O'er The Lands of the Realms: Stonewood

by Jason "Aeston" Rosa

Hi Res Map Link

Description by Travis "Elwin" Wilcox

Within the borders of Stonewood there are a few key places of interest. For most of them you will have to see them yourself to be able to truly understand how things work there but I will do my best to give a brief description of each individual location. My best suggestion though is if you want to know more about one of the locations in Stonewood, please feel free to visit and check it out for yourself, but be warned not all is fun and games, there are things out there that would rather kill and eat you then ask you your name. This is just a fair warning to give you a sporting chance.

Stonewood Proper:

This is the location of the Stonewood Castle and most of its inhabitants. This is where Sir Elwin and most of the defenders of Stonewood live. There are also many other houses constructed here to harbor guests and travelers. Whenever traveling in this great land, make sure to check in here so that if you come up missing someone will look for you. Most of the academics are done at this location as well; the school for the magic’s and the vast knowledge of the library are safe housed at this location. If a new discovery is found, chances are it was found here. The walls of the castle encompass all of the residence of this area protecting them from invaders and random wandering undead. The only people who live outside the walls are the farmers who tend the fields.

Starhaven:

This once dying community has been brought back to life in the past few years. From a simple town it has grown into a full fledged city. Its overall population nearly equals Stonewood proper. Much of the imports and exports that cross the boundaries of the country pass though this fair city before it is distributed out to the masses and other towns. In recent times the defense of Starhaven has been increased and much effort has been put into the cities repair after years of neglect and attacks. A new perimeter wall has been constructed and many of the older buildings have been brought back to their full luster. The city itself is composed of several different districts that sprawl out over the total cityscape. There are few things that cannot be found, traded or bought in this city. If there is something you need chances are, you will find it here and if you can’t find it there is surely someone who can get it for you, for the right price.

The Tower:

This great sight is located on the other side of the mountain range from Stonewood Proper. The massive obelisk extends high into the sky and has been said to shift in height and width at the desire of the gods. The tower is the home to our patron deities. This residence is for their physical form and not merely their avatars. Many other exotic creatures can be found in the surrounding areas and are generally considered under the protection of the gods. If you want to find out more I suggest you go in and visit, but be warned, speak carefully in the presence of the divine. This is also the only place you can legally obtain the beverage Blue Death. This is a sacred drink to us. Let it be known that if anyone is caught trying to manufacture this drink without the permission of Stonewood, you will be persecuted to the fullest extent of our law, and we are always trying to find new extents.

The Dark Chapel:

There is very little known about the church to the north. Very few have explored it and even fewer have survived the journey to tell the tale of what they found. It appears that all divinatory magic that is cast to find out anything about the place is being blocked as if there were something there to hide. In recent years adventurers have traveled up to The Dark Chapel and breached its blood soaked doors. They met a gruesome fate. Tales tell of an ancient demon who lurks within its walls. Be warned all who venture up to that dark place.

The Copper Mines:

We have set up a mining operation to the South East to mine up a large copper source. This operation is being led up by Asp. Thus far it has proven to be very profitable. It has also provided us with much needed materials that we can forge into new equipment. We have also found a few other items of interest while on the dig. It is simply amazing the kinds of things you find by rooting around in the dirt.

Dig Sites:

There are several dig sites all over Stonewood, excavation is going on everywhere trying to bring back some of the history that was lost in the great war. Many artifacts have been found in these digs along with some priceless information on our country's history. There are many precautions that are taken any time some enters into an official dig site. These sites are usually heavy guarded and defended at all costs. Friend of the nation or foe, trespassers are met with extreme prejudice and will be slain before asked questions, and oh yes the dead do speak. Any who wish to participate in one of the digs should speak with Sir Lord Elwin before making the trek to the sight. It should also be noted that strange magics have been uncovered at these sights so be weary before wandering.

Haven:

Haven is the floating island that hovers above Stonewood. It his now the home to thousands of undead that have been transported there. The front of Haven is adorned by a massive skull that looks out over the lands. This skull is actually the main entrance into the underground section of the island. In that area is a massive city. The structure of the island weighs in at over six billion tons and harbors over five thousand undead. This number continues to grow each day as they are migrated from the mainland to Haven. The massive floating island is held afloat by a gigantic glowing crystal. This crystal powers the entire island as well as providing light to the lower city. On the outskirts of the island are small towns that are set aside for those undead who wish to have their seclusion. The entirety of the island is ruled by Sir Avernus Delkar. 

Silverglade Forest:

This seemingly enchanted forest is filled with wonder. Very few dare venture in and those that do speak little about what they find. Most find the forest quite unsettling and choose to take the road around the forest when traveling. It is rumored that many mystical and wondrous creatures live within but none have seen or at the very least confirmed this rumor. There has been sighting of bright lights emitting from the heart of the forest but no one knows what is causing it. 

What You Missed In Photos - That Which Escapes Us: The Siege of Eroewan

All photos and captions by Ryan Welch

A beautiful day for questing 

Sergeant Becker

Fighting a Meenlock

Deciphering Runes

A game of chess with the locals

A sheriff from a neighboring town argues with Seeker

The Prime Spider

The Hag

A Gnome

Preparing to face internal conflict

Setting up defenses against the oncoming army

Meenlocks on the horizon

Nth'Ghtahln - Lightning Bolt!

The Nega Meenlock fights a Ent

Battle Board for managing the siege and other skirmishes

Enjoying a peaceful dinner

Do Your Part(y)! and A Rafting We Will Go

by Lani "Gwen" Jones

Do Your Part(y)
The Realms can do some pretty great stuff when we come together, so I wanted to provide us with a fun opportunity to get together, socialize, and support a cause that I think is really exciting, Boston Children’s Hospital. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s excellent artistic abilities as we work together to make cards for kids in need. I’m also Jonesing (pun intended) to feed everyone since it’s been a long time since Leviathan. You can look forward to some signature dips, Jen’s delectable mac and cheese, and some other great nibbles as well. After snacks and crafts, feel free to indulge in a few adult-only beverages at our cash bar and hit the dance floor where you will be subject to the music of my choice, until you’re also feeling the groove and want to donate to our charity to play some epic music of your own by signing up on the jukebox playlist. In addition, when your feet get tired, we’ll have some board games, and you are welcome to bring your own as well. We’ll end the evening with our charity auction, where $5 will get you an arms length of tickets to win one of our fabulous prizes including: the Ultimate Rhiassa Basket, Nostalgic Movie Night Basket, Life’s Better with Cheese Basket, Wine Not Basket, and the In-Character Comfort Basket featuring a Plastidipped Weapon crafted by our very own Josh Fitzgerald! Ultimately, the goal is to combine our superpowers for charity and camaraderie and have a great time doing something for those that can benefit from the great things our community has to offer.

A Rafting We Will Go/ A Rafting We Will Go, Again
With charity on our minds, on Saturday, members of Folkestone will be hosting the first of the “A Rafting We Will Go” events, which was auctioned off as part of another Realms charity auction (a pretty great weekend for charity it would seem!) Fortunately, if you weren’t able to be a part of Saturday’s charity event, the EH staff will be hosting this epic quest of tubular proportion again on Sunday. I’m psyched to be able to help Teng Hua while simultaneously catching some waves and rays with my fellow Rhiassans and you! There are still a few slots open for this capped raft-questing event that is pushing the boundaries of what we’ve seen in the Realms so far. I have been long-looking forward to the opportunity to experience a truly innovative take on questing that I am sure that this staff will make great waves with. If Feast of Teng Hua is any indicator of this staff’s ability to create an immersive and interesting world that will keep everyone in-character and engaged throughout, then I honestly can’t even begin to imagine the wonders in store for us this weekend. Balancing an immersive plot with killer mechanics is what this team excels at, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to continue to participate in the story they are telling. I’ll keep you posted with my first-ever What You Missed next weekend. Stay tuned for the low-down on this thrilling event, and also, to find out whether or not I end up with a tan or a burn of monstrous proportions.

What You Missed- That Which Escapes Us: The Siege of Eroewan

by Renee "Kindrianna" Booke

When Blackwood put out a call for aid, my countrymen and I were eager to answer it. We were wary about leaving our own lands with fewer soldiers while the threat of the Strangers loomed over us, but our Druid King insisted that we must never let fear stop us from doing what is right, and so we marched to the aid of our allies. We journeyed northwest in force; determined to defend Mova, the Mother Tree, and gather alongside other heroes of the Realms who cared for nature as much as we did.

Acolyte Stewhart, Druid of the Hunt, had spoken with a man named Sergeant Becker at Feast of Chimeron and informed me that he believed creatures of the Underdark could be involved in Eroewan’s problems. By all accounts, the corruption we were facing only seemed to move during the night. Lending credence to Stewhart’s hypothesis, creatures normally residing underground were becoming increasingly hostile and active above ground.

On the other side of things, Thoril had put his magics to work and warned me ahead of time that we were also dealing with an adversary that targeted those using Seer Magic or High Magic to investigate. He claimed that a mark had been put on his soul and he was now being hunted by a twisted version of himself. I wasn’t sure how the two were connected, but I knew we were walking into a dangerous situation and would need all our wits about us.

Upon arriving in Eroewan, the party was greeted by the familiar Sergeant Becker. He apprised us of the situation and we learned the state of the area’s defenses. We quickly split into several groups to cover more ground. Some went out looking for a group of missing Blackwood soldiers and an elusive Librarian, some went to the battle maps to help strategize and direct troops and resources more efficiently, and the rest of us awaited the arrival of an important guest named Cleric Andrew.

Cleric Andrew was a follower of Edaonae, a nature Goddess of Blackwood. He introduced himself and greeted the Knights of Blackwood whose names were familiar to him. Sir Mathies and Sir Tao checked his neck for a mark just to be safe and asked him a few questions about the Librarian we were waiting for to make sure he was who he claimed to be. Mathies quickly explained to me that some of the creatures we were facing were using needles or stingers in the necks to attack people and take on their magic and traits, spreading corruption onto our friends. We needed to be cautious and keep a lookout for such. Furthermore, our options for removing such corruption were limited to the abilities of my adopted daughter, Acolyte Tempest. Cleric Andrew told us that tomorrow he wished to do a ritual to call the attention of our Gods to the battlefield and was looking for as much help as we could give.

Before I knew it we were off again, looking to court the Children of the Forest for their aid in the oncoming battle. Eroewan had many assets of its own yet to be utilized in the war effort, but the denizens of the forest were wary of outsiders and would not so easily give their assistance. In the darkness of the Hag’s Hut, we were asked to find a special branch and return it as a favor to prove that we were trustworthy. Sir Magnus was the first to complete this task and was named liaison between the mortals and the Children of the Forest, receiving the ability to command some of their troops.

Upon being told that the roads appeared clear of danger, we rested until the next day when our challenges began anew. As a self-proclaimed scribe, I regret that I am not omniscient, for I am sure I will miss many individual triumphs and contributions that deserve their own stories. Alas, I am but mortal and can only write upon that which I saw with my own eyes. We adventurers had the day to prepare for the Siege that evening and had multiple duties to attend to. Some began to search for quality lumber to construct barricades and siege weaponry, Magistrate Evie almost married Wrath of Invictus while trying to help two poor spirits that had botched a ritual of unification, and the poor Librarian had lost a bunch of books that he needed for research if he was going to be able to provide more information.

Luckily for us Voranians, the contingent of Wolves that Druid King Hygar had sent for arrived to assist that morning as well, and Commander Cronin Barbaria, Druid of the Mountain, was given command of the unit and quickly put them to work. I personally spent most of the morning returning books and was rewarded with a library card for my efforts. While we were out and about, Esto’miel and High-Druid Gavin the Green realized that there were blue crystals upon the ground. They began to gather them up and petitioned the Librarian to help identify what purpose they might have. Investigations revealed that these crystals could be used to empower Eroewan’s defensive wards, and Esto’miel and Gavin later made sure that each group charged with the defense of a ward received an equal portion of what our nation had found.

On my travels, I was also lucky enough to meet a Hag (that seems rude?) named Agatha. She was a very kind creature, but still apprehensive and wary of outsiders she didn’t know. Agatha wanted to help in the war, giving many brave heroes the opportunity to sacrifice from their own flesh and soul to bring powerful nature magic to the aid of our allied troops. I watched many a selfless person have an eye or ear removed to this end, some giving up even more. With each sacrifice, Agatha was able to grant us more boons that our battlefield commanders could later use during the Siege.

Nobody warned me about all the other strange creatures I would encounter in Blackwood that day. Besides being attacked by bugs and Illithids, I was also chased by leopards, avoided the trial of an apparent drug dealer, and witnessed the trials of the First Gorilla. Fortunately, a nice fur trader named Harry taught my fellow adventurers how to snare the leopards and I managed to avoid being mauled to death by cats. As for the First Gorilla, adventurers needed to prove their strength to him by completing a series of challenges. First, there was a challenge of general physical fitness, followed by a trial of combat in which participants teamed up and functioned as what could only be described as a two-headed ogre. There was even a relay obstacle course that challengers had to run not once, but twice, and they couldn’t be in the same position both times. The greatest of these challenges, at least in my humble opinion, was the trial of Corsican Banana. Participants wrestled one another in an attempt to either shove their opponent out of bounds, make them drop their banana, or squash their banana.

From there we received word from a frantic Clove that one of the Children of the Forest was under attack, so many of us ran to find her. We arrived on the scene to see an Illithid corrupting her, and warriors of many nations sprang to life in a valiant attempt to save her. Sadly, we were too late and the deed had been done, but heroes of the Realms are not so easily deterred. They attempted to banish the corruption from her and give her a chance at a new life. Last I knew, she was given a second chance as a Human that she seemed loath to take, but that life was hers to do with what she wished.

After this encounter, I ran into Cleric Andrew again who was gathering divine casters for his ritual. I and several others followed after him ready to call upon our Gods and draw their attention to where it was needed. Without warning, a shadowy figure appeared to interrupt Andrew before he could start and we were assailed by a force we could not wound with steel. I was thrown across the battlefield and tried to rise to defend the others around me. Cleric Andrew was on the ground with this entity hovering over him and I was filled with the fire of Vandor’s vengeance, eager to smite my foe. I tried to call down my God to save Cleric Andrew, but the strangest thing happened. My magic was hijacked, and the menacing being warned that I would soon be hunting myself should I persist in my use of the divine. (Was this what happened to Thoril, I wondered?) Our enemy then grabbed Cleric Andrew and disappeared through a black portal. We had been thwarted and my heart was heavy with the sting of defeat.

Soon after, a benevolent Moth spirit appeared looking to help willing adventurers in conquering their inner conflict. Still filled with self-loathing over what had happened to the Cleric, I joined in this quest and decided I needed to find peace before I could continue the fight. Many of my country came with me, and I also met new faces such as Bjorn of Arken. We shared with one another our greatest fears, the names of those we loved, lies we told ourselves, who had shown us the truth, and identified the greatest barrier standing in our way of becoming our best self. When we finished sharing these things, we joined together to fight against a physical manifestation of our fear and doubt.

The next thing I recall was the ritual to awaken the Ents. Pilpus led us all to a field bordering the forest and warned the adventurers that once he started his magic, all the nearby enemies would sense the power and come swarm the area to stop him. If the ritual was interrupted in any way, it would fail. Pilpus required three anchors for the ritual, so Seeker Artair, Sir Tao, and I volunteered while our comrades kept us safe. As battled raged above us, Pilpus took us deep underground where we found some of the missing soldiers. We also discovered that the Illithids had been torturing and tormenting the Meanlocks that we had been fighting, explaining their new patterns of behavior. We fought a giant worm and had to make our way through it before we arrived to communicate with the Mother Tree and urge her to awaken the Ents. She was wonderful and gracious, understanding that Eroewan needed her help. The Ents awoke, and not a moment too soon, for out on the field an Umber Hulk was wreaking havoc.

We breathed a collective sigh of relief, knowing that this was a huge boon; but the main assault was still to come. Thoril knew that the wards were preventing the corruption from seeping forth through Eroewan, so we suspected that we would be prioritizing their defense throughout the night. Druid King Hygar also believed that Commander Cronin would need more troops to this end, so he pulled as many Voranians as he could down into the earth with him to see if we could awaken a large earth elemental. Artair and I immediately recognized the Illithid we stumbled across as one we had seen during Pilpus’ ritual. He was tormenting the Earth Elemental we had come to awaken, and four points were being used to suck out his essence and hurt him. Voraniss kicked in the proverbial door and I urged Vandor to enfeeble the evil creature as my allies fought their way through. Together we worked on disabling the magics holding the elemental down and our warriors were able to beat the Illithid and bring much-deserved retribution upon him. The elemental was so grateful that he let us ride him back to the surface where he joined in the war efforts.

The nighttime brought much more danger, and just as we suspected, the wards were falling under attack. The party needed to separate to cover as much ground as possible. Voraniss followed the Druid King into battle, using his earth magic to fortify our position and make it more defendable. Some of our kin: Tempest, Tulkhan, Mogar, and Gavin split off to act as a go-between squad and coordinate with Prince Saegan and Blackwood’s defenses. Thanks to them running back and forth, (and runner Vesper!) and Quatra, Thoril, and Toah working on cracking the code of the enemy over the communication crystals, we were never taken by surprise and always had some notice when a large force was coming our way. It was a brilliant display of teamwork, and I do not think we would have claimed victory if the nations of the Realms hadn’t worked together the way they did. Heroes fought valiantly against overwhelming forces and managed to snatch their victory out of the jaws of defeat.

The next day we celebrated by clearing out some remaining hostile Meanlocks and Illithids. On this mission we found a strange man sleeping under the ground who seems to be lacking in memories. I wouldn’t be able to spell his name for the life of me, so I hope someone else wrote it down. Who is this mysterious man? What is his connection to all that has transpired? Is there another being behind the abuses the Illithids forced upon the creatures of the underground? There are still many mysteries that the taste of victory cannot blind me to. I fear the Realms may still be in danger, and that this siege will not be the last.

Meme Mondays

By the Meme Team

Rambling from a Second Rate Magic Marshal

Why I Want to Go: That Which Escapes Us: The Siege of Ereowan

by Lani "Gwen" Jones

That Which Escapes Us is a brand new event series, and if you’ve been looking to get into some real role-playing opportunities then you should definitely make it a point to head out to Grafton this weekend. This event will feature an open-world questing concept, and there will be a ton of opportunities for great roleplay, planning, puzzle solving, and fighting enemy forces.

I always think it’s worth celebrating an event and EH team who are willing to try out new concepts in their event series and who, from the very beginning have put a lot of time and energy into creating not just a plot, but a new world for us to interact with. The staff has put a lot of thought into how they will craft this world, and I’m excited to see how players and NPCs will work together to build this story. As players, you’ll have the opportunity to really shape how the story is told in future events, and work together towards the outcomes that you want to see as the series progresses.

The EHs have provided opportunities for us to explore at our own pace and uncover information in a very natural way, but, I’m also excited that in this open world style, they have encouraged PCs to reach out to staff if they need a nudge in the right direction to find the action--this will be really helpful as we embark on this journey together. I’m also really interested in seeing how the War Board mechanic, a way of tracking the spreading threat, keeps players engaged with the whole world, rather than just what they are doing at that particular moment in time.

Ultimately, I’m impressed with the level of care and attention the staff has paid to crafting a new story and I love being a part of new events from the beginning. Having the opportunity to get in on the ground floor is something that only comes once per series, and I think you should definitely make it a point to check out That Which Escapes Us this weekend!

Shiho Game from Feast of Teng Hua

by Zach Senchuk

Shiho can be played with 7 Players (1 per element)

Shown are Void, Wood, Metal, Fire, Earth, Wind and Water

Every player will get 9 tiles. 3 of each “level” (1 dot, 2 dot and 3 dot tiles)

The goal of the game is to get 4 in a line. This line doesn’t have to be straight, but must be able to be drawn from one tile to the next without backtracking.

Play is set up in 2 Phases:

Phase 1: Players go around taking turns playing 1 tile with the following rules; 1 dot tiles can be played anywhere on a blank square of the board; 2 dot tiles can be played on any color 1 dot tile; 3 dot tiles can be played on any color 2 dot tile. This will continue around the circle until there is a winner (someone can draw a line connecting 4 of their tiles that are on top) or until phase 2 beings.

Phase 2: This phase starts as soon as the first player cannot make a legal move by placing a tile. After Phase 2 begins every player (including the player who initiates phase 2) may -either- place a tile -or- pick up one of the top tiles of their color. If a tile is taken that would result in another player winning then the game immediately ends.

An important part of the game (and unfortunately one that I failed on when making this set!) is that the tile underneath cannot be seen when a different tile is on top of it. This creates a memory component to the game that wasn’t able to be enjoyed at Teng Hua. Thank you to everyone who participated at the Feast of Teng Hua.

Ask Zarine - First Edition!!

by Sara "Zarine" Jessop

“Madam Zarane 

I had a bad breakup with my boyfriend but we’re both in the same nation and I don’t want to leave the group or come around less often. The problem is he has a prominent position in the group and I’m worried he’s going to make it more difficult for me to stay involved. What can I do to make sure I can avoid any issues that might come up?”

~Anonymous

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh, my poor dear. Breakups are always difficult, and it sounds as if yours is being complicated further by your proximity to each other and shared social circles. It can be a bit hard to give advice with such vague information. Knowing the reason for the breakup would allow me to give more detailed guidance. I'll just assume you spelled his name wrong, which appears to be a trend. I've discharged people from my life for less. Fortunately for you, I'm in a forgiving mood today, and I will do my best to answer your very depressing question.

I understand that you both reside in the same nation. If it is a larger nation, perhaps you can avoid each other, at least for a bit until things become less awkward. Nations are full of peasants, perhaps befriend some of them if you've had all of your vaccinations. Joining a sewing circle or a cult is also a great way to meet new plebs like yourself. Now, I am not saying that you should give up your old friends and leave your current social circle entirely, but if you had a lot of mutual friends it might be good for you to both make some separate acquaintances. It would do you both some good to have some time apart with people who have no preconceived notions of your relationship. It would also give you a friend circle to go to if he's around and your shared circle and you feel the need to remove yourself.

His issues are just that, his issues. They are none of your concern. If your nation members are truly your friends they will remain so even in the face of this debacle. If not, well, at least now you know and you can find some better friends. Should your former paramour attempt to use his higher ranking to make things difficult for you, then he his a downright arse who needs to be put in his place. Hopefully his fellows will do the noble thing and thoroughly trounce him as he deserves. However, my dear, if there is one thing I have learned in this life is that you should never expect people to do the right thing, so you will very likely have to do it yourself.

So how do you go about protecting yourself? Now, my love, I am going to get into the really important advice, so pay attention. You say he is in a prominent position in your nation? Outrank him. Become more important than his weak self esteem can handle. He can't control your position in your circle if he's beneath you. Be aware that this may take some time, but never take your eye off your goal. Eventually you'll end up on top, and then you'll command the game, and the name of the game is making sure that he doesn't ever have any power over you. The only person who should ever have power over you is, well, you.

I know this is all a lot to take in, and you are most likely in a very vulnerable spot. Just know that if you fail at taking my advice and your bygone lover causes you any emotional or physical harm, you can always come to me. No man is ever atop me unless I allow him to be, and even then I'm just lulling him into a false sense of security. I will make sure he gets taken care of. I promise.

Meme Mondays

By the Meme Team

Flashback Friday: Looking back at View posts in June

From June 5, 2018 - the original poem "Cathedral" written by Lynn Butler, which placed first in the Poetry Tourney at TOC that year:

https://viewfromvalehaven.blogspot.com/2018/06/cathedral-original-poem.html


From June 20, 2017 - Madam Zarine talks about tourney fashions in one of her "I Can't Even" columns:

https://viewfromvalehaven.blogspot.com/2017/06/i-cant-even_20.html

Also from June 2017 - Snippets of the event "Songs of the Abyss," told from NPC perspectives:

https://viewfromvalehaven.blogspot.com/2017/06/songs-of-abyss-npc-perspectives.html


From June 6, 2016 - the Silent Scribbler delivers their patented brand of wry Realms humor:

https://viewfromvalehaven.blogspot.com/2016/06/an-atypical-view-season-two-23.html

Also from June 2016: 10 Questions with Emily "Kara" Murphy

https://viewfromvalehaven.blogspot.com/2016/06/ten-questions-with-emily-kara-akiak.html

From June 18, 2015 - an article written by Mike "Panther" Palumbo on the origins of North/South War:

https://viewfromvalehaven.blogspot.com/2015/06/on-origins-of-north-south-war-by-mike.html

Also from June 2015 - a behind-the-scenes look at the building of the demon wolf prop from the Adventurers Guild night quest at Green and Gold:

https://viewfromvalehaven.blogspot.com/2015/06/behind-scenes-adventurers-guild-demon.html

From June 27, 2014 - 10 Questions with Karen Veale:

https://viewfromvalehaven.blogspot.com/2014/06/10-questions-karen-brynn-veale.html

Also from June 2014: What You Missed photos from North/South War:

https://viewfromvalehaven.blogspot.com/2014/06/what-you-missed-northsouth-war-part-four.html

From June 6, 2013 - this "Funny Picture" of Eldritch shows that "old" jokes were a thing even six years ago...

https://viewfromvalehaven.blogspot.com/2013/06/funny-pictures.html

From June 7, 2012 - this entry in the "A Fighting Chance" series, written by Leanne "Faelinn" Micciche details one of the threats to the Realms at the time:

https://viewfromvalehaven.blogspot.com/2012/06/fighting-chance-black-star-guild-by.html

The View Retrospective: Poem - The Red Branch Chronology

Originally published in The View From Valehaven, 2nd Ed, Volume 3, Issue 5. June 2006.

Chi Balance Game from Feast of Teng Hua

by Zach Senchuk

Chi Balancing is a game played on a board of forty spaces with seven types of tile. Each type of tile represents one of the seven elements. There are three types of tile within each element: Black, Silver, and Gold. The game is cooperative and can be played with as many people as you would like to work with. The object of the game is to sort all of the elements to be adjacent to each other. This is done by making one of two moves. You and your group may swap any two tiles of the same color (Ex: two fire tiles), or any two tiles of the same color symbol (Ex: two gold tiles). While this can be described as a game, it is just as much an exercise in cooperation and communication. Each move you and your group make should be recorded, while the spread of every game may be random, trying to beat your own record will help your efficiency should you ever need to balance chi beyond the great halls of the emperor. Thank you for those of you who participated at the Feast of Teng Hua.