gypsy Kallan and his two boys Lyran and Wierl, and Tuilli’s boy Kyram, who I think preferred the company of lads his own age to geezers his father’s age.

In addition to the missions, the Guild was collecting a particular sort of crystal, one lit from within by a rainbow-spectrum of color.  They offered a bounty for any found in our travels, which they were putting to use in developing magical tools for the assistance of adventurers.

Our mission turned out to be safeguarding a young woman from a local village.  She and her fellow citizens were tasked by their lady with collecting a particular type of lily which began growing in their village after their lady planted some sort of unique seed, in return for which their lady levied no taxes against them.  Before you go thinking this arrangement is uncommonly enlightened, when the villagers began picking the lilies, plant-monsters rose up out of the ground and attacked them.

When we got to our guide’s village, we discovered the veracity of her claims – picking the lilies in question did indeed cause plant creatures to attack.  We commenced negotiating with them, using swords and spells as our arguments.  Initially, we had difficulty hurting them, but rapidly discovered we needed to destroy the roots they exposed when they pulled themselves out of the ground, slowing them and making them vulnerable to killing blows.  

Eventually, we were able to collect all the blooms and kill all the creatures, but while we were distracted battling the animated shrubbery, a woman came out of the shadows, killed our guide, and stole the crystal she bore.   When I raised our guide back to life, she reported her assailant had born a particular device – a serpent eating its own tail.  She was perturbed by this course of events, but when we presented her with a bouquet of rare lilies and informed her the village was plant monster-free, she delightedly took our leave, leaving us to return to the guild for payment.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy.

When we returned to the guildhall, we found it sealed magically, and through the windows could see the guild master lying dead on the floor.  Searching for the perpetrators and for a means of breaking the magical seal, we encountered all sorts of shifty folks skulking about in the night, bearing the very crystals the Guild had been stockpiling.  Questioning them proved nonproductive – they were quite hostile.  We then tried commerce, but offers to buy the crystals were flatly refused.
Rebuffed, we fell back on the sort of negotiation that served us so well against the plant monsters.

 This yielded not only the crystals in question, but coins and artifacts with that tail-eating-snake symbol.  Based on this evidence, Janus informed us we were dealing with the Order of Orobouros.

 However, that was as informative as Janus got, claiming he wasn’t cleared to tell us more.  That said, I already knew enough about them to apply lightning bolts to them with minimum preamble, so we warriors and mages of the Realms tracked down the groups of Orobouros warriors, defeating them and collecting the crystals.

Our efforts eventually yielded enough crystals to break the seal on the Adventurer’s Guild.  When we revived the guild master, he informed us the guild’s stockpile of crystals had been stolen.  He knew not to what end, but sent us out to put a stop to whatever the Order was up to.  This involved negotiating our way through waves and waves of their warriors.  Breaking our way through the last of them, we found what they were up to – they’d summoned a giant wolf demon to our plane.

This was a situation which required not only skilled negotiators, but cunning minds as well, as the warriors fended off the monster’s attacks while the mages worked out how to banish it back to whatever hellhole it spawned from.  This involved Lako and Janus diving repeatedly into its maw and getting chewed up and spit out again.  They were either finding out information about the magic binding it to our plane or trying to give it a fatal case of indigestion.  Eventually, they succeeded at least in the former, cleansing our realm of its foulness.

The trip back to the guildhall was uneventful, and with the guild master restored to life, we were able to get paid not just for the jobs we’d undertaken, but also received bounties on the Order’s coins.
 Liking getting paid for what I tend to do anyway, and not caring fot the cut of the Order’s jib, I closed out the night by joining the Adventurer’s Guild.

Yes, I suspect we haven’t heard the last of the Order of Orobouros, but when next they choose to darken our lands with their footsteps, they’ll find me just as prepared to negotiate with them as their slaughtered compatriots found me.  And, I’ll get paid for it!

I know I already mentioned it, and I probably will again.  The novelty hasn’t worn off yet.

In a Creathorne Minute

Creathorne Minute

(with apologies to The Eagles)

Bean got up

Dressed all in black

Went down to the tavern

And he never came back

They found his clothing

Scattered somewhere down the trail

And he won't be down on Tourney Field

In the morning

He had a nation

A whole pile of gold

But men get lost sometimes

As contracts unfurl

One day he crossed some line

And he was too much in this world

But I guess it doesn't matter anymore

In a Creathorne minute

Everything can change

In a Creathorne  minute

Things can get pretty strange

In a Creathorne  minute

Everything can change

In a Creathorne  minute

Lying here in the darkness

I hear the battle wail

Somebody going to Myth Dranor

Somebody's going to Gaol

If you find somebody to quest with in this world

You better hang on tooth and nail

A were wolf is always at the door

In a Creathorne  minute

Everything can change

In a Creathorne  minute

Things can get a little strange

In a Creathorne  minute

Everything can change

In a Creathorne  minute

And in these days

When darkness falls early

And people rush home

To the ones they love

You better take Harlequin’s advice

And take care of your own

One day they're here;

Next day they're gone

I pulled my cloak around my shoulders

And took a walk down through the dark

The snow was falling around me

The groaning tavern in the gathering dark

On some solitary rock

A desperate lover left his mark,

"Baby, I've Rohde Fathered. Please come back."

What the Meade makes cloudy

The heart makes very clear

The days were so much brighter

In the time when no sunscreen was here

But I know there's somebody somewhere

Make these nasty bugs disappear

Until that day, I have to believe

I believe, I believe

In a Creathorne  minute

Everything can change

In a Creathorne  minute

You can’t get out of the rain

In a Creathorne  minute

Everything can change

In a Creathorne  minute

What You Missed - Creathorne 2015 War Tourney Edition!

[Editor's note: all photos by View staff unless otherwise specified]

Clan Riverhawk takes the field (photo by Robyn Nielsen)

Chimeron v. Clan Riverhawk (photo by Robyn Nielsen)

Creathorne takes the field (photo by Robyn Nielsen)

Blackwood takes the field (photo by Robyn Nielsen)

Blackwood versus Gau Dring

Gau Dring (photo by Jesse Gifford)

The Neden line

Neden versus Folkestone

Ashenmark (photo by Jesse Gifford)

Ashenmark versus Folkestone

Folkestone

Grimloch lines up

The Blue Falcons (photo by Jesse Gifford)

Rhiassa advances (photo by Robyn Nielsen)

Invictus

Invictus versus Blackwood

Eternis v. Invictus

What You Missed - Tournaments of Creathorne 2015 (photos)

[Editor's note: all photos by View staff]

Set up for a day of tournies in the beautiful weather

Jarrod and Meeble go at it in the single short tourney

Sword and shield tourney, Raynor v. Natalia

Lucas v. Teddy, with some very intimidating-looking people in the background

Mage v. apprentice hand-&-a-half showdown; style points for backwards belts

Blade gets some major air time versus Malaki

Gambler's Guild Goody Bag

Some disreputable sorts spending time at the casino

The Neden shops

Duncan versus Torolf, florentine smack-down. Old guys got style.

Dagger fight, Skarda v. Rawlin

More florentine - Rillan v. Lako

Looks like they both had the same move in mind - Killian v. Tmain

This was right before the knife came bouncing back and almost creamed us

Syruss (mostly) hits the mark during the live knife throw

These mugs only look sweet and innocent

I guess we know who lost here -- Tuilli v. Phoenix

Zodiark and Enlon - mano-a-mano

Raynor uses his superior height to taunt Umbra

Check back tomorrow for What You Missed -- Nation Tourney edition!

An Atypical View

The Blue Circle

Peter King recently mentioned in a post on the Realms Facebook page that he has stated an OOC group for members of our community who have diabetes. Folks wearing this favor on their belt helps the rest of us be aware.

"The Blue Circle", Peter explained to me when I asked him why he chose the Blue Circle, "Is the universal symbol for diabetes. It is used to raise awareness and bring a unified identity to the disease. Medical centers and awareness programs commonly use it, so it only made sense to use it for the symbol."

Things to look out for? Peter had good answers for that, too. "Common symptoms of a diabetic who may be entering a medical crisis are fairly easy to spot. They typically seem out of sorts, pretty much like they've had too much to drink. They may have some basic short term memory issues, like forgetting what they were saying, or rambling in no direction in particular. The skin may become a little grey, but not always. Coordination is lost a little, and the person can become shaky, irritable, and nervous. These are the typical symptoms of a low blood sugar, and this is the most immediately dangerous medical problem for a diabetic. If the blood sugar isn't raised (usually by drinking juice or taking glucose tablets), the diabetic may pass out and drop into a coma, potentially leading to death."

He also added its possible for the diabetic to seize, but is not always the case.

One concern raised is how to raise concern with someone wearing a favor. How do you mention you are worried without it seeming like an over reaction or a nagging? The easiest answer is common courtesy. However, if you see someone with the blue circle behaving in a way that sets off your alarm bells, be direct. Ask them to check their blood sugar, suggests Peter. "All diabetics are different, we're all different people, so there isn't a particular right or wrong way to do it. If you are around a diabetic a lot during an event, just go ahead and ask them how to ask them if they are all right."

Most important, if a diabetic passes out or has a seizure, call 911 immedialy.

Peter also explained what a "Glucagon Shot" is, "a concentration of glucose that can be injected into belly fat to raise the blood sugar of a diabetic in an emergency. This is a quick save, but must be accompanied by a hospital visit. I bring a glucagon shot to every event I go to and leave it with the event holder."

Invictus Introduction

This past weekend saw tournaments, awards by way of fireballs, a new knight belted, and a new group ascend. The group goes by the name of Invictus and is made (mostly) of former members of Grimloch. While these are primarily seasoned players, its always hard to start something new. We wish Invictus the best, and look forward to seeing them on the field.

Imperator Shandar 
Sir Guilliam 
Sir Kiira 
Sir Nighthawk 
Sir Eldritch 
Sir Rillan 
Vuel 
Wrath 
Sir Meeble 
Effa 
Yimmit 
Drike 
William 
Tmain 
Runaris

                                                                             

Invictus

William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thanks whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeoning of chance

My head if bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looks but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

Fireside Chat with Kyara

Most of us know Kyara.  She is a follower of Harlequin, has a beautiful voice, tells some good jokes, hangs out with Lako and is in the relatively new nation of Gau Dring.  Oh, and she's at least part fox. Literally.
Kyara wandered into Ashenmark, so I took the time to feed her, and pepper her with questions.
                                                                                    -T



You are a fox, or a Kitsune?   

A kitsune, but we're pretty much the same thing right? Well, I guess I can make things blow up easier...

Tell us how you fell in with a monkey pooka.  We are all dying to know this story.

As far as Lako goes, I met him at the Feast of Leviathan. I sensed his chaos and madness, and I could relate to that. It intrigued me. So I stole his spellbook. Things went from there, we adventured, he went feral, I made a dead guy an avatar of Garm, it was a good time.

Do you have personal heraldry?  Can you describe it?

I guess my personal heraldry is the same thing I draw on my cups- a fox face with a tail poking around back.

What do you do when not adventuring?

I tend to loaf around, cause general shenanigans and run away before being caught, and make a LOT of tea. I also now have a nation to run, so when I'm not adventuring, I'm generally trying to help my people out with the whole chaos portal issue, and the beasties that live in the area. At least the beasties taste good... Sometimes.

Tell me your happiest moment.

My happiest moment was having that first bite of chicken at Feast of Leviathan. No food had ever tasted better, and I had never been surrounded by so many interesting people and scents. 

Are you squired to anyone?  If not, tell me what knighthood intrigues you the most.

I'm not currently squired to anyone, and to be honest, I'm not sure what knighthood most intrigues me. I'm not actually all that interested in the Knights of Harlequin, I guess the Knights of Chaos, but I'm not going to go out of my way to squire to someone. I'm also interested in the Magi of the Realms, as I am bursting with magics. 

What quest are you working on now?

Right now I'm working on Chicken quest, the quest for more chicken and chicken strips (OOC chicken strips= bacon, Lako lied about what they are), unless of course you're talking about personal quests. I think probably my most obvious personal quest is to become the high priestess of Harlequin. Aside from that, I have this nasty brand on my hand from sometime in the future...good times. I'm still working on getting that off. It bothers me occasionally.

Where did you get your future brand.

I already got the future brand. I get it in the future, but Harlequin sent me and Lako there to see what was going to happen. Wasn't pretty, nope nope, not one bit. They branded us both, then the Realms came and saved us.       

I know you like to eat.  What is your favorite meal?

My favorite meal is probably chicken. Or chicken strips. Or man- steaks (ham steaks, dammit Lako). I also like pastries, a LOOOOT. 

Tell me about your favorite place to rest.

My favorite place to rest is either in a den I dig under a tree or in the giant down-stuffed bed back in Gau Dring. Both are perfect places to curl up and take a nap!