Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team

Secret Spellbinding Stumpers

Welcome to a new game here on the View! Secret Spellbinding Stumpers! In this game series we will give you the spell build of three individuals (as current at the creation of the puzzle). We will also tell you how the three people are related to one another. It's your job to pick the three adventurers in question and tell us who you think they are on social media!

For our first puzzle, these three people are all members of the same nation:

Person #1

• Light
• Heal Limb
• Raise Dead
• Divine Aid
• Ward: Enchanted

• Regional
• Protect the Soul
• Raise Dead
• Combat Raise Dead
• Resist Magic
• Intervention

Person #2

• Light
• Protect the soul
• Precognition
• Seance
• Vision

• Identify
• Heal Limb
• Raise Dead
• Regional
• Ward: Enchanted Beings
• Ritual of Banishment

• Mentor
• Guidance
• Enfeeble Being
• Magic Missile
• Familiar

Person #3

• Mentor
• Heal Limb
• Disenchant
• Combat Raise Dead
• Combat Raise Dead

• Implement
• Guidance
• Fortune Tell 
• Disrupt
• Enfeeble Being
• Ritual of Banishment

• Implement
• Protect the Soul
• Guidance
• Regional
• Resist Magic

Why I Want to Go - 16th Annual Tournaments of Chaos

Guys, guys, It's almost time for this year's Tournies of Chaos!! 

All of the buzz from last year not only confirmed my FOMO, but, it increased my determination to not miss out again this year. There was campfire hanging out, and kidnaping pirates but their (possibly drunken) target somehow turned the tables on them and became the 1st mate. The (possibly tipsy) rescue party was quite shocked. Then there was more campfire hanging out, using other adventurers as unsafe weapons, followed by more campfire hanging out.

That all sounds Perfect!!

I hope to enjoy a very specific type of nostalgia next weekend. That nostalgia of lighthearted hedonism from those Feast Of Min or Folkstone (campfire) Questing events from a decade ago (Yes, just one decade -shhhh you). And all of the reports from last year seem to confirm that ToChaos will hit that perfect note of fellowship and dr-- er, campfires. The Quiet Years were long. The ramp up to a 'normal' schedule has been a bit slow (on my part too, not just how full the calendar is). Old favorites have evaporated, but hey, Tournies of Chaos seems to be stepping up to the plate. It's just what the brewmaster healer ordered.

The EH is probably also throwing some sort of plot, and I should look that up.... "A mysterious man simply named Shaft says he is here to help, yet there is something strange about him."

LoL. Will the strange thing about him be his huge sideburns? And catch phrase of "dy-NO-might!"? Well if it's not, the (possibly tipsy) questers are certainly going to be using that phrase. This is going to be aaawesome. I can't wait. Nothing like bonding over puns and dated references that I'm sure won't meander into Saurabian references. 

Is that how the EH is intending for folks to have fun on the quest? Not likely. (See Monday's meme http://viewfromvalehaven.blogspot.com/2023/07/meme-monday_0657593508.html) And the Event Staff likely want folks to participate in the daylight combat tournies too.

But this is how I'm intending to have fun, and I hope that many of you will join me for re-living the old memories and making new ones.

-Amber "Lady Tarnisha" Fox. 

What You Missed: Tournaments of Blackwood X

After Action Report Events of 22-23 July, 1023 (B.M.R.) Hostage Situation in Alonis

In such a rainy summer, it was a true blessing from Edaonae to have two days of perfectly clear skies for Blackwood’s annual(-ish) tournaments. I arrived at the faire grounds at the foot of Castle Alonis around noon on Saturday, running late and overburdened with equipment to build Chimeron’s weekend encampment. His Majesty, along with the two little princes, Sir Saka, Griffin, Bogen, and I quickly attended to our tents and banners, raising a comfortable arrangement that resembled a miniaturized great hall under a long canopy as white as the stone of Chimeron Castle. As we were fixing the final touches of home, we were called to the other side of the field for the start of the tournaments. I was very grateful that our Host-Lord Sir Torolf had erected a large canopy next to the fighting pits to provide much needed shade for the gathered combatants and spectators.

Although the order of the day called for mostly one-on-one events, we competitors were organized into two teams. This would be most relevant for the team-versus-team events but I was under the impression that our teams would also accumulate points from the individual events. I don’t exactly know what was intended but I was happy that the scorekeeping was not a significant component of these tournaments, particularly because the most scorekeeping-est tournament of all was set to occur three weeks later.

The competition was enjoyable, though I was disappointed that there were not as many regional specialties this time as there were when we competed in Verglas two summers ago. On the other hand, I was quite pleased to finally debut–and compete in–my new combat magic event dubbed Tarnisha’s Challenge. The most entertaining events by far were the armed and unarmed Corsican Mug matches, though my personal favorite was a new contest called “Vesper’s Shoot-House”.

As I am writing this, I am realizing that I never questioned the ethics of Vesper’s arrangement. I will choose to assume that the Kobolds were willing participants and were not actually capturing and recapturing the same two hostages repeatedly throughout the day. Surely if there was a band of Kobolds in the area and they were attacking members of Blackwood for real, Sir Vesper wouldn’t have turned the rescue efforts into a time trial tournament, right? This was clearly a role-playing scenario with some local kobold actors. Definitely.

Anyway, the very ethical Vesper’s Shoot House was a race against time to rescue two hostages from a handful of kobolds, all set up in a building with lots of small rooms. Per the rules, competitors enter one at a time with nothing more than a dagger, two magic missiles, and their armor. If you are killed, you quickly return to life at the door but take a 10-second penalty. You may use any equipment you find inside the building. Fastest time wins. I found out the next day that even though I completed the course the fastest, I took second place in the event to Sir Temorse after three respawn penalties were added to my time. Incredibly, Temorse did not incur any time penalties.

Unfortunately, these were not the only hostages we encountered in Alonis.

After a very excellent dinner (food on sticks!), a person we referred to as Tide Herder (I am unsure if this is an occupation or a proper name) approached us to ask for help finding a temple keeper who had gone missing. In the darkness, we made our way to that temple of Edaonae, but crossed paths (and swords) with agents acting for Change. They were accompanied by a horrifying and indescribable monster which (the?) Tide Herder was able to Banish.

Once inside the temple, we found the place had been ransacked. At the request of a talking mirror (is this normal???) on the wall, we restored the eleven anchors in the temple and placed them in the holy arrangement. This brought some of the light back to the temple, but the Mirror tasked us with collecting more energy from the surrounding area so that the temple’s forge could be re-ignited.

I can only say that those efforts were ultimately successful; I share a first hand account about how the work was done because I had found the temple keeper’s journal on a bench and spent way too much time reading about his strange dreams, his research of Domai runes, and his attempts to undo Change’s corruption. In a way, I had become a hostage to the ramblings of a madman. The worst part of all is that it seems like we never found him. The temple keeper remains lost to us and we don’t even know if he is dead or alive… or worse.

The night’s adventure’s ended with another confrontation with the terrible monster and discovering a physical projection of Edaonae paralyzed on the ground and covered in Corruption. The monster was defeated by striking it while attuned to particular elements and the Corruption was magicked away by Captain Bogen.

The following morning, we awoke to more heat and more food. Sadly, breakfast was not served on a stick, but we muddled through it. As we prepared for more tournament events, I saw a crippled Bogen crossing the field. He was covered in Corruption! He believed that same Corruption he had removed from the Goddess had come back and attached to his body. This was bad, and things got quickly worse when several members of Blackwood appeared on the field in a similar state. We rushed back to the temple and met the projection of Edaonae. It was a small but welcome comfort to see that she at least was in better health than she had been the night prior.

Edaonae was worried that Change’s rising influence over these lands was coming at the cost of her own power, and she urged us to find a way to free those who were held hostage by Change’s Corruption. By great fortune, the temple did contain a tool for this job–a “sieve” consisting of six round disks, each marked with six circles. I recognized this construction from the temple keeper’s journal and Jean Baptiste knew from experience how to use it. We needed to call a Domai rune into each of the circles on a disk, and of course the sextet had to fully balance itself. The disks stacked on top of each other, and the vertical ranks of runes also needed to balance out.

The ever-brilliant Jean Baptiste was well prepared to call forth a set of runes that would balance the sieve, but to get the job done we had to collect enough blank tokens to hold all thirty-six runes. These tokens came from the Corruption-suffering members of Blackwood. They would challenge individuals to duels–if we won, a blank token would appear nearby; if we lost, they would pass some of their corruption on to us. It was difficult to collect all of the tokens we needed without taking on an excessive amount of Corruption, but we did eventually provide enough materials to JB for him to activate the sieve.

I don’t know if it was the act of completing the sieve or just an unfortunate coincidence, but as soon as we were ready to start clearing the area of Corruption, some of the members of Blackwood appeared to transform into very heavily Corrupted agents of Change. They created large explosions, none of which touched the temple. We fled into the shelter of Edaonae’s power, but our protection did not last for long as agents set the temple alight. Through the flames engulfing the building, we fought back against Change and subdued the Corrupted beings one by one. When they were forced through the sieve, all but the most Corrupted members of Blackwood returned to normal. Those who had become the Corruption agents simply dissipated like shadows burned out by light. Thankfully these forms were not the real bodies of our friends and were in fact just illusions created by Change.

With the immediate danger at last resolved, we finished the day with a few more tournaments. Our Blackwood hosts did not seem particularly perturbed by Change’s attack on them. Perhaps such things are so common for them now that they are simply a matter of course? It certainly didn’t hinder their ability to finish the day on a positive note. Following the conclusion of the last events, they served us more food on sticks and some leftovers that weren’t on sticks, and then gave out several pointy bladed sticks as prizes to tournament winners.

Oh, and regarding the temple keeper’s journal: with Edaonae’s permission, I have taken the book with me back to Chimeron. I intend to transcribe its contents so that it can be shared broadly among those of us who expect to keep encountering Change.

In service to the Realms,

Sir Orion, Avatar of Chimeron

Morning Coffee Break

Got your morning cup of coffee and a few minutes? Great! Time for our continuing feature at the View - we're going to be asking a series of questions and we want to know your answers! The question is posted below. So while you sip your morning beverage of choice, ruminate on this one:

It certainly has been a rainy summer. What's a Realms memory you have that's very rain-centric?

Now head on over to social media and give us your best answer!

Meme Monday

by The Meme Team

Caption This!

Here's a photo from a Realms event lacking any specific context. Go on back to social media and comment with the best caption you can think of.

Why I Want To Go - Blackwood Tournaments X

IC

Blackwood tournaments approaches, and while I am happy to see my friends compete and enjoy the festivities, I admit my purpose for traveling north is far from jovial. The country is under siege, internally and externally. While the threat of undead encroaching its borders is under control for now, the corruption caused by Change threatens the land as we know it.

Edaonae, the patron goddess of Blackwood, the one who gives this country life, is dying. Without her spirit, power, and protection, Blackwood will turn to ruin. 

I pray our paths still branch, this fate not yet stitched. If you’d like to aid me in these endeavors, I’ll see you on the tourney field, willing to share information I have gathered; I hope we are prepared for what will greet us when the night comes.

- Irri

OOC

I’m so excited for kabobs and violence!

The Blackwood staff has spent the last few months playtesting tourneys and taste testing food, both of which I have taken part in and am excited to see shared with the Realms. Kabob wise, I’m most looking forward to the spicy shrimp. Tournament wise, there’s such a wide variety, ranging from your classics to what the head marshal has named “Puzzle Points”! Think puzzle-quest meets point capture.

It’s going to be the perfect event to hit this summer, and with the amount of time and effort that’s been put into this event, it’ll be one for the history books. Come join in on the fun, with full days on both Saturday and Sunday!

Hope to see you there!

        - Emma

What You Missed - Countess Naralia's Fun & Games 2

by Justin “J’ortsa” Thibeault

As the grounds are cleared, and the last visitors finally leave, the air is quiet. Here J’ortsa stands, among his countrymen and the wildlife of Creathorne. What happened here? Well, it is simple. Countess Naralia held her annual fun and games, and fun and games were said to be had by all, at least the ones that this one has asked…

The day started as all good days start, with J’ortsa and Onyx having carriage troubles. Once that had been sorted out, we were on our way again. Luckily, we were not delayed by much. However, when J’ortsa arrived he found the limited tournaments had already started! Which was ok, because he had more important tasks to attend to, grilling. Now J’ortsa had not ever grilled before, but luckily Eric is a fantastic teacher and this one was able to grill up all the food for the hungry visitors! 

After lunch was had, the unlimited tournaments began. And Khajiit was finally able to participate in some of the fun. First up was a grand melee gauntlet, which lasted quite a long time, but not nearly as long as it could have been. The rules were simple, be the first to win two times in the grand melee, winners of previous rounds go to the center of the circle. And the Knights of Blackwood swept the field, one by one. First was Sir Tao, followed by Sir Bones, then Prince Saegan, and lastly Sir Vesper. This one cannot remember who won the grand melee overall, but he does know that Warlord Saka and Vesper decided to play a game against J’ortsa. After Vesper killed Fansy, he looted his bow and began shooting at this one, and Vesper with his quick thinking and penchant for mischief, convinced Saka to attempt to corral J’ortsa to make it easier to shoot him. J’ortsa was faster than the arrows, and deftly dodged every arrow that was fired at him, after the first one that took his leg. It was a wonderful experience. There was also Squire Alias who was running across the field shouting “POTIONS” in an attempt to survive and make a quick sale, very smart, but it did not pay off to keep him alive unfortunately. 

Many other tournaments followed after that, alas, J’ortsa cannot recall the order. But he does know that during the Spirit and Steel tournament, where he paired up with Squire Griffin, the matches were very tough. J’ortsa recently came into possession of a Northern Alliance throwing axe, and after throwing it at the marshal’s face, at his request, it passed inspection. J’ortsa did forget he had it a few times, much to his chagrin. But he did not forget for the Spirit and Steel tournament, where he prepared it with an armor-piercing shot and lobbed it at Squire Ryu, however the axe curved and wound up striking her Spirit, Saka, right in the chest, cutting Ryu off from her support. Then when Griffin and J’ortsa went up against Heda and Bones, where another expertly thrown axe took her arm out as the match started, cutting off her repair item use until she could heal her limb. Shortly after, she attempted to raise Bones but J’ortsa quickly ran forward and struck her arm before she could raise him. It was a moment of glory! And made J’ortsa feel very proud of his skill, or some would say luck, because he does admit the axe was definitely a lucky shot. 

In between the tournaments J’ortsa was participating in, he and Onyx were called over by the Countess. She then told Onyx to hand back the tabard they had received earlier in the day after they had misplaced their own tabard, and instead were told to keep the tabard they were borrowing from this one. And the Countess bestowed upon J’ortsa a patch, making him a full-fledged member of Creathorne.

After the fun 2-path tournament, where J’ortsa took third place out of three combatants, the marshals announced that the next tournament would be 3v3’s, and the three 2-Paths decided to team up and rain hellfire upon our foes. Which did not happen, the other teams of three were all fighters, and they slaughtered us, but J’ortsa did get one lucky shot against Saegan after Saegan killed Saka and left his back exposed, leaving the perfect opening for a well-placed Armor-Piercing shot to the back, which was immediately followed up by Sir Nos executing J’ortsa. So, the victory was quite short-lived. 

The tournaments began to wind down and the final Champions Battle was had. With none other than Prince Saegan taking the crown and winning the tournaments overall, a well-deserved victory. For his efforts, he earned a small box! Which did not house a boat, but a small dragon looking creature. This one did not get a good look at it, but he assumes it was a dragon. This one is excited to see everyone again at next year’s event, and perhaps next time, there will be even more fun and games, if that is possible. J’ortsa thanks you all for coming and making the day so spectacular and the children for helping the Countess recover her lost items, you will be remembered for your valiant efforts. 

May your path lead you to warm sands,

Justin “J’ortsa” Thibeault

What You Missed - Countess Naralia's Fun & Games 2 - Photos

 

It's not fun and games without some grilling

 

Heda brought a fun new game

Deal those cards!

 

Corsican Mug fights are always fun to watch

 

Some mean fairies stile Naralia's stuff

Dramatic fighting action shot, go!

More harrowing and amazing combat photography!

 

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team

Guess That Realmsie!

Another in our continuing series! In the below picture there is a Realmsie-shaped black hole. Can you figure out who it is based only on the profile? Tell us on social media if you think you know who it is! The answer will be revealed later in the day. 

Why I Want To Go - Countess Naralia's Fun & Games 2

by Pat "Saka" Bobell

Why do I want to go to the second installment of Countess Naralia's Fun & Games this weekend? The short answer is because I went to the first one!

I got to participate in a series of excellent tournament fights against challenging opponents, including my first-ever attempts at spear-and-shield and Corsican Mug! The single and group fights were all a lot of fun, and well-fought by all competitors.

I also enjoyed the food and refreshments provided by Countess Naralia and her excellent team, as well as camp food and baked goods brought by other attendees to share with everyone there!

The questing tournament was particularly well done - teams of four could attempt a small simulated dungeon throughout the day, attempting to complete it in the fastest time. It was built to require a well-rounded mix of mental and martial prowess with some great puzzle elements that I'd never seen before! Going in with a crew of folks I hadn't quested with before added a novel element of team building, and I was impressed by how the dungeon design highlighted the individual contributions of each person in our ragtag band. 

The rest of the event I spent relaxing with lots of friends - some who I see all the time, many who I don't see often enough, and a few who I met for the first time that day. Some of the talk was about threats to the Realms, and some of it was about our plans for future adventures. But some of it too was about growing families, projects we were excited to be working on, and friends we missed having there with us.

It's rare these days that I go to a Realms event for the sole purpose of seeing friends and enjoying the day together, but last year's inaugural event was an excellent opportunity for our community to do just that. I look forward to seeing what fun and games are in store for us this year!

What You Missed - Yosei Yes!

By Hannah "Ryu (your friendly neighborhood half-dragon)" Boucher

What did you miss? WHAT DID YOU MISS?!! Only the most amazing display of Yosei battling I have ever seen! The weather was nice and hot, perfect for all the Yosei about to get fired up for some battles. We had a good mix of seasoned Yosei battlers and those just starting out on their Yosei journey. However, thanks to supremely detailed knowledge of Jerrick, we were able to get the newbies up to speed. There are many ways to attract wild Yosei. The first way is through doing things that specific Yosei like. For example, Metal Lads can be attracted by polishing dirty metal, Wind Lads can be attracted by creating jingling windchimes, and Void Lads can be attracted by drawing the essence of the void while blindfolded. Many people took very creative approaches to attract the various Lads, but my favorite of the day was Sir Orion’s wind chimes. As his squire, I was legally obligated to help him perpetuate shenanigans, and ended up joining 4 more people he managed to convince in holding hands and singing a tone to make a living windchime. The Wind Lads were particularly pleased. 

Another way to attract wild Yosei was by building terrain for the Yosei pits. There was a verifiable mountain of crafting materials available to us to aid in the creation of specific biomes for the Yosei to inhabit and control while battling on the field. The best terrain of the day was Jerrick’s Wood terrain that he constructed as a gift to his partner Hachi, a Yosei that takes the form of a cute bumble bee! Because of his dedication and attention to detail, Jerrick was awarded a magic crayon! 

The last, and in my opinion the most fun way, to attract wild Yosei is through wild Yosei battles! Each participant calls a random Yosei to the field and does battle with whatever Yosei appear to face them. If you defeat a wild Yosei in battle, they will become your friend! We fought a lot of wild Yosei to build up our teams in preparation for the first Dojo. But the highlight of the battles was an official Adventurer battle between Team Rowan and Team Jerrick. After a hard fought and lengthy battle, it was down to the wire, next win takes it all! Griffin and I, who were on team Rowan, pulled out our combo move, “Siege Tower” and managed to provide mobile cover for the rest of our team. Just barely, team Rowan came out on top, and we all received her personal trainer badge for helping her win.

Finally, it was time for the main event. We all formed up into teams of 4 to take on the first Dojo Master, Dewdrop, and his team of water Yosei. This was my first time meeting a Yosei Dojo Master and he was not what I expected. Instead of the politeness I’ve come to expect from the Tenghuaneese people, Master Dewdrop was arrogant and rude. Sir Saka, Sir Orion, Griffin, and I went first, and let me tell you, it was no walk in the park! We had spent much of our time in between fights strategizing and coming up with team compositions that would be strong, and now it was the moment of truth. The first fight didn’t go so well, but after analyzing our opponent, we managed to come back and be the first team to beat Dojo Master Dewdrop and earn our Water Badges! All of the other teams also managed to beat the Water Dojo with stunning displays of cleverness and fighting ability. Needless to say, I think Master Dewdrop might not be so overconfident next time. 

If you’re disappointed you missed the event, don’t worry! There will be more Yosei Dojo’s to conquer and plenty of other opportunities to catch wild Yosei in the future so stay tuned! I for one am going to keep training to make my bond with my Yosei even stronger! I think I’d better make sure my Dojo Badge is nice and polished too! 

 

Morning Coffee Break

Got your morning cup of coffee and a few minutes? Great! Time for our continuing feature at the View - we're going to be asking a series of questions and we want to know your answers! The question is posted below. So while you sip your morning beverage of choice, ruminate on this one:

Pick a monster from any movie/TV show/comic/etc and come up with how its powers would work as a Realms NPC.

Now head on over to social media and give us your best! 

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team

Why I Want to Go - Yosei Yes!

by Tim "Jerrickiv Jerrickson" Suitor

OH GOSH!

Now ever since I somehow ended up in Teng Hua from Jerrick Farms, I was amazed by Yosei. As a farmer, a man of the land ya know, these nature-like spirits can become fast friends and will stick around for a while. Thanks to Mister Magus Prime Rosetta thumping my head and saying “Vision, Mage!” I understand a lot more about our elemental buddies than a simple guy like me thought he could. I’m no Doctor Professor, but:

Yosei are sorta like quasi-immortal spirits of the land of Teng Hua, they can be like a kinda a clump of an element, Faiajaberin or Saijuron, a gout of fire or a cyclone, a place within nature, Haru or Yama, a spring or a mountain, or a more specific thing within nature, Hebi or Hachi, the way of the snake and the way of the bee. They can get a bit bored being so old and all, so lately they’ve started following around people they bond to! They make their friends and spend lots of their time invisible like, hanging around, and they sometimes will mess around with stuff. They’ve helped me finish field work so I can get back to playing with them, but also helped me thaw and keep back a moving iceberg on one of my few adventures. 

More than that though, they like to play and spar. And I checked! It doesn't hurt them, they love to roughhouse! They’ll fight the day away, and if they’re friends with a person, the person can make up a team of em and they’ll work together, usually in six Yosei to each side of the fight. They often have small weapons and a buncha elemental missiles and a whole kit and kaboodle of funny abilities.

Well there are some mighty good trainers out there who run Dojos in Teng Hua, and one of them will be bringing a buncha their friends over to the mainland for some battlin!

Its a lot of fun, and I think some of you adventurer types could use a bit of fun and some more friends. So you should come to Yosei Yes!

I can help you find your first few Yosei, the Elemental Lads, and begin your journey as a Yosei Trainer, as can the Dojo leader I’m sure (Oh boy, I can’t wait to meet a real Yosei Dojo Leader) I’m just real excited-like. I am also happy to introduce people to my friends so they can help you. After all, a friend of a friend just means we all have more friends, right?

Oh Gosh, I hope Miss Rowan and I are ready…

Hachi? Mure? Kuroi Hoshi? Kanketsusen? Raifuboro? Raiu? Are you guys ready? Lets get going!

I want to be great,

Gosh, like none before have been.

Befriending them all.

Well that’s the trial

But training alongside them

Is truly my drive

And will travel

Across Teng Hua seeking out

All of our powers.

Rumors for July 1023

[Across the Realms]

From streetside shadows and other unseen places come mutters which say “Come to the murder shack at 12 bells if you want an ass kicking.”

[Chimeron]

In response to the recent conflict near the north-eastern border, riders have been dispatched to McKrye Pass to watch for enemy movement into the Rowan River Valley area. The spotters’ camps each fly a green banner bearing a blue stripe down the middle.

~~~

In the city surrounding the Royal Academy for Military Science, refugees from Voraniss anxiously seek out news from their homeland.

[Lost Kingdoms]

Just north of the Lost Kingdoms: After the thwarting of Garrimaddon's efforts to claim the throne of Coventry, remaining forces have fallen back to Cobb Brook and the ruins of Marshfield. Under the guidance and leadership of Diakon the remaining force of about five thousand troops of humans from the Keln-Gylith area just outside of Sothron as well as a smattering of phantoms and wolds continue to expand their foothold northward into the gap between Ashenmark, Voraniss and Sharangil. Reports of small outposts as well as troop patrols being establish indicate that this area is no longer safe for travel without a significant guard. Furthermore, reports have trickled back to the nearby nations of individuals who managed to successfully travel through this area claimed to have passed through areas in which they were unable to feel the divine presence of their gods. This has lead to fears that the Erl Kings domain may be spreading.

[Rhiassa]

Regardless of the established danger, merchants continue to make use of the Vanfrost to trade with the people of Midgard. One well-known merchant family, the Wensleydales of Ashenmark, have made a small fortune through the invention and sale of Dino-Might Dino Nuggets, using high quality game from Norlund as the main ingredient.

What You Missed - Voraniss Questing 2: The Rise of Hugo

by Zack "Tony" Emmert

Friday night opened with an evening of merriment, with a return of Evie's Tavern, an arm wrestling contest (which Mogar won, to no one's surprise), as well as Voraniss Court and the summer Wish Burning Ceremony. During Court, Chrysanta Morris was made a full Oathsworn member of Voraniss, and given the name Dream Weaver. Margaret August was also sworn into Voraniss, and given the name Lightbringer, as well as squired to the Knights of the Crown under Sir Laika En'Naur. Magistrate Evitta Jainrose was named to the Circle of Druids of Voraniss, given the title "Druid of the Emerald Song" and became an Initiate to the Order of the Lunar Aegis. Magi James Swift became a Squire to the Knights of Dragon's Ire under Sir Elwin. Jean Baptise of Neden formally accused the Knights of the Abberant Gate of derilection of duty in their stated mission of defending the Realms from extraplanar threats, and formed an order known as the Watchers of the Skyless Sea to fill this void and monitor incursions into the Realms from other planes.

The Knights of the Abberant Gate took this accusation personally and sent Dame Carrion to make that known. She arrived with a cadre of undead and marked myself, James Swift, and Jean Baptiste for death. The Raven spirit Miragairos informed us we would be hunted by revenants until we were wiped from existence. However, Ser Elizah of Blackwood volunteered to take my mark upon herself, and after much deliberation and consideration, she did so with the help of Prince Seagan.

Saturday morning opened with an assortment of tasks that needed completing in order to earn the favor of Gaia, so that we might dispel the corruption of the undead in the land. We rescued people from poisonous vines in the Grove of Gaia, guided spirits to their rightful resting place, did battle with bandits and rescued their captives, first Elnaril Moonarrow, and later Magistrate Evie. Some got high licking frogs, others were taunted by pixies, and good times were had by all.

Once we gained Gaia's favor, we conducted a large ritual in her honor, led by Liselle and Dame Twenaria. With our dancing, chanting, and planting seeds, we called out to her and she appeared before us. She granted us her blessing in battling the undead forces, and Liselle her powerful staff.

Then came the war council.

We were informed by Warlord Cronin and Thane Tulkhan that Edwin Rainecourt's forces were moving against several nations of the Realms. His forces had raised fallen soldiers on both sides of the battle to defend Coventry against the Lost Kingdoms, and they were marching on the western border of Voraniss. Simultaneously, a second army marched north to Blackwood. After the War Council, and before the break for our evening meal, Druid King Hygar Athame was, at long last, knighted as a Knight of the Eternal Flame.

So following our evening meal, we split our forces. Voraniss and Invictus defended Voraniss's western flank, while Blackwood, Chimeron, Stonewood, the Northern Alliance, and others went north. But to get to Blackwood in time, we had to make a dangerous journey through the Voranian spirit world.

Guided by Miragairos's lights, we walked through the spirit world, assailed by spirits that draw out your worst fears, and can only be harmed using copper or ghost bladed weapons. And yet onwards we marched, through the darkness. From one lone light to the next, until we made it to Blackwood.

We arrived in Blackwood, and found a mostly empty fortress, save a small number of undead. We quickly dispatched them, and inside found a healer's tent, a forge, and castle gate. And we knew: We were about to be under siege. Sir Orion prepared the shield wall as Rainecourt's forces arrived under the command of the vampire Sir Roman, and Knights of Blackwood made a stand outside the gate, in one last effort to negotiate with Sir Roman. And when these negotiations turned to battle, the Knights of Blackwood took their place behind the walls, and the siege truly began.

Pikes stabbed, shields held, and boulders were thrown as the siege waged on, until I gazed over the top of the walls and saw a truly terrifying weapon of the lich arrive: A colossal 15-foot skeleton wielding a sword as tall as a building was bearing down on our position. It crashed through our walls, and to the credit of all those on the shield line, only then did the enemy breach.

(OOC note: Derek and his prop team are truly incredible! Hats off to all of them)

Our pikes were the only weapons long enough to harm them, and so they went to work as the skeletal monster crashed through any attempt to slow or trap it. What ultimately took it down was a ritual of banishment cast by N, and two bolts from a ballista loaded and fired by myself and Tarsus of Clan Riverhawk, and blessed by the angelic powers of James Swift. A ballista that I personally dragged to Blackwood through the Spirit World.

But even with that terrifying enemy felled, our work that night was not yet done. I received word that to the south, a temple to Arius, my god, was under attack by Edwin Rainecourt's undead army. Unfortunately, we arrived there too late. We found the temple desecrated, and littered with the bodies of worshipers and priests. And before the altar we found a scrying skull of the lich himself, surrounded by unholy runes. After raising the priestess dead upon the altar, we discovered the head priest had been kidnapped because he knew the location of a powerful item that Rainecourt sought after. I spoke to the scrying skull, and though I don't remember the conversation as I was rended immediately after, I'm told that I said to Edwin Rainecourt's face - or skull, rather - that he is unworthy of the title of Knight. I stand by that statement. We finished the night having reconsecrated the temple, ready to set off and rescue the head priest the next morning.

Sunday morning, we set out to rescue the head priest from Rainecourt's undead forces. We found him nearly rended, as he refused to give up the location of the object. Through the efforts of myself and many of my close allies, we were able to earn the trust of the head priest, and he showed us to the location of the item Rainecourt was seeking. Upon recovering it, I was intent on destroying it, however Sir Vesper and Sir Bones, along with divination magic graciously provided by Sir Aelias, convinced me that doing so was too dangerous, and it should be locked away and kept secure until destroying it could be safely done. Our work for the weekend finally complete, we returned home.

A Ballad for a Would Cutter

by Ethan "JB" Goldman


We sing many songs. Oh what sad sings we sing.

We tell tales that start, “No shit there I be”

From birth to grave, we have so much to say

We say things about white belts, and blue belts, but nay.

Of all of things we say and say those we should.

But not one say is said, of the Cutter of Would.

I see you confused, but wait to the end of the thought

Because what you think a woodcutter is, a wouldcutter is not

When speaking of woodcutters, never forget the L and the u.

Because a wouldcutter cuts, what only a would cutter would do

They care not for the trees, not their grain not their height.

The Would Cutter cares only about might,

About should have, would haves, and other sad sights.

But of all these things the would cutter sees, the maybees just maybe the things to see.

A Maybee is simple, two tiny round wings, a maybee only bumbles round bumgled round things

Maybees are just babies, small and confused, but a maybees just maybe, makes do nots into dos

If power you seek a caster maybee (just maybe) may be the maybee to seek

Or maybe, you need a braver maybee to duel scarier things?

Everyone need’s a maybee from cowards to kings.

So the Would cutters collects the maybees from the Woulds and Coulds, and keeps them in glasses hives carved out of shoulds

Right behind the Nevermind Mine the Would Cutter lurks, picking up maybees from maybes long shirked.

So deep in the woulds, where no one bothers to try, is the Would Cutter Woulds, and the maybees glass hives.

If anyone needs maybees that’s where theyd have to go, by footstep or horse step, or even by boat.

And wouldn’t you know it, wouldn’t you dare, A man needed a maybe, between his hat and his hair

So a traveler went to the Wouldcutters woulds, giving no mind to Nevermind mine.

And skipping some bits, some villains he slain, he stared at the Wouldcutter, and wouldcutter stared just the same.

“I reckon I’d beat you.” “I reckon you would not.”

Then, says the man, “lets play a game at the game playing spot. I got some cards, you got your things.

If lifes but a gamble, then let a gamble life be.

You wager a maybee, I wager a neck, and to the cards the two of us bet.”

The would carver nodded, “I’ve done a lot, I’ve killed many a man, but a hand I have not

You got your gamble, lets sit in the shade.

And traveler, unravel your traveler game.”

Maybe the traveler would win, and the day is won, with the traveler grinning from ear to the other one.

Maybe hed be a hero, with stories to his name, and maybe wed be speaking of this hero to day.

But the hero lost, two twos in the hand

And the heroes head rolled down on the sand.

The hero’s head rolled both of his eyes, and the heroes red stump gave a wet heavy sigh.

As the would carver watched, the traveler’s body rised, and placed his severed head, right in his thighs.

Well, the dead man sighed. “A deals a deal, and what a deal we made.”

“But I cant help but thinking… I’d be luckier next game.”

“I got more pieces, you got more time… so say there Would carver… another try?”

The would carver stared. “I reckon I’d beat you.” “I reckon you would not.”

“Then, we will play your game, here at the game playing spot. You got your cards, I got my Bees.

If life's but a gamble, then a gamble, life be.”

Time passed, and tries did too… but the Wouldcutter raised, where a fold would rather do.

The would carver shrugged, true to his word, and plucked a maybee from its perch.

“Take care of your maybees, as hard as you can”

“You lost so much to get that good hand”

He lifted the travelers hat, and with great care placed the maybe in the travelers hair.

Hey, asked the Cutter, I do declare

I’ve seen your cards, I’ve seen you play.

But the one see I have yet to see is a name

The man gave a smile, and here he proclaimed

Yesterday my name was John Neden, today I reckon it’s same.

I'll refrain the message, since we got to the end.

John Neden had failed, and he still tried again.

For making money theres gold, silver for blades

But making a DIFFERENCE, that’s the Maybee place.

Bit heed this warning: if you do not succeed

The first time, the twice time, or even the three

You must not falter, cause if you just leave

Then maybe, just a maybee is all you may be.

Happy 4th of July!

The staff of The View from Valehaven would like to extend to all of you our wishes for a very happy 4th of July holiday! See you tomorrow with our regularly scheduled content!

Meme Monday

 by the Meme Team